Author's Note: I hope you like my story! Feel free to voice your opinion, ask any questions and point out any mistakes I make.
Saber's POV
I feel Nia get up, so I decide to follow her to make sure she's okay. She is most definitely still in danger from the Dark Earth Queen, so I'm not taking any chances.
I won't intrude, I will be close enough to run to her if she needs it.
I see Nia go to the backyard, and I stand in the kitchen, keeping an eye on her. Suddenly, the darkness of the night swirls and a man is standing in front of Nia. I start to growl lightly, nervous about his arrival. It seems like he can manipulate the darkness to hide him, or maybe teleport himself. I don't trust him.
The Stranger and Nia have a conversation, and a sad look crosses his face. Nia feels shocked and despair, but an underlying determination, and a twinge of regret. What is this stranger saying to her to make Nia feel this way?
I decide to test our connection and see if I can see and hear what Nia does. I breathe deeply, and travel our connection to her mind, but I travel past the emotion section and go to the nerves that get messages from the eyes and ears. After a few tries, I connect to Nia's ears and eyes.
"There always has to be a penalty, doesn't there? Nothing is ever simple." Nia exclaims in frustration.
"Well, you don't have to decide this now. You have until the next full moon, in two weeks." The Stranger states calmly, trying to sooth Nia. Two weeks? But that's her birthday...
"Why is the penalty to absorbing my aunt's powers memory loss? Why doesn't she have memory loss? Do you get it back over time?" She questions. The Stranger sighs, and explains
"Well, you get her powers and life force, and for some reason, it's like it takes a toll on your life force to absorb hers, and so it wipes out your memory. Sometimes it comes back, and in other cases it doesn't." Nia puts her head in her hands and whispers
"I don't know if I can do this Amaro." He briefly hugs Nia and says
"You can, trust me, if you choose to kill your aunt, you are strong enough to be queen. But don't worry, again, you have two weeks to choose."
"Yeah." Nia sighs "Bye Amaro."
"Bye little queen." I growl and disconnect from Nia, running upstairs, back into her bedroom. I hear her enter the room a few minutes later, and she lies down and immediately falls asleep.
So the stranger's name is Amaro. What the hell does he want with Nia?
Ivy's POV
"Wolf, I think we should go back home." I suggest, lying in the middle of the backyard, watching the clouds go by.
"I agree. Nia and Saber might eventually join us, but whatever is going on, they need some time to sort it out. Nia is also still weak and needs to heal." Wolf says. I sigh sadly
"I am going to miss this place though."
"Well you can visit any time." Wolf smiles. I smile as well, then stand up, holding my hand out to him.
"Come on, we should say bye then get going while it's still day time."
"Okay, let's go." Wolf agrees. We say our byes to Aunt Meredith, Uncle Alaric, Nia and Saber, and Nia was sad about us leaving, but she understands. I hope she's okay though, she seems really distant.
The next day, around noon, we arrive back at the house to find that there's a new arrival.
"Hi, I'm Angela, but please, call me Angel." She says politely, sticking her hand out for me to shake. I shake her hand, and introduce myself and Wolf.
"Hi, I'm Ivory, but call me Ivy, and this is Wolf. Are you staying here?"
"Yes, I am. Molly has let me, continuing on Marie's work, I guess. I am so sorry to hear about that." Angel says sincerely. She seems nice and trustworthy, but I'll keep my eye on her until I know her more. She has dark brown hair that is long and straight, and weirdly familiar looking eyes. I can't tell what color they are, they switch from blue to green all the time.
"Do you have a room yet?" I ask. Angel nods
"Yes I do, but thank you."
"I set Inferno up with a room as well, since Nia decided to rescue him." I hear Molly yell from the kitchen. Of course she'd be listening to our conversation.
"Hey, I'm not a dog that Nia got from the shelter!" Inferno hollers from upstairs.
"I never said you were!" Molly shouts back. I have a feeling these two are going to bicker a lot.
"Are they always like this?" Angel wonders. I shrug my shoulders
"Not sure, Inferno is a new edition as well. Not as new as you, but still new."
"Oh." Angel says in understanding as Molly walks into the living room from the kitchen.
"So, newbie, what kind of unique are you?" Molly asks. Angel looks at Molly confused, but I can see fear hidden behind the seemingly fake confusion.
"Unique?"
"Yeah, supernatural. You know, what's your power. Don't lie, I know you have one, and a powerful one. I can feel it." Molly says. Wolf nods and agrees
"I can feel it too. It's also something I've never met before, and I've met a lot of uniques." Angel suddenly looks very nervous instead of confused, like we weren't supposed to know that she's supernatural, or we aren't supposed to know what she is. The room goes deathly silent as we wait for an answer, but one doesn't come.
Nia's POV
I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I hope for a dreamless and peaceful night, since my night has been stressful enough, but as usual, I get the exact opposite. I get pulled into a nightmare.
Nia's Nightmare
I am standing in front of my aunt and uncle's house, hand in hand with Saber. A full moon is rising in the sky behind him.
"I choose to reject my Dark and Earth powers, and stay as a normal cat shapeshifter with you." I grin widely at Saber, and he smiles back, pulling me into a passionate kiss.
Time flies forward and wave after wave of Dark Warrior attacks us, capturing us all.
"Nia!" I hear Saber shout in worry.
"Saber!" I wail in despair as we are separated, and I get knocked out.
I wake up in my old torture room, the one I spent four days in before everyone rescued me. But this time, I'm not alone. Ivy is chained up next to me.
"Nia, is this where..." Ivy is about to ask. I cut her off, knowing her question.
"Yes." My voice shakes in fear uncontrollably. This place is horrible, it gives off negative energy, I can't help my reaction.
"Hello my two princesses. Now, I will turn you two into the tools of destruction you truly are!" Cora exclaims with glee, evilly cackling as her whip strikes out flesh, digging darkness into our bodies, our bones, our blood, our souls.
Eventually, I have no feelings. My soul is corrupted by darkness. The only thing that holds a small shred of humanity in me is my connection to Saber. The only thin that can lead to my redemption, and maybe even Ivy's.
"Now, Ivy, Nia, we have some pests to dispose of." Cora purrs. Ivy and I evilly grin, looking at each other.
"We're ready." We say in unison. Cora claps in glee, then commands
"Bring in the prisoners!" One by one everyone I know and love is dragged into the room. Everyone from Marie's old foster home, and my aunt and uncle. Even...
Saber.
My heart leaps when I see him, but I immediately hide the emotions, keeping a blank face on. I can't let anyone know the pain I am feeling at seeing my family and friends' horrible beaten states, especially my love, my connection mate Saber.
Ivy evilly laughs, summons a dagger into her palm with darkness, and leaps forward to Saber slitting his throat. My whole body screams inside as I feel a massive part of me die. My humanity, it's gone with Saber's life, as his heart beats one final time, and he draws his last breath in. Keeping my face emotionless, to not reveal the pain that my whole being is screaming with, I summon my own dagger and join in on the massacre, despair flowing through my body stronger with every swipe of me blade.
Soon, they are all dead. Everyone I cared about. Even Ivy, my sweet twin. She has become ruthless, she laughed with each kill, reveled in it. Cora dismisses us afterwards, and I go to my new room, collapsing on my bed in mourning and utter despair, crying my heart out at the loss of everyone...
Uncle Alaric
Aunt Meredith
Molly
Sophia
Amy
Star
Jake
Lightning
Wolf
Inferno
Saber...
I wake up, tears brimming in my eyes. I hug my knees to my chest tightly, wanting the images of my dead friends and family out of my head. The scene of Saber's death keeps flashing in my mind, the endless emptiness and pain I felt when he died echoing in my body.
Arms wrap tightly around me, and I hear a voice whisper to me
"Don't worry, it's okay, I'm here. I'm not leaving you." I turn around and sob into Saber's shirt, the scenes feeling so real and running through my mind. He holds me in his arms while I cry out the horrible pain I felt in that dream. All of the death... all because Cora is queen. Ivy and I become the destroyers we could become according to the prophecy. But, we also could become the ones that unite the realm.
We choose our own destiny.
On my birthday, I know what I'm choosing.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Author's Note:
Wow I made that a bit crazy. On one hand, Nia loses her memory, may or may not get it back, has to kill her aunt. On the other hand, her aunt will endlessly hunt her, Ivy and the ones that she cares about until she turns Nia and Ivy into the destroyers they may or may not become, or until they possibly find another way to kill Cora.
Question:
If you were Nia, what would you do?
I'd risk it and kill Cora. The world does not need a woman like her. No way, nuh uh, nope.