"She should be waking up soon, King Gil," I heard a firm female voice say, respectfully.
"Good. We'll need to take her full power as soon as possible," I heard the familiar voice of Blondie say.
I almost opened my eyes and let them know I was awake, but thought otherwise knowing they'd talk more about their plans.
"Did you already transfer your-"
"Yes, I did. Don't say anymore you may wake her up. But yes, it was for precautions. If she manages to fight off the machine and destroy it... at least we have another way out,"
"And how would we dispose of her?" the female voice cackled, amused.
"Give her back to Arbor. And immediately dispose of them as well," I could hear the smirk in Blondie's voice.
At that, my eyes immediately shot open.
"You wouldn't dare, Blondie!" I screamed.
And I realized where I was.
Metal bars stood in front of me. Rock walls surrounded the cell. My wrists were tied behind my back as I sat in a four-legged wooden chair with thick rope.. My ankles were tied to the front two legs of the chair with the same material rope. The material itself dug into my skin every time I shifted at all.
And to make it all better, Blondie and the female were standing in front of the metal bars.
Blondie was in a plain white shirt with a black biker jacket and black pants and matching shoes. His red eyes stared right into my soul as he smirked at me.
"Oh I dare, Newborn," Blondie sneered as the red haired girl standing next to him shot me a glare with her dark purple eyes.
"How dare you speak to the King that way!" She screeched at me.
"I can speak to him however I want, kidnappers!" I yelled back at her.
"Alright, peasants, shut up!" Blondie shouted over the both of us. "Lilith, bring her out here. We'll take her to the extraction room,"
"Right now, sir? But isn't it still-"
"Yes it is still under preparations, Lilith! We'll just let her get comfortable," Blondie smirked at me.
The teenage girl, Lilith, took a key ring from the side of my cell, inserted it into the door's keyhole, and walked in. She only undid the ropes on my ankles and abruptly slashed both of my shins with her sharp, knife-like fingernails due to the fact that I was wearing jean shorts. She probably did it to get back at me for 'speaking to the King that way'.
I only flinched, wanting them to know that they couldn't hurt me. After all I'd been through already, I didn't even feel anything to be honest. My brain was still muddled.
Until I could focus on one thing: Nico betrayed Terra Arbor and me. After everything I told him, trusted with him... he had played me this whole time. He probably didn't even care about anything I said to him except for when I told him I was an Omnes.
So I just let my anger toward him let me keep going.
Lilith stood me up and walked me out toward Blondie, both of them on either side of me, my wrists still bound and behind my back.
The rocky walls were lined with torches, and the hall itself seemed to be infinite.
"So, Newborn. How did it feel to be betrayed by Mr. Avalon?" Blondie asked.
I didn't show any reaction to his words. I kept my stone cold stare.
"Am I really supposed to care?" my voice came out in a monotone.
"Oh, I know you do. You're mind is too easy to read," Blondie said, making my eyes widen slightly.
"And I already went through your rough childhood," And that definitely struck a nerve in me.
"I could see how your parents slowly drifted apart... how they always left you alone... how you always felt so rejected... until you met your friends Jack and Zoey-"
"And that's as far as you'll go!" I immediately headbutted him right in the gut, sending both of us to the ground. I placed my legs on either side of him, keeping him down.
"Sure I have a terrible life, but what about you, huh? Where'd you get those tattoos? Those so out-of-place red lines that just happen to cover your entire chest for some bizarre reason? And what about kidnapping me, huh? Why are you so desperate to get me, a girl who just so happens to have control of the Light and Shadow elements? Did something happen to you, Your Majesty?" I said, right in his face.
But he immediately shoved me off and managed to wrap an arm around my neck, choking me.
"Alright, peasant! That's enough out of you," he muttered right into my ear. "Lilith! Gag her,"
"Am I sorry, did I just insult you?" I managed to choke out.
But he didn't answer, confirming that I did.
After a few seconds, Lilith walked up to me with a cloth and shoved it into my mouth and secured it.
"There. Now you can't say another word, Newborn," Blondie walked in front of me, arms crossed.
I gave him a glare wanting to say "I don't care."
After a while of wandering the rocky halls, I managed to hear faint footsteps echoing off the walls.
"Darnel!" was all I heard, before a fist was sent straight to Blondie's face.
Lilith immediately put me behind her, making me pleasantly surprised. I was apparently more important to her than her own life.
Blondie, however, managed to collapse completely unconscious.
"Nico! How dare you treat your king that way!" Lilith screeched, making me tense.
'He's here? How? Why?'
"Shut up! Now where did you put-"
"Oh, you mean this nuisance?"
Lilith stepped aside, leaving me to glare at Nico. He looked shocked, which surprised me a bit. But then I realized he was probably shocked because of the fact that I was still here and not in the extraction room or whatever it was.
Lilith charged Nico but he easily punched her away, tossing her aside.
After that, he immediately faced me and started walking. I slowly backed up, still glaring at him. But I managed to hit a wall, so all I could do was push myself against it.
When he stopped in front of me, I closed my eyes and turned my face away, waiting for the worst.
But instead, I felt his hands slowly reach around me and grab my arms. His warm hands slid down to my wrists where he untied the rope. Then he reached up and carefully took the gag out of my mouth.
When he took a small step back, I turned to look at him, rubbing the pain out of my wrists.
Then immediately gathered all the power I could into the fist I sent right to his face.
"How... dare you! I trusted you! You were going to use everything I told you against me, right?! Tell them all about the Newborn you found, right?! Well, Blondie over there already beat you to the punch and read my mind all the way through my painful childhood! And now you have the guts to come crawling back to me, trying to act all heroic and make it seem like you were forced. Well, Avalon, I'm calling all BS on that!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
And then I proceeded to beat him up. I kept throwing all my punches at his face, and even gave a roundhouse kick to his gut once or twice. All the while, having tears slide down my cheeks.
I had him pinned against the wall, my left hand clutching his throat and my right hand drawn back to send the final punch.
But then: "Idaline!" the voice of Bianca rang out.
I immediately turned, dropping Nico to the ground, to see her along with the King, Juniper, and Izzy running toward us. And they stopped a few feet away, taking in the scene before them.
Nico was on all fours, clutching his throat and coughing. I just stood in front of him with my legs still bloody from Lilith's scratches and my fists covered in dots of Nico's own blood. That was how hard I was punching him.
I ran over to Juniper and Izzy, hugging Jun while Izzy hugged me by my waist.
"Ida?" Izzy looked up at me. "I have something to tell you,"
I gave her a small smile as I knelt.
"What is it, Iz?"
"He... He told me to keep a secret," She muttered.
That sparked my anger. Not at her. But, of course, at Nico Avalon.
"C-Could you tell me the secret?" I stuttered, my voice shaking with pure rage.
"But-"
"It's fine, Izzy," Nico's voice echoed. I didn't even turn to him.
Izzy took a deep breath before speaking. "He may be part of Osores. But the truth is... you changed his views on things. He knows now that the Earth is worth saving,"
It sounded like she was reciting his own words. "And-"
"Not that, Izzy! I'll tell her that part myself," Nico interrupted Izzy, making me immediately whip my head to look at him.
"What? Another secret that you're keeping from me and instead telling an innocent seven year old?!" I kept my glare trained on him.
"It's kind of a childish secret..." he mumbled, looking away.
"If it's that childish then why can't you tell any of us?" I demanded.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure I know what it is. It's been obvious for a while now," I heard Jun say, making me turn to her.
"He told you, too?"
"No. I just have a feeling," She smirked at Nico. I turned to see him blushing. But I just rolled my eyes and looked back at him.
"I can't even think like that since I know that I know nothing about you. You probably lied about everything about yourself to me," I said, anger seeping into my voice. "But if you want to tell me this secret of yours, I suggest you make it quick,"
"Like I'd say it right now," he shook his head.
"Then how the hell can I believe that you really have changed sides? I'll give you five seconds and if you don't answer, I'll have to stop your heartbeat. Permanently," I growled at him.
"One..." Nothing.
"Two..." Still nothing.
"Three..." He didn't even flinch.
"Fo-"
"From the moment we first met, I have loved you, Idaline Cyprus!" He yelled, causing my eyes to widen ever so slightly. "And I won't stop. I promise you I will earn your trust again. And when I do, I'll fight for you and Arbor,"
And silence filled the air, as both of us stared at each other. But I broke the silence by sighing.
"Wow. That was childish," I looked into his dark eyes. "But, sure. I might've loved you. Once. But then a wonderful thing called betrayal got in the way. And now, there is no way I can trust you, much less love you," My voice surprised me. It was completely void of all emotion, a monotone that I never thought could ever come out of me.
But, I turned to the others.
"Let's get down to business. What do we do with that?" I pointed to Blondie and Lilith. "Cause I can toss him into my own cell, along with the girl,"
"Yeah... we can do that. Then we'll interrogate the blonde, later," Jun nodded, her face looking uneasy from everything that just happened.
"For what? We have our information right here," I angrily jabbed my thumb in the direction of Nico.
"Well, does he know everything?" Bianca asked, looking right into my eyes.
"He was the one sent out to get the Newborn. If he doesn't know every single detail, then to hell with him!"
"Ida!" Jun shouted at me, a shocked look on her face. I looked down to see her covering Izzy's ears.
"You didn't mean it, right, Ida?" Izzy asked, her chin quivering and tears forming in her eyes.
"I..." but I couldn't think of anything to say.
Why did I say that? I mean, sure, I hated Nico but not that much.
And I set off. Running. Back to where I knew I couldn't be near that innocent soul. Near any of them.
"Idaline!" the all too familiar voice yelled after me. His footsteps had began to rush after me. But I kept running.
Until I reached them. The metal bars. I yanked the door open with the key, locked myself in, then summoned my Chi and produced my Fire. I immediately melted down the lock and the metal key, so there was no way I could get out.
I leaned my back against the metal bars, and slid down, hugging the sides of my arms.
And I finally let the tears fall. I didn't hold them back anymore. I couldn't. I was incapable of doing anything.
My sobs echoed in the cell.
But, of course, I wasn't alone for long.
Footsteps stopped a few feet away from my cell. And whispering was obvious, until Nico stopped all of them and said, "I'll go talk to her."
And his footsteps approached me.
"Go away, Avalon," I mumbled, as I felt him sit down with his back to me.
"Why should I?"
And I stayed silent. Of course he already knew I hated him. So why be redundant?
"Anyway, Ida. If you really want all the details... I'll tell them. Just... please stay silent and listen. Okay?"
I remained silent.
"Alright then," he sighed. "It started about a year ago. I was a newbie. So I was easy bait for Darnel. He had to make no effort at all to manipulate my mind. He kept telling me over and over again that Terra Arbor was horrible. That even though they helped the Earth, they also kept destroying it with the constant wars they fought with Osores. He kept emphasizing that Arbor was the one that started the wars.
"And, of course, I believed him. So going into Arbor, I had a strong mindset on what to do: look for the Newborn. He said the twenty year period had passed. And that this was the year the Newborn would arrive. When you told me that you were an Omnes, at first I was ecstatic. I would impress Darnel instantly. I mean you've seen how terrible the guy could get, I'm sure.
"So... I informed Osores. But then I noticed... everything. How happy everyone in Arbor was. How there were, surprisingly, no wars. How you were always so excited whenever you came back from your training sessions with the King and Queen along with the teachers." He paused for a bit, taking a deep breath.
"I wanted to take it all back. But... I was too late. When Osores had dropped in and started attacking the Academy, I couldn't do anything. And to save my own life, I had to act in front of Darnel. But then of course, before I could stop him myself, you showed up. I immediately wanted to throw you across the other side of the field so he couldn't get you. But he pinned you down by the time I could move a muscle. And-"
"I can guess everything else. My one question is why would he want a Newborn Omnes in the first place?" I spoke, my voice cracking from my crying.
"Well... you've noticed the tattoos running from his right shoulder and chest and all that, right? Well... he got them when he tried to obtain the Light and Shadow elements himself,"
"But I thought that you had to be an Omnes to-"
"Being an Omnes just means that you're chosen to control the Light and Shadow elements. It doesn't mean you're the only one who can control them. They can be learned, it's just that the elements have to decide whether that person is worthy or not. And if they're not... well... they receive markings to indicate that they have tried and failed to obtain a serious and dangerous power," Nico explained.
After his explanation, it was silence.
I let the information sink in. And I tried to see if Nico was lying or not. But then I realized... why would he? He could orchestrate this whole lie... and for what? For Blondie's recognition? It just didn't seem like him. Besides he was never one that could lie easily to me. I could always see straight through him, especially when he showed his betrayal.
"Alright. I've decided to trust that explanation," I said, then turned toward his back. "And now, I want to get out of here,"
"That can be arranged," Nico stood and walked over to the lock.
He summoned his dark blue Chi that matched his eyes and blasted the lock away, making the door open easily.
"Now come on," he held his hand out to me.
"Hey, I said I trusted your explanation, not you," I looked at him.
"Right. Sorry," He snatched his hand away and walked over to the rest of the group. "Anyway, let's get outta here,"
***
When we got out of the long hallway, and quickly moved Blondie and Lilith to my cell, we were immediately greeted by a battlefield. And I recognized people straight away.
"Is that... Will Stone and Cassia Rivers? And isn't that Nathan Swan? And-"
"We brought the whole of Terra Arbor here, Ida. This really was a battle we had to start ourselves. Though technically, Osores did the first act but we had to engage them in battle long enough for all five of us to get you," Bianca explained.
"You guys did all this for... for me?" I asked, not believing.
"Of course we did," Jun smiled down at me. "You're important to all of us. Everyone is important to everyone in Terra Arbor. So, Osores kidnapping you? You can bet we'll all be here to come get you back,"
"Well, then let's make sure we get all of us out of here, safe and sound!" I yelled.
They all yelled in agreement, and we ran off to help Arbor win the fight.
When I managed to join in a group fight with Will and Cassia, they flashed me smiles and tossed me a bow with a quiver, as well as a sheathed sword.
"Carved that bow myself," Will nodded at me.
"And I smelted that sword just for you, Ida. Under the King's and Queen's orders of course," Cassia gave me a small salute.
The bow Will gave me seemed to be made with the darkest colored wood in the Gardens of Arbor. The string seemed to be good enough on the standards that I have for my own bows.
The sword Cassia gave to me seemed to be made with the whitest metal, almost moon silver. The hilt itself was black and had a nice grip.
I felt myself smile, realizing this was the opposite of Bianca's weapons. She had a light colored bow while I had a dark colored bow. She had a dark colored sword while I had a light colored sword.
"Now, come on Ida! We could use a little help here!" Cassia yelled at me, making me come back to my senses.
I nodded quickly then slung my quiver over my shoulder and strapped my sword's sheath to my belt.
"The arrows are secure in here right?" I asked Will as he just dodged a shot of magic at him.
"Of course they are! You don't want them falling out of your quiver now, do you?" He answered.
I smirked and immediately called on the Air, making it lift me high from the ground so I could get a good vantage point of what was going on.
Osores seemed to have been fading out a little to the East of the battlefield. The battlefield itself was just a vast landscape of dark or dead grass, a murky lake off to the side with one building standing tall in the distance: a stone castle covered in moss and vines.
Next to that seemed to be apartment buildings that had smoke coming out of chimneys, polluting the air. Those were the places the members of Osores most likely lived.
Then I spotted Juniper, Izzy, and, surprisingly, Nico fighting off a huge group of Osores members. I immediately flew over to them, notched an arrow and managed to get a guy right in the shoulder. They screamed in pain and knelt to the ground.
"Hey, guys," I smiled at Jun and Izzy, but avoided eye contact with Nico.
"Good, a well-rounded reinforcement!" Jun gave me a smile while blocking someone's barrage of arrows by creating a shield of stone. "Anyway, Ms. Omnes, care to join us?"
"No problem,"
And we all immediately stood back to back, facing the circling group of Osores members.
I notched an arrow, Izzy prepared her Magic, Jun called on Fire as well as Water, and Nico adjusted his grip on his sword's hilt.
"Oooh, an Archer. Haven't fought those in a while," the guy in front of me gave me a nasty grin as he held up a sword.
"A sword, huh? Two can play at that game," I raised my bow and quickly shot the arrow, making him swing the sword.
That gave me time to unsheath my own sword and swing it right for his face. He dodged and backed up, not expecting me to unsheath my sword so fast.
"Archer's got some moves," He gave me a wary look. I held my bow in my left hand, and my sword was gripped into my right hand.
The gang and I kept fighting the oncoming Osores members.
Until a sudden scream pierced the air.
Everyone's attention was seized.
I grabbed Jun's wrist and dragged her with me to see what was going on. And when we reached the scene, I stopped dead in my tracks.
I immediately recognized the black and white clothing. And then I saw the faces...
"So, Newborn. This is the price you pay," Blondie stood behind the King's and Queen's still bodies with a smirk on his face. Lilith was standing behind him with a sneer. "Care to change your mind and join us?"
Silence.
And then a scoff.
I slowly straightened my back, a glare on my face. I felt the wind start to pick up. The ground started to shake. My body temperature started rising rapidly. The murky lake waters started to get restless.
"You attack Terra Arbor for your own personal gain..." The Water erupted from behind and made it's way over to me in a tidal wave, wiping out many Osores members along the way.
"You brainwash new innocent members of your own society..." The Earth started splitting as boulders started rising from the ground around me.
"You murder the King and Queen of Terra Arbor..." The Air picked up around me, creating a whirlwind.
"And worst and most disgusting of all, you try to destroy the planet that we live on..." My hair erupted into Fire and my eyes glowed red.
"Do you really think I'd even consider joining you?!" I scoffed again. "Honestly, you come up with some decent battle plans but you're really not the smartest are you?" I crossed my arms and smirked.
"Alright, Newborn, we can... talk this over," Blondie stuttered as Lilith got behind him as a shield.
"Oh really? Cause I don't think words are really necessary right now," I started advancing on the both of them.
"Uh, Osores members? Any help here?!" Lilith screamed from behind Blondie.
"I don't wanna die!!" Someone from the back yelled.
"You heard 'em right," I nodded, stopping right in front of them.
"Run."
And they actually did. But I didn't let them go far.
I unleashed Water, Fire, Air, and Earth onto them, sending a roar of chaos after them.
When they were gone, I turned to the other members of Osores. Some advanced, trying to look tough but I immediately summoned only my Fire and they backed off.
I sighed and released my Chi, kneeling to the ground, exhausted.
"Ida!" A certain male voice yelled, worried. I looked up to see Juniper, Izzy, Nico, Will, and Cassia.
I just smiled at them. Nico held me up, supporting my back then tapped my right hand where my scar was.
"I think you worked hard enough for one day, Ms. Cyprus," He gave me a classic smirk.
"Yeah, about that," Juniper stepped in, as she lifted up Izzy.
"Can we go home now?" Izzy asked, innocently.
"Um..." Will faltered and we all turned to the rest of the Terra Arbor members as well as the Terra Osores members.
The Osores members answered by retreating back to those concrete apartment buildings.
"I think that's a yes," Cassia smiled at us.