My arm ached as we trekked along the cold orange slate. Imperium looked nothing like we remembered. I remembered a beautiful well that centred rose bushes and was overlaid by a crystal violet sky and soapy clouds.
However the new place was a cracked visage. The sky had been replaced with an orange drought, which held the broken planet, all alone.
There was no grass. No flowers. Instead stone had been splattered everywhere.The well had been obliterated and was now barely a crack in the slate, which oozed a mercury liquid.
I could see remnants of a castle nearby the well yet it was destroyed and I knew that it was the second castle, the one that we stayed in during our teen years. Which meant that Opentam- was far, far away.
Me and Kai was shivering as we looked sign for refuge. There was nothing and nobody. We had been walking for hours, despite our aching legs. We would frequently come across some petrified humans that were now lifeless statues. There was nothing, nobody. We must have been thousands of miles away from the kingdom. That is, if there still was a kingdom.
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Instead we only had each other to comfort with. Through the arduous journey, I recounted to Kai the memories that I had. The Tranara that I had met. Edgar. Carol. The young me. Mother. Father and The Marker. That part he specifically gasped at.
After that it got awkward. Both of us remedying in the silence. Until he turned to me and said.
"How are you feeling?" He stopped in his track and looked at me with sympathetic eyes and I broke down.
I couldn't help it. Hot tears streamed down my face. I didn't really ask my self that question. Kai wrapped his arm around me and squeezed me tightly. It was the rare brotherly moments that we actually had.
"Hey it's okay. Just take a moment." He said, while offering me a seat on the ground, as he sat down.
"I-I guess I feel helpless. It's too overwhelming. I feel lost. There's too much things happening at the same time. I-I feel like I'm sti-ill a child. Granted I'm over 500 years old but I haven't had time." All in good time. That Damn Edgar.
"Hey I understand. I feel the same way. It's hard and Carol!" Scoffed Kai.
"That Bitch. Luring us up here. The only reason we're still here is to kill the sket." I said while smirking and wiping my tears.
Kai furrowed his eyebrows.
"There you go. Let it out. Let's go catch us a snake." Said Kai as he got up. He was about to start walking until he noticed that I was still sitting.
"What's the matter?" He said kneeling down.
"I'm thirsty." Croaked I.
Kai chuckled. "You should've just said." He swished his hand and like that, water just materialised in the thin air. The water that Kai produced defied gravity and was attracted to his hand like a magnet, obeying any command. His face balled up into a concentration and his eyebrows snuffed as the water moulded into thick bubbles. I swallowed them like a puppy, enjoying the luscious taste, as it melted in my mouth.
"For your information I did ask." I sneered as I got up and started walking. We had been on this journey for hours.
There was no trees or Tranaras. No beings. Nothing. Just rocky mountains that we had to hike. It helped that it was dusk as we walked.
As far as we knew, Imperium was known as the 'Twilight Planet', which explained why every memory we all had, was during the night.
However Methaya or shall I say 'CaRoL' has reshaped the world to be an orange dusk. It droned on meagrely. It was nothing exciting. In fact, the journey was more boring.
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As we hiked our third mountain, both of us bleeding from the cuts and falls that we endured, we could see a ginormous tower that peaked at the neon-green moon.
It looked 5 stories high. Each chamber being cut off by a huge ruby balcony. The tower was purple and had green slathered in the middle. It looked unsettling.
"So that's where we have to go." Said I, as I slowly rose up, from my kneeling position.
Kai suddenly pulled me back.
"No. Look over there." He whispered, pointing at the sky. Surrounding the tower was creatures that resembled Methaya. They were gorgons. Having snakes for hair, a long tail and bat-like wings; They soared through the sky. There had to be, at least four of them.
"Oh- My. How are we going to get past them?"
"Powers?" Offered Kai, nervously.
I looked at him dead on. "Kai. I can't control them. Not yet anyway. Only you, Lexi and Jess are able to." I frowned. It was quite embarrassing really. I was the oldest, yet me and Stiles were unable to control them. Me with Stiles. Really?
"We could sneak around. We have to go there. It has to be this place." Declared Kai adamantly
"What makes you so sure?" I asked.
"Just look at it. It screams Methaya. All I know is that it won't be easy getting to the top."
Kai looked at the sky, where the tip of the tower stood. The eery moon was exactly above it, shooting its jade light like a laser.
"It just has to be."
I tried thinking to myself, yet my thoughts were spinning like a disk, clashing with each other.
"Fine lets go." Said I, as I started climbing down the Rocky Mountain.
"Wait it'll take too long." He added, peering at the huge drop.
"Do you have any better idea?" Snapped I, sarcastically.
Kai flicked his hand again and two streams of water appeared, squirting from the mountain. The water was transparent and it curved right at the bottom, like a huge slide.
"So you expect us to, what?? Swim down?"
At that moment Kai, sprinted in a run and dived from the mountain, arms out. He landed on the floating water, which carried him like current, graciously. Spinning and laughing; He landed at the bottom at a halt. He turned back to face me. A grin spread out on his face. "Your turn."
"What happened to being sneaky." Shouted I. I looked at the Gorgons, who were miles away and didn't notice us. I was scared going down the water. It flowed through air. It wasn't normal. Neither were we. As I looked at the edge, the distance between the ground and myself was sizeable. My body shaking, I softly pushed my self off the cliff, giving in to the mistress herself. I felt myself moving slowly. It was like my ass was skimming a jelly-substance, that wasn't sticky. I was on a mattress that wasn't solid. My eyes were clenched shut and I could hear cries of encouragement from Kai.
Abruptly, I was sent shooting down the mirage, and I tumbled as I reached the bottom. Catching my breath, I looked at Kai who was smiling intently.
"Well that wasn't too bad. Was it?" He stated, laughingly. I flicked his head as he started stepping backwards.
"For you!" I yelled, shoving his arm. Rolling my eyes, I glanced at the rocky path above us.
Stone debris was everywhere. It was hard knowing that, this could be human beings that we're trudging over. Methaya did this. Carol did this. I could feel my ambition sparking, parallel to the hatred that was boiling inside of me.
Kai and I were walking towards the huge tower. Attempting to be discreet, yet fast. Communicating with hushed whispers. We gained distance and we were extremely close looking for an entrance.
"Quick. Hide!" Ordered Kai, as I felt a hand shove me behind a statue. Kai was pressed along it, ducking his head. Immediately I noticed, one of the Gorgons hovering at the other end of the statue. My eyes quickly skirted back to the statue, that my hands were pushed on. I moved my hands, as I noticed they were covering something. A face. Valencio's face.
"Oh my gosh." I choked, as I started getting teary again.
"What?" He asked
"This isn't a statue. It's-father." I spat. Kai's eyes widened with shock. He glimpsed at the stone corpse of our father. The statue deflected a fighting position, like he was ready to die. I looked around, trying to familiarise myself with anything.
"This isn't the kingdom." Said Kai.
Kai shook me by my shoulders.
"Ember. This isn't the kingdom. You told me father died defending us!" Shouted Kai, oblivious to the fatal enemies that lurked nearby.
"N-no. It looks like he was plucked from somewhere and placed here. L-like a monument. A trophy to torture us." I stated.
"Ember. We can reverse it. We can see him again. Don't you see what this means? She's here." Murmured Kai.
"Yes we know. The entrance though." I said, while keeping my eyes glued to my fathers figure. I trailed my finger along the statue. Circling his wide eyes, that sparked fear.
I peeled my eyes away from the statue and back to the Gorgon, who soared past the tower walls.
My eyes flickering between the statue, the tower and the gorgon; I noticed something.
"Kai. Over there." I whispered, while directing him, using my head. On the side of the tower was a hanging glass mirror.
"What?" Questioned Kai.
"It's a lead." Hissed I, rather loudly. Kai shrugged his shoulders, causing me to slap his arm.
"Fine, but how are we going t- Argh!" Yelled Kai, as a bony finger clasped him from behind, lifting him into the air. A face peered from behind him. It had two slits for a nose and was sightless. It had two large fangs that jerked from its flat mouth. Screeching, it carried Kai into the air, as he screamed in horror.
"KAI!" I yelled as I tried tugging on its tail. It's body consisted of a half woman and a half snake, with bony feet and arms. She, I'm assuming, started digging her feet into my arm piercing it. "Argh" I yelled in pain as blood started leaking from the punctured wound.
The gorgon had lifted Kai relatively high, to the point where I couldn't reach, whether I jumped or not.
Finally, flames started spraying from my hands, like a flamethrower. As I moved my hand, the flames followed the direction. I didn't have control as Kai did, with his water.
Therefore I had to watch my movements, to prevent hurting Kai. Fire scorched the gorgon's tail as she came hurtling towards the ground.
Kai rolled on the ground and ducked, as the flame, just about missed his head.
The gorgon shrieked in pain, initiating three more to come. They all imitated each other, pouncing on me and Kai, while slapping their tails, bruising our arms. I fell to the ground, as the pain in my arm was too much. This was it. This was the end. So close. Yet so far.
Unexpectedly, a gush of lightning punched the ground, emitting a flash of light which was too intense for our feeble eyes. I could hear a cascade of screeches and then nothing.
A soft, gentle hand brushed my face and moved my head. "Ember. Are you okay?" Consoled Lexi.
She was standing on top of me, with dirt smudged all over her face. Her hair in disarray.
"Lexi." I said, while standing up. I squeezed her tightly. My sister. Here. Saving my life.
Kai was also up on his feet. He smiled as he took our sister in his arm.
"What are you doing here?" He asked sharply, but also with a hint of relief.
"Saving your ass." Snarled Lexi. I looked at her hair and my face was in shock. It was plucked into a ponytail yet even then-
"Woa-"
"Don't even comment." Bitched Lexi. As she moved her leg, kicking something.
The gorgons were all a pile of ash, smothered on the cold floor.
"I came after you, minutes after, yet you weren't there. I must've been right behind you. Trying to pick up the pace."
She grinned. She looked at my arm and became speechless.
Yet before she could comment.
"Don't even worry about it. We'll deal with it later."
"But Ember." Stated Lexi, as she gently grabbed my arms and examined it, causing me to flinch.
"Seriously Lexi, what are you doing here? It's not safe." Spoked Kai, firmly.
Lexi placed her hand to Kai's face. Blocking what he had to say.
"I'm not gonna let my brothers sacrifice themselves without helping. Also you guys would be dead. So shut it." Scowled Lexi.
"Well then." I said, while walking towards the hanging mirror that still stood, unaffected by Lexi's lightning. "How does this work?"
I waved my hands in front of the glass and gently pushed as I felt myself falling into space.
Then I was gone
"Ember?" Called Lexi.