by Noah Michael
Atara drew her sword and prepared to meet the approaching army. The warriors looked hopelessly around at the villages in the distance, at their homes. Homes that would soon be destroyed. The valley was lost. The enemy was to reach the heart of the kingdom, unscathed. Even the light in Suria’s eyes, which usually burned bright at the brink of a war, was reduced to a mere glimmer.
And then, a figure emerged from atop the mountain, glowing brightly in the light of the sun. The warriors looked up at the one man who could save them, the man who’d returned from the dead.
“Brothers and sisters!” The Chief’s voice echoed powerfully throughout the mountaintops and down below, trumping the deathly march of the enemy below. “I come to you today from the depths of Hell, and I have no intention of returning there! Not today!
The enemy marches forth as we speak, fighting as cowards with human shields. We fight with blood and sword! The enemy believes that our honor will mean the end of us. Our honor is our greatest weapon! More powerful than the sword, more powerful than the arrow! Our honor has kept this people together for as long as history can remember, and it shall keep us together now! So I call upon you, my brothers and sisters! String the bows! Unsheathe the blades! Turn to the warrior beside you, gaze into the eyes of your brother! That is what we fight for! Now stand with me, your Chief, in this final battle! Let us show Roko what happens to those who threaten the tribe of Shadows!”
The warriors erupted in cheers and cries of battle as they lifted their swords into the air. Their faces gleamed with newfound hope. Atara smiled as the soldiers around her were reincarnated, and ready for battle. The drones burst out from the valley, threw their human shields violently to the ground, and charged forth, pounding the surrounding houses with bullets and lasers as they ran. The battle tanks rolled in, blasting down entire villages.
Suria stepped up beside Atara. “This is what we trained for. Now lead them into battle.”
Atara’s eyes burned deep with determination. “Charge!” she roared, and she surged towards the enemy. The warriors cried out and followed her against the oncoming horde. Their blades clashed with those of the drones as the Shadows entered the enemy storm.
***
“Suria’s forces have taken great casualties. They are in urgent need of more men.”
The Chief overlooked the battle with Montis and Arias. “Montis, take your troops to join the battle.”
“But my Chief, what if Roko sends the wasps?”
“Let him send them. I am prepared.”
“Yes, my Chief.” Montis turned towards his men. “You heard your Chief! Who is ready for battle!?” The men cheered, surging with energy. “Free rum to whoever brings me Roko’s head on a stick!” The men cheered and charged after Montis as he ran down the mountain slope towards the villages below, joining the fight.
Arias looked down at the battle raging below. The mountaintop was lined with archers who fired down upon the enemy, aiming primarily for the artillery tanks. Fires spread throughout the village, burning all the farmland and houses to the ground. The bodies of both drones and Shadows littered the ground with pools of blood and sparking electricity.
“Atara, please be safe,” he whispered.
“Chief.” Alia emerged from the ground, a warrior accompanying her. Gospin emerged from the ground beside her, accompanied by a warrior of his own.
“What news do you bring, Alia?”
“There’s no sign of any wasps on the battlefield. Roko may be planning a strike against the occupied villages using the wasps. He wants to kill as many villagers as possible and fragment our forces by drawing some of them to defend the occupied villages.”
“Do not worry, Alia. It has been taken care of.”
“One more thing. Roko himself hasn’t been seen anywhere on the battlefield.”
Yuran cursed under his breath.
The battle was going about as well as could be expected. The archers had eliminated almost all of Roko’s tanks by the time they’d run out of arrows. Yuran sent them into the fray. One destroyer remained on the field yet, launching guided missiles towards the fleeing Shadows, killing dozens. Many warriors attempted to fight the destroyer, but all had thus far failed.
“Arias, it’s time to show you my new sword!” the Chief shouted, already charging the field. Arias ran after him, followed by Alia and Gospin.
“Stand down!” The Chief shouted at his men. The Shadows obeyed their command and dove into the ground. The destroyer turned its attention to the Chief, aiming its weapons.
The first missile fired. Alia threw her knife. Just as the missile emerged from the launcher, the blade struck it and blew it up along with its launcher. The destroyer stumbled backwards and the Chief closed in, lifted his sword, and plunged it into the destroyer’s chest, sending a ripple throughout its entire body. The Chief pushed off with his legs and launched himself away from the drone.
“Take cover!” he shouted. The ripples grew larger and larger until suddenly the destroyer blew up in a pillar of fire and electricity, chunks of burning metal flying out in every direction.
The Chief emerged from the ground, walking around the burning heaps of metal towards where Arias, Alia, and Gospin stood, their mouths open in shock.
“You found yourself a nice new toy down in Hell,” Arias said. “So, we have destroyed all his artillery tanks and all of his destroyers. What does he have left?”
Almost in answer, the wind began to blow with increasing intensity, the sand flying up into the air. The sky coated in a sheet of metal as hundreds of wasps took to the sky, flying towards the mountaintops, moving speedily towards them, their stingers pointed.
“What shall we do about them, your honor? They are heading straight for the school!”
“Do not engage. That is precisely where I want them.”
***
“Atara!” Atara drew her sword from the belly of the drone. Her face was drenched in blood and sweat. She turned towards Suria’s call.
“Behind you!” Suria spun around and stabbed his sword into the Reader behind him.
“Even after having joined with Montis’s men, we cannot hold them for much longer!”
Atara’s tears shone brightly in the reflection of her burning spirit as the sky darkened. Atara looked up. “No...it can’t be...they will destroy the school!”
The wasps sped passed the fields, showering bullets and lasers down at the villages below. And then, as they grew closer, they shifted the aim of their stingers towards the school.
“No!”
Before the wasps could open fire, a series of high-pitched notes echoed throughout the mountains and valleys, sending ripples through the air. The wasps shook uncontrollably and with a thunderous boom, a massive ripple raged through the sky like a tsunami, crashing through the sea of wasps sending them up in flames as the ripples tore through. The sky was covered in a coat of fire, as if the sun had fallen to the Earth. A young girl stood on the roof of the school. In her hands she held a flute.
***
“Now I see why such a small girl can cause such a big war,” Arias said in amazement.
“So that’s the girl Roko was after...” Alia marveled, gazing down at the school’s roof. “Thank god you found her before he did.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but the battle doesn’t look so well down there. Perhaps we should join,” Gospin said, looking down below.
“Your soldier is right,” the Chief said. “We should-”
Suddenly, the Chief spun and swung his sword, striking down a knife inches from Gospin’s neck. Arias, Alia, and Gospin drew their weapons and spun instantly towards the origin of the blade.
A dark laughed sounded before them. Roko hovered midair, a sneering smile on his face. In his left hand he held his cane, glowing blue with energy.
“Enough, Roko! You have taken enough lives!” The Chief charged forward.
“Stop!” Alia shouted, and the Chief stopped in his tracks. “He’s mine.” She charged
. Roko’s cane glowed as she approached, and Alia froze and collapsed to the floor.
“I made you. So too I can destroy you! Your heart belongs to me now!”
Alia struggled back to her feet. “I’ll kill you, you son of a-!”
The cane glowed brighter. Alia’s eyes grew wide as she fell to her knees, her muscles shaking uncontrollably. She was unable to breathe.
“Leave her!” The Chief charged at Roko, Arias and Gospin at his side. Three electrical pulses shot out from the bottom of Roko’s cane and struck them, catching them by surprise. The electricity moved down their bodies, immobilizing them in magnetic chains.
“You have made a fool out of me! It is time for me to restore my reputation! It is time for revenge!” Alia’s breathing and heart rate rapidly deteriorated.
“In the name of David, I shall slay Goliath!” Roko didn’t have time to find the source of the voice before a boulder crashed into his face, sending him tumbling backwards. Alia fell to the floor, gasping for breath. The Chief stood up, his chains broken.
“Roko has hurt enough people. He killed my son. I am here to ensure that he never hurts again.” The King of the Molder tribe stood strong before them, dressed in a majestic suit of stone armor, wielding a rocky spear. Alroy was at his side, wielding a battle-axe carved from stone. Behind them, thousands of armored Molders charged up the mountaintops, ready for war.
The Chief walked up to the King, putting out his hand, his heart filled with joy. “It would be an honor to have your men fight beside mine.” The King grasped his hand, glaring fiercely into his eyes.
“Thank you,” Alia said.
“I did not do this for you.” The King responded coldly. “I did this for him.”
“Your honor, Roko has disappeared,” Arias said urgently, looking around.
The Chief’s expression changed to concern. “I know where he is going. Arias, take command of the army!” The Chief sprinted down the mountain.
Arias turned to the King. “Let us finish this, once and for all!”
The King nodded and turned towards his men. “Charge the villages! Destroy Roko’s army! Let us show the world the might of the Molder!” The men cheered and swarmed down the mountaintop towards the battle below. The King led the charge, accompanied by Arias and Alia.
The Shadow warriors cheered as boulders crashed down from the mountains, crushing the drones as the Shadows dove into the ground. Golems rose up from sand and smashed their way through the enemy droves. The Molders reached the valley, grabbed fistfuls of sand, and threw them at the drones as blades and spears.
While the Molders brought much needed relief to the Shadow troops, Yuran made his way towards the school, sending any drones in the way up in flames with the mere touch of his sword. The battle had shifted completely. Bullets and lasers were becoming scarce, replaced by stone spears. Drones were falling left and right as the Molders and Shadows worked together, dominating the battlefield.
Roko’s forces faced imminent defeat, yet their leader was nowhere to be seen.
***
“My brothers are out there dying, and I am stuck here guarding this damn mirror!” Bastion complained, pacing back and forth in the treasury room.
“The mirror is the center of this entire conflict,” one of the warriors answered, “There cannot be a greater honor than defending the prize.”
“I stand with Bastion. This is-”
“Karu, silence!”
Bastion drew his sword, carefully scanning the now quiet room. “Did you hear that?”
A small metal object rolled to the center of the floor. “What the-?”
The orb exploded and then imploded, sucking inwards all metal in the room, including their swords. A huge blast of energy shot throughout the room, blinding the guards, knocking back five warriors. Another blast erupted out of thin air, this time a line of electric current. It hit Bastion and the others, tying itself around them in a magnetic chain. Bastion cursed excessively, struggling to break free.
“You fight like a coward!” he screamed, “Only a coward sneaks up upon his opponent! Only a coward fights without showing his face.”
Roko walked past the guards through the treasury room, to the mirror. He held Sarah, her arms bound together with an electric chain, pulling her violently by the hair as she struggled to break lose. Before he reached his goal, the Chief jumped out from the ground, blocking his way.
“It is too late, Roko! Whatever you were looking for in there, it’s gone!”
“You have no idea what you’re dealing with! Move aside, you insolent fool!”
The Chief drew his sword. Roko shot an electric chain from his cane, but this time, the Chief was ready. He swung his sword, slicing the chain in half. Roko aimed his cane again.
“Are you sure you wish to do that? You may destroy the mirror...it is very fragile.”
Roko hesitated. He didn’t fire, but he didn’t change his aim. “Move, or I shall blast you to pieces!”
“You would never risk it.”
“Me!? The mirror is but a bonus to me! I have the entire world in my hands. You are the one who needs it! If you wish to see your darling sister again, you will let me pass!”
“You have nothing but yourself, you monster!” Sarah cried.
“Silence, child!” Roko yelled, tugging harder at her hair.
“You have nothing left, Roko. I took it all. True, I did not yet find my sister. But sometimes, one must sacrifice the longings of the past in order to preserve what’s important in the present. That is a sacrifice which I am now willing to make.”
The Chief lifted his sword, placing it against the mirror. “You have two choices now, Roko. You can surrender and face your deserving punishment, or you can watch as I reduce your beloved dreams to splinters.”
“You would not dare!” Roko hissed, charging forward.
“It is time to do what Legasus should have done, all those years ago.”
The Chief struck down at the mirror with all his might, sending waves and vibrations pulsing through its frame.
“No!!!” Roko screamed, diving towards the mirror, dragging Sarah as the mirror shattered into billions of fragments, a crashing sound filling the room.
Roko fell to his knees, covered in shards of glass. “You can’t do this! I am a god! I AM A GOD!!!”
“Then I shall have slain a god.” The Chief swung the sword and sliced through Roko’s neck, his head rolling to the ground. Sparks and blood spurted out from the top of his mechanical neck. He walked up to the head, picking it up by the hair, lifting it to his face.
“I do not know who you are, but if you are watching, beware. I shall find you. You shall pay for your sins.” He threw the head, smashing it against the wall.
It blew up in flames.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Honor to the Fallen
The Shadow Kingdom
July 29
9:00 p.m.
The night was dark, the valley silent. The wind twirled through the night sky, its whispers echoing. Death’s silent symphony. Droves of mourning souls stood still across the charred fields of ruin. Ten thousand souls forever lost.
The Chief stood solemnly at the head of the nation, wind blowing through his hair, Arias and Bastion on one side, Maximus and Sarah on the other. The entire tribe stood behind him, cries of mourning poured despairingly out towards the heavens. Cries of the children and of the wives, of the widows and the orphans. Before them sat ten thousand graves, loved ones laid to rest. Loved ones stolen by murder, never to be seen again. Upon each grave was placed a sword, the only part of a warrior’s body which never dies. The Molder tribe stood respectfully beside the Shadows, their heads bowed for the fallen, a few of which were their own. The King stood somberly in the front, Alroy at his side. Alia stood with her men behind the grave of Hask, one of her absorbers.
The Chief turned around to face his anguished people. He looked into their eyes, into their hearts. He felt their aching sorrow. Their longin
g for those who would never live again.
“The grief of those no longer with us. Their eyes once so full of life, their breath so full of vigor. The grief of those forsaken to the grave by the forces of darkness, running rampant in the twilight. Such is the grief we feel tonight, together. Such is the national sorrow that unites us all under the banner of mourning.
For with great victory comes great sacrifice. Tonight, that sacrifice lies within the graves of our loved ones. Such is the way of the enemy. Striking in the night with his poison-tipped dagger, hiding behind the face of a frightened child. He cannot bring himself to look into our eyes as he stabs us in our sleep.
Just a few days ago, the survival of our nation hung in the balance, a noose around its neck. Roko struck with a force ten times our own, carrying terrible power, with one goal in mind: The annihilation of our nation. The murder of our children, the hanging of our wives, the beheading of our men. Yet we stood strong. We stood strong on behalf of our warriors, on behalf of our families, and on behalf of all those whom Roko has ever hurt and would have hurt again. He was the essence of dishonor, of cowardice, and we drove it out from this world in glorious victory, proving that no matter the threat, our people shall prevail!
But not without a price. And today, that price lies before us all to see, the lives of the brave warriors, sacrificed so that we may live on. So here is to you, my lost brothers.
Here is to you, my brave warriors, never breaking the lines, never giving in.
Here is to you, beloved fathers, dying so that your children could live a better life.
Here is to you, beloved husbands, fighting to the last breath for the women you love.
Here is to you, my lost brothers, in your greatest moment of honor, dying so that we may live. You shall never be forgotten. As with every Shadow, you shall live on forever by the thrust of your blade.”
Thousands of first-born children walked slowly from the crowd towards the graves. They stood heart-broken beside their fallen fathers, tears poured down from their faces onto the dirt below.