by Luis Robles
“It’s now up to you, Pah,” Bliss said with a barely audible voice.
Pah was struggling with the tiger on his side of the village as none of Pah’s attacks would work on Gavril’s beast. Feeling superior to Pah in every way, the tiger stepped away from battling Pah to watch Bliss fight. Letting Pah destroy all the Rot on his side of the village, the tiger felt that he wouldn't need them anyway.
“Those beings of magic...They are indeed powerful; too bad she is now a sitting duck. Once I am done with you, I’ll go pay her a visit and take her to my master. When she awakens, there will be nothing she can do,” the tiger said as he turned to face Pah once again.
“It seems as though you have made three fatal mistakes that will end up costing you your life,” Pah snickered.
The tiger roared and launched an attack against Pah, holding on to him as they tossed and turned on the ground with brutal jabs to one another.
“Number one, you let your guard down. And while you did that, I was able to see just how your armor functions,” Pah said as he grabbed a hold of the tiger. “Number two, you underestimated me,” Pah said as he tossed the tiger into the air. “And above all, number three, you’ve threatened Bliss,” Pah said as particles of lightning formed around him. Focusing all of his strength, flat spiral clouds began to form rapidly above the village. “Lightning storm!” Pah yelled as the tiger was still in midair. Milliseconds later, hundreds of lightning bolts struck the tiger, reducing him to zilch in the blink of an eye.
When the tiger was focused on Bliss’ battle with the lizard, Pah was able to figure out that the tiger’s armor was the only thing saving him from Pah’s lightning. The tiger’s armor’s function was a deterrent for the lightning discharge, insulating and grounding the tiger. Pah figured that if he was able to get the tiger away from the ground, the lightning strikes would be effective.
Once there was no sign of the tiger or any Rot, Pah ran towards Bliss. When he got there, he sighed with relief, knowing that she was fine for the most part. She was sound asleep with a smile on her face. He then picked her up with his tail and put her on his back as he walked away from the destroyed village. After feeling that she was on Pah’s back, Bliss began to float as she usually did. She was half awoke, tired, and in pain but wanting to talk to Pah.
“We did it, Pah, we did it. We saved the lives of all the people in the village,” Bliss said with her eyes closed and a smile on her face.
“Yes, we did. But now you need to sleep.”
“Ahhh, I don’t think I can sleep or rest, my body is in pain. I think I still cannot control my magic that well. I feel as though I can only control a tiny portion of it,” Bliss said as she turned to face the starry night.
“You did better than last time; you just have to practice more. Don’t be so impatient, majority of the more difficult things take time,” Pah said as he tried to re-position himself.
“Can we not run anymore? I don’t want to put anyone’s life at risk anymore.”
“That’s a tough question to answer, Bliss. You don’t have full control of your powers yet, so we aren’t ready to face Gavril head on. Also, we caused a great deal of destruction confronting the Rot. Now, a lot of villagers don’t have a place to return to. We cannot stay at a village because that would put the villagers in danger,” Pah said as he got lost in thought.
“So, where are we going now?” Bliss asked in between sleep and wakefulness.
“We are heading to the land fields of Apalace. There would only be a few lives that would be at risk since it is a traveler’s land. Only nomads inhabit the place from time to time, and even then they are few and far in between,” Pah said as he began to run into the night.
“Sounds like a plan,” Bliss muttered. “Pah, how much longer until Gavril stops looking for me?” Bliss asked as she rubbed her eyes.
“If Lili was right…you have less than four years to go.”
“Four more years without boys?” Bliss groaned.
Bliss’ question caught Pah completely off guard, causing him to stumble and even almost veer off course. She felt Pah’s sudden movements and woke up a bit more as a result.
“Boys? What do you mean ‘boys’?” Pah asked, surprised.
“Well, when we first entered the village, there was a boy near a girl, and their thoughts were so loud that I was able to hear them. More like their thoughts demanded attention. It was as if being with each other was the most important thing in the world. Oh, and they mentioned the word ‘Love’ so many times...” Bliss said, fully awake now, still floating on Pah’s back.
“I did not know you could do that,” Pah added, lost in thought.
“Me neither,” Bliss said with her voice full of excitement. “I don’t even know how it happened. Well, Pah, what do you know about love?”
“Human love is the rarest of things. When it is real and for all the right reasons, it could be the biggest blessing in your life. However, when it is fake and for all the wrong reasons, it is exactly the opposite.”
“Really? Tell me more,” Bliss said as she sat upright with her legs crossed, still floating on Pah’s back.
“I’ll tell you a story I know,” Pah said as he slowed his run.
8
Pah’s Story
“Once upon a time, a time not too long ago, in the far western kingdoms of the humans, existed an old kingdom unlike any other, ruled by a just king. The kingdom was beautiful in nature and filled with magic—birds that sang all day, and flowers that spoke. Streets were filled with magical trees and plants that added the most delightful of aromas. People in the kingdom used magic freely as a part of their everyday lives. It was a truly enchanting place.
“The king had lived a long and happy life alongside the queen. However, due to natural circumstances, they were never able to bring any children into the world. When the queen passed away due to age, the king was left utterly alone. People in the kingdom cared for the king, and they were eternally grateful that they were able to live in his kingdom.
“The king spent most of his lonely days staring out in the castle’s rear balcony. From the balcony, the king could admire the vastness and greatness of his kingdom. One day, as the king gazed out of his balcony, he saw something that he thought he would not ever see again: he saw love in the form of a young village miss. She had a beauty that far surpassed the beauty of any other in the village. Her name was Blossom.
“Blossom was deeply in love with her humble home and everything around it. She loved the way the magical flowers and birds made her feel. She was simple, sweet, and always barefooted. She often spent her days lying on a garden of flowers, talking to them or nurturing them. Blossom could not ask for a better life. Most of the misters in the village courted her, but she did not fret; she knew that she was not ready for love, and they were not ready to make her feel what she already felt for her dwelling.
“After much scrutinizing of Blossom by the king via one of his loyal subjects, he decided to take action. The loyal subject told the king that Blossom did not want anything to do with any of the kingdom’s misters. With each day that passed, the king grew more obsessed with Blossom and her natural beauty. He thought that the only way that he would ever have beauty like that, is if he was beautiful himself, an equal exchange. The king set off to visit the kingdom’s most renowned potion mixer. He wanted to look young again; he wanted to be the most attractive mister in his entire kingdom. However, the potion mixer told him that it was simply impossible, as he needed to give something of equal value in return. Desperate, the king offered anything in his kingdom and nothing was off limits. Seeing the king’s desperation, the magic mixer calculated just how much he would need in exchange. And the only way the king would get what he wanted was to shed all the magic from his kingdom. Blinded by her beauty, the king agreed to the deal.
“The next morning, after visiting the potion mixer, a small flask appeared outside the king’s chambers. Eager to look young and attractive, the king swallowed the
potion without reading the note that was attached to it. Seconds after the flask was emptied, the king began to shed his old skin and from within a new, young king emerged. When the transformation was complete, all the live and bright colors in the kingdom disappeared; the kingdom was left without as single drop of magic.
“The note in the flask read: ‘The fault in humanity remains in the inability to understand the truly important things in their lives.’
“When the king’s subjects saw him, they could not believe their eyes. Since the king had a prominent crest permanently engraved on his hand, there was no question that he was the king. Eager to step out of the castle and show his kingdom its new king, he left immediately to walk his grounds. When the people in the town saw the king for the first time in his new body, they could not help but to gasp and admire. All the compliments from the people made the king feel accomplished and eventually content about the deal he had made. He knew that he had paid a steep price for his new body. Once reassured, he headed to look for his reward.
“The king found Blossom crying loudly on the ground of her once beautiful and lively gardens. However, no matter what the king said to her, she remained on the ground sobbing. Not the king’s good looks, nor his treasures, could cure Blossom’s broken heart. Unknowingly, it was the king who had broken her heart; he had taken everything she loved away from her. The colorful flowers, the delightful scent of the plants, and the life of some of her best friends—all were taken from her. When Blossom looked at the king, she saw nothing there.
“Soon, people began to abandon the kingdom, and little by little it became empty and forgotten. Even the king himself left to find a better place to live...”
“Wait, don’t tell me that is the end,” Bliss said with a knot in her throat.
“Well, yes, I think it is a good ending if you ask me,” Pah snickered.
“No, no that cannot be. What happens to Blossom?” Bliss asked as she lay back again on Pah’s back.
“The point of the story was not the ending. Not all stories need an ending.”
“Yeah, I know, I guess you are right. My pain is going away…goodnight, Pah. See you tomorrow, don’t run too much,” Bliss said just before falling asleep.
Bliss understood all too well the moral of Pah’s story. With all its hidden messages, she knew that boys, or love for that matter, were something she would not need to worry about any time soon. When the moment was right, it would simply come to her.
9
Thirst for Power
Almost three years had passed since Bliss first decided to confront Gavril’s forces so that no more lives would be lost. Bliss and Pah grew more powerful each time they confronted them, winning by a landslide each time. It did not matter how many ferocious beasts or Rot Gavril sent their way, as they were surely defeated. Bliss and Pah had grown to be an unstoppable force in the Apalace fields.
Meanwhile, underneath the dark magic clouds, Gavril grew furious with each crushing defeat that he suffered. Hundreds of bodies lay lifeless in the main hall of his castle.
“Tell me again, why is it that we cannot take those two down? Why is it that we are losing?” Gavril asked one of Galio’s loyal workers as he passed back and forth, fuming with rage.
“They are just too powerful, sir; we have nothing that can match them—especially the girl,” the worker said as he awaited his fate.
Unhappy with the worker’s answer, Gavril grabbed the worker and tossed him to the high ceilings of the main hall, from where he plummeted down towards the ground, thus ending his life.
“That… That…That was our last worker, master. There will be nobody here to help me with your commands,” Galio said, stuttering and scared for his life.
“Do not be afraid, old friend, no harm shall come your way. You have served me well. Don’t worry about your work load; we will get more servants soon. People do want to conserve their lives or the lives of those people they love for as long as they can,” Gavril said as he walked towards the middle of the hall, stepping over the corpses in the room.
“What are you going to do with them? Should I take them to the spawning chamber of Rot, master?”
“No! That won’t be necessary. For what I am about to do, I will need some of the accumulated power within the mountain.”
“With all due respect, master, are you able to control the magic that we are gathering from the six other magical beings now? Last time you tried to do just that, it nearly killed you.”
“I won’t try to control it this time, I know now that without the pesky last one of them, it will be impossible for me. I’m simply going to reroute some of that magic’s resilience into our new kind of Rot. We need more Rot to accompany Gemini, as this is going to be our biggest attack yet. However, these Rot will be special,” Gavril said, evenly concentrating on the task at hand.
Galio took a few steps back and observed quietly as Gavril put his right hand on the ground and began to cast a commanding spell on the corpses. Just a few seconds after Gavril cast the spell, the corpses began to rise. However, this set of Rot seemed different; they looked far more dangerous than the rest. They grew a new layer of muscle and hunched as if they were wild beasts.
“Welcome, my new progeny, welcome to my world. In my world, I am king. You will all serve me and do as I say. You are the Disgrace, and you will be leaders of my Rot army. Each one of you will command twenty of them. Now, go equip yourselves and leave us,” Gavril said as he looked around at the many despicable faces while they left the room.
“I saw that they looked stronger and crueler that your average Rot, but what else did you do to them?” Galio asked, keeping his petition.
Gavril turned to Galio and approached him slowly before he answered. Galio could not help but to feel nervous near such a monster.
“I gave them the ability to put themselves back together if they were to lose a limb or get cut in half. The Watcher has an annoying habit of cutting the Rot in half with a single blow. It is all part of the plan. We will surely have the upper hand this time around. The girl’s power will be mine,” Gavril said as the floor beneath him cracked.
“Master, Gemini will be ready tomorrow. It is by far the strongest creation you have made; do they really need all that extra help?” Galio asked.
The floor beneath Gavril cracked severely as he analyzed Galio’s question. Knowing that he could easily end Galio’s life even by mistake, Gavril sighed and calmed down before answering him.
“I want victory to be certain. We are running out of time, Galio, and I do not want to be defeated by time. I will be time’s master itself once I get my hands on her power,” Gavril fumed.
Throughout the years of growing Gemini, some of the magic that the six magic beings emanated was poured into it. To accompany the calamity that was about to fall on Bliss and Pah, Gavril forged an unstoppable sword and an impenetrable shield. The sword and shield were made out of fallen metals and fortified with thousands of spells. Thanks to the magical pond, Gavril was able to study all of Bliss and Pah’s movements in battle, and he knew that with Gemini, they would not stand a chance. The odds were one hundred to none. Convinced of his near victory in long battle against the Watcher and the last of the magical beings, Gavril began to plan what would be his next step. For Gavril, too much was never enough. Just as the fifth rule of magic says: If a creature of magic does not control its magic, then magic will control it.
10
Gemini
“Pah, we need to go to a village soon; my cloak is beginning to fit me small again,” Bliss said as she tried to extend her cloak sleeves.
“Why don’t you try to make your own cloak? The way you are outgrowing them, we’ll be going to town every month. You are the magical being, after all,” Pah said as he lounged underneath a tree’s fresh shade.
“Well, I need to know what something is made of in order for me to make it appear,” Bliss said as she took a closer look at her cloak.
This is in congruent with th
e fourth rule of magic which says: Nothing in the world will just appear; all follows equivalent exchange. To obtain something, the magic user must first lose something of equivalent value. However, the value must be in line with the feelings of the magic user; meaning that it's solely up to the magic user’s heart to put a value on things.
“Remember the Valley of Serene and those flowers you used to always like touching? Well, they are cotton flowers, and that is what your cloak is made of,” Pah said with one eye closed as he contemplated taking a nap.
Suddenly, the wind blew and the sky darkened, causing Pah to look up. As he looked up, he could not believe his eyes. A large mound of cotton flowers from the Valley of Serene was floating overhead. Bliss’ magic never ceased to amaze Pah.
“Did you really need to bring all that over?” Pah asked as he got into a more comfortable position.
Bliss’ face flushed a warm red, and she felt a bit embarrassed. Knowing that she had overdone it, she shrugged and let down the large mound of cotton flowers a few meters away. Bliss got to work right away on her cloak. However, her first attempts at making a cloak were pathetic at best. The cloaks that she made simply fell apart or were entirely too large or too small. Watching Bliss fail but not lose enthusiasm amused Pah, causing him to laugh at Bliss’ attempts. She also laughed at her own mistakes.
“Stop laughing,” Bliss said, even as she laughed herself.
“I can’t help it. That last cloak looked like an abomination,” Pah said, enjoying himself.