THE DRAGON AND THE PHOENIX

by Shoraz

  As the thoughts came into her mind it was as if she was flying and from high above she could see everything in the magical Realm of Zerros and in the distance she saw something that was all too familiar – the Ocean of Eternity – and as she made her way to it her eyes gazed upon its never–ending and infinite edge and she then felt an unnatural and powerful force.

  As she felt the powerful force she knew that she had encountered this force before and as she looked around the skies of Zerros there was nothing to be seen and then out of nowhere the Blue Dragon appeared and as she tried to fly away from the Dragon, shards of fire and ice were shot towards her and as her mind raced in an attempt to help the majestic Phoenix escape the clutches of the powerful Dragon her body froze and her mind was the only thing that she was in control of.

  She then tried to scream for help, and in desperation, she called out to Zrakil but her mouth was unable to say anything, and as her eyes stared at Zrakil, Zrakil looked back at her and did nothing. Back in Ava’s mind, the Dragon was still in pursuit of the Phoenix, and as they headed towards land, the Dragon stopped at the edge and as the Phoenix saw that she also stopped flying as well and landed on the ground below.

  Then suddenly the Dragon roared and out of the Ocean of Eternity came four smaller dragons and they made their way towards the Blue Dragon and stood beside him and watched the Phoenix, and then the Blue Dragon spoke and said, “You cannot stop me, I killed you before, and I am ready to do it again, my minions will destroy your people and then I will destroy you, and this time your soul will not escape my grasp.”

  Then out of nowhere, an army appeared behind Ava and as the Blue Dragon saw that he looked towards the other four dragons and as he waved his great and mammoth wings, right in front of him appeared a small army as powerful as any army that ever existed – and they were known as the diamond army.

  As the Phoenix saw the diamond army she knew that even though the army was less than half the size of her army that they had the power to decimate her army regardless of their size, for they were not created from the water of the fountain of life, but rather they were created from deep within the mind of the Blue Dragon, and the only way to defeat them was to defeat the mighty Blue Dragon himself which in turn would destroy his diamond army as well as the four dragons that followed his every single move as though they were one with him.

  Then, as the Phoenix delved further into Ava’s mind she heard a familiar voice and a familiar saying and as she heard the words, “I see you,” which she last heard in the Pacific Ocean, Ava felt the evil and supernatural force all around her as though it were in her thoughts and then as the memories of her past life as the Phoenix began coursing through her mind she realized that without a doubt the mighty Blue Dragon would soon be released.

  Then, with that in mind, she said, “I am ready to become the Phoenix,” and as Zrakil heard those words she put her final spell on Ava, and as Ava became unconscious she fell into the waiting arms of Zrakil, and with that, one of the final steps was taken, and little did Ava know that when she next awoke she would rise as none other than the mighty and magical ruler of Zerros – the golden Phoenix.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  As Alkazar made his way and rounded up the royal guards and sentinels of Zerros for their trek into the forest of Zerros and also to stand guard outside of the gates of the Grand Castle, many of them wondered why this was happening and were unsure of what to do if the mighty Phoenix began to wage war against them.

  Many of them knew that the Phoenix was once the ruler of Zerros but now the current ruler was Venetia and if called upon to fight for her cause they would have no choice as it was their duty to protect the ruler of Zerros which was currently Venetia.

  And in addition to that, the royal guards and sentinels all knew that they had no choice but to fight for Venetia and her clan in the hopes of one day receiving the promised gift which Venetia had told them all she would give to them, as long as they stayed loyal and faithful to her. And for the vast majority of the royal guards and sentinels, the promised gift of powers beyond imagination in their very own universes and planets, as well as the powers to control and influence civilizations and empires for eons upon eons was something that none of them were ready to risk losing.

  Then as the troops were gathered and made their way riding upon their majestic beasts with their weapons ready to be drawn at a moments notice they stood at the edge of the forest and slowly began to make their way inwards into the dense and lush, yet beautiful forest of Zerros.

  As they entered the forest, they separated into groups, and each group was assigned a region of the forest to thoroughly search in their hunt for the so called wild sorcerer who in reality was the Phoenix.

  As the thousands upon thousands of royal guards and sentinels scoured the forest in search of any odd Zerrosians and sorcerers, Alkazar had told the leaders of each group to contact him if they noticed anything odd, and as they all went deeper and deeper into the forest, one of the groups was unknowingly approaching and was coming ever so close to the house of Zrakil.

  Meanwhile, back in the house, Zrakil opened the door and held an unconscious Ava in her arms as she made her way out of the room and was met outside by the rest of the seven survivors from earth, along with the sorcerers Mikaelos, Zurial, Qabreal and Astaria along with the three covert sentinels – Sevki, Shonar and Galtra.

  As Sarah saw Ava in the arms of Zrakil she ran towards her and touched her face, and as she did so Max and Stryker ran towards Ava as well in hopes of seeing their beloved and cherished friend and as they saw her a deep sense of sadness and sorrow overtook them and they wondered how the burden of saving Zerros and the almost never–ending Realm of Creation which included everything in existence, fell upon her.

  As John saw Zrakil he smiled at her and Zrakil smiled back at him, and no words were needed as they both knew who the other one was and the important roles they both had to play in the upcoming war and in the ultimate battle of good versus evil.

  “Is she okay?” Max asked.

  “She will be fine; she awoke briefly, and she knows what she was, what she is, and what she was meant to be, and she is ready to once again become the Phoenix,” Zrakil said.

  “What does that mean? And what else needs to be done?” Sarah asked.

  “She must be taken to the edge of the Ocean of Eternity, and there she will once again rise as the mighty Phoenix,” Zrakil answered.

  “And who will take her there?” Stryker asked.

  “Qabreal and I will take her,” Zrakil answered.

  “I’m going with them as well, she cannot do this on her own, she needs me,” Max said.

  “No you cannot go as this is no ordinary journey,” Mikaelos said, and with that Qabreal and Zrakil along with an unconscious Ava began their unlikely and improbable journey to the outer edges of the Ocean of Eternity in hopes of helping Ava become the magical Phoenix.

  But before they began their journey, John, Sarah, and Max walked up to an unconscious Ava, and one by one they all kissed her on her forehead and John silently said, “May the power of the Creator be with you.”

  Then as Qabreal, Zrakil, and Ava were about to begin their journey Sarah asked, “When will they arrive there and how long will it take them to get there?”

  “There is no simple answer to your question Sarah,” Mikaelos answered, “It will take great magic for them to get there and it will take even greater magic to put Ava into the Ocean of Eternity as the Blue Dragon lays nearby,” Mikaelos continued saying.

  Sarah then closed her eyes as she looked up to the magnificent sky of Zerros and said a prayer in hopes that somehow in this magical land beyond anything that she could ever imagine, her prayer would be answered by a God whose existence she now questioned due to her religious beliefs on earth, but now, for an unknown reason, as she stood in the Realm of Zerros she somehow knew that God, the Supreme Being, and the One True Creator of everything in existence was more powerful than anything she could ev
er fathom and in a strange and extraordinary way she felt closer to God than ever before, and she then walked towards Stryker and looked him in his eyes and said to him, “I love you,” as she hugged him.

  Stryker then hugged Sarah tightly and said, “I love you too,” and as they held each other, Sarah pondered upon how the life of the earth ended, and she pondered upon her dreams; and she knew deep inside her that this was where she was supposed to be. And although she was unable to say it in words, she somehow felt at peace in Zerros, and as she looked around, she felt as if this was where she was always destined to be, and she was ready to give her life in order to help the Phoenix reclaim her throne as the rightful ruler of the mystical Realm of Zerros.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  As Qabreal and Zrakil began their trek with Ava within the forest of Zerros and headed towards the edges of the Ocean of Eternity, the only thing which they were sure of was that the journey would not be an easy one, and as the thoughts of failure went through their heads, they knew that the future of everything depended on the outcome of their journey.

  As Zrakil held onto a wilted and lifeless Ava, she looked down at her and wondered how the fragile body that lay in front of her was able to hold the power of the Phoenix within it. And as she did so, it only reinforced her belief that there was a higher and more powerful being, that was greater than anything that she could ever comprehend, and it existed in a manner befitting its supremacy and power just beyond the veil of reality.

  “Are you sure she’s the one Zrakil? Do you feel the Phoenix within her?” Qabreal asked.

  “Qabreal my friend, if I didn’t believe in her I wouldn’t be here right now,” Zrakil answered.

  “I hope that you are right Zrakil,” Qabreal said as they continued their trek towards the edge of the immaculate Ocean of Eternity.

  Meanwhile, back in the home of Zrakil within the lush forest of Zerros, Mikaelos and the sorcerers along with Sarah and the rest of the survivors from earth, as well as the three covert sentinels, sat and waited for the return of the Phoenix, and Sevki said to Sarah, “I’m glad that you were one of the survivors from the Xerrolux.”

  “Thank you Sevki, but I wish that there were more survivors,” Sarah replied.

  “Yes, I wish that as well, and I also wish that we didn’t destroy the Xerrolux, but we had no choice in the matter,” Sevki said.

  “I will miss the Xerrolux very much; I remember when it was created and I saw it age right before my eyes. I remember seeing the royal guards and sentinels of Zerros going to the Xerrolux to keep things in order, and I also saw the joy which they had in helping the Xerrolux and those within it. But since Venetia took control of Zerros her rules have changed the very foundation of what Zerros was supposed to be,” Mikaelos said.

  “She must be stopped, her madness cannot go on any longer,” Zurial said, and just as she finished her sentence, a cool breeze passed through. And as it did so, a sorcerer appeared, and with fear in her eyes she said to the odd collection of humans, robots, sorcerers, and sentinels, “A small army of royal guards and sentinels have entered the forest of Zerros, and they come in search of the Phoenix.”

  “How do you know this?” Mikaelos asked.

  “We have seen them, they entered the forest as one large group and have since then split up into smaller groups and are scouring the forest as we speak,” the sorcerer named Thenor replied.

  “We must warn Qabreal and Zrakil of the army of Zerros,” Astaria said, “They have no idea that the army has entered the forest in search of the Phoenix,” she continued saying.

  “We must tell Jinnack of this as well, he has a small army at his command and is ready to help us in the fight against Venetia and her clan,” Galtra said, and with that, the three covert sentinels began their journey to find Jinnack to let him know that the time had come for him to help the side of good in the fight for Zerros.

  As the three sentinels left the home of Zrakil, what remained of the small but passionate group which consisted of the sorcerers as well as the survivors from earth headed in the direction of where Zrakil, Qabreal, and Ava left in hopes of finding them and helping them against the thousands upon thousands of royal guards and sentinels that were in search of the Phoenix.

  As the group left to find the Phoenix, Mikaelos said, “If Venetia knows that the Phoenix is in Zerros she will surely do everything in her power to destroy her, and she will also make Razen release the Blue Dragon – this I assure you.”

  “How do we stop her from doing that?” John asked.

  “We must rescue Razen, he’s been tortured for ages, and he has most likely lost all hope of ever being saved from the evil of Venetia,” Astaria answered.

  “I will gather the rest of the sorcerers and go to the Grand Castle to save Razen,” Zurial said.

  “And I will come with you,” Usain surprisingly said.

  “As will I,” Roma said.

  “Thank you for offering to help, but your kind cannot fight against the inhabitants of Zerros, and you will certainly be killed,” Mikaelos said.

  “I will do what I can to save the Phoenix from the Blue Dragon, and if it means that I die doing this, then so be it,” Roma said, and with that, she, Usain, Zurial, and Thenor made their way through the forest of Zerros to gather the sorcerers in order to rescue the tortured Razen, and in the process try to prevent him from releasing the wrath of the powerful and mighty Blue Dragon upon Zerros and everything in existence within the nearly endless Realm of Creation.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  In another part of Zerros close to the castle of Jinnack; he, Manaka and Yokelis along with Jinnack’s small army patiently waited for the Phoenix to roam the skies of Zerros and also waited for their chance to attack the Grand Castle and in the process kill Venetia, Yram, Leonis and Zalde along with those that sided with them.

  As they waited, Manaka and Yokelis had no idea that the mad sentinel had made its way to Venetia and told her that the Phoenix was already in Zerros, for if they had known that, they would have already told Jinnack to begin the attack.

  The original plan was for the small army of Jinnack to wait for the sign which would be the golden Phoenix rising from the edge of the Ocean of Eternity, and flying towards the Grand Castle with the sorcerers, to wage war against Venetia and her clan along with the Blue Dragon and his minions, who would have undoubtedly been summoned by Razen upon the request of Venetia as soon as she had seen the Phoenix.

  But now the entire plan which was the brainchild of Galiac was in great jeopardy as the pieces were no longer aligned due to the actions of the mad sentinel.

  “Is everything prepared Jinnack? Is your army ready to attack the Grand Castle of Zerros at the sight of the Phoenix?” Yokelis asked.

  “I have delivered on my promise to Galiac so far Yokelis, and I don’t intend to let my friend down – even in his death,” Jinnack answered.

  “You are a great ally Jinnack, and we are lucky to have you on our side,” Manaka said, as he, Yokelis, Jinnack and the small army waited for their sign from the golden Phoenix.

  Meanwhile, back in the forest of Zerros, the three covert sentinels, Galtra, Sevki and Shonar continued their journey to find Jinnack and tell him that the army of Zerros was searching for the Phoenix in the great forest. As they made their way, in the not too far distance, they saw a group of royal guards and sentinels that were undoubtedly searching for the true ruler of Zerros – the Phoenix.

  “What do we do? Should we try to evade them?” Shonar asked.

  “No, if we try to evade them and they see us they will know something is wrong. Follow my lead,” Sevki said, and with that Shonar and Galtra followed Sevki’s lead as they made their way towards the small group of royal guards and sentinels.

  As they arrived and saw the group Sevki said, “Hello my fellow royal guards and sentinels of Zerros.”

  The leader of the group then stepped forward and said, “You are not with this group, where did you come from?”

 
“We lost track of our group in our search for the Phoenix, and we’re headed back to the Grand Castle,” Sevki answered.

  “You are welcome to join our group in the search for the Phoenix,” the leader of the group said, and for now Sevki, Shonar, and Galtra had to put their search for Jinnack on hold as they pretended to search for the Phoenix with a group from the army of Zerros.

  Meanwhile, in another part of the forest; Roma, Usain, Zurial, and Thenor continued making their secretive march on the outskirts of the forest of Zerros towards the Grand Castle in hopes of finding and saving Razen the tortured sorcerer before he released the Blue Dragon at the command of Venetia.

  As they made their way upon their magical beasts, they reached their fellow sorcerers who were patiently waiting to be summoned in the fight against Venetia and her clan. As they reached the band of sorcerers, one of them named Alicion greeted Thenor, “My friend, it’s good to see you. Did you see the Phoenix?”

  “Yes, she is on her way to the edges of the Ocean of Eternity with Qabreal and Zrakil at this very moment,” Thenor answered.

  “Who are they?” Alicion then asked pointing to Usain and Roma.

  “These are friends of the Phoenix, and they are ready to sacrifice their lives in the fight against Venetia and her clan,” Zurial answered.

  “Any friends of the Phoenix are friends of ours,” Alicion said, “What are your names?” she then asked.

  “My name is Roma, and he is Usain,” Roma answered, pointing to Usain.

  “Thank you for helping us in our fight; there is no time to waste. We must leave for the Grand Castle at once,” Alicion said, and with that, the group of sorcerers along with Usain and Roma began their arduous trek to the Grand Castle of Zerros in order to help their friend Razen escape the evil clutches of the ruler of Zerros – Venetia.