Auvreria (18 page)

Aurora added, “
Never take hold of the ninth element. I know you are part of the white dragon, but the power can erase you from existence if your spirit is not strong enough. Only the white or black dragon can take hold of it. I am sacrificing myself so I can seal the power for eternity. Yes, little sister, we will separate physically, but I will be part of you and Auvreria.”

The time ha
d come. Aurora kissed Elfeon on the cheek, and we said goodbye to him. We stood at the center of the symbol. It is always in this precise place that I start my journeys. Aurora asked me to hold her hands. The next time, she said, they would be held by the opposing force. With that confusing statement, we teleported to the Astral realm.

The center of Auvreria, the universe

The Final Battle

Sparkling mist descended from the endless skies. The stars made luminous dust. Galaxies revolved around one another. I flowed gracefully through the cosmos near planets, fast comets, and gigantic supernovas. My soul became one with Astral. The universe was infinite, boundless, and continuous. I examined and explored, but I could not see the center.

T
he spirit of Livaunde had told me to look within my soul to open my reasoning beyond its boundaries. I tried to feel the inner connection between the cosmos and me. I gently closed my eyes. Stardust smoothly covered my spirit. I had no idea if this would work.

I was standing on a rocky, dark plateau. It seemed
to be night, but the illumination from the skies lit the far-off valley. I looked at the distant Final Battle between Mortver and the Clamoor Clan. I could see the alive and dead people and creatures below. The fallen stood with the alive as equals. The stone battlefield was tremendous compared to the Great Castle of Arthaesia. The dark lands surrounded it. Both sides were seen as figures of shadows standing motionlessly. There was utter silence. The warriors confidently stared at their enemy, hiding their desire and anger. Among the Clamoor Clan, I saw Almag, Mother Nature, Orenelius, Liliamera, Silvius, Magdalion, the elves, Fensagenia, Zekreon, Grealn, and the others. I did not see Aurora.

Maldelsoul
rode his majestic black dragon. His body was enveloped in metal armor. The dragon roared viciously to instill fear into its opponents. Mortver’s leader waited quietly in front of his army. He cast dark shadows to obscure the faint light. Following him were Clarimie, Arthaesia’s people, most of the lords from Clamoor, evil spirits brought back to life, demons, and his loyal group of magicians. When Maldelsoul began his speech, I knew he sensed my return.

“
The final war has begun. The old and new eras have gathered to fight rightfully for the power of the cosmos. Clamoor Clan, where are your leaders? Where is the person of prophecy given by the destiny of Auvreria? Come on the battlefield, Anelia and your faithful dragon, Aurora! Where is your support for your people? You see, Clamoors, your only hope of victory has abandoned you in the final war between us!”

Fear and horror came to my soul with these words. I was scared beyond death to face the importance of my fate. I could not walk out
there pretending to be a hero. I could not find my inner courage. I glanced at my medallion with all its gems. I had come a very long way for the ninth element. I needed to put the medallion back where it came from. If Aurora was to be lost in the Astral world again, I would have to seal the power before Maldelsoul could fully grasp it. In the distance rode Fensagenia, Grealn, and Zekreon.

“We will fight for Anelia and Aurora with our strength, heart, and love,” said Fensagenia.

“We will serve in the absence of our friend,” said Grealn. They raised their swords.

“We will charge for what you monster
s have done to them,” said Zekreon. “We are one, and we are all sisters and brothers!”

They set out galloping towards Mortver. Maldelsoul motioned for his army to charge. Two parts became
a whole within seconds. I could not bear to watch this, so I ran towards the mountain. I used the element of air to fly to the top. There was a wide, circular platform that resembled the symbol of Auvreria. A small podium stood in the middle with wide columns, ornamented floors, and golden flowers. I noticed two medallions set into recesses in the platform. I knew what that meant: he was here, too. Confusion overcame my fear.

“How nice it is to see you,” said Maldelsoul
slowly behind me. I did not turn around. I breathed deeper to gain control. He started walking past me while he gazed at the horizon. “It was easy to make them believe that silhouette was me. How foolish these people are. Their perspective is a haze over their eyes that lets them see what they prefer to see. It is marvelous to observe each one’s original perspective on the world.

“They are young, blind, newborn birds that are only a
moment in the history of the universe. Their nonexistent sight twists their minds into strong knots that are not untied for the rest of their lives. They endure living their lives under the destiny’s enigma. Some may never cease to exist by the power of the universe. Others are rewarded for being the chosen ones.”

In the
dim light, Maldelsoul gazed at my eyes. He shifted his glance to the podium and to the battle down below.

“And now I see you have the finished medallion. Let us start unlocking the power of the ninth element, so you can be the next guardian.”

Maldelsoul
teleported my medallion to its place in the podium. I ran as fast as I could to stop it, but nothing could be done. The energy field from the three medallions rose to a high intensity. The ninth element was being revealed. This power was so great that I could hardly see the battle down below. Maldelsoul took his place near the podium opposite from me.

He
cried, “I do not want you to be erased from existence—hold my hands. The white and black dragons can safely unlock this power.” I had no choice; the energy was engulfing me. I understood what Aurora had foretold. The light of millions of stars shone in the center high above the medallions until a single point appeared above the podium. It glowed peacefully.

“I cannot take the power of the universe,” I said. “This is not my destiny. I cannot take hold of something greater than myself.”

“I give you the chance to grasp the power, for it will be mine forever if you do not,” whispered Maldelsoul. He knew that Aurora was the destined guardian. He wanted me to suffer before he crowned himself lord of all. I could not run away this time. I had to take the place of my sister; everything depended on it. I must sacrifice myself to Auvreria. It would buy some time before the true guardian came.

I walked onto the center of the symbol. I raised my hands to hold the center of the universe. Maldelsoul smiled. A surge of energy almost threw him
from the grand platform. The ninth element made me feel the real connection among all that was present. I felt the ground, the mountains, the valleys, all the distant realms, and the infinite cosmos as a whole. I finally understood the simple secret of the ninth element—it was the connection to everything in Auvreria.

M
y life energy began to dissipate, fires were destroying me, and the weight of the power had overtaken my soul. I would be exterminated forever, my spirit would not exist, and evil would wipe out the universe. I couldn’t last long. I flew out of the podium to the corner of the platform. My hope was lost, and my life was slipping away along with the blood that flowed from my wounds. I lay down as Maldelsoul rose to receive his hard-won element.

“Since the beginning I have advised you to not make a sacrifice to anything you love. Arthaesia fell, the Clamoor Clan will be destroyed, the other worlds are
under my influence, and the universe will be destroyed permanently!”

Before he could hold the center of balance, a sudden flash of light emerged from the point. It threw him off
, but he remained standing. The image of a white dragon appeared, and before us stood Aurora in her human form in white robes. The point of balance hung a few feet above her head.

“The prophecy of the white dragon who is the guardian of Auvreria is
complete. The guardian will seal the power of the ninth element from good and evil. Auvreria will forever exist in balance!” As she spoke, she looked at Maldelsoul. It took all my strength to remain conscious.

Suddenly
I felt tremendous pressure. Whenever evil confronted good, destruction happened. These two opposing forces were too strong to ever unite. I gained a drop of strength as Aurora quietly gazed into Maldelsoul’s eyes. He concealed his anger deep inside, and his expression did not change. The battle down below had stopped. My bones ached, all was a haze, and I could smell the scent of my own blood.

“People and creatures fighting this war,” Aurora said
, “we are one. We cannot let Maldelsoul destroy our universe. Mortver, he has betrayed you by leaving his false self to guide the war while he took what he has always desired. Clamoor Clan, Anelia and I reached the center before harm could be done. Maldelsoul is a selfish monster. Forget and forgive your enemies and what they have done to you. We must unite before all is lost.”

Clarimie was the first one to lead the unity. She dropped her weapons. Grealn, Fensagenia, and Zekreon dropped theirs
, too. Lord Dalius put his weapons away, and one by one Mortver and the Clamoor Clan made peace.
Now this is the power of a leader,
I thought. Even though Maldelsoul’s and Aurora’s powers were equal, Aurora knew her abilities. Maldelsoul could not control his hatred when he saw both sides becoming one.

“We are all connected by the ninth element,” said Aurora. “We are brothers and sister
s. We are all part of one intertwining journey of existence.”

“We will never unite!” Maldelsoul yelled. “Evil never dies. You, white dragon, shall suffer for your stubborn mind. I never knew that the real guardian would be you, and that you would hide behind your sister. No one has a soul; we are all living bodies controlled by our insane minds! No heart, no love, and no soul exist. We imagined it
all. The war will always continue. I challenge you, Aurora, to fight me. We will fight to the death, and the remaining one shall take hold of Auvreria!”

Both Aurora and Maldelsoul transformed into gigantic dragons. They bruised, hit,
and burned each other, destroying the architecture in the process. I crawled away from the falling stones. When they struck each other, it sounded like thunder. White and black fire clouded the skies. Maldelsoul was indeed stronger in his dragon form. Aurora could not last long. I had to do something.

I
dragged myself up with the elven sword in my hands and walked with great concentration and effort in the direction of Maldelsoul. Aurora missed an opening, and he hit her on the left foreleg. She dropped, moaning, to the ground. Maldelsoul roared with agony and delight. I started to run as fast as I could. I lifted my sword, ignoring my wounds. The dark dragon raised his enormous claws. I used the broken pillars to jump to the height of the dragon’s heart and stabbed through the thick skin. The dragon fell as I did. We lay a few yards apart.

The dragon transformed back into a human. Maldelsoul lay there, grasping his heart with his hands as the black blood flowed out. Aurora transformed, too. She supported herself
with the podium, weakened by her wounds. Maldelsoul glared at me with hatred.

“I will lose my material form,”
he said. “However, I shall come back through the Astral world to destroy everything. The evil within shall live as the spirit of the black dragon. With their selfish desires all souls possess it. Evil… forever… exists… no…”

He
stopped talking to use all of his energy to attack me with its deadliest form, the ninth element. I had no strength to react. A sword appeared in front of me to reflect the spell. I looked up—it was Grealn. The ninth element completely erased Maldelsoul’s body. I saw the fading image of a black dragon soaring into the vibrant cosmos.

“You saved my life,” I whispered to Grealn. “I do not know how to thank you…
.”

“You thank me by remaining alive for my fragile heart
.”

I gazed into his eyes. They sparkled for the first time
, erasing the deep sadness inside. I slowly stood up with Grealn’s help. Fensagenia and Zekreon came to the platform after their fight with Maldelsoul’s magicians. Aurora looked at us with tranquility and serenity. Her injuries had healed, and her new self was beautiful. She wore white robes flowing in the wind and a clear crown shining with harmony. My family arrived, too: Orenelius, Liliamera, Mother Nature, and Mediel.

“
In this glorious moment I bless you with appreciation and love from my soul,” Aurora announced. “I thank Anelia for saving me from the dark soul. This is the dawn of my fate. I honor you, Silvius and Magdalion, to become the two brother kings who will show others the importance of kinship. Anelia, Fensagenia, Zekreon, Grealn, Clarimie, and Mediel shall form the Golden Circle of Arthaesia. Others shall receive this honor for their strong spirit and skill, not by wealth. We have learned this lesson from Clandelsoul.”

Suddenly
the spirit of a young boy descended from the skies. The boy was Clandelsoul, from Astral. He spoke softly to Aurora, “I am sorry for what happened. I didn’t realize what I had done when I refused to forgive my parents. The soul of the black dragon overtook me. I’m sorry.”