Jeneta's body tensed with fear as she and the rest of the group looked into General Zain's cold and emotionless eyes. They had barely escaped from being destroyed by the mastodon-headed god Iyanish, and after him, Sabanti. Now they had to face Zain himself, who was much more dangerous than the two. Jeneta knew deep down that if something wasn't done, there was a very slim chance they would make it out alive. The grey-skinned man stood before them, his sword pointed at them and sweat trailing down his face from his recent fight with Sabanti. Behind him, the sun gave off its last spark before disappearing behind the hills and horizon, signifying the end of another tension-filled day on Cyphyrus.
"I said we are moving out...now" Zain said, his free hand balling into fists. With a flick of his wrist, he indicated with his sword for the group to turn and start walking.
"No, wait!" said Jeneta. Zain turned narrowed eyes to her and growled deep in this throat. Jeneta took a deep breath and dared to step forward towards him. "Please, what about Djoser? He...he could be badly hurt..."
With bated breath, Jeneta turned to look at the crumpled figure of the young prince laying a few inches from where Zain stood. The general turned to him, and for a second, a slight recognition entered his eyes, but then just as quickly, it disappeared, cold indifference replacing it as he turned to look back at her. "He is of no concern to me anymore. I have what I came for; the five of you. No more delays. As soon as I get you to my Master Lord Kumraa..."
His words were cut off as Ling rushed up next to Jeneta, her eyes flashing with anger. "You can't!" she yelled out. "Don't you understand what'll happen to your world if he gets his grimy hands on our medallions? Everything will be destroyed! There'll nothing to live for anymore! Even a JERK like you couldn't possibly want that for your world!"
Zain hissed low in his throat, and throwing forth his free hand, shot a strong beam of energy that slammed into the Chinese girl. Ling flew back with a loud scream and landed hard on the forest ground.
"Ling!" shouted out Tao. He turned to glare at Zain, but before he could engage in battle with the tall general, his concern for the young girl he had come to care for took over his nature to fight, and he and the other girls with Kondolar rushed over to her to make sure she was alright.
Jeneta alone stood before Zain now, and after seeing that the others were with Ling, she turned back to Zain with sorrowful eyes. Her eyes widened as she saw he was about to throw another blast at them, and with loud cry, she jumped in front of him and stood protectively before her friends, her arms spread wide. "NO! Stop it, please! ENOUGH!" the dark-skinned girl cried. Tears filled her eyes as she looked imploringly at Zain.
"I..I can't stand it anymore!" Jeneta said as she shook her head sadly. "I can't stand to see anymore of my friends get hurt! First Danji, then Hun Li, and now..." The tears trailed down her cheeks as she looked at Djoser still lying on the ground. There was too much death, too much pain around her now, and it was getting to the point where it was driving her mad! She didn't want anyone to get killed or hurt because of her anymore. It just wasn't fair! Well, she had made her decision now, and if it would help keep the people of this world safe for now, then so be it.
"I can't let this go on any longer. I can't let innocent people die because of me." A small sob escaped as she held her hands over her pounding heart. "I'll..I'll give you the medallions, if you promise not to hurt anyone else. Please, I can't stand to see any more of my friends die..."
"Jeneta, NO!" yelled Heather. The blonde dashed over and grabbed Jeneta by the shoulders as Zain sneered in satisfaction. "You can't do this Jeneta! What about what we promised, what about our mission? What will happen to all the peaceful people of this world if we give up?"
But the shorter girl was silent as she shook her head, tears flowing down her cheeks. Frustration like no other entered the normally calm and logical Heather then, and before she could help herself, she gave a cry of rage, slapped her hard across her face, and roughly shoved Jeneta to the ground, leaving her stunned.
For a moment, Jeneta could only look at Heather in complete shock as tears fell down the blonde's own pale cheeks. "Ever since we got here," Heather began, "I've always thought of you as the one who would give us the strength we needed, to help bring us across every obstacle that we would face. But now...now you're telling us you're nothing but a quitter? No, it can't end like this Jeneta. I won't let the memories of our friends die in vain, and I especially can't let you make Danji's hope in us die either! I loved him, and I'm going to see that his world becomes safe for his memory to live on! We can't let his sacrifice for us be in vain..."
The truth of those words hit Jeneta hard, and shame filled her as she thought about what they have been through so far. How could she have been so wrong? She can't give up now! Determination filled her then, and standing to her full height, she gave Heather a grateful look. Behind the blonde girl, Jeneta could see Ling getting up to stand on shaky legs with Angeni and Prya's help. The Chinese girl was merely stunned; her pride more than anything wounded, and hope slowly formed within Jeneta once more.
Heather was right. It wouldn't be fair to Danji or anyone else in this world if she just gave up without even trying. So many people were depending on her and her friends, and she wouldn't...she couldn't let them down! Her eyes narrowed with determination. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Zain, who still had a smirk on his lips. "She's right. I can't do this. You'll never get the medallions Zain, not as long as we live. I'll make sure of it!"
"How touching," the immense man said sarcastically. "Too bad it's too late for you to do anything about it. The game is over fools. Now you shall see the awesome and infinite powers you are up against!" Zain laughed deeply, then raised his hand clutching the sword high above his head. "Icantantium Transporanus!
Lightning flashed out of the sword, then raced and struck the ground in front of him with a loud boom. A moment later, a high wind picked up, blowing leaves, dust, and shrubbery everywhere. Another bolt of electricity shot out of the sword, and when it struck the ground again, a circular black hole opened, growing larger and larger with every second. Black clouds and mists swirled within the vortex, and in a matter of moments, it grew almost large enough to block out everything behind it in the growing darkness of night.
The girls, Kondolar, and Tao ducked their heads and covered their eyes from the dust, their hair whipping all around them. Moments later, they dared to look at the still growing vortex and gasped in horror at the sight before them. A pair of red, glowing eyes stared out from the blackness within, shining bright with evilness. Slowly, the black mists around the eyes began to solidify and take form. Soon a head can be seen, then the rest of the tall body. But instead of the body being clearly seen, it was surrounded again by mist and formed to make a black cloak, as though covering the body from the outside world. Skeletal teeth and cheeks peeked out from under the cloak's hood, and a bony, rotten hand reached out to them.
Just then, the winds died down slightly, and the horrifying sight stood before them in front of the still swirling vortex. When it breathed, raspy air came from its chest, as though it was suffering from a horrible cold, and it stood to its full height of at least over 6 feet.
"By all that is sacred, what is that?" said Prya, horrified. She instinctively backed up against Kondolar, and with his own eyes wide, he placed his hands on her shoulders protectively.
Angeni glared fiercely at the figure as she could feel the amount of evil and how ageless it was enter her mind. "That's him! That's Kumraa!" When Prya and Ling looked at her curiously, she nodded her head in assurance. "I can feel it guys. I've never felt such evil in my life! He's the cause of all the death and destruction here on this world." Never had her intuition and senses failed her, and Angeni knew that they faced their greatest foe yet.
"Clever girl," the figure known as Kumraa rasped out. "But all your intelligence will be for naught," With a deep, raspy laugh, the dark lord turned to the rest of the group. "At last we meet. And at last I have you in my grasp. Now you will know the suffering and pain I went through before you go to your deaths." For so long now the God Of Darkness and Chaos had waited for this moment. With them out of the way now, nothing would stop him! The world would be remade in his vision and will. Tracking Zain and tricking him into leading him to the others was so easy. All he had to do was tell the former general that he would gladly welcome him back into his graces.
It was a lie of course.
He would kill them all in one strike. And the grey-skinned man had no idea!
He turned to General Zain. "And you..."
"My Liege!" Zain immediately went down on one knee and placed a fist over his chest. This is it, this is my chance to get back into the graces of Lord Kumraa! "I am at your service."
"I know, my loyal one, I know...." Suddenly, Kumraa's eyes narrowed as he pointed a bony finger at him. "But you have failed me too many times! You are just as worthless and pathetic as Sabanti! For your incompetence, you shall die with them!"
"WHAT?" Zain's eyes flew open in completely shock, and he stood up quickly. "But..but my Lord, I have delivered them to you just as I promised! They are at your mercy! I have shown nothing but my determination and loyalty to you! You cannot do this to me!"
"Silence!" With a rageful roar, Lord Kumraa threw forth both hands, and before anyone could do anything, a large bolt of electric beams shot out and struck everyone standing, filling them with unbearable pain. Immediately Jeneta and the others fell to the ground, screaming in agony.
Kumraa's laughter filled the air as he lowered his hands and looked down on everyone. "You see? I grew stronger every day! I will be the supreme ruler of this pathetic world, and soon, the entire universe!"
The Dark Lord threw back his boney head and laughed, then continued his tirade about controlling the world. Meanwhile, blood leaking from her nose, Jeneta slowly crawled over to where Djoser lay, his eyes still closed. Painfully she reached over and took his hand in her own, and brought it slowly to her cheek. "Djoser..." she whispered. "Djoser, please, you have to wake up. We..we need you!" Before she could say anymore, another double beam of power shot out and covered them except for Djoser with electricity again, causing them to cry out once more.
Just then, the tall, dark-skinned man's eyelids fluttered, and slowly they opened to reveal the clear, dark brown eyes. With a moan, he turned his head to the side and gasped when he saw Jeneta looking at him with hope-filled eyes. "Jeneta..." he whispered out. The girl smiled weakly as she continued to hold his hand, then her head fell softly to the ground as unconsciousness finally took over.
Shock and anger entered Djoser, and he stood straight up and looked around. All around him, just about everyone had lapsed into semi-consciousness. His eyes fell on Zain as the man struggled to stand, but then fell back on the ground in exhaustion.
Instinctively, Djoser hurried over to him to find out what was going on, but before he could reach him, Kumraa's voice pierced the night air. "What? YOU! You're supposed to be dead! Well, there'll be no mistake this time!" With a rageful yell, Kumraa threw forth another powerful force of energy.
Djoser braced himself for the impact, but before the power could reach him, a figure suddenly jumped protectively in front of him and deflected the powerful blast with his sword and body as he screamed in agony. Immediately the figure collapsed on the ground.
When Djoser looked down, he saw it was none other than Zain, sweat pouring down his face, bruises and cuts everywhere. Djoser knelt down before him and gathered him in his arms, confusion on his face. "Wh..why? Why did you do this?" he breathed out.
"I...don't know. Ever since that time...we fought, I've been so...confused.." Pain nearly kept the man from speaking, and he was already feeling his strength giving way.
Djoser looked deep into Zain's eyes for a long moment, and what he saw in them made him gasped in surprise. Could it be? "M..Menes? Menes, is that you?"
The former general looked up at him in confusion, but before he could say anything, Djoser gently took his grey hand in his own, and a sudden rush of memory flooded Zain's brain;
In a serene and beautiful meadow park with a silvery lake sparkling in the background, a small boy, looking to be about 6 years old with dark skin and freshly braided hair, laughed and ran happily in the grass, his fishing rod clutched in his slightly chubby hand. Today was the day he would be taught fishing at the lake, and he was excited beyond anything! Suddenly, the little boy tripped and fell down in the grass in a tumble, his small knee scrapped.
The little boy sat up, rubbed his eyes, and started to cry. In his young mind, his day was already ruined. He sat there sobbing for a minute or so until a shadowy figure came up behind him, and the little boy looked behind in surprise. When the little boy saw who it was, he immediately smiled. A young adolescent boy looking to be about 12, with skin just as dark as the younger little boy, knelt down and gently took his hand. "Hey there little brother! It's alright, I'm here. Are you okay?" He gently touched the scrap on the child's knee. "Don't worry, it'll be fine, and I'll always be here for you." The young boy, his own hair braided, smiled gently at the child. "Come on, let's go meet Father at the lake!"
The child laughed and allowed his big brother to help him up, and together, they walked on to the lake hand in hand.
The scene changed, and this time the little boy was older, about 9 years old, and with hidden tears in his eyes, he watched his cool older brother he admired so much walk up his horse in front of their immense home palace and ready himself to ride away to the kingdom's military academy. But before he climbed the horse, the young 15 year old turned, and with a smile, beckoned his baby brother forward. "Djoser, don't worry, I'll be back before you know it," the young man said as he gave his brother a hug. "Remember what I said; I'll always be here for you." With that, he got on his horse and rode away.
The scene changed again, and this time, it was the beginning of a hard war against the freed Lord Kumraa, and a 14 year old Djoser silently watched behind a pillar in their home palace as his brother and parents talked seriously in the grand hall. He watched his big brother hug their tall father, then their mother. The young prince regent and general of his father's army turned to leave, but then sensing something, turned back to look exactly where Djoser was hiding. The young man walked to where Djoser stood and gently pulled him in a hug. "Please don't go Menes!" the young Djoser said as he hugged him back, knowing full well where his brother was going.
"I'll be back, little brother, as I always do. I promise. You know I'll never leave you." He leaned away and pointed to a spot in his little brother's chest. "Remember, I'll always be right here, in your heart when you need me." The young man smiled once more, then turned and slowly walked away, determined not to look back as he went on another of his numerous missions with his troop to fight Kumraa's growing army. It would be the last time the young Djoser ever saw his big brother.
Suddenly the memories ended, and both men were roughly brought back to reality. Unknown to them, the red mind controlling jewel hidden beneath Zain's armor on his back shattered from the sheer willpower and returning memories of the man. Not even a moment later, the greyish coloring to his skin faded, and his dark coloring came forth to show his true identity.
Tears fell from Djoser's eyes as he held him closer. "Menes, it is you." he whispered, relief flooding through him. "I can't believe it, it's you!"
But before anymore could be said, Kumraa's raspy voice roared once more into the night, and he sent forth another blast of electric energy their way, intending to kill them both.
With quick movements, Menes jumped from Djoser's arms and pushed him out of the way. The blast, more powerful than the others, struck the restored older brother of Djoser full force, slamming him into the hard ground as he screamed in unbearable agony.
"No! MENES!" screamed Djoser. He rushed over to where Menes lay and took his hand in his own. "No, I can't lose you again, I can't! Please stay with me!" he pleaded. But even he knew in his heart that it would be almost impossible for anyone to have survived that, and he sobbed when he saw the agony in his brother's eyes when he turned to look up at him. Blood seeped from out of his mouth and the wound on his chest.
"D..Djoser.." he rasped out. "It..it's..ok..okay now. I..re..remember every..everything." Painfully he reached down and held Djoser's other hand. "You..gave me back..my...freedom after...years of..war. I....I can die in....peace now. Thank you...little..br..brother. Go..now. S...Stop Kumraa!"
With that, the man's eyes closed peacefully, and his chest slowly stilled. Loneliness like none other overcame Djoser then, and he barely noticed Kumraa in the background getting ready to strike again.
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To Be Continued....
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