In the deep recesses of her mind, Jeneta blinked her eyes and tried to comprehend what the voice was telling her. Die? What does she mean...die? She looked around her, but she couldn't find anyone else in here with her. This..this has to be a trick! Well, she wasn't one to fall for it, not after everything she and her friends have been through. "Alright, enough games!" Jeneta yelled out. "Who are you, and why are you telling me this?"
There was silence for just a moment, and suddenly the voice came back again full force. "Jeneta, please! Don't be afraid! You have to be strong and lend us your strength, or we won't survive this fight!"
"Fight?" Jeneta tried hard to remember what happened before she blacked out. She remembered facing Kumraa along with the rest of the girls...she remembered being terrified when the rocks were coming down on them and thinking this was the last moment of her life. Then.....nothing else, except waking up here. Her eyes widened. "Kumraa!" she whispered in anger. "We must be in the middle of a fight against him! That's why we transformed. But...what happened?"
She was about to ask the voice to explain herself more when there was suddenly a soft flash of white light not too far from her. It was so soft, so comforting, that Jeneta reached out a hand towards it, unable to resist the pureness of it. The light soon began to fade, and a figure then came more into focus. When the light finally dissipated, a beautiful woman that was an older version of herself stood floating in front of Jeneta. She was much taller and admittedly....much curvier than she was. But right now, none of that mattered. The woman's eyes filled with pain right then, and with a gasp, she fell to one knee, her face contorted with trying to control the pain.
"Oh my God!" Jeneta rushed over to her to help her stand. "Are you alright? Who..who are you?"
"I'm...I'm Ula..I'm the..one who was reborn in your body," the woman gasped as she stood. Her breaths came in short pants and she held her hand over her heart.
Jeneta looked at her in surprise, the realization setting in. "Then...you must be one of the Ones Who Are Blessed!" she breathed out. "Please...you have to tell me what happened? Are my friends okay? What about Kumraa?-"
"Kumraa! We..were battling him, and he...tricked us, he..." The goddess tried to explain what happened, but she never got to finish. With a scream, the woman flashed brightly once more, then disappeared all together, leaving Jeneta alone in the black space.
"NO! Wait, come back!" she yelled out, looking desperately around her. But it was no use, she was alone again. There was no time to contemplate the loneliness of it as another voice filled the void she was in. But this time, the voice was dark, evil, and full of malice.
"You will never leave here alive," the evil voice hissed. "You will spend an eternity here facing your worst fears!" The voice laughed long and loud, and Jeneta knew at once it was Kumraa.
The whole area around her seemed to swirl and change around her right then, and before she knew it, she was back in the uniform of her old school before going to Waterberry, in the school yard surrounded by mean-looking, fierce teenagers, looking at her with scorn and hate.
"Well, well, looks like the little nobody has come back!" said one mean boy, his lips curled in hate and eyes flashing red. "Didn't you know, only adopted kids grow up to be nobodies! That's what you are, and that's what you'll always be! You'll never belong!" At those words, the crowd drew in closer to her, chanting the words "You'll never belong!" over and over and again.
"S....Stop it!" Jeneta said weakly, stepping back in fright. "That's..that's not true! Stop it!" But the crowd only stepped closer to her, saying the words over and over again, drumming it into her mind. Jeneta fell to her knees with a sob and held her hands to her ears, desperately trying to block out the sounds, the memories of that time nearly breaking her heart. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she wished more than anything that the floor would just open up and swallow her.
*******
Heather slowly opened her eyes and looked around her curiously. "Where...am I?" she whispered out. "Ling? Jeneta? Prya? Angeni?" Around her there was nothing but pure blackness. Something was wrong, definitely wrong. "You guys, can you hear me?" Nothing replied back, not even an echo.
"I've got to get out of here," the English-born girl told herself. But before she could even take a step, a feeling of dread overcame her...so much that she fell to her knee with a strangled gasp. When she opened her eyes again, she was not surrounded by blackness anymore, but instead back in her old house before she moved in with her grandparents. All around her in the living room were her old toys, her old books...as well as her papers and crayons she colored with as a child. "What's....going on?" she said in disbelief. This couldn't be right! It made no sense...all of this was YEARS ago, when she was a child! Desperately she looked around to find some sort of clue..an answer to this mystery. She was about to try and go upstairs to find someone when the front door suddenly burst open.
When she saw who staggered inside, her heart felt like it dropped a thousand miles below her; barely able to keep himself upright, her father came up to her, his eyes dull and narrowed with drink. "D..dad?" Her mother walked in right after him, her face crumpled with despair and hopelessness as she staggered drunkenly up the stairs to the bedrooms. "Mom!" She tried to go to her mother, but her father blocked her way.
"Wher' you 'tink you goin'?" the large man slurred out. "Look a this mess! You clean i' up!" The drunken man barely finished his sentence before raising his hand against her, his face contorted in hate.
With a cry, Heather fell to her knees and held her hands protectively over her, barely believing what was happening to her. "NO! Dad please, I didn't do anything this time! Please!" Her body shook with fear as long forgotten memories surfaced. Somebody! Get me out of here! she thought, feeling more alone then ever in her life.
**********
Prya walked along the dark void of space, hugging herself and trying desperately not to cry. I've got to be brave. she kept telling herself. I'm not going to cry....I'm NOT going to cry! But despite those words, she couldn't help stop her eyes from misting slightly. Where was everyone? How can she get out of this place? She stopped for a moment and hugged herself tighter. Are her friends alright? She didn't know, but she couldn't find out if she just stayed here. "I wish Ling was here, she'd help me be brave," Prya whispered sadly.
Suddenly the whole area around her contorted and swirled around her, and the next thing she knew, she was back in her room at home. The Hindu girl blinked in disbelief. "What happened?" she whispered aloud. She looked at all her familiar surroundings..from her bed to the awards that she had won from school in India. "I'm...home?" She was about to rush out of her room when the door suddenly opened, and in stepped her parents, looking down on her scornfully.
"Oh, you're back here." sneered her father, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What? But...I've been gone for so long. Weren't you worried?" Prya asked nervously, going up to them.
"Hmph! Worried about what? A useless burden of a daughter like you?" huffed her mother. "I curse the day you were born, and I curse the fate that I was never able to give my husband a proper son!"
Prya's eyes widened and she stepped back from them in horror. "I...I'm..sorry," Try as hard as she could to stop it, the tears rolled down her cheeks, and her body shook with sadness.
"Oh look, she's going to cry again." her father said, sounding bored. "Come on, let's get out of here. Perhaps we'll find a good son we deserve at an orphanage or something, or perhaps we can dupe some poor sap into marrying her and take her off our hands." With that, the two turned and walked out, slamming the door behind them. Slowly Prya fell to her knees, holding herself as tight as she could as the sobs overcame her. This couldn't be happening...it just COULDN'T be happening! Was this some sort of nightmare?
*********
Ling ran as fast as she could, trying to outrun the loneliness in this dark and dreary place. What the HELL is going on here? What happened to everyone? she thought as she panted. When she woke up and found out she was alone, it was almost more than she could bear. She just HAD to find everyone! She didn't remember too much about what happened before the blackout, but she was going to find out. So distracted was she with her thoughts that Ling barely realized the scene all around her swirl and change as she continued running. When she finally did look up, she stopped abruptly with a skid and looked around her. She was back in her old neighborhood in Beijing, right in front of her uncle's herbal shop. "What in the world?" She looked around in shock, not understanding what was going on.
Right then her uncle walked out of the shop, flowerpots and seeds in hand. "Uncle!" Ling yelled out, and rushed forward to meet him. Just as she reached him, a figure stepped right in front of her and she nearly collided into him. A stern older Chinese man stood there, looking down on her scornfully with glowing red eyes.
"We don't want your kind here!" the man sneered. "You're a half-breed! Get out of here while you still can!!"
Behind the man more people began gathering around, shouting words of "Jap dog!" and "Half-breed!" all around her, growing louder and louder.
"But..how..?" Frightened, Ling could only look on in terror as the crowd closed in on her, shouting and screaming at her. No one was supposed to know she had some Japanese blood! She tried looking for her uncle, but he was nowhere. Finally she couldn't take it anymore. "STOP IT!!" Leave me alone!" the young girl screamed, trying to back away. But no matter how much she screamed, the noise of the crowd drowned her out, screaming at her to be gone forever. Crouching down low, Ling sobbed once and covered her head as the screams continued. For years she had thought this was over, that she would never have to face anything like this again. With a sinking heart, she realized it was far from over.
******
Cautiously Angeni walked on, trying with all her might not to let her fear overcome her. She had to be strong...if not for herself, then for her friends. She didn't know where they were, but she would search for them for eternity if she had to. With a sigh she kept walking, all the while trying to keep her senses open. Then, the hairs on the back of her neck started tingling, signifying danger, and barely a second later she was hit with vertigo as the void she as in started to swirl and contort around her. When she opened her eyes, she gasped as she realized she was back at home in her reservation in America...in front of her house. "What?" She looked around in confusion, but her sense of danger still didn't let up. Something strange was going on here, and she didn't like it one bit.
The door to the house opened, and her parents slowly walked out. Her father was carrying luggage and her mother held her 2 year old baby sister Wakanda protectively in her arms. "Mom, dad?" Angeni whispered curiously. She rushed to them, but instead of the happiness and joy she expected to find, she found sadness and despair in their eyes.
She stopped right in front of them and frowned in suspicion. "Mom? What's wrong, what's going on?" Her mother just shook her head as Wakanda sadly sniffled, her dark eyes puffy, and her father looked at her in complete hopelessness.
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head.
"Sorry? About what?" Before she could get an answer, a heavy rumbling filled the air. Coming along right beside their home was a bulldozer, puffing up smoke and ready to rip apart anything in its way. More bulldozers followed, until there were well over two-dozen.
"NO!" Angeni screamed out, rushing out to it. But it was her father that stopped her, putting his hand on her shoulder. With a sob, Angeni rushed into his arms, unable to stand the sound of her house...and many others, being torn down.
******************
"Jeneta!" Despite the loud yelling of the crowd, it seemed as if the name was spoken right in her mind. With tears flowing down her dark cheeks, Jeneta looked up. There was a sudden shimmer in the air right in front of her, making the crowd of teenagers move back. When the shimmer faded, the woman that Jeneta saw minutes ago appeared, but this time transparent and fading in and out every few seconds. The woman...who called herself Ula, looked as if she was concentrating very hard to make contact her with, and she held her hand out to her pleadingly.
"Jeneta, please don't be afraid!" Ula said. "This is all just an illusion, images Kumraa created from your mind to break your spirit!"
"Illusions?" Jeneta dared herself to look around at the crowd. All of this...isn't real? Just images from her mind? But everything seemed so...real!
"Jeneta, please! I don't have much time, my strength is fading!" Ula shouted out. "You have to lend me some of your strength! You have to become one with me! It's the only way to break out of this! The others won't be able to break free without you!"
"I...don't understand, how can I give you strength?" Jeneta asked weakly, blinking her eyes.
"Because you and I were born together!" Ula said, starting to fade out again. "We have the same energy signal, the same desires and hopes and dreams! If we put them together, we can be stronger and defeat Kumraa. It's the same with your other friends. Please, there's no time!"
Trembling, Jeneta slowly got up on her feet. The crowd seemed to actually back away from her then, but they still continued screaming. Maybe she's right! Maybe it's all nothing but an illusion! At the encouraging yet pain-filled look on Ula's face, she reached up cautiously to take Ula's hand in her own. The shouts and screams of the crowd seemed to fade away as Jeneta and the goddess reached closer and closer to one another. Then as soon as they touched, a bright light erupted, and Jeneta could actually feel the dark-skinned goddess blend into her, becoming a single being with her, giving her all her strength and essence. She wasn't just Jeneta anymore....she was Jeneta and Ula together...forming one powerful being.
She also knew without a doubt that at the same moment, the other goddesses were pleading with her friends to also lend them their strength, then becoming one just as she had with Ula. She could feel, almost see Prya, Angeni, Ling, and Heather reach for the hands of the goddesses they shared their physical bodies with when they were reborn and giving them all their strength and courage:
"Come, we can do this together," Celeste said gently to Heather as the girl's hand slipped into her own.
"You know we can't leave this world to Kumraa. Don't be afraid," Jadinna smiled in encouragement as Ling looked at her uncertainly for a second, then reached up to her.
"You're not alone Prya...you never were," Thialyn whispered, touching her forehead to Prya and gently taking the girl's shaking hand in her own.
"Trust in your heart, in your friends, and the ones you love. We won't lose if you believe in them and yourself," Maiyi's eyes misted slightly as she reached out to Angeni. The dark-haired girl nodded in determination and quickly grasped her strong hand.
White light erupted around them, erasing the horrible images of their worst nightmares forever. Hope then filled their very souls, their very being, and with a song of joy in their hearts, they disappeared in a flash, leaving the heartbreaking images behind.
*******
Roaring in triumph, the dragon prepared to smash the crystal casings containing the goddesses to bits, ensuring his victory. But just as his tail was about to come down on the first one, cracks appeared all over the crystals, and bright shafts of light began to erupt from them. Then the very earth itself seemed to shake to its foundations. The dragon roared and drew back in confusion, and within seconds, the red crystal casings exploded, freeing the women within.
The light faded as the shaking stopped, and before the dragon form of Kumraa stood the five goddesses, more powerful and more determined than ever to defeat him. "Impossible!" roared out the monster in frustration. He was so close, SO close to victory! How could they have escaped? He clawed the earth beneath him, barely containing the anger raging all through him.
"You tried to break our spirits by making us face our worst fears," accused Ula, stepping forward. "But because of that, we are now stronger. It ends here Kumraa. Your time is over."
The demon lord hissed loudly with malice, and opening his mouth wide, shot forth a powerful blast of energy mixed with fire. So hot and powerful was it that it burnt everything in its path on the ground.
"Shields!" yelled out Ula, putting her hands palms up forward. The others did the same immediately, and a blue, electric-like light shimmered protectively in front of them. The blast from Kumraa smashed into the shields so hard, it forced them back just a few inches, their heels digging into the earth as they grunted from the sheer force.
Great black wings spread out from the dragon Kumraa's scaly back, and he soared once more into the sky in a gust of wind, roaring loudly.
The shields disappeared, and concentrating, the women called forth their swords, each glowing nearly as brightly as the sun as they appeared in their hands. Determinedly they leapt high into air, following after the monster.
Ula was the first to reach him, and she sent forth a powerful blast of green energy into his face as he turned towards her. His head flew back and he let out a howl of pain.
Jadinna came up next, flipping and twisting expertly in the air as she delivered a spinning kick to his head. But it didn't end there; Celeste was next as she flew up before him, flipped backward, and kicked him hard as her legs went up and over.
For long moments that seemed to last forever, the sky was filled with bright flashes as the goddesses struck and slashed at Kumraa, never letting up or giving him a moment to recover. The demon did all he could to fight back, sending out blast after blast of energy, but always missing their mark as the women flipped or simply twirled out of the way.
Then feigning right, the dragon quickly turned back left and slashed down with his claw. Maiyi screamed in pain as the claws left slashes in her right arm, nearly making her drop her sword.
"Maiyi!" yelled out Thialyn, rushing up next to her. The goddess grunted in pain, but nodded her head to let them know she was okay.
"Look out!" shouted Ula. They back flipped out of the way just as the blast of energy flew past them, nearly burning the very fabric of their clothes. With a grunt, Thialyn threw forth a red-tinged blast of energy, knocking him back a few feet.
"This ends...now!" shouted Ula, floating in front of the others. "Goddesses, it's time to call for the spell...this time to destroy him for good!"
"What? But..the last time we tried that, we didn't finish, and we...we..." Celeste's eyes went downcast as she remembered the disastrous end of their last battle with Kumraa.
"There's no chance that we or the Earth girls will survive this," Jadinna said, narrowing her eyes. "We can't...."
"We have to!" Ula clenched her fist as she turned to face the other goddesses. "We...we can't give Kumraa a chance to break free again...not after everything we've done and..and lost." Tears misted in her eyes as she thought of the implications. If they died, then that would mean Jeneta and the others.....they would also-
"It's okay," said a voice suddenly, speaking softly in her mind. Ula looked up in surprise.
"Jeneta?"
"It's okay, do the spell." Jeneta whispered inside the goddess's head. "With my strength and yours, we'll be able to do it. We've all agreed.
Ula looked at the other women, and from the looks of their faces and soft smiles, she knew that they received reassurances from the other girls within them too, telling them to go on with the spell. Inside of Jadinna, Ling gave her reassurance and blessing with a nod. Within Celeste, Heather smiled with her, showing she was with them. In the recesses of Maiyi's mind, Angeni clasped her hands together and nodded in approval, ready to fight as a warrior. Thialyn could feel Prya inside her smiling with pride, knowing what must be done.
"But...Jeneta, if you do this, you might not see him again...Djoser," Ula said, sadness entering her heart.
"I know," Even Ula could sense that tears were running down the girl's face, so connected were they. "But his world will be free, and....he will live on." For a few moments, the dark-skinned woman said nothing, only lowering her head sadly. Then she took a deep breath and turned to the other goddesses.
"Then it's decided," she said. The women nodded to each other, and going into a circle, they raised their swords high into the air, their eyes closed. Seconds later, they softly spoke the ancient incantation that would now destroy Kumraa forever, thanks to the added strength of Jeneta and her friends. Their voices carried far into the sky as they were surrounded by a wall of pure light, despite them almost whispering their words:
Immediately they were surrounded by a comforting bright light, swirling around them and then shooting high up into the heavens in a lingering trail of sparkling light. Then that same light burst into thousands of sparkling sprinkles that seemed to cover the women. The Sacred Medallions hanging around their necks glowed with the strength of the sun, sparkling brightly with the sheer power of the energy coursing through them.
Grunting loudly, Kumraa blasted another beam of energy at them, but as soon as it reach them and smashed into the wall of light surrounding them, it dissipated, not even touching them.
The eyes of the goddesses snapped opened at once as soon as the light around them dimmed, and with their swords glowing brighter than ever, they rushed forward towards Kumraa, shouting together in unison.
Djoser...I'm sorry. I'm...I'm so happy to have met you. I love you! was the last thing Ula heard in her mind from Jeneta as she plunged her sword deep into the chest of Kumraa. Immediately following her were the other goddesses, plunging their sword into Kumraa one after another.
Within seconds, as the goddesses held onto the hilt of their swords with tears streaming down their faces, the dragon-like creature was surrounded by a powerful force of electricity. The monster writhed and roared and hissed, but still the goddesses held on, making sure the spelled had time to finish.
A moment later, high in the sky, a powerful explosion erupted, creating a very large and fierce thunder ball. All living beings from many miles around looked up and stared in wonder and amazement at it. For just a few seconds, it seemed as if the planet had a second sun, so bright and large was the explosion. Then, it was over. The sky went back to normal, the fire cloud falling apart, and silence once more filled the empty sky.
*******************
Djoser fell to his knees in exhaustion and waited for the sword that the demon soldier was bringing down on him to end his life...but it never came. Suddenly, the animal-like creature stopped in mid-swing, shook for just a second, then exploded in a puff of black smoke.
The dark-skinned prince looked up in confusion, and then looked around. All over, the demonic soldiers that ambushed them in the meadow clearing were turning into black smoke...just disappearing as if they were never there.
Behind him, Kain...now turned back to human form, struggled from the ropes that were tied tightly around him. Djoser quickly got up rushed to him, helping him cut them off.
"What happened?" Kain asked, standing up and brushing himself off.
"I don't know," Djoser rushed over when he heard Kondolar moan painfully, and helped him to stand shakily to his feet. He turned and watched Tao help Master Yelsnid to his feet, the older man pale and shaken.
"The...the girls, they must have did it!" Tao said, walking with Yelsnid up next to Djoser. "They must have defeated Kumraa!"
But instead of joy, it was dread that Djoser felt as he turned and looked up into the sky. Something felt wrong...very wrong. Where were the girls? Shouldn't they be back by now?
He turned to look at Yelsnid, but the old man shook his head. He didn't feel them, didn't sense them, or else he would have brought them back immediately. With his heart sinking, Djoser looked back up into the sky, his eyes filling with tears. "Jeneta," he whispered sadly, his hands balling into fists. "Please be okay...PLEASE!!
But as the others gathered around him and Kondolar put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, he knew there was a very small chance of it, and he wouldn't know what to do if she didn't come back to him.
*******************
To Be Continued....
*******************