"Sacrifice who? "Braze forgot all about his mother. His hands were around Robert's collar and he demanded an answer. " That girl they took... that Chemorian... She... She isn't a normal girl... we cannot let her die. Her death will usher in endless darkness. A Darkness that no one will be able to ward off. "Robert was shaking so much Braze had to let go of his collar and hold him instead. "Mira? Are you talking about Mira? I thought you were a Watcher... why do you look so concerned about her? "Kian came forward. " I think he knows something beyond what we know... look at his eyes... "Robert's whites were gone when he had had his vision but they were gradually returning. " Kian, we don't have any time to lose. Let's get that Heartstaff and find Guardian Yvonne. Every second we lose, puts Mira at risk... "" They are waiting for the right time... "Robert murmured. " What? " Braze turned around to look at him with irritation. " They are waiting for the stars to align... with
" It should have been right here... "Braze was digging through the cave like a mole. They were back to the Mountain of Forgetfulness, but without any fruitful results. They had been going around in circles around the place. They looked inside every crook and creek, went around every bend and corner. But it seemed like all their attempts were futile. " This was the cave... wasn't it Xen? Tell me... why are you not helping? Don't you care about Mira? "Braze was on the verge of losing his sanity. Xen didn't mind him pouncing on him and punching the air. " Yelling and shouting is not going to take us anywhere."Xen pulled his hand away from his collar. " Do you care about her or not? Time? Who knows how much time we even have... don't tell me you believe the shit that Watcher spewed. He looks like a psycho. He is waiting for a dead woman to come back to life... What is she? Jesus? Like...that psycho looked very capable of killing her... I don't trust him ... not even a little bit.
" Thank you mister. I cannot believe I had to go through all this just because I had agreed to this engagement. "Betty could not stop spewing as Robert helped each one of them up and out of their bondage. " Well Betty. I had given you the option. I told you that I had no control over how Kian felt. If he isn't going to go ahead with your relationship... I can do nothing about it. " Kian's grandfather looked absolutely fed up with her tactics. " He didn't even stop to check on me. He went away as if I didn't even exist... all because of that witch... serves her right... abducted and sacrificed.... that's how it should be... " Apparently, her sharp ears didn't miss any part of the story. She was rooting for the Dark Mages and was met with nothing but frowns. " Betty... just go home and rest. I do not have any more strength left for this. " Kian's grandfather caught Robert's arm and whispered. "Please tell me how I can help my grandson. I don't understand what is going on but I can
" Never thought I was going to ever come back here. "Kiara sighed as she stood outside the Chemorian border. She knew it was a once way ticket. Once she entered that realm while still using her human flesh, she knew she could never get it back. But it was necessary. " Anything for my child. "She heaved a deep breath before penetrating the atmosphere as her flesh caught fire with the friction. Unlike Mira, she had borrowed flesh. Kiara tried to muffle the screams that threatened to escape her lips as she grew new flesh in place of the old ones that were getting wiped off." Argh!" Kiara tried to bear the pain but groans slipped out of her tongue. " Caleb, I am going to make you pay for this. If you touch even a strand of her hair, I am going to rip those pretty eyes off their shocket if you, " She was trying to channelize her pain into more anger. " Heavens forbid, I am not late. That cannot be. Caleb, do you listen to what I say! You better keep your distance from Mira. "Kiara
" Lord Kilian, you must not suffer like this. "Sitara placed her hand over Kilian's shoulder affectionately but one sharp look from him was enough to get her to move it. " What does it look like? " He asked the medical practitioner tending to Kiara's wound. The practitioner shook his head. " She will not survive. All I can do is give her some sedatives so it's less painful. " Kilian sat down beside him and looked in his eyes, " Is there nothing that we can do to help her? "The practitioner shook his head." I am afraid not, Lord Kilian. She must have known it was suicide coming back inside Chemorian atmosphere after taking on a human form for so long. What was she thinking? "Kilian sat there in absolute silence as the practitioner administered some Intravenous injections making her groans subside. " How long does she have? " Kilian asked, his expression difficult to read. " It's impossible to say. It would be safe to say she lives as long as she keeps fighting with her dying b
" Is she sleeping? "The Dark Lord stood at the periphery of the bubble that kept Mira enclosed. It was his first time laying his eyes on his treasure, his own flesh and blood. It would be untrue to say that Caleb never loved Kiara. In fact he loved her so much he was on the verge of abandoning his mission and thinking about a mundane future with her. She had him wrapped around her fingers. Had it not been for the Dark Forces, reclaiming his heart, he would never have achieved the heights of greatness where he presently resided.The weak insignificant Caleb inside him was long dead and gone. Or so he thought. Nobody knew that he was there. Nobody needed to know. He needed to stay away from her, untill the right moment, to avoid any kind of contamination before the ritual. However, something inside him didn't let him sleep. " She is so close. She is finally here! "The voice inside his head spoke when no one was around. " Come on, now. One look. Just a glance. You have been in
" Boys, can you hear me! "Kilian's voice made all three of them drop whatever they were doing, even Kian paid his full attention while dodging one swing after another from Razzak's spade. " I have mobilised my troop. We don't have much time. I know Mira is still alive because they are waiting for the stars to align but that does not guarantee her safety. Do you have the Staff with you? "" No! But I think I am close. Can you hear what I am saying? ”Kian yelled at the air which left Razzak surprised. " Whom are you talking with? How? ” She leaped at him but he effectively dodged her again this time. " Don't worry, I have tuned into Chemorian frequency and I can hear you guys just fine... at least for some time. "" Kian, are you sure that you are close?Where are you? Shouldn't we get to you and help you instead of hunting in the dark? " " Xen he can't hear you directly. I will have to let him know. Let me ask guide you to where he is. We don't have much time.Let me help you while
The three of them carried Razzak out and put her beside the road with a 'Help Me' sign stuck on her back. " Should we move to the coordinates that were provided? " Kian asked flexing his wrist though there was visibly nothing on them. " I think we should. But are we sure that we can control this now? "The three of them looked at each other. " Let's give it one last try! "Xen opened his leather jacket and pulled out what seemed like a pen. But before anybody could blink an eye, it turned into a mighty Staff and the bracelets on Kian's and Braze's wrists became visible. " Seems like it works fine! " They quickly put it away and left for the designated coordinates. Upon arrival Braze was shocked as he witnessed vet Layla up and alive, getting mauled and manhandled by not only Robert but another person. He was forced to believe the Gala theory that was put forth but it was never easy watching someone whom you knew as a human getting hurt. As soon as they neared , the Gala sensed
Several Years Later At Chemora -"Baba! Baba! Who is that girl? Why does she have a star over her head! ""Sssshhhh! " The little girl asking the question was instantly hushed. " Don't you know dear that we don't talk about her? Not in the night. No, my little darling. Never. I will tell you all about her in the morning. Alright? "But the little girl looked very angry at her mother. " But why mother, was she not the one who brought peace and tranquility over our planet? " Her tiny voice was fierce and strong. The woman quickly pulled the blinds around her place and closed her windows. The little girl had been looking at a statue at the Central Square. It was snowing in Chemora and the snow made the star above her head absolutely white. " I will tell you the story. I will tell you the story again. But not during the hours of the darkness, my little angel. It is not safe. You know what's going on. " The mother begged. Almost terrified. " Alright. I will wait till the sunrise. Yo
Braze had his eyes glued on the telescope There was something happening amongst the stars. Something that he had been anticipating but could not really fathom. He was yet to complete his research papers. They were due for submission within a month . He has been lost in stargazing lately. Particularly gazing at a distant star. His phone rang breaking his undivided concentration. " You must come over at the observatory , Braze. Something phenomenal is happening with your star. You cannot miss it. The telescope at your place is not strong enough to capture this miracle. " What is it? "Braze asked as his breath picked up pace. Even though he could not properly see what was happening, he knew something was different about his star that day. Braze hit the brake hard as the voice from the other end hung up after telling him that, " It was the birth of a star. "***From the depths of the cosmic cradle, a celestial ballet unfolds as if orchestrated by unseen hands. Through the lens
" It's time to say our goodbyes, my sweethearts. Let's meet again in the next life. "The boys opened their eyes as they sat up with a jolt. They were under the stars. There was darkness everywhere around them. They were on top of the highest peak around. Their clothes were around as they sat there and looked up at the twinkling wonders above their heads. A particularly bright star shone so bright that it made every around them as clear as the moonlight. They looked at each other and then they looked up above. They could not understand what they were doing. They immediately ran towards their clothes when the realisation of their n*kedness finally hit them. " Do we know each other? "One of them asked as the others looked at him with more confusion. " I think we do. Are we waiting for someone? " Another one asked. " I think we are here because of that. " The third one pointed at the Southern Star. " My knights! "They turned around as they heard a voice. " That's her. She i
" Why are we back here? "Xen called out in astonishment as they found themselves inside the enclosure from where they had retrieved the Heartstaff. " Hello boys! Hi Mira! Thank goodness, you didn't keep me waiting. "Razzak's voice startled them. "Why is she here? " They asked in unison immediately coming in front of Mira like a shield. Razzak laughed as she shoved them to the side and went ahead and hugged Mira, who reciprocated the action with a smile. " Thank you for giving my memories back. "Mira was looking extremely refreshed and strong. The fear and unease that was darkening her face was gone. " You don't need to thank me. I took my chance. I always wanted to know more about you. Stella made it possible. I went against my ancestors in stealing that stone for you. I but all my eggs in your basket Mira. And I am glad that I did. "She smiled. " I will leave the rest to you. I think you might need some privacy. "She hugged Mira once more and winked, before leaving. " Wha
" So you figured a way around, huh? Do you think the power of the Heartstaff can keep me away? It literally runs in my veins as well. "Mira was in the centre and the boys were around her. She clung to her father, scared, afraid, unable to understand why the universe turned so violent ? And it seemed like it all revolved around her. " Attack! " One blow after another sent tremors all around as the boys fought hard to maintain their defense. Even with their collective effort, it was difficult for them to counter so many successive attacks. " Mira, you can end this! " Kilian yelled from the other side. " All that I ask from you is to come back with me. Everything can be like it used to be. Just come back to me Mira. "Mira grabbed her father's shirt tighter as one blast sent Kian reeling behind. Calex kissed Mira on her forehead, " Always listen to your heart. " And without another word, he darted off towards the Kakarian formation. " You fool! " Kilian personally sent one blast af
Earth had become a ragging battle field. There was news about random blasts and terrorist attacks all over the news. There was a frenzy everywhere as people ran indoors to hide inside their homes and basements. The Watcher Headquarters was going crazy, trying to handle calls from all the Presidents and Prime Ministers. It was true that they were answerable but the situation had blown out of proportion. They had no other choice than to call back their very best. Rozelle, George and Robert, walked back in the building, matching their steps. "Never thought that I would be back in business! " George stretched as the humanoids greeted them with coffee mugs. " Who would have thought that Gala had developed such a wonderful anecdote. She is talented, isn't she? " Rozelle read Robert's expression closely as she asked the question. Robert knew that he was in a tricky situation. He had to praise Layla for her credibility but he had to do so without making his lover jealous. " Life, my d
" Why did we stop here? We should be running. This place is not very far from Guardian Yvonne's place. Kilian can catch up at any moment. "Xen yelled, paranoid. " Wait! Martha is relaying a message. We wouldn't get it if we crossed this perimeter. Ssshhh! Listen carefully, it's Yvonne. Is he... is he talking with Kilian? "Calex looked concerned. There was absolute silence as they listened to their conversation carefully with the help of the connection that Martha had created -" There was a time when I used to admire my sister. I used to look up to her. But then they began to shower unnecessary praises on her while all she did was sneak out to meet with men. Like I didn't know what she was doing in the name of training for strength. "" What rubbish! Kiara never saw any men apart from Calex.And your tribe ostracized her for that. " Yvonne tried to counter Kilian's claim. " She did a lot more than that. I saw her myself with Netera... "" You cannot be serious.... " Yvonne fumed
" We will talk about this when you get back! " Kian's mother had just left when the front door almost blasted open. " He is coming. Where is Mira?"It was Xen. It seemed like he had run a million miles but he went straight for her, scooping her off the ground and kissing her in front of them all. " We need to get her out of here. Kilian is on his way. He is coming with his army. "Xen turned around at Braze and Kian, as if nothing had happened." How did you know that we were here? "" How does Kilian know? "Came the dual accusation. Xen signed and slowly unbuttoned his shirt and pointed towards his chest. " I did not know that we could still use this but when Kilian was chasing after my ship and wrecked it into half, my instinct kicked in. I could feel the two of you. And the power of the Staff manifested from my chest. "Xen pounced over the two of them and grabbed them into a bear hug with both his hands. " I missed you both! "His words came out of nowhere. " So it was you
They had been sitting beside each other for hours but neither had been talking. Finally Calex took the initiative to break the ice. " I am sure you father would understand. "Braze was startled by his statement. " Love makes us do all sorts for stupid things, " Calex continued as Braze looked at him with confused eyes. " I hope you are not being too hard on yourself. Guilt is a very dangerous weapon. It keeps cutting you from the inside while nobody get to know how you are exactly feeling. " He tried to smile at Braze and that definitely made Braze feel more awkward. " You know, I used to love Kiara, Mira's mother, just like you love Mira. " Braze could tell that he was putting real effort into that conversation. His voice was shaky and his eyes were turning red as he spoke. The topic was sensitive, yet he was willing to make things clear. Guardian Yvonne had gone to look for Kian and the Marine Queen while Mira was sleeping in her room. " I was in love with Kiara before I was