-Karen-“I’m so relieved that you’re alright!” Nathan cried, hugging me tightly. Nathan! I returned the warm hug. You came! “We’ve been trying to get you back since you were taken but Monica put up many different blockades... I finally was able to break that damn specialty seal she put up with Aaron’s help” He cupped my face. “What happened to your hair?” He opened a new portal and pulled me into the safety of the camp.“It was cut off by Michael… Where’s Conor? Is he okay?” I asked him looking around. All the remaining Mages erupted into loud cheers at the sight of me. “Where’s my baby?” Nathan pulled me into his tent where Joanne was rocking Alexander. “You’re finally home Kay!” Joanne said happily. “I’m so happy to see you!” I approached her and hugged her tightly. “Your hair… It’s different…” She frowned at me handing over Alexander. I hugged him tightly trying not to cry as my guilt punched me several times in the chest. I kissed his cheek and then his forehead. “Mama’s sorry f
-Karen-“I have seen so much blood in the last week… I don’t know what to think or how to feel right now… Or anymore.” He took a step towards me, but I backed away again. “I just want to scream and lose my mind.” “Let me comfort you, Karen. You definitely-” I interrupted him.“I want you to leave me. For good.” I commanded plainly. He just stared at me. “Please, Conor. For your sake, just leave me. I just hurt you… I ran off upset and I know everyone worried but the more I think about it, the more I realize I’m just an appalling person. You should find someone else Conor. I really mean it this time!”He leaned against the tree and sighed sadly. “No. I’m not going to turn my back on you.” Conor held out his right hand to me. I just keep proving over and over that I’m not worth staying for. Child or otherwise. “What kind of a husband would I be if I walked away from my lover when she clearly needs someone right now? I’m not leaving you Kay- I don’t care if you order me to leave- I won'
-Karen-Without warning, he swooped down and carried me back to camp. We stopped several times and made out for a couple minutes. As we neared the camp, we could hear Aaron and Nathan calling our names. Before we left the tree line, he set me down and pressed me to the tree. He sucked on my neck and gave me a love bite. Mm… That felt delightful. “I marked my sexy vixen of a wife.” He whispered against my lips. “I plan to mark you again tonight… But in a different way.”Holding hands, we walked back into camp and slipped into Nathan’s tent. I sat down on our bed and sighed while Conor called to Nathan. The crying became louder until Nathan carried Alexander in with a bottle. “I’ve tried to feed him, but he wants Mama to do it.” Nathan said as Alexander cried reaching out his small hands for me. As soon as I had him snuggled up against my chest he stopped crying. I took the bottle from Nathan and held the bottle up for Alexander to see. “Look Alex. I know you’re a stubborn brat just li
-Karen-Alexander squealed again. I chuckled and started rocking him as I stood next to Conor wondering what he was going to say. I can see how uncomfortable you are with this. “I can’t- I was once an attacker against Mazifik- It wouldn’t be-” Nathan interrupted him.“You were once an enemy, yes, that’s true. But you have shown all of us over the last several weeks why you should absolutely have this title and power. We trust you to do right by Mazifik. You already have helped so many of us, Prince Conor. You stood up to protect us and showed us how to fight. You encouraged us not to give up hope when we were so close to that point. Please- For the sake of our battered kingdom- Please accept this as our way of saying thank you for helping us against a seemingly impossible enemy.” Nathan said firmly. I could see everyone including Bart and Joanne nodding in agreement.I watched Conor as he looked at me to help him. I know, I know… You don’t want to be king… “As much as it pains me to s
-Karen-“I don’t know where you lived in Shulward so let me go with you. Karen, you should eat while we are gone. You need to keep your strength up.” Nathan instructed as he and Valerie walked over to the clearing. They left together through a portal.“I didn’t know those bracelets could change colors.” Joanne remarked as she touched the one on my right wrist. “It was pink yesterday. Today it’s gray.” I looked down and noticed she was right.“I haven’t felt well since she put these on me, Jo. And Eldon won't answer Nathan’s summons so I’m not sure if they will ever come off.” I answered sadly. “Monica said that only she can take them off.” It was just one of the many things that were making me depressed. I know that there’s a chance I won’t use magic again. “I feel worse every day, too. I feel like my energy is getting sapped and it can be really hard to even want to wake up.”Joanne hugged me tightly. “I know you’ve been going through a lot of changes and it’s only going to mount hig
-Karen-We spent the next few hours going over the different types of laws that Mazifik had and how it was the ruler’s duty to make alterations every three years since the traditions would change from time to time. I feel so unprepared for this. I know next to nothing about this kingdom. Nathan had put together a small notebook of notes for me to study. As I sat there reading, I had a sudden terrible feeling hit me. “Nathan!” I slowly looked up and felt my heart start to race. What the hell was that?!“I felt that too.” Nathan replied with the same nervous look. “That was a very large magical blast and it came from the north.” He added uneasily. The Western Province is in the north…This does not bode well with me.“What do you think that was?” I whispered anxiously.A portal opened up as Conor helped Bart through. Both of them were bleeding in different spots. Oh no! I felt everything slow down as I stood up. Nathan ran over to Conor and Bart trying to get them away from the portal. W
-Karen-“Now- I will give the rest of you three days to decide your fates. Surrender and become slaves to the Zargan Empire and you can hopefully live. Resist and continue to fight and Aaron’s fate will look painless and welcomed when we finish with you. The choice is entirely yours. You can no longer hide from us anymore.” Monica said loudly but she made perfect eye contact with me. “You can run all you want, but we will find you and when we do, it will be over. Your end will be beyond painful and full of agony.” Monica walked over to me and hugged me. “Thank you for finally making my dreams come true.” She whispered sweetly. “Since you've done something for me, I'll do something for you.” I felt the bracelets disintegrate from my arms. “In the event that anyone wants a quick and painless death, you can grant that.” She snapped her fingers and all the Shadow Chains disappeared. “Remember, three days.” She laughed coldly, leaving the camp silent.I slowly managed to get to my feet and
-Karen-“Yes, you are a Violet.” I must have looked confused. “Violet hair and eyes. The rarest of the rare in the Royal Family.” She explained sweetly. “They only come once every couple hundred years, if that.” I nodded and started to ask about the exam. “When you're very passionate about something and become provoked, your eyes will glow. You feel things differently than most and can use magic past your normal limits. Additionally, it takes more magic usage to cause the black marks to appear.”“Oh. That's great but I'm here for an important exam.” I replied wanting to get started as quickly as possible.“I know why you're here.” Melissa answered pointedly. “But do you know why you're here?” I started to reply when she stopped me. “No, not for the exam- Do you know why you're really here?” I felt taken aback by her question. “You'll find out shortly.”“You can't just tell me?” I asked as we went through the Tower door. We descended a spiral staircase.“Of course not! That would take
-Conor-“I have a terrible feeling about this Nathan. We need to go to her. As soon as possible.” Conor said pacing back and forth in front of all the Mages. “After she lost consciousness, Eldon came and took her away. All he said was that she was being summoned by a tree. That's when a portal was made for me to come back here.”Nathan's eyes got wide and he lost the coloring in his face. “The Tree summoned her?” A serious yet terrified look remained on his face. Alexander started screaming making everyone jump. A portal opened and everyone stood up while Joanne worked to calm him down. “Karen?” Conor asked feeling hopeful. Eldon walked through carrying her, but he was stoic. “She’s going to be okay, right?”Eldon gently placed her into his arms. He didn’t answer right away. “Not exactly.” The portal shut as all the Mages gathered around. “As you know, she won the war against your father with your help. However, she lost the fight.” He said quietly. “Senescence, has deemed that she i
“Soul Release.” I whispered quietly. I watched as the souls compressed into different color orbs and floated away on the breeze. Bombs started falling around me while breathing became harder. “Healing Serenity.” I’ve used a flurry of spells and I still have a small chunk of magic left. I can easily get two or three more Master spells… I think. I decided to change positions so I could get a better aim at the last large ship flying around. I still have those small ships too… I took a deep breath and sent a Blazing Hypernova up to the middle area of the small ships. They all exploded in a bright flash and the wreckage fell to the destroyed town. I looked around for the large ship, but a bullet ricocheted very close to where I stood. Suddenly, more soldiers appeared charging at me.“Frostfire Surge!” I shouted angrily. All the soldiers shouted in pain and collapsed dead around us in heaps. I pointed up at the sky as the ship tried to leave again. “Blazing Hypernova!” Due to the high level
-Karen-A blow to the back of the head put me on the ground faster than I ever thought possible. Blow after blow was delivered as I squirmed to get away, but Zachary pinned me under him and continued to land a barrage of punches. He yelled and screamed about what I had done to his family. I grabbed his ankle and let him have a taste of ‘Lightning Surge’. It bought me enough precious time to weakly get to my knees.“Recovery Salvo.” I shakily got to my feet and leaned against the wall, but he was no where to be seen. I looked around nervously, but nothing moved. I heard the bullets before I felt them. Hot metal burrowed its way into my right thigh followed by my abdomen, left arm and chest. I collapsed in heap trying to fight the massive amounts of pain I felt. “Healing Serenity!” I whispered under my breath. Damn, another healing spell… I whispered for a portal and fled to the shadows of a building across town. There were still so many ships in the air, and I was starting to feel the
-Karen-“We don’t have a choice anymore!” I snapped back frustratedly. “This is it, Conor- We fight or we die- I’m not about to let him claim victory. There is going to have to be a risk in order to win this fight. I plan on coming back, you know.”“But what if you don’t, Kay? What if Eldon doesn’t revive you?” Conor asked firmly. He cupped my face and stared me in the eyes. “What if you’re gone forever?” What if… Such a big 'what if' and its running through my mind too.I didn’t answer him right away. “I’m going to die someday. I’d rather die fighting for my family and the people I care about than to run and live in fear wondering if today will be the day. As long as I don’t exhaust my magic and turn into a demon, I should be fine.” I’ve used a small bit of my magic, but I still have more than plenty. As long as I can take them out in fifteen to twenty Master level attacks, it should be okay. Permitting this doesn’t drag out for very long.I could see he was very much not accepting o
-Karen-“Your sudden jerking movements re-opened a wound I repaired.” Bart explained as I lay still looking up at the ceiling of the empty crypt bed. “I stitched it closed but you can't be doing those type of movements yet.” I sighed feeling useless as another bomb shook the ground.“Let me put some salve on her stitches, doctor.” Valerie murmured rubbing in a sweet smelling cream. “This should help numb the stitches so they won't hurt if you do have to move.”“Thank you both.” I replied, slowly sitting up. “Those bombs have been falling for the last three days now. How much more punishment can the main floor of the Crypts take?” I asked Nathan, feeling uneasy about our situation.I could see that Nathan was very reluctant to answer. “It probably won't be much longer, honestly. We have to make some hard choices now. The only other place we can go is the Forest and that has its own set of challenges and hazards as you know.” He heaved a heavy sigh, rubbing his face from the growing pre
-Karen-At the snap of my fingers, my brother’s arms were torn from his body. Screams of agony echoed around me while the soldiers took aim at me. A soldier was yelling, but I paid him no mind. I heard the same soldier call my brother’s name, Marcus, telling him to hold on. I giggled softly enjoying this scary side of myself and met Marcus’s now terrified yet agonized gaze. “Marcus… I’m going to annihilate you and as I do, I will make sure that your soul quivers in unimaginable terror.” He some how lost more coloring in is face at my calm words“Ground Spears!” I shouted angrily punching up into the air. The soldiers that surrounded us were now high up on the points of the spears with blood gushing and dripping down the jagged rocks, more groans and moans of pain filling the air which was tainted with the scent of blood. “Soul Snatch!” I ripped the wispy soul out of the body, and he looked terrified. “Soul’s Doom!” Just like before, a white demon charged right at him and shredded his
-Karen-I woke up enveloped in warmth, but I was extremely sore. I really felt like I hit every tree branch coming down from that fall. So sweet- He changed my dress. The orchid under dress. I looked over to my right and saw Conor and Alexander cuddled up next to me both sleeping with their mouths open. Ha- My loves. “Conor!” I whispered softly. I tried to roll over and found out that was a mistake. Ah! I’m still busted up pretty badly… I grabbed his hand that was cupping my left cheek and gently squeezed it. Wake up!Without opening his eyes, “You’re the most recklessly insane person I know, Karen Anne Elizabeth. That was awe-inspiring, terrifying and thrilling all at once, but I don’t want to repeat that any time soon.” Conor said rubbing my cheek with his index finger. Mm. So warm… “We’ve only lost two ships in two separate incidents before but that was insane!” He opened an eye and leaned into me. “You have a lot of injuries still. You broke lots of bones. Bet you’re sore?”“Very!
-Karen-Conor groaned while rubbing his face and then looked up at me. He rubbed his eyes again. “Is that really you, Kay? You’re not an illusion, right?” He whispered sitting up quickly and grabbing my left hand pressing my palm to his lips. “You know I’m not upset with you- Don’t you?” I dropped my gaze feeling so much shame as I stood before him. “I-”“You may not be upset but I am.” I interrupted quietly. “I just see myself punching you and then charging at Joanne and then the nightmares I had. I may not be cursed anymore but the weight of my guilt is so heavy. I feel like I should just die and end everything once and for all. But that wouldn’t be fair to you or to Alex.” I closed the gap between us and hugged him tightly. “I love you Conor. I love you and I hate that I only hurt you… I feel like I do nothing but that.”He was silent but he held me tightly to him after he pulled me onto his lap. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to get this again.” Conor kissed my cheek and nuzzled my
-Karen-Sweet kisses on my lips woke me up though it took me several minutes to realize I was in bed next to Conor. As soon as I did, I tried to move away from him. “Ah ah ah!” He captured me quickly and pulled me back to him. No. Please don’t!I completely avoided his gazes and wouldn’t let him kiss me at all. “Karen- You won’t even look at me.” I could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Alexander cried all night after you left. Will you at least hug him?” I shook my head. “He says Mama now.” I don’t care. I can’t be here anymore! I only hurt you. I can’t continue to be a danger to you and everyone else here.I took advantage of the situation and pulled away from him. “Karen! Wait!” I left the tent as quickly as I could hearing him following me. “Please just listen to me!”All eyes were on me and it shot me right back to the memory of charging at Joanne. I dashed to the clearing and left the camp as fast as I could. I raced back to the Royal Crypt, crying the whole way. The guilt