-Karen-Without warning, Lewis had me pinned to the tree next to us. I fought myself to keep from freezing in place as he punched my in the throat. I sagged against the tree, forcing myself to breathe, even if it was shallow. “I'm going to enjoy you all over again- And this time, the Prince can't stop me!”“Fuck you!” I shouted angrily. “I will not allow you to harm me again! Critical Over!” I felt my strength amplify in addition to my rage. I punched Lewis as hard as I could, sending him into the tree across from me. Just as he dropped to the ground, Zachary lunged at me, sinking his teeth into my neck. I felt the immediate pain from the demon's toxin start to leech into me. Zachary's face contorted as the eyes changed into blood red demon eyes. “I want your power!” “Never!” I managed to push Zachary into Monica sending them to the ground as Lewis tackled me into the tree. “Starfire Blitz!” I muttered, snapping my fingers and letting the explosions help me put some distance betwee
-Karen-The pink pixie hopped off my shoulder and patted the table twice. I set the goblet down and sighed. “Each drink's color has meaning.” The little pixie said, catching me off guard. “Clear water to help clear the mind. Wine is the color of passion and green is the color of growth. Not surprisingly, you're a very passionate person who puts others first. But there is a drawback to that- You lack balance and that causes different types of chaos for you.”If I hadn't already swallowed the drink I would have spit it out. “Right but how does this-?”“The lack of balance has caused you to create unrealistic expectations of yourself- This has caused a lot of your problems lately. You have focused too much on others and not enough on yourself.” The pixie explained. “There is a price to be paid for the lack of balance- It will be your downfall if you do not change your ways.”I looked down and thought of all the things Conor had said to me over our relationship. “Anything else you would l
-Karen-I looked back up at tree canopy above me and could see the stars peeking down through the dark leaves. I managed to calm down enough after thirty minutes and kept walking towards the palace. I came across a scattered skeleton under a small tree. Leaning against the tree was an old scythe and a ruby ring on the ground. I figured that this was another test having to do with death. Quickly, I gathered the bones into a pile and set the skull on top. I took the scythe and ring and laid it in front of the bones. I can't release a soul that isn't present but I can at least pay my respects to the dead.I resumed my walk but was stopped as the blade of the scythe cut into my side. I put pressure on the new wound until I felt my feet kicked out from under me. I landed hard on my right shoulder, crying out from the unexpected pain. The scythe landed right next to my left ear as the angry skeleton started to flesh out.“You who have limitless power- You will give it all to me!” The deep
-Karen-“It took you long enough!” Eldon said from behind me. “I was beginning to wonder if you died.” I turned around and saw he was watching me carefully. Did my hair grow back? I could see the long locks tumble down around my elbows. “The future you face is very uncertain. I honestly don’t know what is going to happen to this planet anymore but if I know you well enough, I know Mazifik will make it through because you never understood the words ‘don’t be reckless’.” I laughed lightly and nodded in agreement. “The subsequent choices you make will determine not only your future but the futures of every person and creature on this planet.” I nodded in agreement. “We need to leave quickly though. Your test ran longer than I thought it would. Monica was able to dispel the barrier Nathan put up around the camp-” I made a portal quickly into the main tent of the camp to observe what was going on. “Most people wait for me to finish.” Eldon hissed annoyed. I peered through a small slit to
-Karen-He looked down and nodded. “As you wish.” Nathan took a deep breath and side stepped us and called all the Mages to the cooking pot. Joanne with Alexander on her hip, Valerie and Bart also joined the group.I took Conor’s hand and we went into Nathan’s tent and listened as Nathan spoke to the group. “Listen up everyone. A decision has been made by the King and Queen. We only have a few hours, but we are to change into black clothes, take a blanket or two and we will not be in camp tonight.” We heard them start to murmur. “I want you to break up into groups of three to five- Arthur will be the second in command. Bart and Jo, I want you both with me since I’m tasking you with keeping Alexander content while he is away from his parents. Bart, please sedate him as soon as nightfall happens. It’s better for him to sleep through this.”“I can feel that they are not okay with this.” I whispered to Conor. He nodded in agreement.“It’s the only way to make sure they don’t get killed- T
-Karen-“Amazing to see you’ve been waiting for me. You did say to come back tomorrow and its just after two.” Her voice called as she walked through the portal dressed regally. How insulting! Wearing real battle robes when your nothing but a traitor! I could see the palace in the background and knew immediately that she had summoned her portal in the Rose Garden. Of course we waited, we aren’t about to let you show up that unexpectedly. “I knew I should have come back sooner.” The portal shut behind her while Monica looked around the camp. “That’s odd- Only you two remain in the camp? Where did you send the others, Karen? You can try to save them all you want but they will be killed. After talking it over with my king, we decided we have plenty of slaves in our colonies. Only death awaits the lot of you rebels. Including your ugly little boy.” My baby is handsome! Just like his father!“Shut the fuck up, merkin. Our son is adorable and loved by every single member of the Mage Clan- Y
-Karen-“Don’t give her any fucking mercy! Not after her role in William’s death! And not to mention every other hateful thing she’s done.” He added hatefully. I looked over at him and smirked. He returned the dark smile.I watched as her blood started to pool around my feet. “You want mercy? Where was my mercy?” I asked softly. “Where was it when you killed me at the fountain when I was a small child?! Where was my mercy when you hired Lewis to try and destroy me?! Where was that mercy when you helped that bastard and merkin take our first baby, William!?” I punched her in the face as hard as I could. “You don’t deserve mercy! Ever! I am going to make you wish you were successful in destroying me years ago. I will never let you touch another soul on this fucking planet as long as I live!”Before she could say anything, I wrapped my hands around her throat and started to choke her, feeling every ounce of rage bubble up and burst as my hate worsened and roiled in my blood. “Struggle! B
-Karen-“I warned you- Did you think I was going to simply forgive you for the things you’ve done to me?” I asked as I stepped closer to her. “Hate me all you want. But in the end, you failed to break me- You failed to end me- Plainly put, you completely failed. Soul Shatter!” I yelled, punching directly through her soul. As soon as my fist touched her, she shattered like glass and faded away forever.There was no sound as I stood there staring at the spot where her soul had just been. It’s over. Even in the end she hated me. I looked down at my hands as I let everything sink in. Now I have to accept the fact that I have taken her life and shattered her for eternity. Unexpectedly, I started crying. Why? Why am I crying over this? I tried to fight the wayward emotions I felt, but I cried louder. Conor pulled me to him and I sobbed my soul out while he held me tightly to him.“She doesn’t deserve your tears, my love. But I understand- She was still your mother and still part of you no m
-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