Ch. 7: All Things Must Come to an End

Luna's father charged forth and leaped high into the air. His sword was raised right above the creature's head. "Pathetic," said the dragon, who unleashed a wave of negative energy. This negative energy wave took the form of tiny red orbs, protecting the dragon in a dome formation.

Instead of his sword clashing against the dragon's head, the sword clashed against one of the orbs. The orb blinked red before detonating. The blast sent Luna's father flying to the ground, where he crashed beside Zain. The boy shot ice arrows that did nothing but cause the orbs to detonate and then reform.

Smirking at their foolish attempts of harming him, the dragon let out a mighty roar as the orbs scattered and shot towards the palace. Luna's father's eyes widened with horror as he got back on his feet and realized the damage those orbs, that numbered over a hundred, could do to the palace.

He knew he had to protect the people inside.

Not only them, but those who were suffering on the streets needed his help. This was his realm, and as ruler, he must do everything he can to protect it! Stabbing the blade of his sword straight into the ground, he closed his eyes and chanted a spell.

"Calling forth all the stars of Lunaris, those of my ancestors, please bestow upon me your strength! Bask me in your light and help vanquish the darkness!" recited Luna's father.

The imperial white armor which covered him emitted a bright luster of light. From the darkness of the clouds, rays of light broke through and shined down like beacons of hope. The people and the knights, exhausted from battle, felt relief flood their hearts as these rays of light vanquished the creatures into the dust.

Light also poured through the hole created in the barrier and vanquished the beasts standing on the palace grounds. A shield of light covered the palace and protected it from the exploding orbs. Seeing this, the dragon yelled out in fury.

"NOO!" Its eyes bled red. From his mouth, a huge roar of intense red flames shot straight at Luna's father.

The sword shielded the ruler of Lunaris from the dragon's flames. He was using all the strength he had to keep the spell going. When Zain, who was standing in the vicinity, noticed something that made him squint his eyes, and amongst the red flames clashing against the sword, he saw that a crack had started to appear on the blade.

"It seems that the sword has finally reached its end. Hmm, what's this? I'm sensing something trapped inside the blade," spoke the voice that came from Zain's earring, curiosity laced in her tone.

More flames continued to pour out of the dragon's mouth. Blood began to run down the sides of Luna's father's mouth. Thousands of tiny cracks started to appear on the blade of the sword. Just when the knights were about to jump in and help their ruler, the dragon ceased his attack all of a sudden.

"Hmm, so this is as far as I'll go today. My master is recalling me, but vengeance will be his one day." With those ominous parting words, the dragon spread its wings. A gust of wind swept the area as it shot straight into the air, disappearing from sight.

The spell, after defeating all of the nightmarish creatures, ceased its attack with the dragon now gone. The light which poured from Lunaris' ruler dimmed. Lines of heavy fatigue appeared on his face, causing him to appear as if he had aged and became older.

He fought to get his breathing under control, but instead, coughed up blood that spat on the ground. The ruler of Lunaris lost all the feeling in his muscles just as a long crack ran straight down the sword and caused the entire blade to shatter.

The knights of Lunaris could only watch in horror as Lunaris' greatest weapon shattered into fragments and their ruler collapsed on the ground. On cue, the knights ran to aid their ruler, screaming out orders as they helped get him inside.

Standing out of the way while the knights urgently attended to their ruler, only Zain saw how after the blade shattered into pieces, a tiny purple ball of light escaped and flew off to somewhere unknown. "So that's the secret behind Lunaris' greatest weapon." The womanly voice from Zain's earring sounded amused.

Minutes had passed, and Luna was still in the safe room when the knight stationed to watch over her received a message from the earpiece in his ear. Luna's attention was drawn to his face when she saw it marred with shock. Luna's instincts immediately told her something terrible had happened as the knight shot his eyes her way and said, "Princess, this is urgent! Your father is requesting your presence!"

Rushing to her feet, Luna didn't wait for the knight to escort her as she ran out the door. Luna dashed through the maze-like corridors of the palace. Finally reaching the hall that led to her father's chambers, she rushed right past the mystery man she met on the balcony and pushed straight through the doors.

Inside the room, she spotted her cousin, the Prime Minister, and the Royal Physician, all wearing forlorn expressions. Buried under the kelt of his covers laid her father. "Dad!" Rushing to his side, Luna held her father's hands, staring at his face, which she noticed was marred with wrinkles for the first time, and became confused why her father looked so sick and pale.

Luna could detect no sign of his regular strength, watching how his chest was rising unevenly as even breathing seemed difficult for him.

"There's my sweet girl. Dad wanted to see you one last time before departing from this world," said her father, his voice hoarse. He was hardly able to form a smile on his face, nevertheless speak, but still, he tried to address his daughter warmly, whose world was shattered by these words.