As the dawn comes into view, all three of them decide to rest and that's when they learn who the man is–Gowes–and his purpose in going to Vormundham.
Looking straight into the man's dull face illuminated by the growing fire they set, Amira asks, "So, you haven't met your family for decades now and you want them to know you're still alive?""Indeed, My lady. It's harrowing thinking you've missed a lot of years not seeing how they've become," he responds, a pinning melancholy clouds his whole face.Amira's lips curve into a thin smile. She knows the feeling and she can relate."How about the two of you? Do you have a family to visit in Vormundham?" Gowes asks, eyeing each of his companion for answer."Y-es, there's someone who has been awaiting our arrival," Kian lies through his teeth.He is adding a cloth as roof to the mini tent he is setting up from the bricks and leaves he has collected. They don't know where exactly will they find th
Gasping for breath as she runs away from a monstrous flying beast who's overtaking the smoky, charcoal-colored sky, Amira is losing her tracks.She halts before a lifeless forest; howls and cries echo within it, taking her heart out.'Where am I?' she mutters to herself.The ground rattles a bit when suddenly a huge dragon lands on its feet. She instinctively turns to face it and the next thing she knows, the Heart of Magic is detaching itself from her pocket, floating in the air onto the rind of the draconian's palm.A menacing laughter escapes his mouth. She wants to know who takes the Heart of Magic from her. She wants to see his face but things are blurry and the only thing clear is the fact that she lost hold of the gem she should be protecting."Give it back to me!" she grumbles but vicious laughter is what she gets from him. As the draconian disappears into the dark, Amira gradually gets her consciousness back. She is as sick as a dog, grunting from
"Our days of forbearance are already numbered. It won't be long 'til we can live lavishly. Cesham will rain golds and gems over us and we will take dominion over everyone else!" The stout man, named Doji, can't help but snigger as he states his dreams ambitiously. "I will eagerly return the favor to those who treat me badly when I was still a homeless man!" The scorn is his eyes speak how much he despises his unfortunate past. Caledon, the man with a slice mark on his face smirks while listening half-attentively. His head is tilt up high, he continues to wear the smirk on his face as he rides on his horse. He too has his ambition and things are just paving the way for the success of his plan. When he claims the credit for holding the prince and his companion captive, he knows right then his dreams are almost at reach.Their army, together with Amira and Kian, embark on a journey to Vormundham. They are already nearing the border and they can smell victor
"You swore to let us live once we tell you how to get the power from the Heart of Magic!" Amira protests, reminding the Cesham of their agreement to release them when they get what they want. She trusts him to keep his promise for she has lived a life knowing draconians are bound to abide by their words. Now she remembers her mentor in Hauraya telling them of how cunning mortals can be.The head of the thugs opens his palm and shows Amira the piece of the Heart of Magic. "How come it didn't lead to where its power source you say should be, hmm? Did you just make a fool on me, lady?""She's telling the truth! She told you the testimonial of my late grandfather; he was a friend of the late Keeper and we believed him!" Kian defends Amira on that note but wonders why the Heart of Magic didn't work.Amira is tilting her head quizzically, thinking what possible reason there is for the Cesham's failure in not being lead to the home of the Heart of Magic."
Nothing is more lonesome than realizing you're alone in an immeasurably vast space of darkness and solitary. Confusion is clouding Amira's head, barely understanding what she's doing in here and why the portal lead her to this place. 'Could this be the land of infinite desire? No– this can't be! Am I in a dream again?' Such thoughts runs through her head. A complex creak suddenly echoes within the dark abyss making her jerk around. Her world suddenly stops revolving when she comes face to face with a familiar man, looking and smiling eagerly at her. She just stands there, words are strangled on her throat. Her heart is flattered with joy and longing; her eyes are brimming with tears that are about to fall. "Hasham," she utters with sheer joy. She moves ahead, wanting to feel his warmth around her body yet when she's inches close, he coldly turns his back on her and wend his way. "H-asham!" she calls her lover's name but the latter seems to not hear anything. Her heart stops as she
"Do you mean a sacrifice is needed to bring back the power within the heart of magic?" she clarifies. "B-but who should-"The fairy cuts her words once again. "Blood of the same blood. Desire of the same desire. Without it, I shall but forever lived without a keeper, without a home. Your blood shall wash away the curse and if you keep yourself alive, you shall succeed in having me. But first, you should prove yourself worthy of holding the great power within your hands. I want not to be used to bring destruction into the world and if you can break the hex before anyone else does, you shall have full control over me."Unaware of what her mother did to lock her dragon form through the power of the Heart of Magic, she questions, "What hex should I break free from... and h–ow do I do that?""Escape in this abyss and desire in your heart to find the Fountain of knowledge. There you shall meet the bearer of all things true. In your endeavor, remember to always carry with you your desire t
"Unless, I trade another life for my desire."Amira sympathizes with the woman, she understands where her motivation is rooting from. The mistress's condition is far too unreachable especially for the woman who's left without a companion, without an assurance of ever getting back her baby alive. A few more talks and she is able to win her trust. She swears that she'll do everything she can to reclaim the baby. The poor woman then tells her the way to meet the mistress is by summoning her by the name... Bethaida.The atmosphere changes the moment Amira calls out the mistress' name. The next thing that attracts her eyes is a mega limbless creature crawling to her direction. Her jaw gapes open as she looks up at the serpent that halts and flexes its huge, crimson body right in front of her. It's way different from all the creatures she has ever seen in her realm. Judging by its size, it's comparably fit to combat the strength and weight of an average dragon in their realm."Pungent sme
"Kian," the word flees her mouth right before her fingertip connects with Bethaida's."You promised to help me get my baby back!" the poor woman flashes a side of her, trying to overpower the mistress's control over her body. Her voice pulls Amira out of her automatic subconscious mind and back into reality, into her conscious awareness. Then, the seraph's words echo in her head. "Remember to always carry with you your desire to succeed in your purpose. It's the only way to keep the peace in the world and for the dark past not to ripple its effect in the present times. May your mother's mission be engraved in your heart and in your memory as long as you live."Eyes shut. Heart beating erratically. Second thought is swirling through her system. No matter how strong her desire to be with her lover again, she can't take it in her conscience to end her conquest now let alone leave Kian and the woman whom she makes a promise with behind. Something greater lies on her shoulder, she can't
Wasting no time, she ladders up to the serpent's head, choking it by its thick neck. As the serpent wiggles and glides through and through, her grasp tightens, weighing its neck upward and charging her full thew so it follows the direction she's leading it to. Rising up in the air and releasing her hold, Amira delivers a kick onto the serpent's neck. Her leg could have been cut half by now if only her defenses is weak. She steers clear of the small scratch she gets on her leg. It's nothing fatal she believes. As she lands her foot on the surface of the abyss, the serpent sways toward her, mouth open and growling like a mad dog. Amira, though, is quick to dive in the air and throw herself up by hitting the serpent once more. Fallen and bruised, the reptile disappears and transport back to its original body. As her eyes searches for where her companion is, she spots him in the most unfortunate situation, squirming while struggling to breathe. The serpent is coiling its thick, limbl
"That Argon... I don't like him." Vanessa blurts out with a whimper. "What's his right to command all draconian to meet him? I wish Father will put him in the right place!" Vanessa continues, as she walks with Amira along the hall. They're to meet the most sovereign, Douman, in his chamber.Argon and Mandel have had a serious talk. To what it was all about, Amira has no idea. She doesn't want to meddle in their business, but her gut is sending her a warning. She fears what the dragons are going to do next. All she can hope for is for her kind to settle on the power they haveShe hasn't spoken to Argon, too. She doesn't want to speak to him but it's impossible now that they're in one kingdom. Besides, he has gotten hold of the Heart of Magic. Amira has to find ways to get it off of him. She's concerned he might use it for evil, just like what he did back when her mother was still alive. After knowing about the dreadful past from the mortal world, there's only one thing she wants to do:
"Douman, that once was a little brother of mine. Has he accepted you as his own? He didn't introduce me to you, did he?"Amira just stares at Argon; her head is partly tilted. Her mind is full of questions. The words are battling to rush out of her mouth, but they can't simply outrun one another. And so, she's left with her mouth ajar."I know you have a lot to ask. Come with me and I shall tell you everything." Argon stretches his hand to Amira but she just stares at it. Soon after, Argon senses something's gushing toward his hand. He effortlessly swings his palm and the object diverts back to the source like a rushing fireball.Within a second, they heard a rough cry, "Uh!" It's Bruce. The stone he throws bounces on him and hits the side of his stomach. Now blood is spurting extensively from it."Bruce!" Missy, Liza, and Miguel cry. They're in shock at what happened. They reach out to their friend instantly. Even with their trembling hands, they try to calm their friend and put pre
"Trifecta!"Under the pale face of the midnight moon, Amira's voice echoes all over."Trifecta! I beg you to help me! Show yourself!"The cold breeze blows her cries away. Yet again she is unable to sense a response from the creature she's summoning. The woods have been silent toward her all day. Desperate to connect with the fairy who sent her to the mortal world, her feet bring her to where she has first seen this foreign land—the seaside in the city of Lavandel. However, this, too, plays deaf at her cries."There must be another way back and I must figure it out!"Amid her desperate attempt to think of ways, she suddenly halts, taken aback by the huge shadowy figure that hovers over her. Her mouth gapes open as she watches the creature fly passed her. The night is maybe dark but her eyes miss not identifying it. It's a dragon quite huge and terrorizing, resembling the one showing up in her dreams. As she takes a minute to process what it means, squeals and screams from here and
Roasted and burnt. The smell mixes with the air and flies across the atmosphere. Amira's nose titters as the pungent smell enters through her nostrils. Her senses are awakened and before even realizing it, she finds herself standing in front of a great devastation she wouldn’t want to see. Her heart sinks seeing a town down in ashes. Roasted men scatter everywhere. Smoke evaporates from their blacked bodies. The horrifying tragedy leaves not even a single life around. Amira's heart slashes in two at the sight of a poor woman with a newborn baby on her arm. Behind the lady were three more kids, all burnt out and lifeless. She can only imagine their struggle and how they ended up that way. ‘Who could have done this?’ she asks herself. She’s unable to grasp how one can be so heartless. ‘Was it… Argon? How can he do this! Does he even have a heart?' Though in her veins, run the blood and soul of a dragon, the very same creature that created the horrible sight in front of her, she can't
A swirling web of soft tissues goes on and off until it blossoms and pushes out Amira from where she had her entrance into the Land of Infinite Desire. The curse on her mouth is gone, cleansed by the healing power of Elena's aqua. The marks of failure and defeat forms a fine line on her face. She is down in dumps having neither Hasham to run to nor the Heart of Magic to be victorious of. She is down in flames. No matter how much she wants to believe there is still hope, her emotion just won't cooperate. Meandering around, her setting down foot halts as she spots a man almost lifeless on the ground. Having no one but her in the forested heart of Vormundham, she instinctively hastens their four-meter distance. She slouches on the loose soil as she draws near him, leveling her knees with his body so she can attend to him.When she turns his head to face her, her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. She goes pale all of a sudden as if her soul absconds from her earthly body. Split lip, b
Slack sitting like a frog by the seashore, Bruce throws on a pebble that slashes over the shallow to deep jewel-blue sea. The pebble plops as it thwarts with the rippling waves, snatching the boy’s thoughts again. “There’s really something that I should be remembering but I can’t remember. It’s stuck in my head and I can’t pull it through. Grr!” grumbles the kid. “I feel you bro! But what could that memory be?” Miguel rests his elbow on Bruce’s shoulder as he puts on a thinking face. Since early morning when they rise from sleep, they’ve been trying to pull out a memory from their head but their mind seems to be playing Whac-a-Mole with them. At one point, they will spot it on but quickly it disappears. “Tss. You just probably forgot to wash your assess after defecating!” Missy bubbles while randomly picking seashells along the coastline. The two boys’ ears wiggle. They are just a few meters apart from Missy and it’s hard not to miss what she just said. When she finally realizes tha
Amira's eyes narrow, skeptical about the man who's wearing a lopsided grin across his face. He is wielding a ball of lightning from the Heart of Magic; his eyes are glued on it, glistening with great desire. "Finally, I have you back in my hands!" Amira doesn't feel good about it and in her hoarse shaky voice she asks, "What are you planning to d-" Her words are cut short when the ball of lightning hits the side of her, tearing across the grassy ground she's standing up seconds ago. She jerks back at the impact and stumbles on the ground. She glares at Kian with scrutinizing eyes, brows snap together. She can hardly believe what he just did. "Did you just try to kill me?" Kian throws him a once-over look. "Hmm... If that's what you think it is." There is no single sign of regret on his face and it triggers Amira's emotion. "Give me back the Heart of Magic!" she demands as she stands on her feet, but Kian just turns his back like he has not heard her say anything. Lifting the Gem up
The cold breeze of fresh nature blows past Amira and slips through the hem of her dirty-red knee-length dress. The soft touch of passing wind on her skin snatches her out of her reminiscence. Her heart is broken, shattered in pieces after knowing her lover is already tied with another woman. She may have gotten the Heart of Magic but completing her mission will mean not much to her now that she can't go back to be with Hasham.A bitter-sweet smile crosses her face. She holds her head up, fighting back tears from falling. Then she feels someone's hand on her shoulder. "Your mission is almost over. What's the next thing you'll do now?" She throws him a sly smile. Though her motivation has run dry, she is still willing to finish what she has started. Perhaps after this mission, she will live a life in the mortal world until her heart recovers from the pain and until she becomes ready to face her kind."I am going to leave the Heart of Magic to where it originally belongs; to where it wi
Just as the door flings open, what seems like a strong gravitational force pulls Amira back into where the Seraph of the Heart of Magic is. Her eyes scan the place, processing the changes in her surroundings. "Alianah..." she mutters to herself and gawks at the Seraph for answer. "My sister, s–she is—" Amira cuts her words when her chest throbs erratically; her hands feel for the growing pain that's ripping the inside of her. Her chest rises and her breathes fall. Just as she's trying to contain the abnormalities in her body, the band on the Seraph's wrist lights up and gradually melts into thin air, snatching Amira's attention. The Seraph's skin tingles and her eyes sparkles. The wristlet signifying the curse and nullifying her power is gone and it only means one thing. "The hex is broken. You made it, Amira! You have broken the hex!" Happiness should be swirling around her face by now but she can't take it in her heart to celebrate thinking that it took two lives for her to su