Sooooo, a lot have things have happened that I need to explain. So first, sorry I was gone for like a year. I was really unhealthy so I wasn't feeling well enough to write and I had to leave school and be home schooled and I had to write a lot of essays for English which made writing well written and exciting stories just so hard because I was always writing about things I didn't care about so the fun of writing was stigmatized by my own brain which sucks. But yeah I'm writing and I have an idea in my head for a villain I like and can't get out of my mind so out of the gates that's better than my last story which I started just because I was maining Lissandra in League of Legends. Now secondly, I'm most likely gonna delete the last story in this series that I wrote because I was reading it to find some inspiration to continue it but first off the writing sucked and second I had no plan for it at all and the pacing and storytelling and dialogue were all terrible I am embarrassed I ever even wrote that, especially when English is my second favorite subject behind math (cause I'm a nerd). I'm sorry if you liked it, but this will be your new favorite and if you want me to come up with a little summary of what I had planned to end it with I can do that but as far as this story goes, Soguk is still good. Now let's begin. And fun fact: I have no plan for this story and I only wrote this story because the villain was cool. Anyone feel a sense of deja vu?
At Fablehaven
"I won't let you beat me," Kendra said confidently. "And I most certainly will not let you do that." She parried one of his Stolen Steel daggers with a hilt as black as night with her sword, made entirely of adamant, engraved with images of fairies whisking through the sky, their wings twinkling with jewels. When he tried to slash at her with the dagger in his other hand she blocked it with her shield, also adamant with a depiction of a unicorn drinking from a fresh spring. Fast as the wind he turned into nothing but shadow and his daggers fell to the ground, melding into the shadows now spreading along the grass at her feet. Kendra twirled her sword concentrating hard on the things that made her life her life. Her family, her friends, the place she was currently standing. She was in Fablehaven, her home, near the Fairy Queen's shrine which she would give her life to protect if it came down to it. That did the trick. Her sword shone so intensely she almost blinded herself when she threw it to the ground where the shadow swirled around her. Kendra was smart enough to close her eyes as a giant burst of light sprouted from her sword. When the light dissipated she opened her eyes and saw the hooded figure she was battling knocked down on the ground. With a flick of her wrist her sword was back in her hand and in a heartbeat she had it at his throat. "You done yet?" she asked. She then felt a hand grab her around the ankle and pull. Kendra out of some instinct she never knew she had managed to throw her weapons in the air, do a back handspring and catch her sword and shield. Her adversary had gotten up and Kendra had a slight suspicion as to who tripped her. A complete copy of the man she was fighting made entirely of shadow stood next to him. It was so realistic she would've thought it was his twin if it wasn't made of smoke and shadow. The copy pulled out a set of twin daggers and in one breath it had traveled ten feet, right behind Kendra with both daggers aiming for her back. She could've died. She chose such an extremely difficult spell to pull off. It was so hard for someone without fairy blood to pull off that it took a lot of focus to cast and maintain. A split-second later and she would've had the world's most awkward funeral, but she asked for this challenge and she'd win it. She glowed faintly white and shrunk to the size of a fairy, growing a pair of shimmering white wings. She was so small she didn't even have to dodge the daggers. The real version of the cloaked man, the one made of flesh, had a burn scar visible from the attack with her sword (it would hurt badly but the damage would heal) sheathed his daggers and drew a bow and arrow. He knocked an arrow and let it fly but in this form Kendra was able to dodge it with ease. The shadow copied its master's actions and drew its own bow, firing at her. Kendra did a loop in the air and avoided it, but when the two of them fired at the same time at angles that prevented escape she panicked and that momentary loss of focus sent her back into human form. The arrows hit her stomach and back but her beautifully crafted adamant armor blocked the damage. Thankfully they didn't throw the Stolen Steel daggers. Those would have hurt, armor or not. Kendra planted her shield in the ground and it glowed white, rumbling as a white dome surrounded her, protecting her from the two assailants in the forms of incorporeal shadows rushing at her. The hissed as they were burned by the light. Kendra felt the toll of all this magic, the heaviness of her limbs, the shortness of her breath, the harsh pain in her lugs which pumped magic absorbed from the world around her through her body like oxygen. She'd been trained for a whole year on how to use her magic, fight and build her stamina but it was still exhausting. She made a mental note to ask Bila how she managed to cast so many spells without these side-effects. She needed to end this, and fast. She needed a plan. She always had a plan. It was January and she already had the menu for Thanksgiving, the color scheme of this year's Christmas tree, a list of Bracken's favorite candies for Valentine's day and everyone's birthday gifts all figured out. This man and his shadow were one in the same, she knew that. Knew from past experience when he was fighting with her instead of against her that he was connected to the shadows around him since they gave him every bit of power he had at his disposal. Focus she told herself you need to figure out a way to cut off his power supply. What spell? What spell? Sleeping spell? No. Destruction spell? Definitely not, I could kill him if I destroy his shadow. Wait...what if...that could work. It's crazy, but it could.
Kendra tried to remember the words she heard Bila say when Queen Senkrad had turned Warren into her slave. He fought on the dark queen's side when they battled her but Bila just kicked him in the groin and he was out for the count. After their victory Bila had said a few words and he was back to normal. Kendra wasn't a mage like Bila, she was more of a warrior and healer, and she drew her power from the emotions of herself and those around her, not words. But she needed to win to be able to prove herself. This was the first step in her protection of the Fairy Realm. If she did this she might qualify for becoming an eternal. She had to risk it, even if this could drain all her magic and send her body into shock. Searching one last time for the right words she finally remembered them. She threw down her sword and dropped the shield. Then she stretched out her hand toward the shadow, a white symbol of a circle encased in two crescents burning itself on her forehead as she yelled "Gölgeleri Kovmak!" She screamed it at the top of her lungs and the words burned her throat as she said them. It was like trying to breathe in scalding hot water as if it were air, or vomiting lava. Her body glowed a harsh white and an orb of light came from her hands, leaping into the air and slowly falling towards the shadow like a leaf in the wind. It exploded in a dazzling display of light so bright it made the rest of the world look dark, even though it was an oddly warm and sunny day for the winter. When the light diminished to a faint shimmer hanging in the air the shadow was gone, the cloaked man was unconscious on the grass and Kendra felt as if she were being burned alive inside and out. She couldn't breath fast enough to regain the magic she lost despite the excess of it in the air after the battle. She felt every single bone and cell in her body roaring in protest and agony. Her throat felt like it was closing up. She'd be screaming if she had the ability to make even the slightest whimper. But she'd won, and everything was better now. She would be a hero to fairy-kind soon.
Kendra collapsed and she heard the rustling of skirts against grass and flowers. She could see glowing golden light from the corner of her eye. She felt a warmth spreading through her body and the pain slowly but surely diminished until it was a distant memory. She rose from the ground with some difficulty as she was getting used to her armor. It was lightweight and it didn't hinder her mobility at all, but it was a foreign feeling to be wearing adamant from head to toe. When she rose she saw the Fairy Queen, her hands still glowing slightly from healing her. Kendra bowed awkwardly and said. "Thank you, your majesty."
"You're welcome." The Fairy Queen said, her amber eyes glowing brighter than usual. Kendra noticed when she lowered her eyes and saw her hand that she herself was still glowing intensely. Underneath her skin thousands of winding trails of light shone. Odd considering she wasn't able to activate the dormant reservoir of the Fairy Queen's magical power circulating through her body yet. "And I must say, you have impressed me today. After only one year of training you have demonstrated abilities that even my astrids and fairy warriors couldn't manage."
"Thank you so much, your majesty."
Bracken appeared beside Kendra with the hooded man by his side, completely healed. When he lowered the hood of his cloak it revealed a face they all knew too well. It was Seth Sorenson, Kendra's brother. "Thanks for the extra power. Do you think I could keep it."
"Seth," Kendra said. "The queen said she'd only give you the shadow for my test. You can't-"
"Actually, Kendra," the queen said, "your brother was nice enough to help us with this test so I see no reason not to reward him with it."
"Awesome!" Seth exclaimed. "You're the best."
"Molea." Bracken corrected.
"Yeah," Seth said. "You're the moleaest."
"Seth..." Kendra started but she heard Bracken laughing and saw the Fairy Queen smirking at Seth fondly. Kendra found herself smiling despite her fear of making the queen upset. "So, your majesty, did I pass?"
"Yes." The Fairy Queen said. "You were able to defeat a shadow charmer with the most powerful dark magic I've seen in three thousand years displaying quick decision-making in the heat of battle, I already know you're extremely diplomatic and you care for the creatures of light. I shall host a ceremony in seven days to bestow you with the title of Guardian and gift you the Sword and Shield of my realm."
Kendra's face broke into a grin as large as the Grand Canyon. Her eyes watered as she cast a glance at Bracken, having a silent conversation to the effect of I can't wait to see you everyday. Well I can't wait more. NO, I can't wait more. No, I can't wait more. She bowed to the queen so low she almost lost he balance and said. "This is the greatest honor I've ever received."
"I am honored to have a Guardian with such a bright and pure heart." The Queen said. "Now I must be going, I have an urgent meeting very soon."
"Of course. Good bye. Thank you again, your majesty." Kendra said.
"I'll be back soon," Bracken said. "I just have to attend this meeting as well."
"I can't wait." Kendra said.
"Until next time." the two unicorns said as they approached the gazebo, crossing by creating an intricate gold and silver bridge. When they reached the shrine the queen spread her arms and they disappeared.
On A "Deserted" Island
Soguk, Tywyll and Raqqosa managed to sneak out of a shrine in the middle of the night with a concealment spell cast by Tywyll. When they were through they were teleported to a deserted island of dead foliage inhabited by nothing but a dead seagull and six dead fished washed up on shore. The island was roughly ten feet in diameter and the sole structure was a Lean-to that was made of rotted wood.
"This is no place for a lady of my caliber to be." Raqqosa complained.
"You mean the kind stripped of her title as princess due to her betrayal and thrown into the dungeons to rot for eternity?" Soguk asked.
"I AM STILL A-" Raqqosa began in a shrill scream.
"I'm more concerned with the fact that a frost giant has taken us to an island with no ice." Tywyll said. "And what was the other thing...oh, yes...you're not even a frost giant."
"What?" Raqqosa asked.
Tywyll waved her hand and Soguk's appearance faded, the ice turning to flesh, the temperature around her warming, the white hair dusted with snow and shards of ice shortening. When the illusion faded a heart-crushingly beautiful man stood in the place of the frost giant. Not handsome, beautiful. His slightly parted full lips, pointed chin, delicate nose, sculpted cheekbones and shockingly pale skin mad him seem like a living painting. He had black hair and purple eyes. His features would have been angelic if it weren't for his permanent scowl.
"You can't deceive a deceiver." Tywyll said with a cold glare that matched the man's. "I've been lying since I was born."
"My clever, clever girl." the man said. "But I wouldn't expect anything less of you."
"Raqqosa." Tywyll said.
Raqqosa nodded and a pair of ribbons appeared in her hands. She did a brief but glorious dance, the ribbons whirling and looping. As she danced with them they sank into the ground, sprouting from the dead grass and binding the man's hands to his legs. Tywyll clenched her fist and the branches on the twisted dead tree extended, enhancing it's wickedness. Raqqosa's ribbons tied to the man's neck as she continued dancing, the ribbon spinning through the man air and wrapping around the tree's branches, pulling the man with it. They were hanging him.
"It's strange how you can do such a nice dance, princess," the man said, oddly calm considering the tightening ribbon around his neck, "considering how you're paralyzed from the waist down." As soon as the words finished falling from his mouth Raqqosa, leaping between the ribbons while holding the handles with her feet, fell to the ground and didn't get up. The ribbons-extended far past their normal reach-unwound instantly and returned to their usual length. The man fell from the tree and landed on his feet with unnatural grace. Tywyll opened her palm and a ball of fire appeared in it. The man said, "You're suspended in time." Tywyll froze instantly, the fire still crackling in her hand as she attempted to throw it. The man approached her and said. "It's so nice to meet you." He was right in front of her and his permanent frown seemed to ease into a smile "I think you have something that belongs to me." He blew out the fire in her hand and laughed.
In The Fairy Realm
When Bila got the news that she had to go to an urgent meeting in the queen's office she grew her wings and flew to the castle as fast as she could. Finally, something exciting would happen. She'd just been sitting at home with her brother watching movies, feeding his menagerie of magical and non-magical household pets and shopping online for weeks. When she had all this time on her hands, she slept and when she slept the nightmares came and even with Evan to comfort her, make her her favorite tea and rock her to sleep like she was a newborn they were still all she saw when she closed her eyes. Is it so bad that I hope the world to come close to being destroyed so I don't have to deal with my problems? Bila thought No. How dare my brain even think that. Get out of my head, brain. When she made it to the castle she flew up the stairs to the queen's office and before going through she stood in the line for three minutes behind a flock of fairies to squeeze into the nearest mirror. She was at home before and she hadn't changed so she was dressed casually. Only a black mini skirt and a white top, her heels were only five inches, her hair was just straight and plain since she'd been too lazy to curl it after the half hour of brushing, flat ironing and more brushing and worst of all she only had one coat of mascara and lip gloss on. She was practically a hobo. It was Evan's fault for letting her leave like this while he was in the bathroom. She sighed and entered the office, not wanting to waste the queen's precious time on anything that wasn't a necessity-like checking her reflection in a full-body mirror instead of her compact and handheld. When she swung open the doors Golau was inside.
"Where's the queen?" Bila asked. She grinned. "Is she kidnapped? Are we at war?"
"No. I will one day be the queen of the realm." Golau said with false-confidence. "So I will inform you alone."
"Okay." Bila sat down in the chair in front of the desk and Golau sat in her mother's usual seat apprehensively. "What's up?"
"There is an evil power in the mortal world. My moth-the queen feels it through the shrines, the sirens feel it on the wind, the naiads feel it stirring in the ocean's depths. Dark magic is gaining power. Demons, witches, litches, werewolves and nearly all other creatures of the night are beginning to overpower their prisons and soon they will wreak havoc around the world."
"If creatures of the night are trying to escape their bonds could the demons in Zzyzzx overpower their prison? Especially since it's unfinished."
"I'm afraid to say it could be possible. We've tried to contact Agad but he's cast a hibernation spell. When it's over he'll have stored enough power to perform the spell to create the eternals and complete the prison without the aid of the rest of the wizards who made it originally."
"And in the meantime we have to prevent this power from giving enough dark creatures the power to cause chaos. Any idea what's causing it?"
"A dark power as ancient as my m-the queen has come to this earth. It is like the power that created all the creatures of darkness."
"Senkrad?"
"She didn't fake her death this time, it's a completely different person."
"Can we track this dark power."
"No, we fairies aren't in tune with darkness. If anything we'd be instinctively repelled from it."
"Hmm...I'm on it. I'm going out right now." Bila rose from the chair and turned for the exit.
"Please, Bila, you can't-"
"Fail?" Bila laughed as she left the room. "You really are new to this."
At A Night Club in New York
Night clubs-cesspools of human filth and sin. Wrath, greed, envy, gluttony, lies, pressure...and sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet lust. I think I might faint from the smell of it. Me and my twin brother are able to camouflage humans. What we look like depends on what the viewer finds attractive. I look around and my eye catches the most stunning thing I've ever witnessed. She has flowing white hair, pale skin, white eyes and she might as well be wearing postage stamps instead of clothes. My breathing quickens when I blink and look underneath that useless flesh sack of a body into her beautiful soul. Pure white. Completely untainted. Our first night out of that dreadful prison and we get this lucky. We can cause her to commit her first sin. We can be the ones to blacken her soul. My stomach is growling, my mouth hanging open. I look to my brother. He's seen her too and we've come to a decision without a word. She looks at us staring. She blushes and winks at us awkwardly. She wobbles on those heels so high they're practically stilts towards a janitor's closet. We follow her, our hunger growing with each step. When we enter we close the door behind us. She's obviously nervous. So pure. So, so pure.
"You are so lovely." me and my brother say in unison.
She blushes and says, "Thank you."
We each take a step closer. "What is your name, my lovely?"
The innocent facade-the averting her eyes, the blushing, the stiffness of her posture, the unfamiliarity with heels, the ensnared look in her eyes all vanish in an instant. "Your worst night nightmare." She did a roundhouse kick. The heels of her shoes, silver and sharpened to a keen point on all sides met my brother's neck and his head rolled onto the floor, he heel coated in blood. She turned to me, holding out her hand "Just kidding, it's only Bila." My eyes widened and I turned to the door. She used her extended hand to wrap around my neck and shove me against the door. She was stronger than she looked, a lot stronger.
"Now I'm gonna ask you a few questions " She whispered in my ear salaciously as if she were a lover. "You can choose not to answer, but then I'll have kill you too and it would be a pain to find another demon on such short notice."
"O-o-o-o-okay, o-okay." I stammered. "J-just don't kill me."
"Good answer." She tightened her grip on my neck and turned me around, pinning me to the door as if she were caressing me. "Now, there's some evil, ancient presence giving demons the power to escape previously inescapable prisons. Now why is that?"
"Okay, okay. Demons were created by the demon king and queen Gorgrog and Senkrad either through procreation or magically altering already living beings. Senkrad gained this power from-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Bila's hands were roaming underneath his shirt, lifting it. "Go on, I can multitask."
"Um, so Queen Senkrad gained this power from the goddess Nox who lives in a magical world far from our own full of powerful beings and-having your hands do that is very distracting!"
Bila glared at him. "What? Don't you want to try to steal my life with your touch? Absorb my lust? Isn't that what you and your brother do?" She punctuated the last word by digging her nails in his skin. "Prey on the weak and innocent? Use defenseless human beings for your own amusement? Well I dare you to try it on me." Her eyes were shining brighter than before with her hatred, her disgust and her rage. She waited for a moment and when he said nothing she brought her forearm to his neck and pushed him against the door saying, "That's what I thought. Now go on."
"Not even Senkrad knows where Nox came from. But long ago Senkrad was able to host the goddess in her body once, but your queen hosted the goddess of daylight and banished Nox before imprisoning Senkrad. Every ten thousand years Senkrad escapes or she's brought back from death, finds a new source of power and battles your queen. Since the Fairy Queen is still hosting the goddess of light she usually wins, but if Senkrad is crafty enough or finds a great source of power she wins and destroys the world. Then when the Fairy Queen reemerges she defeats her and rebuilds it-"
"I know that." Bila said. "What's giving the demons their power now?"
"Since demons were created by Senkrad with Nox's power we gain some of their power when they're around us...but Nox is banished and Senkrad is imprisoned. However, Nox's son, Dolos has been sent here under Nox's command. His relation to Nox gives us nearly the amount of power we had eons ago when we were made."
"Okay, what are their plans?"
"I don't know-"
Bila removed one of her earrings, a sharp needle about two inches long and shoved it into his stomach. "Wanna try again?"
"If I had to guess," his body was already ejecting the needle and beginning to heal the injury, "I'd say it's revenge on those that defeated Nox. Hemera and the Fairy Queen mostly. And Nox was cruel, sadistic and manipulative. She knows how much Hemera loves this planet and all life on it. She would want Hemera to see it all burn."
Bila took a second to process this. "Do you know Dolos's weaknesses? Or Nox's?"
"No. When I was created I always saw Nox as all-powerful. I don't know how the Fairy Queen and Hemera defeated her. If anyone can find their weaknesses I'd say it's her.
Bila released him and crossed her arms. "This has been informative. You may go."
As I turned to leave I didn't have time to hear the scrape of metal as a dagger was plunged into my back. "To hell." Bila finished, tossing her hair around and turning her dress around so it appeared to be backwards as she left the broom closet, pretending her legs were rubbery.
In The Fairy Realm
Bracken was sitting in his mother's atrium. It was enclosed with a glass roof in an amber color shining golden-bronze light on trees, ponds, grass and flowers. It was his favorite room in the castle. It reminded him of better times long-lost. Splashing in the water and rolling in his grass, knowing his mother would fuss over dirtying his clothes only for her to clean them with magic. His first time transforming into a unicorn, galloping around the space with his father. His mom singing to him as he was lulled to sleep in his bed, brought into this room at his request. His sisters complaining about how they always had to search the entire castle only to find him here. This place was transported from the old fairy realm by his mother who, even in the haste of uprooting her entire kingdom, remembered how much he adored this place. He was snapped out of his reverie when his mom entered the room, taking a seat next to him on the rock face sitting before a softly flowing waterfall.
"Why did you give Kendra the position?" Bracken asked. "She technically failed. She would have killed herself if we hadn't been there."
"Two reasons." his mother said, "I know how happy it would make you to be able to see her so frequently without abandoning your duties as prince. And I know how happy it would make you for her to become an eternal so you could enjoy her company for many years to come. And, secondly, I'm worried for her. Since she'll be at your side for such extensive periods of time you can keep an eye on her."
"Why? Is someone out there trying to kill her?"
"No. You saw what she did. She used a magic different from the ones she was blessed with. That should be impossible. And you saw the mark on her forehead." The queen 's strapless dress allowed her to point to the glowing yellow mark on her chest resembling a ray of sunlight. "It is the mark of those blessed with godly power. I want you to use this time you have with her to watch her for any other signs and if you see them tell me immediately. If she truly has these gifts she needs to learn to draw power from her god or she'll use the most powerful magic in any world with only her own reservoir of fairy magic. She could hurt herself...or worse."
"I'll do it. I'll make sure nothing happens to her."
"I know. But please don't tell her. I don't want her to fear her magic. Especially in the situations to come."
"I vow to protect her with my life"
"I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, my son."
So much better, right? I got like 40 books for Christmas (again, I is nerd) so I've been working on my writing and all that english homework taught me new techniques in writing. See you guys next time. Have a beautifully delightful day.