Hi guys!
Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews and support. So close to the end now! Thank you all for supporting me through Return of Lorien and now Revenge of Ten. I can't believe it's almost over!
However, I have plans and have already begun writing a new story. I don't have a name yet but it's a Lorien Legacies story with a Hunger Games twist. If you have any ideas for names please give me a few…I need inspiration :P
Anyway, please read on!
Marina
"Marina!"
I can hear someone calling my name but I'm more focused on stabbing the mog in front of me. It's strong and determined to kill me; a lethal combination. I duck the next blow but wince when it manages to kick my leg. Damn, that's going to bruise.
"Marina!" it's Five, that much I can tell. However, unless she can get rid of this mog she's just going to have to wait. I try to reply her call when the mog gets in a lucky punch, right on my mouth. I'm sent stumbling back, clutching my bloody mouth.
The mog raises its cannon to fire when a knife thuds into its chest and it collapses into ash. Five is there, but the look on her face isn't triumphant or smug. Instead it's filled with fear.
"Please! Nine needs help!" she begs, dragging me to my feet. The grip on my arm is like a vice, one I can't remove. I simply follow her as she drags me through the piles of ash and the dying bodies of the mogs, until we get to Nine.
"Heal him! Please!" she begs, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. She cradles his head in her arms, rocking him back and forth. I think she's whispering a prayer under her breath but I can't be sure.
"How did this happen? He has invulnerability, doesn't he?" I cry, my hands shaking as I press them against his chest. She shakes her head, trying to concentrate on surviving and not on losing Nine.
"He-he was carrying the Keystone!" her faces lights up with realisation as she fumbles in his jacket pockets for the stone that just keeps causing trouble. First it took away my legacies and now Nine's.
What is it used for? Because all it seems to do is cause trouble.
"Just heal him!" she orders me, taking the Keystone into her own hands. I do as she says and I place my hands against his chest. I will my legacy to work and almost cry in relief when it does. I feel Nine's heart beginning to speed up and I smile, tired and relieved when his muscles begin to knit together again and the blood dries up.
I wait until I'm sure he's healed and then I pull my hands away. His eyes are beginning to flutter open, confused and tired, but he's alive. Five sobs in relief and bends down, pressing her lips against Nine's. I decide to move away and let them celebrate for a few short, precious seconds.
I stagger away from them, my sword gripped in my hand. Despite fighting for what feels like forever it feels as though we've hardly made a dent in the force. I've seen Six every so often but I've been more focused on the actual army instead of her.
"Marina!" Eight teleports to me, vicious scratches on his chest. He disposed of his shirt seeing as it serves little to no protection. I press my hands to his chest as we fall to our knees, both of us exhausted.
"We need to kill Six and Setrakus" I whisper as I heal his wounds. He nods at once, his eyes fixed on Ella, who's doing some crazy damage with a knife and telekinesis.
"You locate her and I'll-" our plan is cut short by the arrival of none other than Six herself who seems to finally decide that she wants to fight. She stands in front of me, a cocky smile on her face. Fury suddenly pounds through me as I remember her standing in front of me with a dagger to Ella's throat.
I launch to my feet and ignoring all sense, throw a knife at Six. She dives out of the way and neatly jumps to her feet, a grin on her face. Eight tries to stagger after me but he's not properly healed and he can't keep up with my anger.
"Look at you" Six teases, drawing her sword. It's about time she started fighting. "Trying to be all tough when really you're weak. You always have been, always will be" she hisses, her voice malicious. I laugh bitterly, trying to ignore her words, and then lunge forward to attack.
To my delight, I manage to land a killer hit on her eye. She didn't really see it coming by her shocked look as she staggers back. She clutches her eye and I kick out with my leg, striking her knee. She collapses to her knees, shaking as she stares up at me incredulously.
"So, you do have some fight after all" she laughs. She jumps to her feet and tackles me around my waist, sending us sprawling. We roll over trading punches, when I feel her lifted off me and thrown away.
"That's for stabbing me" Nine yells, his face a determined mask of anger. Five and Eight are back fighting the mogs who threaten to attack us. They've resigned themselves to the fact that Nine and I are going to kill Six yet somehow, I don't think they envy us too much.
Six is back on her feet, laughing as she watches Nine and I preparing ourselves. "You can't kill me! You're too weak!" she laughs. She suddenly reminds me so much of the old Six I used to know, my old best friend, laughing and confident on the battlefield. Knowing she's so strong that nothing can kill her.
But she tried to kill Ella. I have to harden my heart and kill her, that's what the old Six would want. She'd rather die than let this new Six kill any one of us. This is what she'd want. I have to do it for the old Six, the Six who saved me in Spain, the one who's saved all of us at some point in our lives.
Nine looks confused, as though he's suddenly doubting himself, but I'm resolute. I lunge forwards, determined to finish Six off. She blocks my blow but I find it in me to carry on fighting, no matter what. I take a deep breath and then lunge forwards again, hitting her with blow after blow on her sword.
She crumbles beneath my relentless attack. Unlike me, she doesn't have the determination to kill her own race, her best friend. It's like she knows that she's in the wrong and doesn't have the strength to fight me. Or maybe it's because deep down I'm not a good person like her.
I fight back tears, my own will crumbling, but I have to finish this. I have to end her.
I use the complicated technique she once showed me, one that ends with someone on their knees. She staggers back from my assault, her face shocked at my victory. She lands on her knees in front of me, knowing it's over. She has no weapons whereas my sword is pressed against her neck.
We stare at each other for a long time. I can hear John and Setrakus still fighting, not aware of the huge thing about to happen. I bet Setrakus doesn't even know Six could be defeated, let alone by me.
Nine, Five and Ella are too busy fighting the mogs steadily closing in on us. I can hear Nine's grunting as he stabs all the mogs he can. He couldn't attack Six in the end because although he acts it, he doesn't really have the strength to kill someone he loves. He just can't bring himself to do it.
I don't know why I have the strength out of all the Garde. Maybe it's because I know it's possible to betray someone you love; I saw Adelina do it. Maybe it's just because I may act like the softest, kindest Garde but I can bring myself to do some terrible things. Maybe because I was never as good as Six was.
"Do it" Six whispers. Her eyes are soft, vulnerable but I try to remember the girl who almost killed Ella. "Please. For her" I know she's referring to the girl I first met in Spain, the one who wanted to do the right thing.
I take a deep breath and that's when my eyes lock with Eight. He's watching me steadily, and I know he'd never judge me, even if I do this. We share a long look with one another and then, very slowly, he nods his head.
"I'm sorry" I tell Six, tears in my own eyes. "It should have been so different"
I take a deep breath, lift my sword and then bring it down.
Xxx
John
I've never fought so hard in my life. I can feel my muscles cramping with the intensity of the workout I'm giving them and my heart is pounding so quickly it's like I'm having a heart attack. Sweat pours down my cheeks and soaks into my shirt, making it stick to my body. I must look horrible.
"Give up" Setrakus snarls. He's finding this as hard as I am and he knows I know. His cheeks are bright red and he's gasping for breath. We're going to kill ourselves trying to kill the other.
"Never!" I hiss in return. I can feel the power of Pittacus flood through me again and I straighten up with another surge of strength. It's not that much but it's better than nothing and right now, anything is better than nothing.
He flicks his sword towards me but I raise the Sword of Pittacus up to meet it and blue sparks fly out from the impact. I groan as Setrakus presses down on the sword with all his strength. I duck and roll so Setrakus staggers forward.
The others have done a great job on the army. I can see piles of ash around, even though there are plenty more mogs. I can see Five flinging daggers from where she stands as well as using her clip/sword to stab the ones in closer range. Nine is like a torpedo, ripping through the mogs and leaving nothing behind. Even without his legacies he's doing an amazing job.
I can't see Six anywhere. If she's amongst the others, I can't see her fighting, that's for sure. For all I know, she could be dead. But I refuse to think like that and instead I focus back on Setrakus.
I grab a dagger and it thuds into Setrakus' side, making him roar in pain. I grin and with another surge of strength, strike Setrakus with a lightning bolt. To his credit, he doesn't die. He just shrieks in agony and is left twitching on the ground.
I take the chance as best I can when I get a sudden searing pain in my ankle. A scar. I howl in agony and barely have the sense to cover myself in a force field as I wait for the pain to disappear. But the mental, emotional pain is there, will always be there.
We've lost one of us. Who have we lost now?
The scar is still burning around my ankle as my eyes rake the battlefield, looking for who it is. Is it Eight? The thought of losing Eight and his constant happiness is agony. The thought of losing kind Marina or annoying Five or Nine, who's been my best friend since the beginning.
I crane my head and then I finally manage to take in what's happening. I can see Marina on her knees, her hands pressed over her face as she sobs. Nine is yelling, his hands on his head. Ella's shouting too, but I don't know whether she's angry or upset.
Eight teleports next to Marina, standing over her and that's when I see it. The body lying next to Marina. It's Six.
Six.
I go through a whirlwind of emotions. I know I told Nine to kill Six but did I really mean it? I love Six, always have since I first met her. All I know now is that excruciating pain is running through me and I can't do anything to stop it.
I hear someone laughing, cruel terrible laughs and I look up to see Setrakus grinning triumphantly down at me. My grief is suddenly replaced by pure, bitter anger. I'm going to kill him.
With a roar I leap to my feet, throwing myself at Setrakus. I've never felt so angry in my life; not when Sarah was killed or Sam or Henri.
I can hear the others restarting the fight against the mogs, their efforts doubled. Nine is even more terrible and deadly than before, Ella is a true warrior and Eight acts like the beast he's turned into. BK is trampling through the mogs like they're nothing but air.
"You killed her!" I roar, using telekinesis to toss Setrakus into the air. He returns the effort and I feel myself thrown into the air but I catch myself with flight. I zoom towards Setrakus, aiming my sword for his chest but he manages to jump out of the way. I see real fear on his face for the first time in what feels like years.
I land softly, gathering all my strength and taking a deep breath. I grin cruelly at Setrakus, ready for the real fight to begin.
"So, you want a real fight?" I challenge. Setrakus laughs and smirks at me. He doesn't believe me but he has no idea what I'm capable of.
"You can't beat me" he repeats. I laugh bitterly.
"Trust me, I can" I draw in a deep breath and attack.
I launch a fireball the size of a mini van at him. He brings his hand up and absorbs the fire so that it covers his body like a fireball. He charges for me and tackles me but instead of the fire burning me, I allow it to cover my body so I'm a raging ball of fire like him.
"You're not the only one with tricks!" I yell at him. I clap my hands and the clouds start to knit together in the sky. A clap of thunder booms in the sky as a fork of lightning hits the ground near Setrakus but he merely laughs.
He lunges for me when I feel myself jerked up in the air, as though something's wrapped around my ankle. I'm jerked back and forth and I desperately try to fight Setrakus' telekinesis. I break it and use my flight to land safely.
I stamp the earth and a mini earthquake ripples out, knocking Setrakus and the army to its knees. I focus on the clouds in the sky, making it pour with rain. It drenches Setrakus and puts out the fire, but I'm not done yet.
I focus all the water so it's like one huge wave and then I let it surround Setrakus like a giant ball of water. I lift it up in the air, twisting and turning it. I can feel him trying to fight to free himself but my power and anger is just too great.
I drop Setrakus, who's getting exhausted. He yells and then the ground beneath me shakes, rocketing me up into the air. I use my telekinesis to hold myself into the air and then I close my eyes, concentrating hard.
I imagine a huge, uncontrollable tornado ripping through the mogs and into Setrakus. I can feel the winds picking up around me, and I can hear the others calling out desperately, trying to stop me. But this has to be done.
I release my energy and open my eyes.
A black monster-like tornado rips across the plain towards Setrakus and the mogs. The mogs in the army scream and try to escape, running for their lives but they can't. The tornado rips them up and throws the ash away. It's too strong and they're too weak.
"John!" Ella shrieks. The others are huddling together, trying to protect themselves as best they can. I zoom down as the tornado nears closer and closer. I hear Setrakus laughing but I have to save the others.
"John!" I hear Ella scream again. I watch as BK sprints over to them again and throws himself at their feet, huddled there in fear. I land and sprint towards them, aware of the monster like tornado nearing closer and closer. I throw myself at them, covering us all in a force field shield as the tornado hits us.
It's like being tossed around and around in a washing machine. I can feel us all tumble over and over but we're safe from the worst of the storm. I reach out with my mind, trying to control the storm and gradually it eases. I try to calm it down so that it's just a fierce wind but not a deadly tornado.
Everything suddenly goes still and I open my eyes. Unbelievable. Setrakus stands a few metres in front of me but he's pale, so pale. He's close to dead; it took all his energy to save himself against the storm I created.
Mogs pick themselves up from the ground and I hear Nine commanding the others to fight again. I close my eyes and then summoning the last of Pittacus' strength, I launch a final deadly blow of telekinetic power towards Setrakus. He blocks it with a slash of his wrist but he doesn't expect the next blow.
He's sent flying, landing on his back. I jog up to him, the sword of Pittacus clutched in my hand. The remaining mogs who survived the tornado, a 100 or so, are fighting the others. There's nothing in this moment but Setrakus and I.
He's lying on his back, wheezing, as blood dribbles down his chin. His cruel eyes are filled with fear and his weapons are scattered around him. There are piles of ash around him and I realise I've done more than just hurt Setrakus. I've broken him.
"You were never going to win" I whisper, pressing the blade of the sword against his neck. This is it but I'm going to take my time. I need vengeance.
"You may think you've won" Setrakus wheezes. "But Six is still dead and your precious little planet will never be the same as it once was" he promises me. I snarl and dig the sword in deeper towards his neck.
"It's over" I promise. "Your mission, your life is over. You were never going to win" I grin victoriously. "You're nothing"
His eyes widen in horror and fear, knowing I've hit his weak point. I stare down at the cold face of my enemy, having dreamed of this moment for so long. But now I'm here, all I can think is how pathetic he is. I shake my head in disgust.
"You're nothing" I repeat. He shakes his head to say something but I raise the sword up, so it's above his heart. His eyes widen.
"Please!" he begs but I laugh bitterly, shaking my head. I look up at the sky, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
This is it, the moment we've been waiting for. This is it.
The end.
I bring the sword down into his heart.
Xxx
Third POV
Nothing happens for a moment. The sword pierces the Mogadorian Leader's heart but nothing happens. The boy, the destined leader, furrows his brow in confusion and fear, not sure why it's not working.
Everything goes silent for a moment. The Mogadorians watch as their leader begins to laugh, a terrible laugh that echoes around the still plain. The Garde shares horrified looks with each other; panic as cold as ice racing into their veins.
But there is a change. The mog leader picks himself up onto his knees, the sword still stuck in his chest. It may look like nothing, not much blood and definitely no dying, but deep in his body things begin to happen. It's a burning sensation, like his soul is being ripped from his bones.
The mog leader staggers towards the boy who steps back, his once triumphant face a mask of horror. The mog reaches for the hilt of the sword and tries to pull it back but it glows and his hand is burnt.
The burning sensation in the mog leader's body begins to worsen as he staggers away from the Garde. He's scared, scared in a way he's never felt before. He has to get away; he has to get help… he has to get away.
He stumbles towards his ship, the burning getting worse and worse. If he checked he would see that his body is becoming thinner, smaller as he walks. It's literally disappearing into thin air. His skin is decaying and his muscles are shaking.
"You're dying, can't you see?!" the Garde, Nine, calls out. His voice isn't triumphant, just exhausted. The mog leader refuses to listen and staggers away, his hands clutching the sword.
"Stop this! You can't get away!" the Garde continue to call out but the mog doesn't listen. He's becoming delirious now, being scared and in pain does that to someone. He just has to get away…he has to find her, Arya… He needs her.
Flakes of the mog leader's skin begin to peel off and float away, turning into ash in front of him. The mog leader wheezes and stops, his hand on his heart and the sword that won't move. He turns to face the boy, the boy who beat him as his body begins to wilt and disintegrate.
"You may think you've won…but you haven't" he says, his face almost regretful. Almost. He tries to say something else, a name, when his body succumbs to the magic of the sword and he crumples into ash.
There's a sigh in the air and then in front of the Garde's stunned eyes, the mogs begin to turn to ash themselves. Their weapons fall to the floor as they crumple into nothing, not making a noise, just disappearing. Soon there's nothing but ash and dust on the planet that was once so beautiful.
It's finally over.
The boy that ended it all stumbles forward, towards his friends. His face is determined again and he switches on the lumen in his hands, intending to wake the planet up. The Garde link hands as the boy takes a deep breathe; they all know this is it. The moment they've been waiting for.
The boy closes his eyes and angles the beams down onto the surface of the planet. It shines far down into the core of the planet where there's nothing but darkness…and a small glistening light. This used to be the heart of the planet, something that was broken after the mogadorian attack.
The light touches the heart, the core of the planet and the light begins to flicker, growing, expanding. It begins to rise, getting stronger and hotter. The planet begins to wake up, begins to respond to this change in the centre of the planet.
On the surface a strong wind begins to pick up. The Garde look around in confusion, as the wind gets stronger, knocking them to their feet. They shout to one another but they're buffeted around and they can't do anything against it.
The light from inside the planet suddenly swarms up to the surface and the bright light and heat and wind knocks the Garde to their knees. They collapse in exhaustion as the bright light spreads over the surface and throughout the whole body of the planet. The remains of the mogs are removed and the light vanishes. The wind drops and there's nothing left but the Garde and the chimaera.
And deep in the planet, the heart starts beating again.
At last, Lorien awakens.
So, is Six really dead? You'll have to wait and see XD There'll be one more chapter and then one or two epilogues. The first epilogue will be right after the war, the second one will be right in their future, when they're adults.
Hope you enjoyed!