Chapter 33

The glory of the morning sun woke the plains of northern Gondowan. The expanse of land shone pale, every blade of tan grass shining with dew. The area outside Tolbi was not exotic by any means, but it was average, like the people who once lived there. The wind came in low and singed the tall grass, making it billow in the cold breeze. Trees were few and far between, but the one or two that could be seen were impressive, soaring high into the pure blue sky. These expanses of tall grass were peaceful, with not a voice to be heard. But as one gravitated to the east, closer to the Karagol Sea, it was clear what made the land so quiet. The city of Tolbi had grown since the arrival of Alex five years before. The city was a wonder of stone, its design once echoing Lemuria, now pure white and intimidating. Military forces filled every crevice of the town, their tents silent, waiting for the order to be sent off. At the north end of the city, the Colosseum still stood, its figure more impressive than ever. Today, it stood as a training ground for the thousands of Tolbi soldiers, no longer opening its door once a year to house the massive event of Colloso. But the villagers did not argue this. In fact, most of the villagers had been put in the army, brainwashed by Maskah and made powerful by Alex. The women and children who were deemed too weak to fight were locked up in the ever-expanding dungeons beneath Tolbi's Palace.

It was here, at the Palace, where everything happened. Behind the stone doors, the front hallway opened impressively to anyone privileged enough to enter there. Statues of Babi that had once stood there were gone, replaced by statues of an unknown soldier; his face set, the crest of Tolbi shining on his helmet. The hallway opened up to many rooms, many of them no longer in use. There was no planning needed for this war, therefore there was no need for generals or secretaries. Alex and Maskah were the only powers behind this war, the soldiers only fought because they were only under Maskah's mind control.

Up a flight of stairs, and you were at the throne room. A once lavish place, with red rugs and wildlife filling it, today it was pure white stone. On this particular day, as the pale sun shone into the open window, there were two figures in the throne room. A man and a woman, both in blue robes.

Mia was motionless, lying on the stone floor.

Alex snapped his eyes open. It was as if all his fury had been released with that attack. He was starting to gain some sort of knowledge about what it was. It was a psynergy that fed off the anger and pain in one's soul. Alex was an impressive adept but he was also haunted and infuriated by the memories of his past. Both of these things attributed in his ability to summon this dark psynergy.

All anger gone, Alex looked down at Mia's motionless body. His attack had clearly knocked her unconscious. She lay cold and relaxed on the stone white floor.

Something is wrong.

He leaned down to look closer at Mia, her mouth was shut, her eyes not closed in unconsciousness, but open, blank and fixed at the open window. Realizing in shock what the signs showed, Alex put a shaking hand on Mia's chest.

There was no beat.

Scared, Alex quickly put his ear to Mia's mouth.

There was no breathing.

Alex stopped. There must have been a mistake. Maskah had only been knocked out by this attack, what made Mia different? With no second thoughts, he put his palm on Mia's forehead. Her skin was cold to the touch. "Revive," he muttered, putting all his strength into the psynergy. The blue light was so strong it actually shone through Alex's hand, but nothing happened to Mia. Alex reluctantly pulled his hand back. He stared at Mia, shaking, as the truth became clear.

Mia was dead.

Alex was frozen there. This is not what he had wanted…not death…not for Mia. He had lost control, and this was the result. She was dead, and he had killed her. Alex stood up, but his legs crumbled beneath him, and he fell back, looking at Mia the whole time. He wanted to run from the room, but something kept him there, just staring at her. He could not come to terms with what he had done. He had thought that no psynergy was strong enough to kill, but this one…it was so different. He raised his own palm and looked at it, his eyes unfocused. Did he really have the potential to kill?

Of course I do. This is what I have been working for…to be strong enough to kill…

He looked at her body again. Her face was growing paler as death took the warmth from her body. She had been a strong spirit in life, Alex knew that best. And all he had wanted to do here was prove that he was over her. To prove that his lust for power surpassed all others.

If I truly want power more than anything else, I have to let her go.

But he couldn't. As a young man, something inside him had always had a soft spot for Mia. That something came back to him now, after all the anger, all the pain, he still had that soft spot. But she was gone. Never again would he see that blue sparkle in her eyes, never again would he fail to speak in her presence. Only minutes ago, in life, he had not wanted her. But now he knew the error of his ways.

Nothing was ever more important to me than her.

Then, at the saddest point in his life, at the most unwelcome time possible, there came a loud knock on the throne room door. The sound jarred him. He had forgotten that there was a world outside of this room. He gave no answer to the knock, and without warning, the door burst open.

Maskah burst into the room, followed by a stumbling Piers, who's head was in a black cloth bag. Alex stood up at this sudden entrance.

Maskah stopped in his tracks as he saw Mia's body. It distracted him for a moment, but he had come with a purpose, and that took priority. "Master," he declared.

Alex had to appear composed, he could not show weakness. He took a deep breath, glancing at Piers, and answered, "Yes, Maskah?"

Maskah grabbed Piers by the collar and dragged him forward, "This adept…he managed to find a way out of his cell," Maskah grinned as he thought of how pleased his master would be, "I caught him trying to release the girl. I threatened her, and he came quietly," he sneered, looking at the cloth bag covering Piers' face.

Normally, this would have surprised Alex. For one, he had specifically told his soldiers to keep the two adepts separate. And not only that, he had thought his cell locks would have put up resistance to ice.

But he was in no mood for any of this. His mind was slowly crumbling to depression as his thoughts turned back to Mia. He had no desire to talk to Maskah, nor did he feel he had to punish Piers.

Alex sighed, "Take him from me, Maskah. Lock him up in a cell far away from the girl, and with a stronger lock this time."

Maskah looked strangely at his master. Usually, he took any opportunity to punish the adepts, and this was certainly a break in character. But Maskah was there to follow orders, and he turned towards the door, grabbing Piers again. He opened the door, but a question burned to be asked and Maskah turned back to Alex, Piers still in the doorway, "Is the blue-haired girl dead?"

Alex, who's gaze had fallen back to Mia, snapped his head up and hissed, "What did you say?"

Maskah, starting to think he had angered his master, quietly asked again, "Is the girl dead?"

Then Piers, who had been silent, spoke out through the mask, distressed, "Mia?!?"

Alex seethed, how dare Maskah question him, how dare Piers say her name? In life and in death, Mia was his! Anger boiling over, he yelled at the insolent man, "Get out!!"

Shocked, Maskah quickly turned away and pushed Piers out. He stumbled out, scared at his master's anger.

Alex watched as the door slammed shut. His anger slowly left as he looked back at Mia.

A wave of hopelessness came over him then, as the silence suffocated around him. He realized then, what it was all about. His empire, his rise to power, it was all nothing. She had been the reason for his anger, the reason he left to pursue a life in power. He fell to his knees as the hopelessness took his strength. He stared at her, tears forming in his eyes. He was disgusted at himself for showing emotion, but he knew there was nothing but emotion left. There was no point in continuing. What would be the objective? To kill Isaac? He meant nothing to Alex.

He may have stolen my power, but it was a power I did not need.

Mia had been his whole life. And by stealing hers, he jeopardized his own. He lacked the will to continue.

It would be so easy to end it now.

But he had come so far…

Then, in a blinding flash of realization, he knew what he had to do. There was only one person who he could talk to, one person he needed.

Sheba.