Chapter 16: "Helios?!"

"How could she do this to me?!" Damious yelled as he looked at his torn lip in the mirror. Then, using his dark crystal, he healed his lip. "She's so lucky that I haven't destroyed her precious Helios yet!" Remembering Helios, he turned around to face his still form. As he looked at Helios, he noticed something strange was happening. A gold light was pulsating from Helios' hand. The same gold light that had saved Rini from disaster several times before. "It was you!" Damious screamed at him. "You managed to save her, but how?! I had you trapped this whole time!" Suddenly, Damious glanced at his viewing mirror and noticed that Rini was in the castle! "She's arrived!" he exclaimed with shock. But then, he suddenly relaxed and smiled that wicked smile of his. "Well, I must welcome my guest and make her feel right at home." Then, as he grinned at Helios, he added, "I'm sure she misses you so much. But don't worry. She will see you very soon." With this said, Damious touched his black crystal and suddenly, his appearance changed. Helios watched in shock as Damious took on a new appearance, one that Helios recognized immediately. Himself!

Damious laughed mockingly at Helios as he exclaimed, "I have a feeling that I will win Rini over for sure this time! But don't feel bad, Helios. In a way, it will be like we're both having Rini!" With that, he vanished in a blaze of black smoke, leaving Helios alone once again.

"That sick bastard!" Helios thought to himself angrily. I won't let him do this!" Suddenly, the golden crystal began to glow again. "My golden crystal has awakened!" Helios thought with excitement. "Rini's presence in the castle must have revived it. I must use it now and stop Damious!" With that, Helios summoned the power of the crystal and used it to free himself from his suspended state. As soon as he was free, Helios fell to floor, feeling very tired and sore. He tried very hard to get up, but the spell had weakened him. He lay on the floor, wanting to just lie there and rest for a moment. But then he remembered Rini and the horrible trick Damious was about to use on her. He couldn't let Damious win! He summoned all his strength and slowly stood up. Helios tried to move as fast as he could, but every step he took was torture. His whole body felt as though it was on fire, but he didn't care. He gritted his teeth and moved onward, his mind focused on one thing only. "I must ...save her," he moaned in pain as he staggered toward the door and opened it. Even opening the door was a challenge for him as he pulled it open, pain shooting thru his arms and hands. Finally, the door stood open and Helios staggered out of the room, hoping he would find Rini before Damious did.

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"Helios, where could you be?" Rini wondered as she walked down the main hallway of the castle. As she glanced around the hall, she noticed that all the furniture was dusty and worn out, as well as the walls and the floor. "This place seems...dead," Rini thought to herself. "I could never live in such a place as this," she thought, remembering her palace in Crystal Tokyo. Remembering its' warm and inviting atmosphere. The bright colors and beautiful fragrances of flowers. But this place, it was the exact opposite. No colors, no light, and it certainly didn't smell inviting. Finally, Rini reached the end of the hall and came upon two sets of doors. She took a deep breath as she slowly opened the doors, wondering what would lie behind these doors.

As the door closed behind her after entering the room, Rini gasped with amazement. This room, this enormous room was nothing like the hallway she had just seen. This room was breathtakingly beautiful! The whole room, from the ceiling, floor, to the walls was made up of mirrors! The carpets and the draperies were golden-colored and magnificent chandeliers hung on the ceiling, filling the room with golden rays of light. Suddenly, Rini remembered what had happened before, in the hall of mirrors, and immediately glanced around at her reflections in the mirrors. She made movements and gestures, checking to see if the reflections were indeed hers. When they did exactly as she did, she breathed a sigh of relief and walked toward the center of the room. Suddenly, she stopped as she heard footsteps coming from the opposite end of the room. Rini immediately started to panic as she realized that whoever this was, they were headed right for her!

"Don't be afraid, Rini. It's me," called forth an oddly familiar voice from the far end of the room.

"That voice," Rini began, her voice quivering, "I know that voice!"

Then, someone, a young man, entered the room and began walking toward Rini. A young man whom Rini recognized immediately.

Rini could feel the tears in her eyes fall down her cheeks as she cried out, "Helios?!"

"Yes, my love. It is I, Helios," he replied, outstretching his arms to her.

Rini immediately ran towards him, crying tears of joy, smiling. As soon as she reached him, she threw herself into his arms and continued to cry.

"Oh Helios!" she exclaimed, "I didn't think I'd ever find you! You don't know how happy I am to be able to feel you and actually see you see!"

As Rini said this and continued to embrace him, she did not notice the evil grin and look on this imposter's face. Rini had no way of knowing that she was embracing Damious! "At last, Rini belongs to me now!" he thought triumphantly as he tilted her chin up slowly with one of his hands. She smiled up at him with a look of pure love and happiness. Then, he slowly bent his head toward her as she closed her eyes, waiting for the kiss. Just as their lips were about to touch, a cry rang out through the room.

"Don't, Rini!"

They both pulled away as they glanced towards the end of the room, seeing a man staggering towards them. Rini gasped with shock as she saw who this man was. She then began to glance back and forth between the two men, totally confused and afraid. She called out to the man, tension clearly showing in her voice as she called out, "Helios?!"

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AN: Sorry it took so long, but I finished the story and I will post it all today. Then it's on to write another fic. Please Review.

Dream Sovereign