Breaks:
[L1,2 or 3] represents the beginning of a flashback to one of Elena's past lives. There is more than one past life, which is why I have put up the numbers. Though, these memories are usually told as she sleeps and Elena herself cannot remember them.
[/L1,2 or 3] represents the end of a flashback to one of Elena's past lives.
[P] represents the beginning of a retelling of a memory in Elena's current life.
[/P] represents the end of a retelling of a memory in Elena's current life.
~3~ is just a time skip
AN: Enjoy the story!
"People of the Sadida, we are here to help you!" The villagers had all gathered at the bottom of the cliff that I stood atop, along with Amalia and the rest of her friends. Amalia stood at the forefront of the group, the rest of us at her sides, with Moon perched upon her shoulder. "Your high priest is an evil man, who is using you in his quest for power! Your true leader is Botan Ficus and contrary to what Saul has told you, he isn't dead! He'll soon be here, and now that we've ridden you of that bad apple Saul, you'll be able to resume normal lives!"
As she spoke, an ominous feeling loomed behind me and had me stiffen. With a slow turn, I took in where everyone was. There was Yugo to my right, who took in what Amalia had to say with an air of curiosity. On my left stood the rest of Yugo and Amalia's friends, not a person missing as they listened intently to Amalia's speech.
"This calls for a Sadida party!" Amalia finished with a shout and my attention reverted back to her.
At that moment, a sudden rush of static crawled along my skin, then- as though her words were cause for divine intervention- lightning struck the ground and black clouds materialized above us. The ground began to shake beneath us with enough force for the totem gate to crumble, which nearly knocked us all over. A flash of white light appeared out of nowhere and blinded me, and a sound similar to a crack of thunder and an explosion at the same time reverberated through the air with enough force to knock me off my feet.
There was a deafening ring in my ears and I couldn't see even though I knew my eyes were open. A sharp wind had begun to batter against my clothes and whip through my hair. But before I or anyone could recover, someone grabbed my arm and yanked me off my feet.
A cold hand had clamped around my neck and I cried out in alarm. An arm had snaked around my waist to keep me still against a bony chest, and the grip on my throat tightened painfully in response to my scream.
With a tug on my wrists, my hands were forcefully pinned against my upper back and were kept there by a rough rope that tied the joints together. Suddenly, any chance of freeing myself went up in smoke. Panic washed over me as my vision came back and I was able to see what had happened.
Amalia and her friends had been knocked down to the ground, but were quick to get back onto their feet. Yugo was the only one who had yet to get up and Moon was beside him, hissing angrily in my direction. When I glanced up to see who had captured me, I felt myself freeze as I recognized their mask.
It looked happy, mouth frozen in a laugh and round eyes wide. White gobball fleece covered the wearer's head, but I knew already that this was the same person who had burned my original mask all those years ago.
A laugh built up in his chest before he let it out, the sound deranged and twisted. Then my eyes landed on a familiar object that this person held up proudly in their right hand, and my heart began to pound even louder in my ears. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes and I fought to hold them back as I struggled to be freed.
"The power!" Saul laughed (for who else could this person be?), and a pillar of green light erupted around us. It burned my skin, and if I had more air in my lungs I would have screamed from the pain. "Years I've waited for this very moment! You shouldn't leave your things lying around like that, little monkey!"
There was a noise that sounded somewhat like my name in the distance, but I could hardly pay attention. I was much more focused upon what now felt like bubbling all over my skin. Quickly my gaze dropped to my legs- the easiest part of me that I could see which showed my skin- and a terror I had never known suddenly grasped at my insides.
Unwittingly, hot tears began to run down my cheeks at the sight- though I could feel them evaporate as they left my eyes due to the heat around me- and what little breath I had became stuck in my throat. I could see how my flesh had turned red before bits and pieces of my skin had begun to shave away from my leg as though it were a cintronana peel. Then those flakes turned black and got caught in the current of green energy from the pillar, along with the blotches of red that was my blood, and began to follow it upwards.
I must have lost consciousness then, for the next thing I know, I was jolted painfully to one side as I caught sight of Saul brandishing Moon's hammer.
"Bow to the new power of Saul!" He laughed, the sound loud enough to rattle my brain, and a tower of wooden totems were called forth.
Unfortunately, Moon slammed right into the brunt of the attack, and my eyes widened in shock for my little friend. I tried to called out to Moon, but the hand over my throat tightened it's hold and effectively cut me off.
With my momentary chance at freedom from the pain taken away, I didn't know what else I could do. My struggling seemed to be useless, and I was certain that if I stayed in this pillar of heat for any longer I'd die!
Suddenly the world around me went on mute as that thought went through my mind. The throb of my heartbeat drummed in my ears, my quickened breaths burned in my lungs and my skin felt as though it were calcined. Then, something within me seemed to... crack.
"Exactly," Saul's voice was distant, like he spoke from the other end of a long tunnel, even though I knew he spoke right beside my ear. "Your magic is mine. Dare attack me again, little monkey, and this demon you're so fond of will perish!"
It was slow at first, like a faucet that had been partially opened. A cool sensation, like a balm, began to run through my senses as something similar- but not quite the same- as my magic began to run through me. Then, like a dam had burst open from a leak, this new energy rushed throughout my body; instantly senses were sharpened and wounds were healed.
My eyes snapped open, the new energy rush potent with it's effects. There was a snap of rope from somewhere high above, the sound nearly inaudible, followed by the sudden rush of air around something heavy that had begun to fall. All around us, houses crashed to the ground, the sound nearly deafening to me, and caused a large dust cloud to kick up from the debris.
From somewhere in front of me I heard the voice of the lady who was introduced as Evangeline. She called after Yugo who had run forwards when the dust cloud appeared, and briefly I worried for his safety. The thought was quickly knocked away, however, as Saul's minacious tone rang near my ear again.
"It's no use!" Saul cackled, and my eyes widened in shock as I noticed a barrage of light arrows appear out of the dust, to fly directly towards us. Before they could dissolve in the green light of the energy pillar that surrounded Saul and I, the arrows were suddenly absorbed by a portal.
By a portal that I hadn't made.
At this point the dust began to settle, and before I could think on why there was a portal any longer, my attention was brought to Evangeline as she muttered a curse under her breath. "Just missed," she hissed after, her form now barely visible. Unfortunately her words had been said just loud enough to catch Saul's attention, and the deranged Shaman waisted no time to bring down Moon's war hammer in her direction.
Wooden totems sprouted out of the ground at Saul's command of the hammer. Faster than the speed of a felled tree the totems grew and smashed directly into an unsuspecting Evangeline and anyone who had been beside her. The blonde only let out a groan, but I was certain that I heard something snap from the impact.
It was at that same moment that Saul began to chortle with glee, clearly happy that he had succeeded with his hit, in which the grip on my neck had loosened. Teeth grit so that I wouldn't bite off my own tongue, I let my weight drop completely. The underside of my jaw slammed into Saul's wrist with enough force for the joint to bend unnaturally. My body tipped forwards as Saul instinctively pulled his arm away and, with a surge of physical strength I didn't know I could have, a resounding snap came from behind me and my skin burned around my wrists.
But my hands were finally free. Instinctively they shot out in front me, and my heart skipped a beat as I felt my magic rush forwards through my palms. Before any conscious thoughts of doing so could enter my mind, a portal appeared before me. I ducked into a roll as I reappeared behind the group of travelers- who was one redhead short- and let out a small breath of relief as I saw Saul erect a totem where I had been about to fall moments before.
My eyes darted to my wrists, and I marveled at how the angry, torn skin of where the rope had been forcefully removed had begun to stitch itself back together smoothly. Within seconds my skin looked smooth to the touch. Only a shade off from my usual skin tone, was a long line around my wrists- the only evidence left that I had been hurt. It made me wonder if I had experienced a boost of energy like this before, when I was younger.
Carefully I examined my body. Like my wrists my lower legs were now covered in thin silvery lines that were barely noticeable. I turned my arm in my peripheral and ran a hand down the smooth skin that had those same lines- only from my shoulders down to my elbows. More tears fell down my face as a swell of relief rushed out of me at both the sight and feel of being alright.
When I lifted up a pant leg to see my knees (the fabric torn so much I wasn't sure if I'd be able to mend it later), I noticed how the skin there was only red. Apparently it was only my skin with direct contact to the green energy in that pillar that had been severely harmed.
A cry caught my attention then, and I looked up. Just above the image of Saul appearing from within the settling dust cloud, was the red head of the group. With one hand he clung to the bottom most rails of a house, a being created from pure shadows dangled in front of him. With a slash of Rubliax's blade, the red head kicked a leg forwards suddenly and managed to land a hit on the shadow being. As the thing fell from the house, the red head scrambled to the top of the house with Rubilax raised above his head, aimed at the single rope left that held the entire structure up in the trees.
Unknowing of what was happening above him, Saul yelled out in our direction angrily. "Your finished now!" He held Moon's hammer above his head ominously. "By the power of the ancestral hammer!"
The blonde in the group looked up to the house quickly and spotted the red head. "Dally, cut the rope!" she yelled up at him, and my brows furrowed in confusion. I thought for certain that he had called himself something different when he had introduced himself... not that I remembered what the name even was at the moment.
"Understood!" Dally yelled back down to us, a toothy smile on his face as he approached the rope.
The shadow creature landed on top of Saul at the same moment that Evangeline had yelled, and the green pillar of light he had summoned disappeared as the evil Shaman collapsed from the sudden weight dropped on him.
"A rope for Eva!" Dally chimed happily, and I was certain that I noticed his sword's one eye roll at his wielder's tone. Then the house plummeted and his expression dropped. The red head reached out for the rope in front of him, but missed and let out a frightened yelp.
Without thinking on it, I immediately help up my hands. A portal appeared below the man and swallowed him whole, before a second one was created beside the group of travelers, and spat him back out. As his body rolled to a stop at Amalia's feet, the house that Dally had cut crashed into the ground in front of us.
Large pieces of the house flew in our general direction. My hands flew up, and portals appeared before us to absorb them, as though they were two giant shields. My eyes widened as I took notice of how Yugo used portals of his own. As though we had planned it, portals opened on either side of the group and shot the debris that had been absorbed into the surrounding forest.
When the brilliant light of the portals had disappeared, the only noise was of Dally as he regurgitated his stomach contents on Amalia's bare feet. The green haired teen squealed in disgust as the rest of us grimaced at the sight.
"I think I would have preferred the fall..." Dally breathed when he was done, ignoring the curses that Amalia shot his way as she desperately tried to get the stuff of her feet. He shook his red locks out of his face and his sword laughed from the man's lap as he brought up a hand to cover his mouth. "Ugh, why do your portals do this to me Yugo...!"
It was then I noticed how said boy had spun around in surprise after our portals had disappeared, his eyes wide as he spotted me. At his name mentioned, he seemed to get torn from his thoughts just long enough to look over at the red head with a frown. "It wasn't my portals this time." he stated then, and a smile was on his face as he looked back at me again. "They were Elena's."
The rest of the group turned to spot me as well. My heart beat a little faster when I noticed their expressions relax and their eyes warm at the sight of me- something I had never seen before. A heat started on my cheeks and crawled down my neck as if I had just gained a sunburn at the sight. Then a ball of brown fur darted between their bodies, and I only had the time to brace myself before it crashed into my arms.
"Moon," I stumbled back from the force of his hug, but soon wrapped my arms underneath of him so that he wouldn't fall. His entire body shook, and I could hear his soft whimpers against my clothes as he rubbed his face in my tunic. My chest warmed at the affection just as much as it shocked me. "I'm sorry I worried you." I quietly muttered as I hunched my body around Moon's small frame to cuddle him better. Hitherto this moment, I hadn't thought that anyone would worry over my well-being so much.
As I pet Moon's soft fur, my head goes up at the noise of someone's pain-filled groan. Eyes on Evangeline, I take in how she has a hand on her right shoulder, where the joint looks off compared to the rest of her frame. My eyes travel away from her and I take in how everyone except for Amalia seems to be injured.
The old man- whom I've also forgotten the name of- used a golden shovel to keep himself upright. Dark red stains could be seen dampening his clothes and I realized that he must have reopened his injury somehow. There was a tired look in the way that Yugo held himself, his arm that should have still been in a sling dangled limply at his side and the hand on his uninjured arm looked to be completely red. Moon shuffled in my arms as he lifted a hand to brush against my neck softly. His touch had me look down at him and I realized with shock how his face was now bruised up, his fur all rumpled.
"Your all hurt." I stated, which drew their attention towards me. There was a frown on my face as I stared at them, one hand contently brushing through Moon's soft fur. "I can get you remedies to heal, if you'd like."
The group blinked at me, probably surprised, before smiles broke out on their faces. Before anything else could be said, a sudden pulse of power rushed through the area like a wave, which knocked us all off our feet.
Attention redirected, the party of travelers and I watched with a sudden dread at how the green colored energy appeared to pierce the heavens again. Like some sort of zombie that came back from the dead, Saul floated up in the energy's center with a crooked laugh on his tongue.
"Was that your heaviest shot?!" he cackled, to which Moon growled and hopped down from my arms.
"Not by a long shot!" Amalia called out, hands alight in green as she went forwards to place her hands on the ground in front of her. "Wild Grass!"
A tremble went through the ground at the green-haired teen's command. Then thick brambles sprouted out of the earth, their girth thickened by the second as they shot towards Saul. But the plants couldn't touch him. As the brambles came in contact with the pillar of energy they burned and withered away, flecks of their matter turned black as it got swept away in the flow. Saul laughed triumphantly at the sight, and I couldn't hold back the growl of my own in frustration.
"Did you really think you could defeat a God?" Saul mocked, and I felt a cold chill go down my spine. He held Moon's hammer aloft and a strong wind kicked up, nearly knocking the group and I over for a third time with it's fierce strength.
"Kanniballs, listen to me!" Surprised my head turned so quickly towards the voice, I almost received whiplash. It was Botan Ficus, the old man now finally here to speak for himself. "Do not let your fear sway you! Together, we can uproot this usurper!"
Slowly as to not loose my balance, I bent down in a crouch to be lower to the ground. Now with my chances of being blown over lower, I watched as masked faces began to appear from within the tree line. They seemed unsure at first, but at Botan's continued insistence they came out from the forest. Gradually they made their way around the group of travelers and I, only to go down on their knees and bow until their masks touched the ground before Saul.
Moon crawled up beside me, his fingers and toes dug deeply in the dirt to keep his resistance against the wind. There was an angry look to Moon's face as he took in Saul's levitated form, but I found that it wasn't nearly as scary as when I had been in the twisted Shaman's clutches.
Just beside Moon was Yugo, he struggled to stay upright against the wind but hadn't fallen yet. On my other side was Evangeline, along with Dally- who had a protective hold over the blonde as they braced against the gale. Amalia was just beyond Evangeline and Dally, and she gritted her teeth hard as she concentrated on her magic in the brambles. The old man's golden shovel had dug deep into the ground and I could see droplets of crimson drip into the wind as he clutched onto the tool for dear life.
"So you did survive, old man...!" Saul's voice sneered, "you should have stayed dead."
"You underestimate the strength of these people, Saul!" Botan replied easily, and the ground around the villagers began to glow. Green tendrils of power raced through the ground towards Botan, and the man lifted up his staff in front of him. "For the Kanniball's power comes from within!"
As if to declare his statement as something absolute, Botan slammed the butt of his staff to the ground. Amalia let out a surprised gasp then as the energy was redirected towards her, and her skin began to glow green. Newly empowered, her brambles reached forwards through the energy pillar without injury and wrapped themselves hungrily around Saul's sickly frame.
My amazement from this feat did not last long however, as a raving laugh bubbled out of Saul's lips. "That's it? You really think you can hold me down with these bit's of string?!" With those words said, the green energy pillar around Saul seemed to pulse. My skin crawled as I felt the energy around Saul spike with something sinister, and the plants slowly began to dissolve under the new pressure.
In desperate attempt to keep Saul still, Amalia had new brambles appear to wrap around the old ones. It was fairly obvious, however, that it would not last. My heart skipped a beat in my chest- Saul will not stay restrained for long.
"He's too strong...!" Evangeline whispered then, voice filled with fear. My eyes darted over to her, and I saw how Dally glared at Saul even as he tightened his grip around the blonde.
Moon managed to move in front of me then, and I saw the determination still set in his eyes. A low growl that I shouldn't have been able to hear caught my attention a moment later, and I was drawn to Yugo. His hands were clenched tight at his sides, his azure eyes narrowed at Saul. I looked down at my hands, my eyes caught on my new scars, and an idea occurred to me.
"Yugo, Moon." I called as I moved between them. Yugo glanced at me, something akin to surprise in his eyes, and Moon only let out a grunt to let me know he had heard. In a voice just low enough to be heard by the two, I told them my plan.
With each draw of breath, Amalia seemed to grow more tired. Even with how green her skin glowed, I could see the clear strain it took on her to keep up with Saul's magic. Yugo and I stood up then, determination in our gazes.
Moon darted ahead of us, and we dashed behind him.
"Stupid children," Saul mocked, though there was a clear annoyance to his tone. "You're doing this again are you?!"
There was a gasp from somewhere behind us as Saul took that moment to finally break free. Faster than I had ever done before in my life, magic gathered into the palms of my hands. Yugo called out Moon's name as we both skidded to a halt, and my tailed companion snarled in response as he kept going.
"We'll see who's stupid...!" I heard Yugo growl under his breath as he created a portal with his uninjured arm.
"Now!" I yelled out, as Saul swiped the hammer down towards us. Moon took that moment to leap up at Saul with his fangs bared menacingly.
At the same moment, Yugo and I created our portals. Before Saul's totem could slam into Moon, the two portals appeared, one much larger than the next. Moon disappeared into the smaller one that Yugo had created as the totem was absorbed into my larger one.
A sharp pain shot up my spine as the portal absorbed the totem, and my body began to become cold. Shivers ran across my body as I watched Moon appear from another portal Yugo had made and tackle down Saul. The totem stopped growing as soon as the evil Shaman stopped concentrating on it, and I closed the portal. With a half turn of my body, I realized that my arms shook as I raised them to open the second portal somewhere far away from where we were.
Groans of trees that fell and their branches that snapped soon reached us, before the top of the totem appeared just above the forest canopy.
Arms like lead, they fell to my sides limply. My knees locked as I felt the muscles of my legs shake, and I feared that they would give out on me at any moment. There was a loud ring that began to sound in my ears and I quickly realized that whatever had come over me when I was in Saul's energy pillar was now receding. If I wasn't careful, I would crash, and who knows what would happen to me then?
Light headed, I blinked as I turned in Moon's direction only to see that there were two of him. With his hammer now in his hand, both versions of Moon gleefully jumped up and down as two versions of a large stone totem sprouted from the ground to pierce the sky above.
With a shake of my head to try and rid myself of the double vision, I cringed. That had only made a dull ache- which I hadn't known was present until then- more prominent. Blue came into my field of vision, and I blinked as I looked up to the owner. It was Yugo, and he had an expression on his face as though he had expected something of me. I furrowed my brows in confusion as I tried to listen when I saw his mouth move to form words, but his words were still drowned by the ringing.
One or two forced blinks had Yugo become a single person again, and I noted how there seemed to be another odd look in his eyes as he stared at me. A jolt ran up arm as I felt someone had grabbed me again, and with a sudden head-rush that would have me dizzy, everything refocused. A buzz seemed to overtake my senses as I instantly jumped away from the touch as though I had been burned, my magic a sudden thrum under my skin.
Heart-rate doubled in pace, my eyes landed on Yugo and I paused. There was a look in his eyes that seemed to be hurt, mixed in with his surprise. We were both quiet as we took in what happened, before Dally came over to sling his arm around Yugo's neck happily.
As he was dragged away to the group who now surrounded Amalia, I became keenly aware of the entire village that was slowly getting back up onto their feet. My eyes went wide as they all began to surround us, surround me. Instantly my mind went back to when I was last surrounded by them while at the same time registering how the sudden fatigue from earlier could come back at any moment. Suddenly terrified, fear seized me as I imagined myself fainting before the villagers- forcing me to be at their mercy- and I knew I couldn't stay there.
No other thought went through my mind as I swiftly opened my portals, desperate to leave. It was the fastest that I had ever traveled as I made my way back up to the Summit Tree alone.
AN: A lot shorter than normal, but I figured that the battle needed it's own chapter. If I added the rest here... well it just got a little too long. You know? Anywho, I'd be happy to hear what you think!
