"Master! Don't worry Master I'll save you," Majic hollered. Sweat dripped down his face, arms quivering. Power surged through his core, into his hands. Chest heaving, he threw fireballs at the large beast. Not long after his sister's death, the land was overrun by living statues. All of them were made of magic resistant material. A black stone with an oily sheen to it. This particular one was modeled after a dragon. "I refuse to let you take another loved one from me!"
Sparks flew as his fire magic rolled down the beast's back. It shook, body silently shaking as it laughed without sound. Green eyes flashed and it flicked out a long tongue. Magic gathered at the back of its mouth. A bright glow. Then it froze.
"You leave my brother alone! Only I get to pick fights with Majic," Cleao screamed as she blasted through the beast's neck. Leki stood behind her, eyes bright. The beast's head rolled to a stop at Majic's feet as the stone crumbled apart. Cleao kicked one of the pieces. Tears formed in her eyes as she rubbed her sore foot. "Ouch! Maj-"
"Cleao! You're alive, you're alive…," Majic tackled his sister with a full-body hug. He picked up her and swept her around in a circle. Tears ran down his face. They mirrored the ones on his sister's face. "I thought I'd lost you."
"Leki saved me," Cleao sobbed out. For a moment she held him tight. Her ribs ached from the force of his hug. The forest could burn and she wouldn't care. Then she pulled a handkerchief from a pocket. She wiped away her brother's tears, then her own.
"Thank you, Le- AHH! A monster! I'll protect you," Majic turned around to face the Deep Dragon. He went pale and jumped three feet. Hands filled with more magic as he stood between the new threat and his sister. A hand smacked the back of his head. "Ow! Cleao, that was mean."
"That's Leki you idiot," Cleao snapped out, one hand flipping her hair over her shoulder. Blue eyes glared at her brother who was turning red. "You know what a Deep Dragon looks like."
"Yes…, but…, he's so big," Majic rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head with one hand. The other was held up in a placating gesture. A ring glinted on his right hand. Cleao glanced at it, the ring looked familiar…
"Are you hurt," Cleao demanded. She poked and prodded at Majic, checking him for injuries. He indulged her with a resigned sigh before giggling as she found his ticklish areas. Leki padded closer and smiled a toothy grin at the flustered Majic.
"I'm fine, Cleao. Really. I've missed you so much. You are alive, I couldn't be better," Majic yelped, eyes glued to the large teeth. He gulped. Before he lost a hand, he shifted to place Cleao between him and the Deep Dragon. "The last time I saw him, he was…, small…, cute… ACK! You're still cute Leki."
"I missed you too," Cleao replied, eyes shiny. A bright smile crossed her face. The ring on her brother's hand flashed in the light. Behind her, the sun was setting over the forest canopy. Her eyes grew big. Mouth open, she grabbed his hand and pulled it close. Blue eyes inspected the ring.
"This is…," Cleao whispered, eyes widening. Mouth dry she clutched his wrist, bruises blossoming under her fingers. Heart beating against her ribcage she found it hard to get enough oxygen with each breath. Her brother tried to pry off her fingers. He failed. "Majic this is…!"
"The Ring of Isymaar," Majic replied. He winced and finally freed his wrist. Gently he rubbed the ring of fresh bruises. With his uninjured hand, he gestured towards a tower in the distance.
"How…?"
"Master and I met up here a month after you… disappeared. He managed to get his hands on it before we were overrun by monsters. I'm supposed to use it to save your sister while he fights off the Ancient One," Majic explained as he started walking towards the tower. His progress was halted by Cleao hugging him from behind.
"Don't. The ring has a high cost to use. To work, the ring drains the wearer's life force. A life for a life," Cleao whispered, tears running down her face. She tried to slip off the ring but couldn't. Majic stopped. Turned on his heel and grabbed her shoulders hard enough to bruise.
"And you were… what? Just going to die to save your sister? What about...No! No one wants that! I won't lose you again," Majic sniffled, eyes shiny. He grasped her hand. "We do this together. If…, if…, we split the cost between us… then no one has to die!"
"Majic… that might just work," Cleao gasped, a smile breaking across her lips. She hugged her brother tight enough his bones creaked. "Let's do this. We'll save them together!"
"Together we'll save our family," Cleao echoed. Hands clasped together, eyes closed, they tapped into their magic and the ring. Each breath they took was in sync. Leki stood close by, guarding the siblings.
Cleao saw the magic unfolding in her Third eye. Majic was an impossibly bright orb beside her. Silver threads connected them. They had threads going to others. Cleao smiled when she spotted a vibrant red thread on her left hand that continued in the distant fog. It was warm, like Orphen. Her fingers lightly touched each thread, feeling who it connected her to.
All of her threads were important. They were her story that spoke of her ties. All of her ties of family and ties of love. She gathered them, like her mother taught her. Cleao separated the two threads that reeked of illness. Majic glowed brighter and power flooded her. It was too much! She was going to drown.
The red thread tugged. It grew hot enough to burn her finger. Cleao focused on the pain, used it as her anchor. She channeled the power and sent it down the threads. Her magic guided her, showing where the illness tainted the threads. Each stained speck she purified. Burned it away with the power coursing through her.
Pain spiked in her body, but she ignored it. Then it was gone, replaced by soft warmth. Once the two threads were clean and healthy, she lightly tugged on the tie connecting her to Majic. It snapped.
Cleao dropped into the fog below her. Everywhere she glanced, the world was covered in thick mist. She shivered.
"Hello! Can anyone hear me," Cleao hollered. Her voice was muffled. No matter how loudly she screamed, it felt like she was whispering.
"Cleao! Please… Cleao, don't leave me again," Orphen's voice cut through the fog. It illuminated a trail. "I love you Cleao."
"I'm not going to leave you. I'm coming Orphen, you better wait for me!"
Cleao ran and ran. Each time she started to lose her way, Orphen's voice called out to her. It guided her through the fog. Eyes suddenly heavy, Cleao struggled to open them.
"Orphen…? Where…," Cleao gasped weakly. Her body throbbed and ached. She felt her body pulled into an embrace. Orphen's familiar scent and gruff voice greeted her. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Don't scare me like that ever again," Orphen demanded, his hands balling into fists clutching the fabric of her dress. "Cleao, I love you. I can't lose you."
"I love you too," Cleao replied, face damp with tears that aren't hers.
"Awww, Master and Cleao, you're so- Ow! Ow! I'm sorry!"
"Shut up Majic!" Cleao and Orphen yelled in unison. Leki barked from nearby. Something that had long been restless inside of her came to a halt at long last. Surrounded by Orphen, Majic, and Leki, she finally felt like she belonged. She was home.
Endnotes: I did it! 18 years later I finished this fanfiction. It has been a wild ride at times. I decided that in a year that seems to take and take, I wanted to give back.