-x-
silverdiadems presents
My Queen
a Mobile Legends: Bang Bang fanfiction
Disclaimer: I do not own the game/franchise Mobile Legends. This is a piece of fiction written based on the game, but is not canon or officially tied to the game's lore in any way. The right to the franchise belongs solely to Moonton.
Part II:
Crystallized Hope
"Come on, Nana. I'm taking you home."
The elf cat mage widened her violet eyes. "Home, Miss Miya? I don't have a home," she said, saddened with the realisation.
Miya kicked herself inwardly for the statement. The moonlight archer and her companion were sitting on one of the copper benches in Lorean's largest park, King's Park. After learning the presumed fate of the moon elves' king Estes, the two had taken to sitting here to get their act together.
"Sorry," Miya said, her tone softening from its usual sharpness. "But you have a home now, Nana. I'm sure my kin would welcome you as one of our own."
Nana's eyes widened and she smiled, ironic in the situation the duo were in. "Home," the feline murmured.
Miya used the reminiscing and silent Nana to her advantage- to finally clear her head and figure out what next. Home, then what? As much as Miya longed for Arelia (the lakeshore dwelling were her kin lived) she knew she couldn't stay.
She would be regarded as a failure. One gifted with the power but lacked the ability to use it to do what really mattered. Even her powers couldn't bring back the dead.
The hardest of all would be Neshya. Her friend has sent Miya on her way with so much hope in her blue eyes- it was as if she had never considered for a moment that she would return unsuccessful. For them, in their naivety, the worse scenario was Miya dead.
She had vowed to come back alive, but she might as well have come back dead.
Either way, she had failed her mission. At least if she were gone she wouldn't have to bear the silent disappointment and despair of her own.
Miya would rather die than to see her dearest friends in such despair.
Luckily for Miya, she would only have to bear three months before the dark month came and sucked the life out of her kin.
Just three months with their disappointment.
"Come on," Miya chided Nana. The two gathered their limited belongings- Nana, a small blue backpack, and Miya, a small brown bag with money and basic first aid gear that was stuffed at the bottom of her quiver of arrows. She shouldered the quiver, hitching it higher on her back, before tugging at Nana to join them.
They passed through the radiant gold gates of Lorean, and headed back North to Arelia. Arelia was positioned close to Lake Ashyyr, which was a place that was sacred to both night and moon elves alike. It was one of the little things the moon and night elves were at peace with.
Night elves were darker versions of the friendly moon elves. Legend portrayed them as a small clan of moon elves which had developed a cure to surviving the dark month without the heir of moonlight- and thus gone rogue, starting their own twisted dark race.
These days, night elves were slaves to other races, as they were hired as assassins to other countries. This made them a wealthy race, but secretly so. Few knew the true nature of the night elves. They hid themselves from the moon, refusing to let its rays touch them- casting a dark twist on their personalities.
Being moon elves by genetics, they yearned for the moon at heart, but instead were only satisfied by the substitute which had kept the race alive.
She shook her head. Miya didn't like thinking about the night elves. Being away from the moon for so long would be devastatingly hard- even thinking about it chilled her to the bone. The moon was their life force, and to stay away from it…
She didn't want to think about it.
As two headed further and further from Lorean, their surroundings grew dimmer, being away from the city of bronze and gold. They trudged along in the sweltering heat of the late afternoon, when Miya opened her mouth at last, in the silence, to speak to her student.
"Hey, Nana," she said, watching as the mage turned to her with a smile.
"Yes, Miss Miya?"
Miya stopped dead in her tracks as she bent down and put her hands on Nana's shoulders, as the pinkette had also stopped. "Promise me Nana," she whispered, shaking the girl. "Promise me you'll stay safe when I'm gone. Please," she begged hoarsely as Nana, who widened her eyes with shock pulled herself from Miya's grip, her head in her hands.
"No," said Nana, who had allowed a few tears to fall from her violet eyes as she quickly wiped them away. "Don't speak like that, Miss Miya! You're not going to… you aren't right?"
When Miya didn't reply, the cat elf mage began to wail. "You can't," Nana sobbed. "You can't, you can't…"
Miya could feel her eyes beginning to sting with the crystalline liquid that made her tears. She blinked them back, focusing her attention on calming down Nana, who was shaking her head, ears down, tears running down her cheeks, and buried in Miya's arms, repeating her mantra of lies over and over and over.
"You can't, you can't you can't you can't-"
"Nana," Miya snapped, and the cat elf mage jolted out of her reverie and into Miya's gaze so quickly that Miya swore a bone broke. "Don't deny it." She swallowed the lump in her throat, brushing away the tears on her student's cheeks. "I'm still here, Nana. Still here. It might not be for long, but," she said, shaking her head as Nana began to wail. "No, Nana. But," she continued, "You need to promise me. Remember everything I've taught you. Can you promise me that, Nana?"
Nana remained silent, the afternoon sun behind her lighting up the tear trails on her cheeks. The sun blended into the canopy of trees, beginning sunset.
"I can't," Nana whispered, her eyes searching for answers to all the questions in Miya's eyes. "I can't Miss Miya… I can't. You," she sobbed, as Miya stroked her hair calmly.
"You made me find myself again," said Nana, her eyes filled with wonder and sadness. "You let me break free. You taught me to control those urges… Miya, you gave me my life back. You gave a life… and now you lose yours," she cried. "It's not fair!"
Miya held her breath, and let it go.
With that breath, she reopened her eyes and let the tears out.
"Darling," Miya murmured to Nana, as she tugged her upwards, to stand again. The two started to walk at a slow pace along the path, both a mess of tears and red eyes. "You need to learn, darling, that life's not fair," she bit out. "We will all die. The faster you learn that lesson, the better."
Nana nodded, sniffling as she fiddled with her fuchsia hair. "Alright," the girl whispered. "I can do that."
"Good," Miya said, and she meant it. "Now, remember-"
"-don't eat the mushrooms with green spots," they said in unison. Nana gave a wobbly smile.
"And?"
"If your enemy is a man, kick him where his legs-"
"Not that one," Miya quickly said.
"Oh, of course! Never let anyone make you inferior because no one can make you feel inferior-"
"-without your consent," ended Miya.
When Nana gave a grin in response, the moonlight archer put her arm around the mage, drawing her close. I will keep her safe, she thought. For as long as I am able to.
"You know, Miss Miya, you've taught me so much. So much. I… thank you," said Nana, smiling in earnest at her teacher. "I'll never forget you, or what you've taught me. Never."
Miya felt her heart throb violently with the same emotion she heard in Nana's voice. She held the girl tighter in response.
"That's my girl," Miya whispered.
III
Later
Shattered silver and glass was all that remained of the Moon Palace, the home of the royalty of the moon elves.
The building had been rarely used after the assassination of the king and queen, and had never been used since the disappearance of Estes. Now, it was the only building that had survived the war.
Miya and Nana had reached Arelia after two hours of travel in the morning. Judging by the sun, Miya figured that noon would occur in an hour or so. They had just reached Silvania, the largest city of the Moon Empire- now the only city left in Arelia that housed Moon Elves.
The two made their way to the Moon Palace, for all elves who had survived the war had used the palace as a shelter. Miya walked right through the entrance, the crystal blue door had long shattered in the war.
She was met with a sea of white, and she smiled softly as she watched her kin from the hallway. The entrance hall had been turned into a dining area, and they were currently serving mid-day meals on a buffet-like table that ran down the hall. Miya recognized the table as the royal dining table. She laughed inwardly, as it had been turned into a mess of whitewood and splinters- but was still a table.
"So many people," Nana whispered from below her, and Miya nodded automatically, clutching Nana's hand.
So many people, Nana had said. Miya remembered when the whole population had gathered in Silvania, the masses of people and crowds, the sheer enormity of their race. "Not really," Miya replied. She saddened slightly, features softening. "This is barely one tenth of our population."
Nana fell silent.
Miya didn't know how long she stood there, as the chit-chat of the adults and the laughing games of the children were so overpowering compared to the duo. She stood there, looking around, seeing her eyes in others, her hair in others, her skin in others because this was her family.
One of the elven children, engrossed in a game of clapping with her friend, had looked up momentarily and locked eyes with Miya's. Miya had broken the connection quickly, but it was enough for the child to recognize her people's war hero.
"It's Miya!"
The small voice had a big impact. Immediately, people started whispering to their friends and those close to them, and Miya flushed a dusty rose when she heard her name echoed around the room with the gossip.
Everything paused, except for a sliver of white-grey hair, who had flickered her way from the back to the front in seconds.
Miya felt her hand ripped from Nana's, as arms were flung around her neck with such force that Miya took a step back.
Neshya, Miya's best friend, sobbed into Miya's shoulder as Miya wrapped her arms around her friend, her sister and laughed with joy.
Gradually, the room refilled with noise and chatter on a slightly higher note, and Miya released the girl, smiling as Neshya laughed.
"Miya," Neshya said, and almost started crying again much to Miya's amusement. "It's really you! And you're safe, and-"
"Neshya, I-"
"-you're still as beautiful as ever, girl. I'm glad those looks didn't-"
"Nesh-"
"-fade while I was gone, because-"
"Neshya, I failed."
The blue eyed girl blinked at Miya. "W-What do you mean?" Neshya said, and Miya cast her gaze down, saddened.
"I think that deep down you know what I mean," said Miya, refusing to look at her sister- afraid to see the disappointment, the anger, the sadness.
The sadness.
"Can we- can we go upstairs?" Neshya asked, her voice losing its confident tone. "I don't want them to hear," she said, gesturing to the public. "We owe the that much," she whispered.
Miya looked to Nana, who nodded back with an unusually serious expression. "I'll stay here," said Nana. "I'll be fine, Miss Miya."
"Thank you Nana," whispered Miya, and she followed Neshya through the mix of white hair and blue-violet eyes. They went up the blue glass staircase positioned at the end of the room, scaling it at two steps a time, before arriving at the second floor.
The second floor, Miya observed, had been made into a hospital. Neshya weaved through the crowd with precision, while Miya stumbled through the claustrophobic mess. They finally reached the end of the room, where Neshya made a right and into a small bedroom, one of the old servant dwellings.
"This is the room I've been using," Neshya explained, and Miya could see the marks her friend had left on the place. Books, everywhere- both Neshya and Miya loved to read- and a rumpled sleeping bag on the floor.
Neshya sat down onto the sleeping bag, hugging her knees to her chest. "It's true, then," Neshya said. They were alone, and were both free to break free of the strong facades they had worn for years.
Miya sat next to her, pulling her quiver off her shoulder and resting it on the floor along with her bow. "It's true. Lorean trackers say that Estes is at the pit of despair. He could still be alive, but…"
Admitting it to herself was a milestone in Miya's mind. She had spent the last few days in denial, not wanting to believe in the worst. Saying it aloud just…hurt.
"Innocent people," Neshya murmured. "Maybe we deserve it, Miya, but they don't. We've just won the war after so long and now," she cried, her sniffles turning into sobs with each word.
"You need to save them, Miya," Neshya was crying, shaking her friend's shoulders with her pale hands. Her blue eyes dug into Miya's own. "You must! I don't… I don't want to die," she sobbed, and Miya pulled Neshya into her chest, a hug from sister to sister. "It may seem selfish," Neshya continued, sniffling, "but not yet! We can't… we can't…" Neshya's cries trailed off as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"Hush," Miya whispered, until her sister's cries were no more. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence.
"No," Neshya hissed, and Miya glanced sharply at the sudden change in demeanour. "You have the power Miya, use it! If not what for? The Moon herself has deemed you worthy and you sit here and do nothing?! If a coward is the one who has been blessed with the Moon's power, then, Moon forgive me, she has chosen the wrong person worthy of her power!"
Her words struck a chord on Miya's heartstrings. She felt anger for being called a coward, (Miya despised cowardly creatures) and sadness because she knew her friend was right.
I'm not worthy.
"I know," Miya murmured, and Neshya turned so fast her neck nearly snapped. "I know I'm not worthy. I'm a coward with a god's power."
"But you have the power," Neshya pressed pleadingly. "Regardless whether you're brave, you're cowardly- you have the power, Miya. And sometimes learning to use it is the same as not being scared of it."
"I know," said Miya. "I know."
"What do you have to lose?" exclaimed Neshya. "You said there was a chance, a chance Estes was alive. And if he is, Miya, so many people would be saved," she said, and Miya shook her head.
"I know," hissed Miya. "I've thought about it, Neshya. But he can't be. The Pit of Despair is where they keep the souls of the dead. If Estes is there-"
Neshya shook her head with fever. "No!" she exclaimed. "Lorean trackers track signals of life, magic power- chakra! If they got the signal that Estes was at the pit, that means Estes is alive!"
Miya let Neshya finish her optimistic tangent before shutting down her dreams. "No," she said, and Neshya opened her mouth to contradict, but Miya held a hand up to stop it. "Dead bodies have life force too. The life force is not in use, but it's still there. Life force disappears when the soul is taken to heaven," Miya explained. "That doesn't mean anything. It just means his body is there."
The younger girl fell silent. "Can you try?"
"Try what?"
"Just go there," Neshya whispered. "Just see. Be sure that he's not-" her voice cracked, and she swallowed. "And if he is at least bring the body back," she whispered. "He deserves that."
"No!" exclaimed Miya. "I will not drag a body half way across the Land of Dawn."
"Then I will."
"You will not do anything of the sorts. You can barely use a bow."
"You don't need to drag a person that's alive."
Miya sighed. "Neshya, Estes is dead."
"You don't know that."
Miya fell silent, refusing to rebuke Neshya's stubborn thoughts. "No, I don't for certain. But I know enough to make a wise decision."
"But what if he is, Miya? What if he is?"
Miya grasped her bow by the bowstring and flicked it into her hand. She pulled the quiver back onto her shoulder and stood up.
"Miya, please. What if he's alive?" Neshya whispered, her voice growing weaker. "Please,"
The moonlight archer closed her eyes, and let a sigh escape her mouth before replying.
"Fine."
III
The Next Morning
There was still one more place she had to visit.
Miya set off at hours before dawn, while the moon was still out to see the shattered city. She made her way through the silver buildings, towards Lake Ashyyr. Nearer to the lake, the dense buildings graduall dispersed and faded into the woods.
Griping her bow tighter in her already clenched fist, Miya made her way through the woods following the path that had been worn by other martyrs like her who came this way. The treetop canopy seemed lower, (or had she grown taller?) because it had been so long since she had last visited the Moon Temple.
When the trees finally cleared, a colossal aquamarine structure stood in front of her, its entirety still intact. She stood in silence, watching the temple in its enormity- as its not-shattered windows reflected the moon's beautiful white light. The temple had remained untouched and unused during the war, its pristine glory still intact.
The large platinum doors were still intact, to Miya's relief and satisfaction. This building had been her home in her childhood years, its large stage presence a guardian to her. She pushed against the doors, and frowned when they didn't budge under her effort.
She added a steel covered toe to the weight, and finally the doors creaked under her weight and opened. Miya stumbled in, surprised by the quick surrender of the old metal.
The insides were dark, even though the pointed glass roof of the inner room let the moonlight into the room. This was the prayer room, Miya remembered, her thoughts heavy with emotion and memory. She remembered as she and other young girls like her at the time had gathered and cast their thoughts and dreams to the moon late at night.
Miya had worked hard in her studies. At a young age, she and her classmates had worked to prove themselves worthy as a sacrifice to the Moon.
To the temple, sacrifice did not mean death. It meant moving on, enlightenment- the one chosen was promised to live in the true Moon Temple on the moon, at the side of their beloved Moon God.
She summoned energy to her palm, just like her younger self had done when she had sat here, in this very spot, and prayed. The blue-white flames had licked her fingertips both now and then, casting shadows on the intricately carved walls of the praying room.
In a trance, Miya kneeled on the cushions that served as braces on the ground. She held out her flame-covered hand to the statue in the centre of the room.
She bowed her head, flickered her indigo eyes closed, her eyelashes casting shadows onto her face in the presence of the light.
"Accept my offering," Miya whispered to the moon, and the flames in her hand instantly were snuffed out by the darkness.
She brought both hands to her chest, clasping her palms together under her chin. She rested her head on her interlocked fingers, as she had done many times before.
During the war, Miya had run here in the thick of the battle, slamming open the doors and stepping into the eerily quiet room. She had prayed, and to her astonishment the moon had answered her call.
She was back here again. Instead, she came after the bloodshed, after the war.
And so Miya talked. She talked to the darkness and to the moon in hope someone would listen to her selfish desires and innermost feelings. She told of the war and its ending, the fate of her people, and she spoke and cried at once like she had never before.
"I'm heading off tomorrow," she murmured, concluding, her tears now dry and her eyes still closed. She rose from her seat, and opened her eyes to the darkness once more. The moon shone as brightly as it did always, and Miya allowed herself a smile.
"Look after them for me," she whispered to the moon.
And with that, she picked up her bow and with a twist of her heel, she vanished into the darkness.
III
Morning
The next morning, she gathered her little belongings and set off to meet Nana.
Nana had settled in quite well, making other elven friends too- one being the girl who had spotted Miya in the hall. The pinkette brightened mid-conversation with her friend, grinning at Miya.
"Miss Miya!" Nana exclaimed, excusing herself from her friend with an apologetic expression. Her friend smiled in understanding.
Excused, Nana bounded over to her mentor. "I haven't seen you in ages," the cat elf mage gushed, throwing her arms around Miya's waist. Miya smiled softly, her stomach churning with sadness and regret.
"Sorry," Miya murmured. Nana, realising her teacher's change in mood, wilted a little, before speaking.
"What's wrong?"
Miya sighed, ready to speak the sentence that would crush her apprentice. "Nana… I need to leave. Neshya has me promised to go-"
Nana jolted, eyes wide. "Go where?" She demanded. "Wherever you're going, I'm going too."
"Nana, no," Miya pressed soothingly. She knew the girl was persistent, and while it was one of Nana's many good qualities, when used against you it was a nightmare. When the mage opened her mouth to retort, Miya hushed her with a finger. "Hear me out, please."
The feline pouted, before nodding.
Miya continued. "Neshya has me going to the Pit of Despair," she said. Nana's eyes widened, but she kept her mouth shut. "And we both know that we could die if we enter the Pit-"
"So why are you going?" Nana questioned, demandingly. "You shouldn't go if your life is at risk, Miss Miya. I know you're smart, Miss Miya, but that's not wise of you! Sorry," Nana added as an afterthought.
Miya smiled at her. "Well," she said. "That's the point. I'm going to die anyway," she admitted slowly. Miya didn't like saying it aloud, and she appreciated that the rest of her kin ignored the dark month to the best of the ability. "And if I don't die there, I'll still die anyway, right? And you're not going to die. At least not yet, Nana. That's why you can't go," she pressed, looking at the cat elf mage. "Tell me you understand," murmured Miya, kneeling and clasping the mage's hands between her own.
"I don't," Nana said honestly and they both laughed softly. "But I trust that you made the right decisions, Miss Miya. You always do," she whispered.
She broke into a smile, and with happiness contagious, she saw Nana smile too. She hugged the girl, ruffling her ears and hair. "Goodbye, darling," she whispered, and her heart throbbed when she heard Nana choke back a tear.
"Goodbye Miss Miya," Nana murmured back, a watery grin making its way to her face even in her sadness. "Good luck."
Miya didn't respond. She stood, giving Nana one last look before heading out the door. Her heart clenched in guilt, but Miya knew that the next word she uttered would be accompanied by tears.
So instead, she hid them away and walked out of her home for the second time.
III
Two Weeks Later
She frowned at the map, as the road she was on went straight off the map's right. She had purchased the map and several supplies (she now had money that she collected at Arelia) at a small mining village on the way to Khastrion.
Khastrion was the area around the Pit of Despair, and few people these days referred to it by its given name. Now, it was simply the wastelands, dubbed because of the horrific state of the land.
Thousands of moons ago Khastrion had been a populous city that housed the ethereal Valkyries- angel like creatures with powers that rivalled the elven civilisation. But their peace was ruined when a meteor fell from the sky and destroyed the city, leaving nothing but wasteland behind in the place of their beautiful golden cities.
Now, the Valkyries that had survived the strike worked as war angels, angels of death instead of angels of life, forever mourning the lives that had been lost in that other-worldly attack. They would take the souls of war heroes and reunite them with their bodies, giving them the kiss of death before guiding them to the afterlife.
While only victims of war were given the kiss- all bodies of any dead person would find its way to the Pit of Despair. The pit was the only way to the afterlife, and while the Valkyries took care of war victims, family of the passed would take the deceased body to the pit for safe passage to the afterlife.
Finding her spot on the map, Miya established her surroundings and headed left. The rainforests had given way to barren grey dirt and sand, with the occasional shard of iron from the meteor. She covered her nose with her hand, as the toxic fumes of the destructed land filled her nostrils.
Still, Miya pushed on. When finally grey smoke gave way to a dark green, Miya found she could breathe again in the green smoke. She tried to wave it away, but the green never dispersed, only seeming to become more solid.
Lost in the smoke, she cried out, turning it circles to try and make something, anything out of her surroundings. Everything was just dark, green and-
A hand snapped around her left wrist, and another hand pushed her from behind, leading her somewhere. She couldn't see anything, but the glint of metal and black wings told her that the hands belonged to Valkyries.
They walked for minutes, Miya lost, and the other two confident in their stride as they lead the way. The smoke cleared and Miya blinked to see a large hole in the ground, surrounded by armoured Valkyries, all clad in the same grey armour.
She looked at her two saviours, who had released Miya's wrists once she could see again. She looked back, and to her surprise, the green mist was gone.
"Those who have visited the pit once before do not experience the illusion," one of the Valkyries explained, noticing her confusion. "That is why you could see the smoke then, and we did not experience such affects."
She nodded. The Valkyrie who had just spoke had long blonde-gold hair, a stark contrast to her dull armour. The other had equally vibrant short red hair. Both had stark aquamarine eyes.
"What brings you to the Pit of Despair, Miya Estella?" The redhead questioned, her tone sultry and low.
"I seek my ruler."
They clearly knew who she was, and Miya assumed they knew of whom she was referring to. Both Valkyries glanced at each other, before the blonde quickly walked away.
"Follow," the redhead intoned, as they both walked after the blonde-haired Valkyrie. Miya complied, not liking the orders, but holding her tongue in the presence of the owners of this land.
"What's your name?" Miya questioned, when it was clear the redhead would not reveal without being asked first.
The Valkyrie blinked for a second, hesitating before she replied. "Andrea," she said. "And that is my partner, Stella." Miya nodded in thanks, though her mind was already wandering.
She watched as they walked through the barren fields. The redhead turned, and stopped Miya's pace with a hand. "He's here," the redhead whispered softly, and Miya felt her insides turn to ice as she froze in shock.
No.
She couldn't believe her, she shouldn't, she wouldn't. But Valkyries could not lie, she told herself, and Miya closed her eyes, a forbidden smile edging its way into her cheeks.
She didn't say in what state, her mind reminded her. He could be here, but dead.
Miya stiffened with the realisation, snapping her eyes open, refusing to be optimistic. Optimism did not win wars, and it certainly didn't help. She shut her emotions, and walked. Together they walked into seemingly nothing, when the Andrea stopped. She looked at the blonde, and they both muttered words under their breath, which cancelled the illusion.
Where had just been nothing was now a large ebony tower, with an oak door as the entrance.
"Inside," Stella gestured to them both. Andrea entered first, before Miya followed in soon after, Stella taking the rear and closing the door behind them
Andrea headed up the staircase directly opposite the cramped first floor, and Miya looked to follow when she was stopped by the blonde Valkyrie. "No," Stella intoned. "She is asking permission from our leader."
The two waited in silence, and Miya took the moment to look at her surroundings. The area of the only room on this level was very small- Miya suspected that the tower only had one room on each level, the staircase connecting them all.
There was a sense of royalty in the room, with its dark floors with light walls. A red carpet stood out richly against the backdrop. The only item in the room was a bookshelf to the far right against the wall, while the staircase took up most of the room.
Red flickered back into the room in the form of Andrea, who nodded briefly before heading back up. Stella gestured for her to follow, and Miya did so, the two climbing the staircase in single file.
They went past the second floor, third, fourth, fifth- when Stella finally stopped at the last floor, the ninth. Miya's legs were cramped from the excessive amount of walking.
Opposite the mahogany staircase, there was another room, blocked off with a door. Stationed outside the wooden door was a Valkyrie dressed in the most stunning gold armour.
As Andrea talked to the golden Valkyrie, Miya took the opportunity to ask Stella about the golden Valkyrie. "Why does she wear gold?" she asked, watching as Stella's perfect features turned dark.
"Freya is foolish," Stella replied icily. "She wears the colours of our fallen kingdom in hope that one day it will return. She hopes in vain," the blonde said darkly.
In that way, Freya and Neshya were alike, Miya thought. They both believed that something dead could be resurrected.
And Neshya was right, her subconscious hissed. And maybe so is Freya.
She watched as Freya, ice in her dark eyes, glared, before stepping aside. Andrea smirked in satisfaction. "Go, Miss Estella," Andrea said. "Freya will take you."
Miya nodded, as the two grey Valkyries left the floor. She found herself in the gaze of the golden Valkyrie. Freya had long straight blue hair, with piercing dark blue eyes. The Valkyrie turned abruptly, and swung open the door.
When it was clear that Freya would not enter the room, Miya took it upon herself to enter. The room was dark and seemingly spacious, with no objects but a large, glowing blue crystal.
The crystal was as tall as the floor to the ceiling and uncut- its jagged spikes reaching everywhere in the room. Miya felt her breath stop when she realised there was a figure inside the crystal, frozen within the aquamarine hues.
"Estes," Miya sobbed with realisation, the overpowering emotion that came with it was too strong to hold. She felt her knees buckle and she pressed her hands to the crystal for support. The crystal was warm, radiating with an unearthly blue light that lit the room.
I told you so, she heard Neshya whisper within her mind, and Miya shook the thought of her jeering friend away. She wasn't a failure. He was alive.
Alive, alive, alive, alive alive.
"Thank god," Miya whispered, feeling her eyes sting with tears. If she could see the moon now, she would thank it. Thank it for keeping her people alive.
Estes' form was suspended in the crystal, like he had been frozen in ice, as his pale white-gold hair fanned out behind his face as if underwater. He was clothed in a dark blue satin attire.
Miya held her fingers out to the crystal, reaching for someone who was frozen solid and could not reach back. "What happened to him," she whispered, refusing to take her eyes off of the prince, the king.
She knew Freya was watching her display of emotion from the doorway.
"We found him injured severely in the perimeters of our land," the golden Valkyrie replied. "We froze him within a healing crystal to speed his recovery, but when his wounds were healed, and we were to break him out of the crystal, the crystal would not shatter."
"Why?"
Freya sighed heavily. "We suspected his own power was keeping his body within the crystal," said the Valkyrie. "We do not know for sure."
She nodded, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand.
The two women waited in silence. Miya sat as close to the crystal as she could without hurting herself on one of the spikes, and Freya leaned against the doorway, shield in hand.
"Why do you hope," Miya asked dully, as the two continued to gaze in silence at the crystal.
"Why don't you have hope, Miss Estella?"
Miya didn't respond.
Freya sighed, (which she did a lot, Miya noticed) and spoke. "I hope because without hope, we cannot dream. If we do not dream, we live in the past, dwell in the past. Instead of morning, we should forgive. Instead of regretting, we should learn and move on. That is why I have hope, Miya."
"Hope," Miya echoed. What a strange thing to feel. Hope had no certainty, no finality- it was a dream balanced on a tightrope ready to topple over and fall.
"What magic do the Valkyries use?" Miya asked into the awkward silence, curious. She knew little about the angels of the deceased, only hearing their name and duty from legend and rumours. "Forgive me; I know little about your kind."
"Forgiven," Freya replied simply. "Not many ever come here. The only ones that do are those who are driven insane with grief from losing their loved ones; and come here to see if they still live. A pointless task," Freya sighed. "We have man abilities," she continued on, answering her question. "As Valkyries, we of course have wings- though we usually hide them when not in use. Our wings are not solid, they are like an aura, and fade after too much strain on the body. Do you mind if I ask about your people, Miss Estella?"
"Miya is fine," she replied. "I use magic, even though when I fight I do not fight with magic power as most of my kin do. I use my magic to summon objects, like arrows encased with magic power, and the damage dealt is purely physical power, only enhanced by my magic. We moon elves are heavy magic users," Miya said. "The royal family," she gestured at Estes, "is said to have the highest amount of moon-magic of our kind."
The royal family of the Moon Elves had risen to power and were the leaders of their race due to their bloodline. Estes and his ancestors had a special ability to turn magic into healing power, and were therefore invincible in any fight due to their quick regeneration.
"You use the same magic as him?" The Valkyrie questioned, jabbing a finger at Estes.
Miya nodded.
"His own power is keeping him within the crystal- if you use your own power to release his hold on the crystal; we could break him out," Freya thought aloud. She turned to Miya quickly, her blue hair fanning out behind her. "Could you try?"
Miya could use magic to some extent, but not as well as the high mages back in Arelia. She wished Neshya were here- her friend had an enormous affinity for magic, while Miya had nearly none and stuck to her bow and arrow.
"I am no mage," Miya warned, standing up and pressing her fingers against the blue stone. "But I will try. For his sake," she whispered, gazing at the king.
Moon God, lend me your power, she whispered into the recesses of her mind. Give me your strength to free my king.
She almost sighed in relief as the blue glow lit her fingers in the form of moon-magic. The white light shone brightly against the dully lit room, sending streaks of shadow around the room as well as diamond shaped fractures of light from the crystal.
She pressed the energy against the glass, willing it to seep into the material and become the crystal-She watched as cracks as small as an eyelash started to form into the crystal. Miya pulled her hand from the jewel, horrified and worried as even larger cracks spiralled out from the epicentre- where Miya's hand was moment before.
"No, keep going," Freya urged, the Valkyrie now at Miya's side, willing her to continue the process. "If the crystal breaks, he will be free!"
Miya pressed her palm to the glass-like surface once more, watching as the cracks dug deep into the crystal, one deep enough to reach the body within it. The white light seeped around Estes's form, causing the crystal to shatter from within.
"Quick, take cover," Freya whispered, as the glass became larger and sharper. Miya winced as a large fragment lodged itself into the palm of her hand with the moonlight.
"No," Miya snarled, gritting her teeth as she pushed the light into the crystal, causing violent crack to sound. "I need… to keep… going."
"No!" Freya warned. "The glass will break and shatter by itself, Miya! You've done enough." With that, the Valkyrie ripped Miya's palm off the crystal, pulling her into the corner of the room. Freya pulled her shield out as a vortex of flying glass spiralled around the Moon King, the remnants of the crystal finally breaking in half.
Miya crouched behind the shield with Freya, hearing a dull thud as all the glass in the air dropped to the floor in a symphony that sounded like the breaking of a chandelier. The two peered out from behind the safety of Freya's golden shield.
A body lay on the ground, in a bed of broken quartz.
Miya gasped, running towards Estes, and pulling him off the fragments of the glass which he had slept in for so long. "Freya, help me," she called urgently, and the two carried the body off the remains of the crystal, and into a corner of the room.
Estes hadn't stirred, though Miya had noticed his eyelids had moved slightly. She leaned him against the wall of the room of his prison, brushing the long strands of silver hair out of his eyes.
"I'll get help," Freya muttered, ethereal angel wings spreading out from behind her. She closed her eyes and vanished in a swirl of golden light.
She dusted the shards of translucent blue off his form, not noticing once the state that she was in. The moonlight archer was focused on her king, because his safety came above hers any day.
It was because of him, that she could live again.
She watched as Estes slowly blinked. Once, twice, until his vision cleared and he gazed into Miya's face for moments before the eyes slowly closed once again.
For the second time, eyes the same colour as the moon snapped open.
Estes was awake.
III
-End Part II-
( to be continued )
endnote. you guys nearly made me cry with the beautiful comments. I love you all. :D Please, keep it up! Writing this was easy knowing that there were so many people who wanted me to finish this and keep up the 'good writing' (hah my writing, good? Lol). You all were my inspirations for this chapter. I hope it meets your expectations!
Important! I did say that this fic would only be two chapters long, but after planning and writing the chapter, I realised two wasn't enough to squish all the plot scenes in. there will be another one or maybe two chapters after this one. if I keep getting plot bunnies, I'll make this a fully-fledged multi-chapter story. please tell me your opinion on this, whether you want this to be a long story or short one, because I'll get planning! Currently though, this story will end at chapter four. complete with epilogue.
review replies. thanks all for reviewing!
Winadina: I'm guessing third after Lancelot X Odette and Hayabusa X Kagura, right? Right…? I hope you enjoy this fic regardless of it not being about your first favourite pairing! Happy reading :D Thanks for your review!
Tomafia: Thank you for your praise! I don't deserve it though xD I'm just a writer trying to entertain myself and others on this site. I'm so glad you like this story so much, though I don't think it's the best ML fanfiction out there. XD Thanks for your review!
Missing Middle: Thank you so much for your kind words and praise. As an author that means a lot to hear someone compliment your writing style and not the contents of your writing. It really means a lot. Though of course, there are many areas I could improve one, but I hope to keep my writing as close to perfect as a can. Though it'll never be perfect. xD Thank you for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I hope it was up to your standards!
The Sleeping Zombie: And here's the update you wanted! I hope it was to your liking. And yes, of course, the new hero Gossen. We'll worry about him once he's released on the normal sever. I really don't want to fight him in the future XD Thank you for your compliments, and I'm glad I've found another ranged hero buddy! I'm assuming you like Lesley, then. I certainly love her play style. :DThank you for your review!
chounojou: I'm serious when I say that your review almost made me cry. I think all writers on this site want someone like you to come by their story and drop a few words that mean so much. I'm hoping I lived up to your expectations for this chapter. I tried to make it as good as I could for you. :D I'm sorry that the Mestes interaction will be held off for another chapter, but it will be coming to hit you like a truck in the next chapters. Thank you SO much for your review. Love, silverdiadems.
mayu masamune i was pleasantly surprised by your review yesterday! And yes, I definitely know what you mean xD I'm glad you seem to like Alucard's character, though he won't be featured as much as the first chapter. He'll return for a cameo appearance in maybe chapter four? or three. I'm glad you liked the chapter. Thank you for your review!
Thanks for Reading, as always. Love you all. Keep up the awesome feedback please! XD
a/n. thoughts on this chapter: you guys need to understand that Nana is a very hard character to write. She doesn't smile, she GRINS. She's so optimistic her scenes make me cringe while writing them. I think that definitely you can see (or will see) her growth throughout the story. and i'm really struggling with estes in chapter three. he's so hard to write because he's the exact opposite of nana- cold yet warm, uncaring yet caring. it's strange.
The Mobile Legends FanFiction Community is small, so any feedback in the form of reviews (!) or alerts is deeply appreciated. Without feedback, an author cannot know what he/she is doing wrong. (or right). Please report spelling or grammatical errors. Arigatou!
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