CHAPTER TWELVE

~Mother Goddess~

Laura's screams were piercing. A reptilian hand had burst from her chest, and she fell to the ground, bleeding and dead. The hand drew back, and I saw the stange creature - no, the monster completely: It was a humanoid woman, wearing a white dress, but had reptilian arms with long fingers and claws, a pair of dragon wings with spikes on the edges, and a leonine head. Her face was both kind and motherly, but cruel and terrible at once. She was covered in brown fur from head to toe, excluding her reptilian hands, and was well-trimmed. Her feet were like those of a gargoyle, having three claws.

"At last," she said, looking towards Diesel and me, "I have found my prey." Her voice was both kind and wicked at once.

I could hardly speak to this terrifying monster. "Wh-who are you?"

"I am Sclyina," she roared. "The Mother Goddess. The Devine Creator. She-Who-All-Children-Are-Derived-From. I have come for you-"

Strdier, now Aragorn again, ran up to her wielding his blade. He attacked, but the sword had no effect. Sclyina pushed him aside. Legolas began firing arrows at the monster, but each one glinted off her flesh, breaking apart as they hit the ground. Gandalf tried to use his magic, but it wouldn't work. His magic wouldn't activate at all.

Diesel and I were so afraid, we couldn't even attack. We tried to back away slowly, but we couldn't escape.

"I have come to protect my creation," she said, now only a few feet from us. We blacked out as she walked closer.

We came to much later. My eyes slowly tried to open as I awoke. I ached all over as I got up. I was lying on grass, the greenest grass I had ever seen. You know how on grass, there's a bit of brown at the tip? This grass didn't have that. It was pure green.

Looking around, I saw cobblestone streets and goldenlampposts surrounding many patches of this pure grass. Golden stones made up the houses and buildings in this curious landscape. The sky was deep pink and lavender, showing me that it was sundown.

I struggled to get up, looking around for Diesel. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Diesel!" I shouted in vain. In the distance, I saw a large white building that looked like a temple. Deciding that Diesel might be in there, I ran to it.

As I reached the large ivory doors of the temple, I realized that I needed to prepare myself for whatever may be in there. That monster - Sclyina - may be in there, I thought.

I tried to pull out my bow. It wasn't there. I was left defenseless, without even a wand to cast the weakest spells with. "Great, just great," I muttered aloud.

I opened the doors, entering the dimly lit ivory corridor. I walked through nervously, feeling more alone than ever before. I finally reached the end of the hallway, where another pair of ivory doors stood, smaller than before, but only slightly.

Opening them, I entered a large round room with pearl-white walls. It had a dome-shaped ceiling, where beautiful paintings of various species of life were hung.

In the center of the paintings was something I did not believe I would see here: The Triforce. The three golden triangles of Power, Wisdom, and Courage was in this room, in the center of the paintings on the ceiling.

In the center of the Triforce was a small white crystal, which gave off a white glow that illuminated the room.

I must have stared at the Triforce and the crystal for at least a good two minutes before I realized I was not alone. On the other side of the room was a pink cat-like creature with blue eyes and a long tail, floating on air without the aid of wings. It wore a sort of crystal ring on its tail, a golden necklace with a red crystal embedded in it, and held a crystal ball in its hands.

"Um... hello," I said.

It moved over towards me and stopped right in front of me, hovering over the ground.

"Who are you?" the cat asked.

"I-I'm Carlos. Who... are you?"

"Me? I am the Guardian of Truth. I am the Wisest and Gentlest of the Four Guardians. I am the Protector of Light. Shunned from my home on Mewtonia, I became the first to take flight under the wing of the Mother. I am She-Who-Maintains-Order-In-A-Now-Torrential-Storm. I am Mew, number one hundred and fifty one."

"Mew? As in, the Pokemon?" I asked.

"Yes. So you have heard of me?"

"Well, I don't think you, specifically-"

"Why are you here, child?" she interrupted.

"I... don't know. I just appeared here. I blacked out when that monster-"

"MONSTER?!" Mew snapped, shouting at me. "SHE IS SCLYINA, THE MOTHER GODDESS. YOU SHALL TREAT HER WITH THE HIGHEST RESPECT!"

"Aah!" I shouted. I tried to back out of there, but Mew put up a psychic wall behind me and I could not escape.

"Shall I show you what happens to those who disrespect our Mother?" she screeched, hovering ever closer to me. Her eyes burned with rage, and I felt the terror flow through me. I was about to die, alone and defenseless.

At least it's against a Legendary, I thought to myself, allowing one last moment of levity before I died.

I shut my eyes, preparing for the worst, when I heard a familiar voice.

Aww, c'mon, Carlos, ya can't just quit like that!