Fantasia

Arc4: Seeking the origins

Chapter8: Lightning against fire

Juan and Zolu barely succeeded to lure the thieves of Nebura away from their queen, but they are now facing the last obstacle which if they failed to surpass, their friends will be at steep danger; they have to face one of the three strongest Neburans, Kruger the lightning mage.

Kruger approached them slowly with an evil grin, he simply measured their powers and concluded that their sole power was their intelligence, but wisdom won't stand so much against pure strength.

At the same time, Zolu was concerned knowing that they might lose against this man; he knew that his friend counts too much on his brain, and despite his peculiar transmutation magic, he saw him just a minute ago fade away from one of these man's bolts, and on top of that he knew that lightning was the natural enemy of a water dweller like him, their chance of winning was reduced to none.

While Juan was unusually distracted, he was supposed to be thinking of a way to win some time…at least enough to win time keeping this enemy away from Tsuki and the queen, his head was suffering from intense pain, it was not from the previous electric shock, nor it was from being drowned, it was something boiling, something hot, he started hazing seeing a weird shadow behind their foe.

"Some impressive magic you had son…to be honest, I've never seen such thing before, you'd make a perfect treat for my queen" the man commented.

"Juan! Stay behind me!" Zolu said while standing in front of his friend spreading his arms creating a water shield.

"Ho…some brave lad you are lil' fish" Kruger mocked before releasing a stream of lightning that simply evaporated the barrier leaving the two men open.

"And you are finished!" the thief started pummeling the ragon with incredibly fast punches finished by a kick that sent him away from Juan who was standing there breathing heavily almost like a drunken man.

"C'mon move it boy! Don't tell me fear stunned you!" the thief mocked the shepherd who absolutely lost connection with sanity; he was squeezing his head like he was trying to chase something out.

"Anyway, you weren't as fun as I've expected from those who defeated Zane, I don't even believe that you did it…" the man walked slowly toward the paralyzed shepherd.

Juan looked at his approaching enemy, but somehow his body disobeyed any command, the heat growing from toes to head was overflowing, he was glaring at the man who prepared a thick spark around his hand preparing to send the final blow.

And so the man shocked Juan down with a powerful bolt sending his body to the wall and his mind away from the mortal coil.

…

Juan opened his eyes slowly, and waited for his sight to be paired again, he saw blurred glowing light afar, so he walked toward it, he didn't bother asking where he is, or what happened to his friend for his mind was distorted, he continued walking and with every step the image was getting clearer until he arrived at a familiar figure.

She was the same woman from his dreams, the pearly white robed angel who took by his hands to heaven once was standing there.

"Who…are you?" he wanted to say but no voice came out of his mouth.

Then the woman signed her hand summoning the large gate she opened earlier; a gigantic red door with a golden bird decorating it.

"Hey, what are you up too?!" but again his voice can't be heard.

The woman took by his hand and walked him to the front of the gate in silence.

"What's this?!" but this time his words were to be heard.

"Gate of the fire bird…" she answered with a calm tone.

"Gate of…the fire bird?" he exclaimed but again his voice was muted.

The woman played her fingers around the golden lock, and in a way or another asked him to do the same.

"Open…Gate of the fire bird" she said when the shutters separated, at this moment, Juan regretted the act remembering what he saw in his earlier dream, he expected it; a huge orb of flames engulfed them both, he and in panic wanted to move noticing that the woman got burned to ashes, but his feet were pinned to the floor.

He calmed a bit feeling an eccentric sense, the flames, despite their terrorizing size and fearful amount, were no harm on his body, so he involuntarily walked through the flowing stream of fire trying to reach the end of this chaos.

"O' chosen one…" a womanly voice talked.

"Thou whom we hath chosen" she continued to speak when the man was muted.

"Seekest thou mine powers?" she asked.

"What powers?" he asked but his voice was silenced.

"I see…thou art not prepared yet to accept thy destiny" she noted.

"What destiny?! Who are you? Where am I?!" he shouted but it was no use.

"I bid thee farewells son of man…Until fate brings us together, may God's bliss be casted upon thee…Farewell son of man, farewell son of Zhein" the woman concluded.

Suddenly Juan woke up, he was moving for certain because the blurred sight of walls were too, no he wasn't moving on his feet, he was carried, the familiar slick feel of scales on his arms told him that it was Zolu who's running with him.

"Zolu?" he asked.

"Dude! You're awake! Thank God!" the ragon exclaimed after halting.

"Where am I? I just saw the weirdest dream…" the shepherd murmured.

"It's alright dude, you are fine, I managed to escape with you from Kruger" the ragon answered.

But this was nothing of truth to be told, Zolu was lying, it wasn't an option, he had to lie, because what he saw was horrifying and if Juan knew it he doesn't know what will come with it, he remembered what happened minutes ago after Kruger knocked Juan out:

Juan turned into the same fiery demon he was when they faced Klaive, Kruger out of arrogance attacked this monstrosity but that was the last mistake…no it was rather the last act he ever committed in this mortal world because he was annihilated to ashes by a simple swing from the beast's flaming claws.

Then Zolu had faced what he described to the sum of all terrors, the beast approached him with his doom bringing talons unsheathed, the ragon lost hope completely, he saw every single in his life pass before his paled eyes, so he just kneeled waiting for the slash of mercy, but suddenly the monster calmed and from that fiery shroud of flames and feathers Juan shed out to fall on the ground unconscious.

Zolu stood then in fear, his heart trembled of both terror from the monster his friend became and joy he felt with the departure of threat, he approached his friend slowly fearing the return of danger, then after few hesitations he managed to summon enough courage and carry his friend away…he still didn't believe that he's holding that former monstrosity with the arms of kindness, it was utter courage or to be honest it was madness itself!

"So did Tsuki succeed?" Juan asked interrupting his friend's distracted mind.

"Um…I dunno dude, we better join with her soon" he answered.

…

Meanwhile, unaware of all this, Queen Vivian was preparing herself for her salacious night with her slaves; she was flooding her body with perfumes in her own small room, while the girls were cuffed in her large luxurious bedroom waiting for their horrible fate.

"I am scared" Mariana claimed.

"Me too, where's that imp? She's late" Clara added with tears.

"Trust imp girl, because Nimmy does, imp girl will save us" the nymph said.

Nimmy felt the fear of those two girls who didn't seem to have enough hope, she was scared herself but she had to do something, she remembered how Zolu picked her cuffing before they departed then he shut them back imperfectly so she can free herself in case of emergency, then she tilted her wrists quite hardly until it dropped down.

"Nimmy…you broke it?! But how?" Clara whispered.

"Never mind Nimmy now, please sand girl and jug girl, listen to what Nimmy says"

And so the nymph told them her idea, since she's free from the magic suppressing shackles, she's able to perform her invisibility magic, but while she's hiding herself and the two girls her eyes must kept shut and the girls must be in contact with her all the time keeping absolute silence.

The girls nodded as they jumped off the bed with the nymph who closed her eyes hoping that she and her companions remain invisible for the queen hoping to win some time until Tsuki arrives.

And so as expected the queen entered her fancy suite, holding a glass of blood red wine, wearing her lucid violet nightgown promising herself with a lustful night, but suddenly she saw it! Her harems are gone! She looked left and right, they escaped! But this is impossible! The room is locked firmly, her tensed hand pressed against the thin glass until it shattered, but then she noticed a shackle (that was holding Nimmy's magic) broke open on the floor so she calmed knowing the trick.

"Impressive…" she commented then she released a gentle wave of magic that covered the entire room.

"Found you!" she said summoning her initial queen garment that consisted of her leather boots, thighs length tunic, cape and her emerald gauntlet, then with a simple move from her right hand she enclosed the girls in a blue sphere of aura disabling their magic.

"Dear gals, you know when you make your bodies invisible, remember to conceal your magic as well " she suggested with mockery.

Then she made the bubble approach her, gazing at those fear filled eyes with absolute evil, she was examining them until she discovered that Nimmy was untied concluding that this was her power.

Clara started crying at this moment, while Mariana refused to look by shutting her eyes, but Nimmy was the most fearful because she knew that Vivian had her eyes on her.

"Oh ho, Nimmy then, you are some impressive little fruit, aren't you?" she commented separating her from the others and grabbing her by the chin.

"Now let me taste this fruit…" the lusty queen whispered playing with Nimmy ear with her tongue.

Suddenly, the air was shifted and the atmosphere was altered…it was casted upon this room; a dreadful gloom, a threatening malice, a horrible aura filled the place, Vivian, Clara, and Mariana felt sick the moment this magic touched their skin, while Nimmy on top of the formerly mentioned reaction somehow smiled for the aura was nostalgic, and carried no harm over her.

The queen turned back as quick as possible looking for the source of this pure wrath, then she saw it, she saw all that power being gathered in one place around a tall slender pale woman that has nothing on but a flower decorated loose cloth that covers her chest and waist, with long hair that brushed the carpet beneath her slim feet, and a red right eye that glows with killer intention, then she looked to both of her hands which were holding the two defeated guards assigned to keep over the bedroom.

"Put them down…" Tsuki ordered coldly dropping the two men on the floor.

"Such presence!" The queen expressed her amazement to herself, she was a mage since ten years or more, but yet she never faced such magic, an aura that has the suppleness of silk yet the grim terror of death at the same time.

"I said put them down" the imp repeated unsheathing her blood covered claws.

But the queen was barely listening to what this newcomer said; she was still under the impression of her threatening beauty, she had nothing to do but to follow the imp's lips, she suddenly felt a warm drop fall from her cheek to the ground, was a tear? Was it sweat? She spent a decade or over crafting in magic, and yet nobody gave her this feeling, she grinned and released a short laughter; because now she was determined…she must have this girl! Both body and soul!

"Alright then, you came here for the girls, right?" Vivian asked, knowing what Tsuki's intentions were although she didn't pay attention to what she said earlier.

"But, there won't be any fun in that…" the queen added squeezing her left ungloved hand leading the bubbles that trapped the girls to tighten more.

"You witch! Set them free!" Tsuki shouted.

"Please miss…whatever was your name, think about it, I have those girls' life in the palm of my hand, I can kill them with a mere snap from my fingers, nevertheless of what happened to me…you will win nothing if they are dead am I mistaken? So how about having a little deal? If you beat me I'll set them free…" the queen suggested.

"And if I lost?" the imp asked.

"Trust me, it doesn't matter what peasant life you had before, with me I'll let you know how to be in paradise" Vivian answered.

It might be vividly stupid to some; the queen had everything in her grip, yet she gave Tsuki a chance of fighting, instead of just forcing her to surrender using Nimmy as a hostage…but again only Tsuki at that moment saw the point lucidly and under that serious face she expressed her devilish side smiled that everything was running according to her plan.

"Queen Vivian, I shall be your shinigami!" Tsuki said after posing for a brief prayer summoning her phantom slayer blade preparing herself for the battle.

"Alright then, bring it on sweet fruit!" the queen responded by hanging the girls to the ceiling and covering her body in emerald green aura.

To be continued

This is the last chapter before Tsuki V/S Vivian starts, however I have few notes on this chapter:

-I know the title is lame, but I couldn't find any better...

-The "hero" of this story is supposed to be Juan, then why must Tsuki do all the hard job herself? (I mysekd don't know)

-If anyone is bothered by the fact that the villian in this arc is a lesbian, I should've apologized earlier, I'm not a homophobe by anyway and the reason of creating Vivian like this was in praise to a close friend's idea...so sorry LGBT community I have nothing against you.

If you liked the chapter or found anything worthy to note please let me no... :3