As he pulled his sword from the rock, he finally realized that the climb was over. Even though Brandon felt nothing, not even exhaustion, he knew he had to continue his journey, having finished climbing the mountain known as Darkar's Den. He didn't look back, the image of Stella trapped in the debris still vivid in his mind, and Brandon had to use all his willpower not to throw himself off the cliff. His eyes were red from crying, and the stones he had carried and pushed to clear the way had left his hands bloody, but he felt nothing at that moment. Lifting his head to look at the path ahead, he noticed an open passageway. He approached and waited, feeling like nothing was real.
Stella's death had stripped him of his sense of reality, and the fires within him began to overflow from the mountain, spreading like lava. Gripping his sword tighter, he moved closer to the passage. Stella had teleported him outside the cave, but she herself was trapped and couldn't escape because of that damn dark lord. His brain might articulate this, but Brandon's logical mind couldn't accept it. It wasn't because the part of him that wanted to believe Stella was alive was stronger. It was because it felt like Brandon still had a reason to live, so Stella might be alive. She might have teleported herself or created a shield around the rocks...
He bowed his head, unable to keep his shoulders from slumping. The part of him that knew he was deceiving himself whispered painful words as harsh as a punch, "You know she's dead, no one could survive that wreckage." Brandon shook his head, ignoring the voice, but his slumped shoulders said it all. When had he felt this helpless, weak, and defeated? He didn't have to think long, recalling the time he suffered in underground kingdom after they took Stella from him, but even then, he had a reason to keep going. Stella was alive, in danger, but alive.
The sound of his heart had slowed, and the sorrow spreading within him caused his steps to move backward instead of forward. Stella had saved him, but he couldn't save her. He had sensed the darkness beforehand and felt the same presence even after Aaron died. Even though Darkar had possessed Aaron's body, Stella hadn't used enough power to kill Darkar initially. The power she used afterward... Damn, Brandon thought. Stella was the most powerful fairy he had ever seen, and she used every drop of her strength to destroy Darkar and save Brandon. And now he couldn't step through the passage because he was mourning. He had lost the woman he loved, whose lips he had just tasted. While kissing Stella, he had thought it would be the last time, and it was, but damn it, this wasn't the ending he had envisioned. Stella was supposed to be happy and healthy. She was supposed to be alive!
When he raised his head, the lifelessness in his eyes was enough to scare away the few people who had never been afraid of him before. Stella had been one of them. She had never been afraid of Brandon.
He looked at his sword, realizing he had stood still long enough, took a step forward, and passed through the passage resembling a black hole. His eyes first adjusted to the darkness and then to the light. It might not have been much light, but it was better than the darkness of the black hole. He scanned the torch-lit environment.
As he stepped onto the castle terrace, he was met with a breathtaking view. The sky was illuminated by a crimson glow filtering through iridescent clouds. Two massive columns rose skyward, and in the gap between them, a slender crescent moon hung on one side and the sun on the other. The light from the moon and sun bathed the clouds in a reddish hue, and stars twinkled faintly in the background like dim jewels.
A large compass shape was etched into the castle floor, becoming more defined under the moonlight. Around it, shadows sat silently on small platforms at the four corners of the castle, as if they were watching him. He did not yet know who they were or why they were there. As he moved slowly, the echoes of his footsteps resonated on the stone floor of the castle under the shadows created by the moonlight. With each step, he felt more deeply that this was no ordinary place, but a realm ruled by magic and mystery. But Brandon was not here to unravel mysteries; he had come to kill anyone responsible in Stella's death.
At the very beginning of this cursed path, Faragonda, who had started them on this mission, would also meet the sharpness of his sword. The rage growing inside him must have blinded him because he only then realized that the figures he saw as shadows were actually his friends. He cautiously approached where Nabu lay unconscious.
"Nabu!" Even though his friend flinched, he didn't open his eyes, and Brandon frowned. Brandon, Riven, and Nabu were known as the most agile and reflexive specialists of the group. Although Nabu owed this to his wizardry, as long as it benefited the team, Brandon didn't care about the reason. "Nabu!" Despite his whispered shout causing another flinch, Nabu didn't wake, and Brandon looked at him with alarm.
"Brandon?" He turned immediately towards the voice calling him. "Riven?"
"Yes! Man! Who would believe I'd be this happy to see you?" Ignoring his friend's tactlessness, Brandon scanned the surroundings with his lifeless gaze. The girls were in one corner, and Sky and Timmy were in another. While the girls didn't look very healthy, Brandon didn't show much interest and turned his attention back to his own team. He didn't know if it was normal for everyone to be asleep, but the lack of reaction to any sound was suspicious. When he turned to the corner where Helia and Riven were together, he realized that what was keeping them in place was the iron around their wrists, which increased his suspicion.
"Why didn't you get rid of the irons? It should be child's play for you, Riven."
Shaking his head, Riven preferred not to comment on Brandon's coldness and answered, "The irons absorb all the minerals in our bodies. Right now, I could use a power bank or, I don't know, a milkshake..." Brandon turned his head, showing that he had stopped listening. Riven immediately stopped and frowned.
"What happened to you? Where's the blondie?"
Brandon whirled around and gave Riven a look that made him feel a need to hide or cower in a corner like never before. As he looked at his friend in shock and fear, Brandon felt his blood drain from his veins at the mention of Stella. The longing growing inside him made his heart race, and it was clear that, regardless of the situation, Stella would never be truly dead to Brandon. He felt his heart beat for a single woman, saw that fear and anger were triggered by that woman alone, and until now, he had only lost control when it came to Stella. His brain couldn't forget this, and even if he did, the memory of this woman in his muscles would never vanish as long as Brandon lived.
Finally, leaving Riven unsettled, he turned his gaze to Stella's dear friends and saw that the redhead was lying down, either sleeping or unconscious, in Flora's lap. Breathing out angrily, Brandon began to feel more clearly that he saw the fairies as a burden, and he now understood that his rage and hatred had somehow always been stopped by Stella. While the idea of leaving the fairies here was becoming more appealing, he couldn't forget that his initial reason for coming here was revenge.
"What's wrong with them?"
"Brandon?" Helia stood up, looking at his friend in shock, and his eyes immediately scanned the surroundings. "Be careful; he could be around here." Brandon's question hung in the air as he turned to Helia, knowing he could have a calmer conversation with him than with Riven. "Who are you talking about?"
"Darkar. Who else?" His gaze turned to the girls, and he frowned. One would have to be blind not to see him gritting his teeth even in this darkness. "That fairy named Bloom transformed all of a sudden, but it would take a thousand witnesses to call her a fairy. She trapped us, Brandon. The girls are in worse shape than we are. Whatever happened, the redhead returned to her old self. I still can't trust her, but as you can see, they've taken her back. She's letting her sleep in her lap. The girl who almost burned her alive, look at that!" While Helia was giving Riven a sharp look, Brandon saw that his friends had gone through a lot during his absence and were not the same as before either. There were already many things that would never be the same, so he chose not to dwell on it.
"Darkar is dead. There's no danger." As his gaze moved to the irons on his comrades' wrists, he gripped his sword tighter and broke the irons with a swift motion. Even though there were still links of the chain on their wrists, at least they were free enough to walk around. When he looked at Helia and Riven, he saw them looking at him in astonishment and exhaled angrily. "Stella killed him." Using death and Stella in the same sentence was irritating. To avoid hearing the question he dreaded, he turned to Nabu. He was still lying unconscious as he had left him. "What happened to him? When did they get here?"
"They who? Nabu came alone, but he was injured. Whatever happened, he passed out the moment he stepped in here and hasn't woken up since." Brandon quickly approached his friend and knelt down, searching for any visible wounds but found none. "Nabu!" He shook him rapidly, and a muffled groan escaped Nabu's lips as he slowly opened his eyes. "Damn it, what happened to you? Where's the fairy? Did she fall into an active pit too?" Nabu shook his head, his lips curling involuntarily, and if he had the strength, he looked like he might cry. "Fell—" Trying to speak between his coughs, his windpipe felt blocked as if it were lined with gravel, making it hard to breathe. "She fell," He looked at Brandon with tears streaming down his face, not caring about them. "I couldn't protect her."
At that moment, even though Brandon didn't care about Aisha, he understood Nabu's pain and couldn't press his friend further. He couldn't tell him not to cry over a fairy. He couldn't say it wasn't his fault or that he wasn't responsible for protecting her. Because he knew it was all lies. Stella had protected him, risking her own life to face Darkar alone. She had sacrificed herself for the entire universe, and Brandon hadn't been able to protect her. He had turned a blind eye to her being buried under the rubble. Even though he roamed around seeking revenge, Stella was still under that pile of stones.
As he knelt beside Nabu, he grabbed his friend's shoulder to help him sit up and dragged him to lean against the wall. Helia and Riven, dragging the irons on their wrists, came over, looking slightly more energized. It seemed the walls, not the irons, were the real absorbers.
"Helia, is there any emergency pills left?" Helia nodded his head and pulled a small box of pills from his shoe heel. He emptied the contents, handing two to Brandon and two each for himself and Riven. Although there were enough for the girls and Timmy and Sky, Helia didn't want to give even a single pill to Bloom. Sighing, he left his friends and headed toward Sky and Timmy. After swallowing the pill, Brandon made Nabu take his and started observing his friend. The burning rage inside him hadn't fully erupted. Lava had increased, but his anger had no direction, resulting in a strange calmness. It felt as if everything that happened was just a dream. As if Stella had disappeared in his nightmare again, and when he woke up, she would be sleeping like an angel.
He ran his hands through his hair, pulling it so hard so it would hurt. While Riven and Nabu waited with their eyes closed for the pill to take effect, Brandon faced the wrath of his burning soul with every tiny detail that reminded him of Stella. He had always waited, always pushed it away. Whoever tried to harm Stella, Brandon had dealt with them in that very place. Whether it was a troll or a dwarf, Brandon had killed all creatures that harmed Stella, without mercy. Even the smallest bruise on Stella was enough to disturb him for a whole month. Like the bruise he noticed on her neck, sleepless nights ensued for Brandon. Because that bruise wasn't there while they were on Earth, and the next day it was so apparent that Brandon felt like he was losing his mind. Who had done what to her and when?
Now there was a greater pain within him. He was drowning in the absence of the woman he loved.
"Where is Stella, Brandon?"
Rage, more than ever. The anger that arose within Brandon at hearing Stella's name was visible in his eyes. As his fingers untangled from his hair, Nabu and Riven instinctively retreated. Nabu shrank back into his place while Riven quickly walked over to Helia, choosing to share his worry and fear with him. As Brandon's eyes found Bloom, another feeling besides anger appeared: hatred. His steps were firm and loud, making the ground tremble. The girls simultaneously lifted their heads and looked up at him. Helia had given them all emergency pills, making them feel slightly better, but now they were confused about what to do as an angry and hateful commander marched towards them.
Brandon grabbed Bloom by the arm, shoving Flora away roughly when she tried to intervene, leaving even Helia unable to move. As Bloom's back hit the hard wall, Brandon hissed, speaking slowly and deliberately. "Do you feel Darkar?" Bloom, eyes wide with fear, rapidly shook her head, and Brandon punched the wall, roaring. "Do you feel the evil inside you?!" As Bloom started crying, sliding down the wall, the girls quickly surrounded her, trying to protect her as much as Brandon allowed, but it was futile. Brandon had no mercy for the fairies. The only fairy he valued was no longer there.
"I don't know yet, but I know somehow you're responsible for all of this. Once I'm sure, I'll find you, redhead. Until then, hide as much as you can." Helia, mustering his courage, approached Brandon and stared in amazement at his tensed arm muscles, which looked like they had doubled in size. If he didn't know better, he'd think Brandon had transformed into a monster. "Brandon, calm down." Shrugging off Helia's grip, Brandon shot a harsh look at his long-haired friend. Although that look was enough for Helia to back off, he didn't give up and confronted his friend. "If Darkar is dead, why are you so angry? Doesn't that mean the mission is accomplished?"
"Darkar is dead?" The girls looked at Helia in astonishment, waiting for his answer, and he simply nodded, further infuriating Brandon with his words, "He's dead, Stella killed him."
"Enough!" Brandon's roar echoed in the open space as he walked towards Nabu, not wanting to hear the fairies, especially since he already had no patience for them right now.
"Where is Stella?" asked Nabu, not stepping back even when Brandon's eyes closed with anger. As Brandon tried to hide his anger while looking at his friend, Nabu, -probably because he was in the same situation-, clearly saw the other emotion behind Brandon's rage; pain. As his eyes widened with fear and sorrow, Nabu felt his voice vanish. Brandon was only showing his anger, but Nabu knew him well enough to understand his sensitivity when it came to Stella. He knew that even his feelings for Aisha weren't as intense as Brandon's for Stella. And if Brandon was here, it truly meant Stella was gone. Because no matter what, Brandon would never leave Stella alone.
"Brandon..." As Brandon stood up, his eyes now showed neither anger nor pain. He had done what he did best: he had locked away his emotions, choosing not to feel anymore. His gaze wandered around for a moment, and knowing he shouldn't think about Stella, he walked to the farthest corner and sat down, starting to clean his sword. He didn't need to lift his head; the girls' sobs and cries weren't enough to move him. Normally, he wouldn't just lift his head but also make sure to silence them forever. But he didn't care; maybe it was the best because no matter how much he cried, Brandon knew his pain wouldn't fade. No matter how much he shouted or killed, the emptiness inside of him would be never filled like when Stella was alive. Far from him but alive somewhere and safer than ever. The more the girls cried and screamed in pain, the more his pain reminded him not to forget it.
Because nor revenge would be enough for him to move on after. He would make sure everyone pays for the things they've done but then, only darkness would be left for him. No amount of punishment would satisfy him. No amount of torture could hurt him more than the truth of Stella's death. His hand stopped, and he looked up at the moon, that no longer was beautiful in his eyes. The woman he loved was no longer alive, and Brandon now understood his father much better.