ZARINA
The year was 2006 when she sought to find Maximus again. She had come out of that hole in the ground over fifty years ago. Despite her follower's many protests, she had tried to stay as silent as possible. They were not yet ready. Less than a quarter of her original army had been returned to her. Her magic had needed more time to heal. But soon, she knew, it would be her time to strike.
In 1949, she had recovered her old castle- or what was left of it, anyway. The castle that used to be suspended high above the clouds had now decayed away. The remainder was an island that used to be located at the foot of the castle. It was now a giant cave made of many tunnels and rocks. The old tunnel had now developed into the headquarters for the returning followers of Zarina.
2006. She was traveling alone. She had put the three dark spirits in charge, telling them directly not to let anyone out of sight, except for the Fulcans who were on a mission to find a relic of her ancient country. The Fulcans were half demon, half bird-like creatures with bat wings and the fangs of a snake. There were seven of them, all vicious creatures thirsty for blood.
Zarina travelled from place to place, trying to figure out where Solis was now. Then she arrived on the Crust. She saw humans with tiny glowing devices that showed pictures and sounds. One of them was holding a picture of Maximus. It had seemed he had turned into a record breaking champion who was to be appearing live onstage, that very day, to attempt to break the Guinness world record.
So Zarina teleported to the show stage in a place called Paris, where she saw a very muscular young man lift up a car with people in it. The man looked like he was using all his might to hold the automobile up, but she knew it was all an act. The man could have held up an entire mountain and not have broken a sweat. He had been, after all, trained by Zarina, the Queen of darkness herself.
Her thoughts wandered off to the day she had first noticed him. Max had been an insolent brat back then- and still was. He had refused to cooperate, refused to even look at her. . . but then he had changed his ways. He had given in to her wishes when she had given him the soul of his brother. Zarina had trained him to become her first Commander, to become the only person she could trust. Eventually she had gifted him with immortality. Yet one thing never changed: he never treated Zarina like the way the rest of her followers did. He never bowed, or trembled before the Dark Lady. He held his head up high, and continued to address Zarina as a friend. Nobody had ever gotten away with something like that before.
His eyes met her's onstage, and he instantly dropped the car. Apparently he had broken the record, and Parisian people, especially the girls, were in hysterics. But his eyes didn't leave Zarina, even as she walked away.
She waited outside of the hotel he was staying at. It was easy to track him down; all she had to do was follow the hysterical fans all over town at a distance. Most of the fans went home after 3 in the morning, but Zarina waited. She knew he would come.
A figure stepped out into the lobby, and outside the door. The young man saw his old friend, and ran towards her. Then, without a word, he hugged her. The woman slapped him across the face as hard as she could, and backhanded him, making the man lose his balance.
"Still no respect for the natural decency of human privacy," she grumbled, causing the pained boy to laugh. "Zarina- I am so glad to see- wow, I mean, it's been, like what, ninety years or something, no?" Zarina tried not to show her smile, and instead kicked Max in the gut, causing him to fall back down.
"Oof, so, what're you up to now? Have you rounded up the gang again? Or are you just here alone?" She looked at him, and saw the so familiar mischievous glint in his eyes. "Are you still determined to fight for me?" Zairna asked. He answered with a smile. "Well, it's more like fight with you than for you, but yeah, I'm totally determined."
Zarina spoke in a barely audible whisper. "I need you to go to a place called the United States, North Carolina. On the outskirts of the town, there'll be the house of Katalina Jewel, wife of the spirit of power. Light the house on fire."
MAX SOLIS
Out of the thousands of followers of Zarina that were imprisoned in Azailia, I wasn't amongst them. Two weeks before the fall of Zarina, she had sent me on a mission on the Crust. She wanted something in a museum, a staff or something. But that's not important. What's important is that after Zarina fell, Heratha's forces started rounding up the followers of Zarina. And Maximus Solis, the right hand man of Zarina, was the first on their list.
I knew I couldn't fight them all. Millions of the once imprisoned spirits were now twice as strong, fed with anger and the thirst for revenge. I changed into a smaller version of myself, so that I would blend in with humans. After a couple of decades of hiding out, I decided it was safe to try and live a non-hobo life again. So, I got myself a new name and ID as an immigrant from an unheard of country, and became Max Grady.
I quickly became famous for my "inhumanly strength" and my many successes in breaking Guinness World Records. I traveled around the world, showing my skills off to the many people loved me and my strength. I was careful to make my immortal appearances age on, for I needed them to think I was as mortal as they were. By the time Zarina came to find me, I had broken four records for weight lifting, three for chair balancing, and even more for pie eating.
I was lifting up a car in Paris when I saw her. Trauma and pain had turned her older and paler than before, but I knew it was her. How could I not? She had been like my teacher, like a friend. . . perhaps something more than a friend.
That day on the ship will probably never be forgotten. I was barely eight, when I saw my brother collapse onto the floor because of Zarina. Zarina had told me she admired my courage. She said she'd train me to be the greatest warrior the world had ever known. She did this because nobody had ever stood up to her before, and what I had done took real courage or enormous stupidity. I was still real mad about my brother when she took out a vial from her coat pocket. She told me that it held the essence, the soul of my brother. Feeding it to another person would let my brother's ghost take control over him or her, allowing me to talk to my brother. His spirit would never die, and would never leave me.
I don't remember clearly what happened after that day. After ten years of her training me, we were ready to charge Zyrinx. I became her most loyal and dependent follower, and she granted me the gift of immortality. This gift was probably the most anyone had ever received from her before. But that year, I got something even more special.
We had just conquered the ice merfolk's lagoon, and had turned the vicious mermaids into our soldiers. The sun was setting over the icy waters, creating a beautiful hue. I was sitting on the edge of a cliff, looking at the amazing colors of the sky when Zarina sat next to me. We talked for a while, and then I did something rash. I don't know why I did it, but as the last second of the sunset faded away, I kissed her.
I expected her to slap me, or push me off that cliff. But it never came. For a few seconds, the world was still. Then she yanked away, and disappeared into the shadows. We didn't bring it up the next day, or the day after that. In fact, we haven't brought it up for almost a century now. She probably doesn't remember it. No, I take that back. She does remember it, because that's probably the only time she's ever had feelings for another person. I brought out the feelings in the Queen's dark, rotting heart. That's why I'll never be able to forget that day. Not now, not ever.
Anyways, about 7 years of getting into the muscle business, I was greeted by a familiar face. After the show, I tried to find her, but couldn't, mostly because of my crazy fans. Very early in the morning, I got up and went to the lobby, because I knew, that something was waiting there for me. And I was right. Zarina was hiding amongst the shadows. She asked me a favor. She wanted me to light a house on fire.
I don't know why she wanted me to do it, but Zarina said I should, so I did. That night, I used a teleporting stone to get to Katalina Jewel's house. A teleporting stone, when broken, creates a temporary portal that will give you a one-way trip to wherever you want to go.
The house I was supposed to burn down was pretty. I could hear laughter coming from inside the house. A child and a mother, maybe? I inhaled deeply, concentrated my inherited Sun powers- gifts from my ancient ancestors, the Jothirai, and heated up my body.
And then, whoosh- I blew out a fury of flames, letting it spread across the house. Once I heard the wailing of cars in the distance, I got the hell out of there, and teleported back to my Paris hotel. I slept, fighting off the screeching of sirens that flooded my mind.
Who would have known that, sixteen years later, I would be meeting the same child that I thought I had killed? But that's what happened.
I had brought her Cilia Jewel into my apartment. I told her to wait, as I disintegrated the fake granny that I had created. Then we talked. I tried to kill her. She tried to fight. In the end, I managed to knock her out by preventing her from breathing too much. I whipped out my phone, and dialed Zarina.
The lady told me to keep her within my sight at all costs. So, I tied the girl up and stuffed her in a closet. Then I waited. And waited. Yet still no sign of movement, and still no sign of Zarina. Then the closet suddenly shook. I jumped up from the sofa, and stood, ready to spring into action if the situation called for it.
At the same time, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" I yelled, through all the shaking. Zarina, flanked by three- 'Wait, I remember them,' I thought to myself as I saw the three spirits of natural disasters. 'They're the ones who stuffed me in a hurricane two months before the war.'
There was a swish, and my closet was chopped in two, revealing Cilia Jewel, with two throwing axes at her side.
Zarina smiled, and said, "Well. I'm impressed." Then she nods at me. I'm guessing this is a signal for me to grab the girl. Although I really want to talk to Zarina about her ordering me around, I don't think this is a good time.
So I lunge for her, dodging the blows that comes my way. Another flash of light. Now, the girl's holding a golden mug and a golden spoon. She yelled out something that I shall not repeat. Even I was momentarily stunned by this ridiculous change. But I regained my senses quickly, and used this distraction as an advantage over the girl. With one hand, I pulled her hands behind her back, and with my free arm, wrapped it around her neck.
Zarina steped forward. "Cilia Jewel. . ." Zarina pressed her hand against the girl's forehead, and immediately it turned blue. It started to burn up, I could smell the smoke. The girl struggled, and she let out a scream. Zarina whispered, "Don't fight it. It'll be much easier if you give in, Cilia. . ." I watched Aello, Beira, and Celosia smile. I didn't smile.
I'm not extremely traumatized with killing people if the situation calls for it, but it pains me to watch them get tortured to death. But it's different with Zarina. She and her goons take pleasure in other's pain. That's the only thing I'll never be able to get about her.
Another scream. But something's different. Zarina's eyes turned from happy to serious. She looked around the room. Then, she suddenly disappeared. Less than a second after she went, Zarina's youngest sister appeared in the room.