"Follow this path and you will soon arrived at the said lake." Diana said as she pointed out a snowy path.
The sun's light bounce its way from snow to snow, making a beautiful crystal fall illumination of the beautiful diamond land.
"Thank you, Diana, and sorry for the mess we cause" Evan apologize.
"Don't worry about it, your highness." Diana responded. "You should get going, I'll see you there."
Then Mayari and Evan continued their journey towards the heart of the Curse Yuver Forest where their freedom awaits.
After hours of walking, Mayari and Evan have finally arrived in a clear area where a calm silent lake sat at view.
The lake holds a the clearest water that they have seen, illuminated with glistering fireflies as the sunlight gently touch the surface.
Lotuses and lilies bloom from the planes, and towering over the heart of the enchanting lake is a collosal beauteuos tree with a smoothen golden brown bark and leaves in the shape and color of snowflakes reflecting gorgeous diamond lights from the tree's sky.
Evan watch with astonishment and awe as he took a breath and smile, while Mayari didn't change her mood whatsoever.
They step closer to the lake's shore and look up the majestic tree of snowflakes.
"Are you ready, Mayari?" Evan asked.
Mayari nodded.
And with no further interruption they shouted in unison, "Yuvera."
Then with a blink of an eye everything change, Evan and Mayari found themselves in a battle arena, surrounded by hundreds of audience who are all spirits, they sat still and stayed quiet in their sits, looking noble and graceful.
Their eyes holds indifference and pity as they watch the two of them in complete distance.
"The challengers have arrived!" Drums started to bang after an announcement was made.
And then came another voice, "Welcome! Lady Mayari and Prince Evan."
Mayari and Evan both turned their heads where the welcoming voice came.
A beautiful woman sitting on her beloved throne with a smile. Their is doubt that she is the Goddess of the Yuver Forest, Goddess Yuvera.
"I am very in glee that you have come to my presence." Yuvera stated, "Specially you Lady Mayari."
After her words servant and a soldier came to them
"Your Lady Ship," the servant curtsy, "women are not allowed in the match so let me escort you to your seat where her majesty Yuvera awaits."
"Prince Evan," the soldier stated, "Come with me and we will explain to you about the match and the freedom you seek."
Without no hesitation, Mayari followed the servant while Evan followed the soldier in opposite ways, they are already aware so there are no room for anxiety.
As Mayari climbed to the stairs leading to Yuvera's chosen seat, she clearly notice that their are also normal mermaids and humans sitting on their respected seat just lower from Yuvera's throne.
All are women, gifted with ageless beauty and velveted dresses along with priceless jewelries hanging around their entire model.
Most of the women in their seat are full with energy an joy, they are happy to be here and is willing to stay while the others have their eyes pinned with gloom and sadness, they forced and wish flee, among of them is Diana who gaze at Mayari with an eyes of hope and determination.
Mayari finally reach the floor where Yuvera's throne stand and sat, a chair is also readied next to her and soldiers are guarding from the shadows.
"Your majesty, Lady Mayari have arrived." The servant curtsy then left.
"Nice to meet you, Mayari." She smiled.
"I am not please." Mayari replied coldly.
"Then let it be." She snap her fingers once then more servants came carrying enchanted chains and shackles that can cover the entire hand.
Yuvera step away from her throne and approach Mayari.
"Magic use is not allowed in my presence, I hope you understand Mayari so kindly give your mask and don't resist." Yuvera informed and opened her palm.
Mayari have no choice and summoned the wolf mask in her finger tips and hand it to Yuvera.
"Very good." Yuvera smiled.
She intensely examined the mask by her own pair of emerald eyes. She gently trace the carving in every symbol and line with awestruck.
"What a beauty..." She praise, "I finally witness the black, mysterious Mask of the wolf."
"You know that mask?" Mayari asked, as the servant started chaining the shackles in her hands and feet.
"Of course!" She exclaimed, "Every God knows about the Legend of this mask. The sorceress who created this mask was powerful and came from the other, she pour all of her magic, blood, soul and even her life just to create this mask that symbolize her favorite wild animal from her world that is called a wolf. This mask choose it's own owner and would rip off the face of anyone who dare to wear it."
"It traveled from world to world just to find the worthy owner that the mask will serve until their death" Yuvera continued, "then the mask will find another and so go on."
She then put the mask in a velvety pillow that is being carried by her servant, "Guess you are the lucky one to be chosen. You are powerful after all, you even manage to kill the nymphs of the my river." She smiled.
"They are pests that pisses me off." Mayari replied.
"Don't worry, you won't be punish but your prince charming will." She grinned with all of her white teeth.
She suddenly trace Mayari's birthmark through her long black nails.
"You're distructive ways suited you perfectly as the dark book of prophecies have said."
"What prophecy?" Mayari asked as she move a step backward to avoid Yuvera's hand.
"You also didn't know?" Mayari didn't answer, "Silence means yes." Yuvera stated. "But let's have a seat first."
Yuvera sat back to her throne and Mayari sat to the chair next to her with the glowing chains wrapped around her hand like a slave.
"The Dark Book of Prophecy is the book that the Dark Forces holds," she started to tell, "and what is written is inevitable. The new prophecy stated that a mysterious girl who's been marked by a crescent will appear from the darkness of the sky, she symbolize the dark side of the moon in many ways and will bring the end of all life... or what we understand more as the end of the world."
Yuvera look over to her with a giggle, "that's you." She pointed, "I have no doubt about that."
Mayari hold her expressionless guard and didn't react in any way or manner, she just stayed silent like always and asked no more.
"The Death Match will begin." A soldier announced and the crowd started to cheer as drumbeats filled the atmosphere.
"Our defending spirit Varen! versus the challenger Prince Evan Arscelor"
Then emerged from the gates of opposite sides are Evan and Varen.
"Are you ready, your highness? because this is gonna be bloody." He grinned.
"I'm always ready." Evan replied back.
The horn then let out sound, then the clashing of blades have begun.
"Your Majesty," a servant curtsy, "Lady Diana is here to talk to you."
"Let her be." Yuvera replied.
Diana then approach Yuvera and curtsy.
"What is it, Diana?" She asked politely. "Do you need anything?"
"Yes..." Diana replied with a cold face.
"And what is it?" Yuvera asked again.
"I want you dead." Diana then summoned black thick thorns and pierce all the guards and servants to death.
Yuvera stood up in shock and anger, she then fired spikes of ice to Diana but she dodge them all in just one step.
She fired again but Diana was fast to move and then implanted a bomb that exploded in second.
Because of the commotion the battle between Evan and Varen came to a halt.
Yuvera got blasted out but safely landed on the battlefield so as Diana and Mayari.
"Are you alright, your majesty." Varen asked as he run to her side while Evan came to Mayari and Diana.
"Yes, I am fine." She answered, "But how? How did you became athletic and strong, Diana?" She asked in serious tone.
Diana grinned, strange blue smoke then came spiraling all over her body. Then she shift back to our cold stone Mayari.
And the other Mayari shift back to Diana, the enchanted chains slip off her like oil and she was easily set free.
"Do you really think we came her without a plan?" Mayari then summoned a knife in her hand.
"I watched over you 24/7, when and where did you have the time to create a plan without me knowing?" Yuvera asked in fury.
"Mayari's magic is greater than yours Yuvera, and we where able to trick the eyes that you have used to spy on us." Evan replied
Yuvera knows about Mayari's magic and it is possible that they have managed to trick her eyes, so she couldn't do anything but to clench her teeth in anger.
"Attack!" She shouted and all the spirits who are capable of fighting then charge to them.
"That won't do." Mayari said.
Mayari then summoned more and bigger thorns under her feet that she let on a rampage. Half of the spirits are pierce by her thorns and Evan take care of the rest with his flaming sword and end up battling with Varen.
Yuvera also fought, she flew up and constantly shot magic, targeting Mayari.
Mayari then raise her hand and the thorns obey trying to grab Yuvera. Yuvera dodge quick in every second to avoid the thorns. Mayari took the opportunity, she immediately came by her back and almost slice off her head. Yuvera barely dodge and got her long hair cut by Mayari's blade.
"I'm a Goddess, girl, you won't defeat me that easily." Yuvera then raise her hand, the ice instantly followed and tried to pierce Mayari from below.
Mayari did a summersault and dodge the ice, another one followed and she then slice it to half.
Then without noticing, Yuvera surrounded her with water and cage her inside a ball of ice.
"Is that all you have got?" Yuvera spoke too soon and Mayari instantly break free.
"Do you really think that I am that weak?" Mayari throw her hundreds of knives.
The Goddess tried to dodge it all but she miss a step and got shot by the shoulder.
She bleed and got more furious, "I am Goddess, how dare you touch me, ungrateful brat." She went on a rampage and started releasing all of her strong spells.
Spells of blizzard came shooting Mayari like missiles. She dodge the others like she usually do but two ice suddenly came to her in the same time that Mayari needs tovanished the snowflake beneath her and drop low to the icy floor to be able dodge.
But as her foot came in contact to the floor, the air then froze to solid see ice pinning down her feet like stone.
Yuvera then raise her hands once again and two ice then trapped Mayari's arms. Mayari struggled but the ice shackling her won't budge.
Yuvera came floating down at Mayari's front and gently brushher fingers to Mayari's face.
"Oh Mayari." Yuvera softly said.
"Now, you don't have to fight. You could always stay here forever." She then trace down to her neck and a push her pointed nails. "Death will be my vengeance, and I would extract your soul to my power. Think of this as your punishment for everything you've cause."
Her clawed nail slowly dig to Mayari's skin that crimson blood trickled down Mayari's neck like red strings.
"Do you really think you're daughter would have wanted this?" Mayari asked.
Yuvera pause and stared at her with dark eyes. "So you heard about her." She mumbled, and Mayari nodded.
"Now, tell me what would've have she wanted?"
"She wanted you to be happy about her and smile after her leave."
"But how could I smile, seeing my own daughter leave me alone." Her expression dimmed with sadness and sorrow.
"No," Mayari corrected, "How could you trap her in here forever with tears of loneliness."
Yuvera retrieve her hand from Mayari's neck and pinned her eyes to the ground as tears rolled out from her eyes.
"You have to accept that not everything goes in your plan. She would someday have her own mind and dream to follow, that's why she must leave and find her happiness." Mayari stated.
"Why? Isn't she happy in here." Yuvera sob.
"You already know the answer, Yuvera, accept it."
"How?!" Yuvera exclaimed, "She shouldn't have left, she should have stayed."
Yuvera fell to her knees as she keeps on sobbing, her sorrow affected her magic that the ice trapping Mayari started to melt setting her free.
"If she did stayed are you willing to see your daughter die in tears?..." Mayari asked seriously and Yuvera then look up to her.
"Do you really want her to kill herself knowing that you are the cause of her sorrowful end?" Mayari asked again.
Yuvera then realize why the moon help her daughter leave because she was dying all alone in her cold chamber of loneliness and despair, that she's the who built.
"How could you possibly say that?! Do you feel what I felt!?" She shouted as more tears trickled down her flushed cheeks. "Did you feel what she felt?! Did you all think about her and didn't think of my own feelings at all?! That has been longing her."
Mayari then bend and embrace Yuvera like a daughter would.
"My parents left me when I was young, it hurts but it will soon heal the better you accept it." Mayari stated, "I am always trapped in the loneliness of longing so you and me are alike. I understand you and I hope you also understand the freedom I yearn to find my own happiness just like your daughter."
"We need to look to new prospective and change for the better and accept our lost, it's better that way, we could have our time to heal our broken hearts." Mayari added.
"Your majesty, stay away from that cold blooded girl!" Varen shouted.
"No!" Yuvera replied, "stop the fighting." She demanded and the battling did stop between the spirits and Evan.
"For the first time in my life, I finally understand now." She hugged Mayari back with tears of joy, "I must learn to forgive and free my self... I must free myself."
"My daughter, Yuri, I finally understand now. I'm sorry for everything I cause. I must have been selfish and wrathful, forgive me. I hope that you have been happy in your years with your beloved."
Hearing their Goddess's resolution, the spirits smile in glee. Even Evan smiled seeing the cold blooded girl she met show off some of her affection to a lonely mother.
"Thank you, Mayari." She whispered, "Thank you for opening my eyes."
"Glad I help," Mayari mumbled, "But did you really think I still don't want to kill you?"
Mayari then summoned a knife and cut Yuvera's head off with one strike.
"You're an idiot for trusting a killer like me." Mayari stated as Yuvera's bleeding body fell to the ground with a bloody lake.
Without the their Goddess life the forest started to burn into ashes along with the remaining spirits.
"Mayari what have you done!" Evan shouted as he approach her.
She stood up to her feet and let the crimson fluid stream below her heels. The she face Evan.
"I have done what I needed to be done." She replied, Yuvera's blood stained her appearance and her dead eyes holds more coldness than it usually have.
"Yuvera have already made her resolve, there is no need to do that." Evan reasoned.
"Resolve or not the plan is to end Yuvera, that's the only way out and the only way to flee."
"Those emotions, those affections you shared and showed to Yuvera, is that all a lie? that you made up?"
Evan is truly angered, he have never seen anyone show kindness to someone and use it to end it's life completely with blood and lies.
Mayari took a moment and stared right through his eyes, then she answered colder than ice.
"Those are lies, I use what ever I can to annihilate my enemy. No matter the cost."
And for that moment on, Evan finally knew the color that have always lingered throughout her soul.
Second by second, the forest is crumbling to cinder as the wind harshly blew the snowflake trees and beautiful sceneries.
Soon the forest will only be plain snow and nothing more.
The Cursed Yuver Forest will be dead because of the hand of a cold reaper.