I laid on the ground staring at her majestic features. She hadn't changed a bit, she was still as lovely as ever. I had so many questions to ask. My mind was boggled by her existence. How was she still alive?
"I see you staring at me like I'm some sort of ghost, but I can tell you Xerxes that I am as real as you and Trina over there," she chuckled lightly.
I could only nod, I was still trying to grasp reality at this moment.
"How are you still alive?" I finally let out after finding my voice.
"Well," she smiled, walking over to me with a slow pace. "I used my powers to protect myself, remember the protective spell, yeah that one. I used it to shield myself from the dragon fire."
How could she do that when she was not an iron mage? There were three types of magicians — the first being the iron mage with the ability to fight wars with warrior tactics as well as conjure protective spells and iron weapons when needed, the second being the dark mage with the ability to use dark magic and necromancy to their needs and the third being the nature mage with the ability to use nature to fulfill their wishes. She had the abilities of the third mage and it was impossible to use a dark mages power much less an iron mage. Only a Xaj could wield all three powers and use it effortlessly.
She squatted to my level, stretching out her hands to me. "I've missed you so much my love."
I was taken aback when she said those words. I remembered having a conversation with Queen atop a mountain about the names we were to call each other as lovers.
"I don't need to call you 'my love' before you know that you are my love," she had said with a smile on her face. "You mean everything to me, and I would spend the rest of my life proving it to you Xerxes. Anybody can say pretty words to you, but not me, my actions would show if I love you or if I do not."
A tear dropped from my eye as it hit me hard. I could not believe that I had fallen for such a meagre trick.
"You don't need to cry my love, I'm here for..."
"You are not her," I said without looking up. My heart was throbbing with pain at how someone could use my worst pain to trick me.
She withdrew her hand with a shocked look on her face. "What do you mean Xerxes?"
I looked up with my vision getting blocked from the tears. "You are not Queen. She would never call me 'my love'. She hated those words. And if she really was here, she would not hesitate to show me how much she had missed me and how much she loved me," my voice raved in anger. I stood up with my fists balled up. The fog had gotten thick covering the trees around us.
"I can see that you did not fall for my trick," a sinister voice echoed. "But that does not mean that you would be getting out of here alive. Doubt still lingers in your heart and your internal turmoil is yet to come forth."
The image of Queen started to mix with the fog as she disappeared slowly with the fog dissipating moments later. Falling onto my knees, I let the pain flow through me as I cried.
Queen, I'm sorry.
I screamed into the wind for reminding me of what I had lost. I screamed out loud letting my anger explode through my tears. A dim light was starting to glow in my eyes as the wind howled violently. I was angry, but I could not tell why. I could feel myself boil with rage and I wanted the entire world to boil with me. I screamed even louder with the glow in my eyes becoming brighter and brighter until a hand was put on my shoulder, it was my father.
"I'm so sorry Xerxes," he whispered, before helping me up and holding me close to him. It was warm, a father-son hug, and it made me squeeze him even tighter as I fell into his embrace. The light in my eyes started to grow dim until there was nothing but trees and shrubs bellowing in the wind.
"Why did you have to go?" I sobbed. "Maybe what I'm going through would not..."
"You can't change the past Xerxes," Petra limped to me, patting my shoulder.
"Just as you cannot change the damage that has already been done," Harry reasoned.
"But you can look into the future with hope," Indigo added.
"And pray for it to be brighter than what you've gone through as well as steering the future to your own pace," my father noted.
I closed my eyes, letting their words sink into my heart as a warm light hit my face. Squinting to see what was going on, the trees had started to clear up as I looked around to see that we were no longer in the dark forest anymore.
He let go of me, chuckling softly. "I remember the forest now. Senile had created it to stop my dark demons from chasing an angel fox," he said pointing to the forest which was now behind us.
"The longer you doubt yourself and dull the pain you feel inside, the more difficult your journey in the dark forest becomes," Petra remarked with a smile.
I looked at the forest intensely before turning around to see the white mountains ahead of us. The dark forest should also be called the forest of doubt. After all, only believers could make it out alive.
"Let's keep going," the dark god said, patting me on the shoulder while moving past me.
I watched the team walk in pairs before trudging behind them. Looking back one more time, an image of a sad little fox appeared as it was surrounded by the demon creatures we had fought earlier. It whimpered in pain before walking back into the forest, letting the darkness and lightning cover it up again.