The horse galloped across the shady forest. The trees in the forest were malady-brown. Grains of poison begrimed the bark and gleamed like witch dust. Trolls haunted the sooty coppices, salivating over their prey and smearing the blood over their heavy faces. The decaying air and stifling atmosphere provided the perfect abode for those who worshipped the darkness rather than the light. In the dense shadows, spiders clutched their snare strings. Their webs shimmered like meshed steel dipped in silver. Eyes a-flame with hunger, they were hoping to dine on bloated bodies and slurp on hot blood.
Lucy and the little girl shivered from the sight of it. The tracks were obvious that the villager did pass through this path. Lucy was relieved. Instead of heading to the beach for escape, they headed to the opposite way. They've never passed through this direction, it was forbidden by their former chief, but there was no other way. What lies through this route is better safer than the other way around.
What came across them was Sebastian and Pilvo, she brought the horse to a stop. "What are you doing here? We're still not far ahead, there's no time to rest!"
Sebastian and Pilvo looked at her before gazing back somewhere. They were passing near a cliffside, the passageway was stiff, she saw the horse fell over and was already dead.
Lucy went off the horse's saddle. She sighed. "Stay here," she instructs the girl.
The girl nodded. Lucy walked towards the two lads and asked, "How did this happen?"
Sebastian glared at Pilvo. "It was his fault, this couldn't have happened if you let me conduct the horse. Whining in my back of how scared you are, are you insane?"
Pilvo then retorted immediately. "My fault? It was your fault, you were making the horse gallop promptly, the road's stiff I told you to settle down. We even almost die if I hadn't held on to the root!"
"It was your fault, still!" Sebastian pointed at his face.
"No, it was your fault!" Pilvo did the same.
"No, it was yours!"
Lucy twitched in irritation and the girl covered her ears. 'These two never mature enough. Even in this situation, they're all talk.'
"Shut it, you two!" She shouted and the both silenced, cross their arms and ignored each other's gaze. "I get it, now you two climb up my horse."
Sebastian and Pilvo dropped their arms and peaked at the horse. It can't carry people above four. The horse would weaken and they might not escape the land as they wished for. As their guts wouldn't allow that to happen, they still headed to Lucy's horse.
"How about you, Lucy?" Sebastian asked as he climbed up the horse. "This really is our fault, we're knuckleheads roaming around danger and we brought you this unfortunate fate."
"We're sorry, milady Lucy." Pilvo bowed his head.
Lucy scoffed. "I'm surprised that you boys know how to apologize but, I'll be alright. I'm right behind you," she stroked the horse's hair and stick her forehead to it. "Take care of my horse, she's something. If you found my parents there, send this girl to them, tell them to not worry and that I'm coming. Do you hear me, lads?"
"Yes, milady!" The two exclaimed, with their broad chests.
"Now go!"
The horse left along with the girl and the two lads. She saw them off as they disappear. Now, she started walking, running, and resting her knees for a quick moment. Just when she was panting, the ground grumbled and she had to hold on to a trunk to support her body. She saw the roots below lit up in the tainted green and it went somewhere, she followed her gaze and she reckoned it headed through the village. When the grumble stopped, she immediately without a delay climbed up the tree. Eager to know what was there.
And her eyes widened.
—
"What in the world is that?" Gwydion's men asked.
What detonated from the ground was a massive woman who wore nothing but the roots of the trees, the gore of the wilderness, and specks of her angry vessel showing from her neck to her hands and to her body, there were no feet, only her waist was shown. Mass of land fell off from her body and she was all green. She growled through the surface. Roared through the land and a strong breeze came après.
"HOW DARE YOU VIOLATED MY LAND! WHAT EVILNESS SHOULD YOU BESTOW TO EVEN LAND YOUR FEET? I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL!" Yelled the woman, with a thick and a voice with depth, baritone.
Glinda and the rest of the men were horrified. Ravyn had a smug face on and Gwydion remained glaring.
"What does this mean, Ravyn? Who is she?" She instantly looked at her daughter.
"This is the Goddess of this land. Don't you know that mother?" She gave her mother a look. "That's surprising knowing how much time it took you to search Maurelle, someone who hates you." Muttered at the last statement.
"What did you say?" Gwydion slammed her hand on the ship's wood.
"But that's beside the point, that goddess is the only one who could revive Maurelle from the death and save her. Not that she wants to be saved, but you get it, right?" She walk towards the edge of the ship and pointed to the woman enraged. "You see, mother. She's more powerful than us, attained powers that no kind would have ever imagined if you could steal her power. You can either revive Maurelle or you could live endlessly without having to transfer your sorcery to Maurelle. Isn't that what you truly want? You don't need us anymore if that happens."
Gwydion walk and stopped in front of her, staring straight through her eyes. Gwydion knows if someone is lying to her or if they are not, and this one? Is definitely not just her blabbering. Ravyn was not lying.
"Where did you get all of this informations from?" Looking at her suspiciously, Gwydion asked.
Ravyn chortled and Glinda's brows met, she was also curious. "You gave me a tinge of your spells mother. I felt this goddess underneath my step right after we laid our foot down on this land." Revealed to her.
But, that was what her mother and the rest of them believed. The true reason of why she knows? No one would have ever known. Ever since Maurelle escaped, she already knew where she has gone. Because of the simple porridge, she ate right before she escaped. Before it digested to her body and was left out, Ravyn saw just which land she went. From then on, everything about Maurelle's escape and arrival was all inside her head. And this was the right time that she executed her plan. Everything was in her favour up until now.
No one could ever match her sorcery. Indeed, Maurelle could be the most powerful amongst their kin. But not as wise as she is.
Gwydion was furious upon hearing that the massive woman they were seeing is stronger than her. She has always been competitive. She did not believe her daughter and decided to head straight for the giant's head.
"If what you're saying is true, then let me prove you wrong. Not even a sweat will I ever waste upon her demands." She exclaimed and grabbed her broom. Just like that, the evil witch headed towards the goddess and to the raging dragon.
Ravyn smirked before looking at her sister who was still horrified.
"Well, aren't you the obedient daughter, Glinda? Always following mother's wishes? Don't you want to accompany her?" She said sarcastically and with impurity traced in her voice.
"What? N-no. Who in the right mind would ever go closer with such a thing?" She nervously said and started laughing.
Gwydion was still not far ahead when both of them heard her scream. "Glinda, you come with me!"
Ravyn curved her lips and raised her brow. Glinda sighed and shook her head. Her feet brought her to the groom standing beside her and rode it. "Why am I always the one to do this? I just want to go home, kill men, and achieve my beauty once more..."
Ravyn celebrated inside her as she succeeded with her treacherous plan to bait her mother and bind her to the goddess. "There's no way she'll win against her, hah! Not in a million years."
Somehow, the men heard her. "Then, will her queen die?" Asked by the men.
"She no longer serves as your queen. From now on, I am the queen!" She exclaimed and cast a spell upon the men's head, her manipulation granted her as the leader. "Now, we shall sail away when we still have our time."
The ship was ready to sail, they have already retreated and was going after the exit. Ravyn was powerful enough to bring them back to their land. There, she shall be the queen. She will rule that word and no one would ever stop her. Not even her mother. "Hah, the land of death is waiting for her. I doubt she'll meet her kind daughter there." She muttered.
THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE GODDESS OF THE LAND OF NATURE, ARANYANI, AND THE EVIL WITCH GWYDION HAS BEGUN.
"And who are you, ugly creature? Are you the one who brought madness to my land?" Aranyani asked her with a tremor in her voice. She was mad and the forest vibrates through her delirium.
Gwydion glared at her. "Ugly?! How dare you! I, the most powerful witch will slaughter you and steal your sovereignty, your powers!"
Gwydion used her abilities for the dragon to charge after the goddess. Aranyani raised her hand and throw a gigantic rock at it. The dragon swayed away. Behind her was Gwydion casting another spell to destroy her body, with her wand, she waved it and pointed to her back.
Aranyani staggered. She angrily turned her back and face Gwydion and threw another rock at her. She managed to avoid the hit and madly retorted.
It was a bloodbath battle. The goddess was the only one against the two dwellers of the evil.
Lucy who was on top of the tree, witnessing the battle never had her eyes as wide as ever. What madness is she seeing? And who could that giant woman be? Is that the goddess Ambroz once told her? Her mind was blown. But what she did not notice was a rock coming towards her.
"Oh goodness, no!"
The rock hit the ground and created a tremble. Lucy's tree was falling. So what she did was a strategic move, flipped her body to the back and landed on the ground with a stance safely and sound.
"Phew! That was close." She stood up and wiped off the sweat on her forehead with the back of her palm. "I can't stay here any longer. Mother and father are waiting for me."
She started running and escaping the grounds. Nothing would go good for her, especially when fate forfeited each and every living. There's war runs away from her, she can not be dying too early.
Gwydion cursed when a rock hit and left her arm scathed. She loathes the goddess even more, "Glinda! You useless one! Go for her head!"
Glinda panicked as she was terrified by what they were against. "But, m-mother! We have no triumph against her, we should retreat!" She complained as her brows arched.
Gwydion glared at her. They were still mid-air on their brooms swaying around the air as they avoided the goddess's every hit. "You wench, I did not raise cowardice like yourself. Now go and threw berserk upon her head!"
Glinda can not do anything when her mother lies demands to her phase. She listens and follows. Now she regrets it. No wonder her sister left them, no wonder she chose that path, and no wonder she died in so much pain. Glinda looked at her hands, it was the devil's hands. She wishes she did not have.
Glinda looked at the goddess and flew in front of her. "Kill me! I, no longer want to live this way. Kill me and you shall not burden your own atrocities."
The goddess looked at her straight, the eyes that lures her in. It was not the eyes of death and wrath, it was the eyes of freedom and life. The goddess was giving her a chance to flee across the blisses, if she slumbers to death in the hands of this goddess, regret is beyond the line. She was candour when facing the goddess.
And her last words were, "Come what may."
The goddess shattered her into pieces of souls and her flesh turned into hundreds of butterflies.
"No!" Gwydion cried out and her veins almost snapped. "Arg! You will regret this!" She flew towards her and cast the most powerful spells she could ever have, it was her thunder of death, that came from the northern heaven and strike the goddess's head. And fire breathes through her face by the dragon.
Truly, it did wreck the goddess's face, however, Aranyani was made by soil and roots. Her devastated face immediately grew out and was fixed. She then grumbled. The more she did, the bigger she get. Now, she was thrice the size as before. The witch's thunder only made her mad.
"To think you could all gain a victory against me? The consequences of your actions are to be held! By the land of this root, the transcendent of my powers, you sinners shall be bound to your righteous fate. As the wind blows and the tree grows, you will never be thou receive the chance of living! Disappear!" Aranyani shouted in anger.
Once she shouted, a huge blow of air came afterwards. As an enormous bomb exploded, it gave a huge impact on the grounds and the living.
The dragon and Gwydion were the ones near her. Gwydion, just like her daughter, her evil and treacherous soul turned into hundreds and thousands of butterflies. She was summoned to her death by forbidding the law of life.
Lucy that was running for her life to reach the end and catch up to her people, felt the sudden grumble of their ground once more. While running, she saw how the dark trees fall down one by one, her eyes widened. However, the blow caught up to her. Her body railed against the trunk and she rolled down the stiff. The woman lost consciousness and her head was crushed on a rock, bleeding and was scathed.
Ravyn who was trying to escape, felt the waves unbalanced and she decided to gaze back. She saw a huge, massive blow of air coming after her and the ship along with her followers.
"A blow! We're having a blow!" She shouted.
But it was too late, the blow hit her ship; flipped it and along with each of their souls. As the power noticed how they were also the disciples of the evil, the men were drowned and their bodies were instant corpses. As for Ravyn, a traitor, as treacherous as her mother, the closest to the wicked cult. She was drowned and her body froze.
Only legend knows what happened to her pale body.
The dragon, Ambroz, was brought inside a cave; an open and huge one, located inside the narrow part of the land. His curse form was temporarily disfigured. He turned back to his human body. But what lies in his blood was torture. Aranyani punished him. Punished his entirety and gave rise to his worst nightmare.
He was left there to sleep. His body was no longer his, he was now locked inside the land, as his wrath was done, the damage he cost, the devastation he applied, and the ruthlessness he showed the goddess. No matter if he was cursed, no one could ever go against the goddess's will.
Ambroz, the dragon, the serpent, and the last of his kind inside the land. Was sealed and was made to live immortality for the rest of his breath. He had no chance to die along with his loved ones. What could he possibly feel after waking up?
—
The people who escaped found another land. A land that was separated from where they used to step, a passage of water sliced this new land in half with the goddess's land. However, they all felt the grumble and the faint blow came right after them.
"Did all of you feel that?" One man asked.
"Yes, indeed." An old woman answered.
Everyone was starting to create a fuss. They saw an upcoming person riding a black horse, Lucy's family noticed how it was their daughter's horse. They immediately run towards it and their heart stood still when they saw she was not riding it.
"Where's my daughter?" The mother asked.
Sebastian and Pilvo went off the horse and guided the girl down. They looked at the mother with pure sadness in their eyes, they did not know what to say. However, they knew that remaining silent is never a way to finish a problem.
"Something happened when we were escaping that she had to give us her horse. She told us that she would run and catch up to us. We insisted she should rise with us but milady would not agree." Sebastian reasoned out and counted his part of perspective.
The mother started to tear up, she hugged her husband. Meryl asked next, "Why didn't she catch up? What happened? Where is she?" Her voice was trembling.
The two looked at each other and gulped. "There was a huge blow coming after us, it did not hit us but we reckoned it hit her. The trees were all destroyed as we gaze at our back. We reckon she is..."
The family started to cry, covering their mouths and embracing each other. They guessed it must have been the most powerful blow. There's not a chance that anyone could survive that hit.
"This girl, before we left her there, she told us that she will be under your care. She's a survivor of the fire." Sebastian handed them the poor girl.
The mother who was still in tears gave the girl a tight hug. They all hugged each other.
Ones that lived was ones that engraved the pain in their heart. Their Ambroz and Lucy never came back to them. Years have passed and each one of them started to perish. But not a trace of Ambroz and Lucy.
What happened to the two remained a mystery to their head. Until it turned out to be a tale for the children to listen to.
There, the story goes and ended in devastation.
———————
ABYSSCESS