On that last night before the battle, tensions rose once more. Upon their return, each monarch was reunited with their loved ones.
Zedon immediately sought his wife. Zora and Zyric led him to her room explaining that the doctors say Soradina experienced stress which affected the baby. Thankfully, they are now in stable condition. After assuring his siblings he was alright, Zedon requested to be alone with his wife.
Zedon goes in to her bed and holds her in an embrace. He then touches her belly.
"I'm glad that you are both okay." The duke says.
"I'm scared." The duchess voices out her fears. "I don't know what to do should anything happen to you."
Zedon cradles her in his arms. "Should anything happen to me, my brother will take good care of you. But don't think about that right now. Forget the past or the future. What is important is right now. I promise that I will always be here for you." Soradina hugs him back saying "I love you."
Zedon retorts immediately. "I know. I do too." He holds her even more firmly. He could feel she was still tense so he changes the subject to calm her down. "Have you thought of a name for the baby?" When she replies that she hasn't yet, they brainstorm on possible names.
Ovded went to his communicator to speak with Crina and nephew Harhil. The latter has been away for months because he had assigned the boy to a goodwill mission for the Akarans. "Good evening my uncle, how are you? I understand there is an important battle tomorrow."
"Yes Harhil, it is a duel to the death. I know this is too soon. I was planning on having you rest well after that goodwill mission but for now you must be my regent until I return. Well, that is if I return." He tried to be strong but his voice went soft.
"Yes uncle. I will gladly accept this temporary role of regent but I know you will be back soon. I have faith. Everyone here believes in you and your allies." Harhil positively comments.
"Yes, my Lord Duke." Crina seconds the motion. "We believe you will get through this. As we await your return, I will gladly advise Harhil and work with your ministers to maintain order here in Naruya."
"I'm glad I have you both. I could not ask for more." Ovded says.
"And we are honored to have you as our Duke." Crina replies.
"It is time for you to rest for the battle ahead. We won't keep you. Leave your dukedom to us and will manage it well." Soon Oved bids them good night and gets his sleep.
Yonanes then gathers his family for a private dinner. He then proceeds to his bathing pools which was exclusive to the Bealyx. He disrobed and plunged into his extremely large bath pool transforming into his half shark form. After he had a few laps, he changed back to full human form and sat at the edged of the pool taking in the tranquility.
As he tried to relax, the Bealyxelle went into the pool as well. He watched her swim towards him like a goddess of the sea. Amazing how someone as fierce in battle could shift into being serene and graceful. It was one of the reasons he fell for her. He recalled that initially she avoided his advances but through the course of time, he has proven his sincerity to her until she reciprocated his love.
She goes to him and let her arms wrap around him. She looked at him with such radiant eyes. "I am scared for what lies ahead."
Yonanes caressed the edges of her face. "It is not like you to be scared."
"Normally, I won't because I believe in your skills. But I know now how dangerous your enemies are. I feel something terrible is about to happen." Polini traces his hands with hers.
"Don't give in to your worries and doubts. Tomorrow is just one more battle. I promise to come back to you." The Bealyx affirms as he kisses her.
"I know that you always fulfill your promises, Yona. But keep this one because if you don't, I will hate you forever." She glares at him. He sees right through her. She was more frightened than angry.
"Yes Ma'am." He salutes. "Truth be told, I am more intimidated by you than our enemies." She frowns when he laughs but he tries to draw her closer until she is wrapped in his embrace. She nestles on his chest. "I love you Yona. You may not be the first but you are the one that will last for all time." The Bealyx holds her tight. "Likewise, my beloved."
Monandra went on to her communicators but before she could open, a Desdanin guard came to her with her daughters and their respective security detail.
"Forgive us mother for not notifying you sooner but we had to see you in person. We have come to wish you well from all of us." Princess Diamora says.
"Yes, we had help from your ministers for transport and clearance here. Our brothers made sure we had safe passage. We have come to wish you well. We believe in you. We know you will win against your adversaries." Princess Casinaia adds.
"Thank you, my daughters". Monandra says. For so long they felt like cold Ludinians but seeing the girls and knowing the siblings worked together gives her hope that the troubles within their family will one day be resolved.
Elzilaura endorses to Kanunia. Afterwards, Kanunia comforts her sister saying that everything will be alright. Kanunia also invited her sister to dinner but the Fliskan Princess wanted to have a word with Zyric. She searches for him and after learning that he is still with his siblings, she goes out for a walk to get some air.
She went to the edge of the vast ocean-like lake letting her feet touch its waters. She could hardly see anything because the waters were dark. But the tinge of color from the Desdan night sky reflected upon the water allowing her to see these beautiful conchs on the shores. As she was about to touch one, it suddenly showed large spikes and jumped aggressively towards her. It would have touched her until someone pulled her back. It was Zyric.
She was surprised to see him. "Kanunia told me you went out for a walk." Zyric explains.
"Yes, I needed some air and just curious about the planet's marine life. I wanted to see where you got the Blood of Ramia pearls."
"Oh, so you want more?" He asks.
"No, I'm just curious where they could be found." She laughs.
"Well, you won't find them here. You have to dive for them. It's too dark now to do that. What you will find on the shores at dusk are these, Warrior Kodonima. They are nocturnal arthropods triggered when under threat. Now that you avoided its attack, it will find another prey and will fight to the death."
"Just like me tomorrow with your brother and the rest of our allies." Elzilaura claims.
"I could fight in your place instead." Zyric says.
"It has to be me. You can fight all of my wars but this one has to be me." Elzilaura affirms.
"It's not fair." Zyric looks away.
"It was never fair. Worse is that I feel we don't have that much time. It scares me so." She confesses.
"I hate the feeling of not having enough time but I am glad to be here savoring this moment with you." Zyric faces her.
"I love you." Elzilaura utters with full conviction. "And it doesn't matter how long or short our time together lasts. What matters is that we had time." She stares at him.
Zyric leans forward in reply and they share one passionate kiss.
The next day, the troops of the different kingdoms prepare to support their leaders. Fleets shall be on standby as their lords and ladies would battle each other. Zedon and Yonanes bid their wives good bye while the others express their gratitude for the people of Desdan and the household staff of Yonanes who have been most kind and accommodating to them. They man their space vessels as they head off to Dobe.
They settle at the edge of Dobe and set up camp for the standby force. The coordinates were sent via transmission by the lady of Vezar. Before the leaders head out to face their nemesis, Zyric gives his advises to Elzilaura.
"Always be on your guard. Best be careful. The Nybian assembly is not to be trusted." Zyric reminds.
"I know." Elzilaura affirms.
"I wish you would reconsider that I would take your place in this battle. I will fight Kyron in hand-to-hand combat. It will still be a show of supremacy."
"As I've told you, you can fight all my wars but when it comes to Kyron it should be me. He wants my power stone and my kingdom and I must defend it from him."
Zyric then reminds. "Something is off even though we have triple checked everything so just be careful." He swipes hair gently to the side of her face.
Monandra and Yonanes look on and the lovers were conversing. "I'm not initially in favor of them but I must admit, they look good together." The Queen of Ludin tells the Bealyx of Desdan.
"Yes, they do. I hope in time you will come to accept them." Yonanes mentions.
Ovded then calls out to all his companions reminding them that time was of the essence and so the gem bearers head out to face their foes.
The moment they had set finally came. Ten men gathered in the fields in two straight lines. Lenron, Herran, Kyron, Mortezia and Bartava stood on one line. The other line consisted of Monandra, Zedon, Elzilaura, Ovded and Yonanes. Only the ten of them were allowed in the battlefield. Their respective troops were waiting in designated locations.
All of them held their stones filled with power in their hands. Each one held their power stone or gem outstretched like a deadly weapon as they battled their opponents. Pretty soon, all of them were pitted against each other.
Lenron controlled smog and mists using the misty marble while Yonanes brought on crushing waves using the Turquoise Triangle. Lenron intensified the smog and released hazardous gases but Yonanes unleashed a tsunami. The former makes dark marbled stoned monsters but they were met with sharks, sea creatures, and magical coral giants releasing pearl bombs.
Lenron poisons the air around Yonanes. For a moment there, Yonanes suffocates and sinks to his knees. He was cyanotic now until he uses his remaining strength to turn water into vapor amlified with the energy of the Turquoise Triangle cleaning out the air impurities. Lenron creates more of the gasses but Yonanes releases a tsunami. Eventually, Lenron drowned in the great waters and his Misty Marble weathered due the intense water pressure.
Ovded and Herran stood still for a moment staring at each other. Herran begins to speak. "Any last words before I finally avenge my beloved?"
"Killing me won't bring her back. There is more to life than just shedding blood for someone who will never love you back." The ruby ring glows in his hands.
"Do not distract me!" He assumes a fighting stance.
Herran summoned a desert storm using the Storm Sandstone and his adversary, Ovded, emitted fire from the Ruby Ring. Ovded tried to be on the offensive side by throwing fireballs but Herran suppressed them with sand dunes. Ovded felt like losing because Herran's sandstorm was growing stronger. Just before it filled the air around him, Ovded relaxed and allowed the energy to flow in him. Soon, the ground shook and a volcano emerged behind him. It then erupted and broiled everything around. Herran and his power stone were burned into glass until even the molten form completely disappears.
Bartava unleashed toxic wastes with the Grease Granite while Monandra used her Sardonyx Square to let the snow pour freezing the oils. Monandra melted the snow and let the water pressure against the toxic river. Quickly, Bartava then brings granite walls smashing onto the ground cornering Monandra. The Queen backfires by releasing an earthquake and avalanche which breaks the granite walls. Infuriated, Bartava lets the oil and slime rain down but Monandra summons an avalanche. Bartava froze to death as well as his stone before it disintegrated.
Zedon asks Mortezia again to reconsider. "Before we begin, I still hope you will reconsider. Please Kalmera. I'm not comfortable with this."
"Then concede and let me be the victor. Surrender to me and I will make sure you and your men will be treated well as my slaves." She smirks
"For Fliska and Craiine, I cannot." Zedon answers
"Then it is the same for me. For Nybos, I will fight to the death." Her stone was glowing as she prepared to attack.
Mortezia threw piles of mud spikes at Zedon but the duke deflected it using strong winds returning the spikes back to Mortezia. The lady backfired by bringing forth tons of soil and mud forming a mountain. Zedon almost lost balance when Mortezia let the ground shake and break apart.
Quickly, Zedon leap into the air and before he lands, he created a strong hurricane. Not for long, the rains poured and rows of lighting hit the mountain. He lands on the ground with one knee bent. The powers of his hurricane were too great that it overwhelmed his adversary.
Soon, Mortezia was separated from her damaged power stone and spiraled away swept by the hurricane which waned down. Her Shadow Shale remained in the air but soon crumbled into pieces.
Kyron created a pool of broiling lava and directed it to Elzilaura. Instantaneously, Elzilaura took control of the skies. Solar flares reach out and blended with the broiling lava which vanished in a sinkhole that suddenly emerged. Kyron then commands the darkness through the Blood basalt in his hand and arm outstretched. The darkness of space and black holes shook as he collected their energies.
Meanwhile, Elzilaura called for the light with her Crystal Cross. The cores of planets, stars, galaxies and other heavenly bodies quivered as she summoned their power.
At first, Kyron had the upper hand. The darkness was growing despite Elzilaura's grip on the universe's forces. She knelt down on the ground and was almost knocked down. However, she tried to keep balance and held the crystal cross on her hands with her arms extended. Elzilaura thought she would lose control again of the power but she found a way to make such power grow stronger by practicing what she had learned in the meditation exercise.
Soon, the flow of the power eased and the light grew stronger. When the darkness diminished, an explosion occurred. Kyron was sent flying into the air and landed on the ground. Not for long, he regained consciousness.
Unfortunately, Kyron ended up near the base camp of the Fliskans. As he saw the enemy troops closing in, he blasted them with his blood basalt. There was a crack on his power stone which grew bigger. He could feel the power slipping and his own strength weakening.
Harrion and Alednos were part of the troops that were closing in on Kyron. He let loose blazing fire injuring most of them except for Alednos. Surprisingly, Mortezia came out of nowhere and shields the royal adviser. Alednos caught her as she fell down and held her close to him. Out of nowhere, a limping and badly wounded Zedon came and settled at Alednos and Mortezia's side. Though the Duke was injured, he was concerned for the Lady of Vezar. Part of him wishes that she could still be saved.
Blood leaked from Mortezia's lips as she tries her best to speak but failed. She soon faded into nothingness and Alednos is left staring in his open arms. He closes his eyes and breathes deep. As much as he wanted to mourn, his companions needed him. Not for long, Alednos snaps back to reality and made sure Zedon got medical attention from the rushing medics. He also found Harrion who sustain only minor injuries.
Meanwhile, the other soldiers chased Kyron. When he realized that he was heading for a dead end, he sped through the air. Luckily, Elzilaura caught up with him. She then manages to bring Kyron down by aiming light beams on the Nybian ruler until it hit the already damaged blood basalt breaking it to pieces. He falls into the terrain and takes a hard landing.
Elzilaura lands and goes to where Kyron is. Fliskan troops followed their princess immediately. They gather around Kyron to check as he is unresponsive. As Elzilaura moves closer, Kyron swiftly rises and uses one last trick up his sleeve. He holds up the oblivion orb tucked in his armor to erase Elzilaura's existence. Before the stream of rays hit her, Zyric pulls her to safety. In doing so, he is the one hit by the deadly rays which slowly turns him into a slow fading hologram.
Ezlilaura panics initially but then thinks quickly. She then holds out the amulet with the omnipotent orb. Eventually, the orbs neutralized each other by bursting and the energy emitted eliminates Kyron instantly. Elzilaura was saved due to a force field that emanated from the Crystal Cross.
Floating in a sea of darkness, Kyron awakens to find a flicker of light in the distance. He approaches the light and discovers a room. In the middle was a dais and a throne where the Crystal Cross was placed. Hurriedly, he tried to grab the gem until a voice suddenly spoke.
"That is not meant for you."
"But it is my birthright." Kyron answers back.
"You believed the lies even though you know the truth. They told you Fliska should be yours but you could have refused their wishes. You make your own destiny. It is fate that leads you circumstances but destiny is a matter of choice. You made your choice. Had you made a better judgement, this would have been yours." The voice states.
All of a sudden, the scene changed. He saw a whole galaxy glowing in all its brilliance. Glowing swirls of gas and twinkling stars together with its planets appeared before his eyes.
"This could have been yours had you chosen to create your own path of just cause instead of vengeance and deceit."
Kyron could not believe it. He was overwhelmed with regret. This could have been all his, the empire, and yet he failed miserably.
"Is there anything I can do to change my destiny?" Kyron asks the voice.
"Unfortunately, your choices have led you elsewhere." Instantaneously, everything disappeared and it was pitch black again.
"Hello? is there anyone out here." Kyron asks. "Hello? Please answer me. Please! Help me! Please, I don't want to be alone. Please." He howls in fear of what might happen next but he waits in darkness like a prisoner in eternal solitary confinement.
Meanwhile, Elzilaura rushes to Zyric who is now lying on the ground weakening and almost fading.
"No, please don't leave me." Elzilaura utters.
Instantaneously, the people and the scenery disappear. The scene changes to some sort of projection in space and they were in the middle of two holographic planes. She heard her voice saying "don't leave me" echo but the Doppler Effect sounded like that of a man. Then, the background turns into a battlefield. They were surrounded with different soldiers who seemed to belong in ancient times. It was like a picture from history books and sees Zyric was unharmed. He does not appear like a hologram but his physical features have changed. He also looks shocked as he stares at her.
She then looks at her own body which was covered in blood. As she shifts back her gaze at him, they're surroundings revert back to Dobe.
"No, please don't leave me." Elzilaura says yet again like a Deja Vu.
She tried to touch him but his mortal body has turned into air. He was still trying to fight but then he felt something pulling him away and could no longer hold on to his being.
"To have been in your service was my greatest honor and privilege. To love you every single moment made my existence worthwhile." Before he could say anything further, he completely fades away. A flash of light from the heavens appeared and disappeared in a millisecond.