Alas, the light faded from her eyes. Her hand that tried to touch Rania's face fell lifeless on the ground.
"NOOOOOO!!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Rania wailed miserably. "How could you," she whispered to herself. "How could you… No! This has to stop!"
Desperate, scared, and out of herself, Rania walked towards the enemy. Her breath shook, her hands clenched so tight it almost bled, and from her eyes fell streams of unending tears. Deep anger and sorrow filled her heart.
"Babe, no!" Zeid exclaimed when he noticed her. "Please! Don't expose yourself!" He then took her by the hand, trying to stop her, but he was a moment too late.
"Please, STOP!" Rania shouted with all her might.
She could not stand watching anymore. In fact, she shouldn't have run in the first place to save herself. She should have run to assist the others, but no—she became a coward. Deep inside, she blamed herself for not standing up. She used to do it all the time—running towards people in trouble, but now, at the most crucial moment, she fled. So with all the courage she could muster, she confronted the devilish enemy.
"Please, stop this! We surrender! Just please, spare us. What is it that you want from us?"
Her body trembled in horror, but if it meant buying even just a little time for the others to flee, it was fine if the next life taken was hers.
The green-haired Magi halted as she expected. She then looked in her direction and approached slowly, hovering in the air. The Magi's eyes were that of a ruthless demon. Just one look from her was enough for anyone to lose their courage. Closer and closer she came until Rania felt Zeid pull her close and hold her tightly, trying to protect her from whatever may happen.
Smiling creepily, the green-haired Magi spoke.
"Hah! Clever girl, that's what you should have done in the first place," she scoffed. "But it's too late now. I've already decided to kill each and everyone in this place!"
And there it was again, the sinister laughter. As she laughed, she raised her arms once more, gathering a growing ball of light on her hands. Zeid dragged Rania away from the crazy Magi. They ran away as fast as they could, but the woman's ball of light only grew bigger and bigger, taking over half of the room to the ceiling. Then, she aimed at Rania.
"DIE, you worthless shit!" she yelled, throwing her massive ball of light towards Rania and Zeid. They tried to run, but it was too big to escape.
Nearer and nearer, the ball of light approached them until—
"Stop."
The doll-like woman opened her eyes and spoke a single word. Her voice was the only calm thing in that chaotic place. The moment she spoke, the crazy Magi stopped, and her ball of light vanished in thin air. She floated amidst the air paralyzed in her position—as if time stopped in her space, leaving only her mouth to speak.
"What are you doing, you brainless dimwit?!" she shouted angrily.
"The Judges have given an order," replied the doll-like woman—her face, expressionless.
"Those lazy rascals! What do they want now? I'm still enjoying myself, killing these foolish humans out here."
"They ordered everyone to bring back beautiful virgins to serve the king's harem."
At these words, the green-haired Magi's eyes rolled.
"Humans? Beautiful?" she scoffed. "As if they can satisfy his highness! They're a bunch of lowly, good-for-nothing creatures!"
"But a perfect vessel to produce pure-blooded offspring."
"But—"
"Silence," she said sternly. Then, she looked around, eyeing for possible candidates. Her light blue eyes glowed like a cat's in the dark.
"I doubt we can find any of that here," the mad Magi assured her. "Humans these days are carnal and liberated. Only children would be virgins. And there's definitely no children here, so we better kill them all quickly and look elsewhere. Or better yet, his highness can just pick me since I'm beautiful from head to toe."
"There is one that suits all requirements," said the doll-like girl. Her fingers pointed at none other than… Rania.
"No! You can't take her!" Zeid shouted angrily and hurriedly covered Rania in his back. "Babe, run! Now!"
"No! I'm not running without you. They'll kill you!"
"Please! This is no time for arguing! Just go!"
"I—no. I won't leave you! If we die, then we die together! So be it!" Rania intensely disagreed. More tears flowed from her eyes as she shook her head in opposition.
The doll-like girl waved her hands, commanding the four lifeless giants to take her. Rania and Zeid struggled as they refused to let go of each other. Crying, she stretched out her hand towards Zeid. As if time moved slowly at that moment, Rania realized their struggle was pointless because the enemy was too strong and that there was nothing they could do to stop them nor escape them at the very least. If they continue to struggle, more blood might spill again. Losing hope, Rania shook her head and spoke to Zeid through her eyes.
Let go.
Tears fell from both of their eyes. But Zeid was stubborn and didn't let go of Rania's hands. In contrast, Rania shook off hers wanting to spare his life lest the mad Magi become angry again and kill him. With their hands separated, they drew further and further away from each other as the giants pulled them apart. Alas, they took Rania and brought her to the doll-like woman, who, by then, created a dark hole through thin air.
Zeid clenched his fists and gritted his lips so hard they bled.
Rania could clearly see how his heart was very much broken, and his confidence shattered into pieces. He was probably blaming himself for being unable to protect the one he loved. She stared at him for the last time before entering the black hole, savoring every second, for she knew not of when she could see him again, along with the other people she cherished who might have managed to survive that tragic day.
Just as the black hole was about to close, the crazy green-haired Magi was freed from her paralysis. She stretched out her body, looked at Rania, and grunted disapprovingly. Then, as if a brilliant idea crossed her mind, she smiled devilishly once more.
PSHOOOK!
Rania's eyes widened. Large droplets of tears scattered all around her as she struggled to free herself from the giants—kicking them away from her, begging to let go.
"NOOOOOOO!" a wild cry overcame her.
With every last bit of her strength, she fought but was unable to run towards Zeid. Her surroundings seemed to blur. Losing strength on her knees, she knelt on the floor staring at him, devastated by the sight.
Zeid, who was then lying on the floor, with an ice spear thrust in his stomach, tried to reach out to her as deep red blood gushed out of his body. And with his last breath, he whispered…
"I love you… now and… forever."
__________
Author's Note:
Hi everyone!
Are you enjoying this book? I would love to get your feedback on it. If you could kindly answer a few questions for me below, it would greatly help me improve my writing. Thank you so much!
Instructions: Kindly read the questions thoroughly and put your answers on the sub-bullets after every question. As much as possible, be detailed in your answers, be honest, and give constructive feedback as this will help the author understand you better. Thank you so much!
Do the first few chapters make you want to keep reading? If not, what is the problem?
Did you get oriented fairly quickly at the beginning as to whose story it is, and where and when it's taking place? If not, why not?
Did you like the main character?
Did you get oriented fairly quickly at the beginning as to whose story it is, and where and when it's taking place? If not, why not?
Did the setting interest you and did the descriptions seem vivid and real to you?
Was there a point when you felt the story lagged or you became less than excited about finding out what was going to happen next? If yes, where exactly?
Were the characters believable? Are there any characters you think could be made more interesting or more likable?
Did the dialogue sound like it came from real people?
Was there enough conflict, tension, and intrigue to keep your interest?
Are you confused at any point in the story?
Was the ending of each chapter satisfying? Believable?
What parts did you like best?
What parts did you like least?
Do you find yourself skipping pages?
How do you relate to the characters?
Do you know what genre you're reading?
Do you find satisfaction in the chapter end?
Any other comments you have in general? (Feel free to write anything you think I need to know)
Thank you so much for taking your time! This will help me evaluate the next coming chapters and keep improving my writing. I hope you like the rest of the book <3