Prince Edward and Bobby arrived at Morgan's Kingdom an hour after the sun had set. It was a very happy reunion between him and Princess Darleen. She couldn't stop hugging him, crying as she did. Her dear nephew had grown to be a very handsome man. And Edward also noticed the burnt half of his aunt. There was a long moment of Edward showing concern. Then Dewi delivered the terrible news of King Henry's death. Edward became speechless. He was so ready to meet his father. To tell him how much he missed him. And now he will never get the chance to do so. He's officially an orphan. He had been an orphan his whole teenage life. Twenty years he lived without his parents. His mother died when he was eight. He was separated from his father then. And when he could have gotten the chance to finally meet him, it was never meant to be. Edward shut himself off from everyone afterwards. He sat in one of the bedrooms which he had claimed. The others let him be to give some space. They will have another hard time explaining to Princess Flyra and the rest when they return.
At around three in the morning, King David and his army arrived. There was a brief moment of panic between Lillain, Dewi and the three animals. Until Bobby found out and told them who David is. King David and few of his elite guards claimed rooms in the castle. The rest of the men stayed in the barracks or other buildings with bedrooms. Morgan's Kingdom was now like a real kingdom. Except there were no citizens around to complete the description. About three in the afternoon of the following day, Princess Flyra, Prince Jake, and Master Kitty arrived with the small army Queen Lady Lith provided from Trisnarim. Princess Nathaliya, without any introduction, was escorted into the castle by her royal troopers to claim an empty bedroom. Flyra explained to her friends that Nathaliya is not much of a talker. They met Princess Darleen who was very honoured to meet Flyra. Then they were told the news of King Henry's death. They were devastated. Between Edward's reaction and Flyra and Jake's reaction, no one could tell which was more sad. Both have very strong reasons to be extremely sad. Henry was Edward's biological father and he had not met him for twenty years. On the other hand, Henry was not Jake, Flyra, and Nathan's biological father, but he had been their father for the past twenty years, since they were very young or for Flyra's case, since she was born. Edward was feeling much better, not that he could already speak with people, but he had started leaving his room to walk about the kingdom. And when he saw Flyra, he just felt like he wanted to hug her. He tried pushing the thought away but he cannot deny. He loves her. More than a friendly relationship. He felt like he should be more open with her. Express his sad feelings to her. Share the feelings together. Because Flyra was also very sad over King Henry's passing. He did not know yet but Flyra felt the same way too. The moment Edward walked down the stairs to the castle's entrance, she felt her heart skip a beat. But they walked away, assuming the other party needed some space. But they questioned the same thing in their mind, "He/She didn't care to talk to me?". But they didn't let the thought bother them. There's a lot more important things to do. Like training. They have less than twenty-four hours before the war tomorrow. King David's army made use of the small training area behind the barracks. Princess Nathaliya went out alone and only informed her royal troopers of her whereabouts. She went to train in the forest outside of Morgan's Kingdom. The fifty men of Trisnarim trained anywhere else available. Master Kitty and those other SHAWs who have nothing to do trained on their powers and magic skills. King David, Princess Flyra, Prince Jake and Dewi went over a map of Alhora. They made last minute confirmations on the strategies and tactics. Prince Edward practiced his magic. He had been practicing for the past many hours since he calmed down from the bad news. He sat in his room. All four elements were placed in front of him. The fire burning in the fireplace, the stones on the tea table, the four glasses of water, and the surrounding air. One by one, Edward recapped his elemental skills. Then he combined the skills together. In one movement, he raised the fire into a fireball above the fireplace. The water floated out of all four glasses, forming a large ball of water above the glasses. The stones floated just a few centimetres above the tea table. And the air blew wind around all three elements at constant speed. There was suddenly a knock on the door. Edward lost his focus and all elements dropped. The fireball dropped back into the fireplace. The stones dropped onto the table, bouncing further away from each other. The water fell, some went into the glasses, some wetted the table.
'Come in' Edward said hastily, relaxing his muscles. Using magic also involves the usage of muscles. Bobby came in.
'Edward, I think it's time we start back our sword fighting lesson' Bobby said. Edward looked at him like that was not a good idea at the moment.
'Magic is not the only thing that will help you on the battlefield. You need a real weapon as well' Bobby said, emphasising on the weapon part and showing his sword as he said it. It took Edward a few seconds to think it through and he agreed. So then Edward and Bobby trained sword fighting at an unoccupied space behind the castle.
The third day came so soon. They were ready to proceed to Alhora. But most of them were still nervous. They only have about eight hundred men against who knows how many avengers and Outland soldiers they will face. By eleven, they had arrived at Alhora field. The whole land of Alhora was covered in snow due to Flyra's powers exerted before. They positioned themselves in orderly manner. Arstar cavalries, about two hundred men and horses, lined up at the front. Soldiers including guards and Trisnarim archers stood behind the cavalries. Mixed among them were the Ocean Masters. The tankers at one side at the front. King David and Princess Nathaliya stood with them. Master Kitty and Lillain stood together at another spot at the front. Prince Edward, Princess Flyra, Prince Jake, and Bobby stood together in the centre at the front, leading the whole army. Oliver stood to the other side of the front with other forest animals who came along from Arstar. Dewi and Princess Darleen set up a tent at the back, they will be in charge of medical issues. Captain and Bale will be assisting them. Everyone was facing the south, in the direction of Combination. That's where the enemy will be coming from. True enough, seconds after they positioned themselves, the enemy arrived. All wearing black. The avengers leading. About a hundred of them, looking too over confident. Behind them, a large army of Outland soldiers, about four hundred of them marching forward. And to the good guys' horror,an army of beasts joined the ranks of the enemy. Where in Southernere did they come from? There were many of the bear-like beast Flyra faced before. And many other creatures that were very scary-looking. At first it seemed like that was it. An army of about six hundred. The good guys could win this. But then, another group of the same forces arrived. Avengers, more of them, or they're probably just SHAWs but manipulated to join the avengers. More Outland soldiers and beasts as well. Then another army of about less than two hundred joined in between the first group and second group of avengers, Outland soldiers, and beasts. From their cheap armour and uniformed colour light blue, the good guys could tell which town they came from. It was the traitor town, Waterfront. They are lined up around the edges of Combination Border Woods facing Alhora Woods. Altogether, their numbers reached about two thousand. Up at the front of the third group, on the right side, Pertum and Lydia were leading. The front of the second group, on the left side, Alphaga was leading. At the front of the first group, in the centre, Erieka and Marcala were leading. Morgan stood a few steps behind, leading his soldiers. There was a few minutes of silence as both sides stared at each other, waiting.
'How are we going to stop them? There's so many!' Flyra said. She sounded like she was losing hope.
'Stay positive princess. We can do this' Edward replied. That was actually the first time they spoke to each other since they gave each other space back in Morgan's Kingdom. Nathaliya came up to them from the left.
'Your highnesses, we have the upper hand in terms of combat forces. The enemy has only people. The tankers will do well. I will command the archers the best I can. We'll support you as you make your way forward with the cavalries' she said.
'Thank you your highness' Edward replied. Nathaliya went back to stand with David. He looked at them from afar. They made eye contact, and he gave a reassuring look. They're all in this together. Towards the right, Kitty gave the same look. He and Lillain were ready to lead the SHAWs and their side of forces. Towards the far right, Oliver and the forest friends were also ready to charge. Edward looked across the field towards the enemy. He caught sight of Erieka and Marcala. They were staring at him. They're about more than a hundred metre apart but they could see each other very clearly. Erieka was grinning. She showed a hand signal, striking her thumb across her neck, trying to tell Edward that he's so dead.
'There's no way to bring her back now' Edward said. Silence for a while. The rest were not sure how to reply.
'I'm sorry Edward' Flyra said.
'It's okay. I moved on. We are doing this today to win back our land, our home. For the good of Inland' Edward said. Those who heard him repeated the slogan. Jake took the initiative to repeat the slogan loudly. He shouted it with confidence. The entire army of good guys shouted back.
Across the field, the evil guys are getting annoyed by the cheer and the waste of time.
'Enough of that. Let's show them a proper introduction' Marcala said very loudly. Those further away and cannot hear her clearly got the message from their mates passing it down.
'Attack!' Marcala shouted at the top of her lungs. The entire force of the second group charged forward. The Waterfront soldiers joined in as well. The first and third group stayed behind. Now a force of about five hundred and fifty men were charging at the good guys. The avengers were in the lead. The Outland soldiers behind. The beasts were faster, so they made their way up to the front. The Waterfront soldiers joined the charging Outland soldiers.
'They made their move! Arrow team!' Flyra shouted in the direction of Nathaliya. They were briefed well about their plans. Nathaliya was ready to react even before Flyra reminded her.
'Archers, Fire!' Nathaliya shouted. Nathaliya also released her arrow she had drawn as she shouted. The arrows whizzed up through the air and arching back down towards the charging beasts. Most of the beasts fell down injured. Some of the arrows managed to kill a few. Others killed two or three avengers behind.
'Cavalries, charge!' Jake shouted. Jake and Bobby were riding a horse. They led the cavalries forward. The horses galloped past Edward and Flyra. While that happened, Flyra pushed the wind, blowing snow towards the charging enemy. The cold made the beasts' speed slower.
'Archers, nock!' Nathaliya shouted on her cue, nocking her arrow at the same time. The cavalries clashed with the beasts. Swords slashing and sharp teeth gnashing. The battle between the beasts and the cavalries was intense. The cavalries were winning, due to the archers' arrows and Flyra's power.
'Fire!' Nathaliya shouted again. The archers released their arrow. It wheezed up and arched down towards the avengers and soldiers who were almost reaching the beasts. All twenty-one arrows hit a target who then dropped dead.
Flyra glanced in Kitty's direction. And he was also ready. It was his cue to lead some of the SHAWs and Ocean Masters. About twenty men including Kitty ran forward. Lillain stayed behind with the remaining ten. Kitty was very fast. It wasn't just because he was a cat. He made use of his Ardni specialty to push the air around him and make him run faster. He was the first to reach the battle. The avengers arrived a second later. They threw their powers at the cavalries. Most of them were fireballs. Some got hit, they fell off their horse. Some horses continued fighting while others retreated into the forest. There are horses that got hit by the fire as well. Kitty defended most of the cavalries and attacked as well. He used a lot of air power. One avenger sent a fireball at him. He summoned the wind strong enough to alter the course. The fire charged back at the person who summoned it. It was too fast for the avenger to react, the fire burnt him to death. Other avengers sent multiple fireballs which Kitty stopped them with his air power. Some vanished, some melted a small spot in the snow, some burnt the avengers. The Ocean Masters were even more impressive with their calm movements of their hands and controlling every source of water around or even within them. The Outland and Waterfront soldiers came into battle. Right now, the evil guys outnumbered them. The good guys only have this one group of cavalries. The evil guys have three groups of the three forces. Although the ratio is so far apart, the good guys refused to lose hope. They need that especially at this time.
The SHAWs and Ocean Masters were working very hard with their magic. So were the avengers. Some avengers melted the snow around them with fire. They placed wood and threw fire into it. The fire kept the area snow-free. The avengers also made use of the existing fire to throw fireballs or other fire attacks at their enemy. A fireball came charging at an Ocean Master. The master, as all Ocean Masters do every time, moved their hands very calmly and smoothly, he moved his hand upward. The snow in front of him shot up. The fire crashed into it, vanishing as steam rose into the air. The snow cooled down the heat and the master sent it back down to rest. Angry, the avenger used water as well. He melted the snow in front of him and sent the freezing water at rapid speed towards the master. The master held up his palm. The water stopped charging. It flowed around in the air, forming a ball. The master used his other hand to melt the snow around him and raise the water forming separate balls of water. The avenger took the time to send another fireball. With his eyes, the master sent the snow up again to wipe out the fire. He turned the snow to water and added to his collection of water balls. He immediately sent all of them towards the avenger. The avenger took some fire from the burning wood in a hurry and tried to wipe the water balls out. But his fire was not strong enough. It died the moment it went into contact with the first water ball. The other water balls crashed into him. They did not just simply wet him and disappear. The master controlled them to trap him in a large ball of water when all the water balls combined. He moved the large water ball to nearby areas, catching other avengers in it. He managed to trap about five, and three soldiers. All of them struggled to get out. None of them were able to breathe. Then, there were no more movements. He dropped the water ball which melted the snow around as it spread. The eight of them were dead. Another Ocean Master was battling three soldiers. The soldiers were striking hard with their swords. The master countered every strike with magic. She had no weapon, just her powers. The first soldier slashed with his sword. The master froze her hand deep in ice and parried the strike. The second soldier at the same time was slashing his sword at the master's side. After the block, she defrosted her hand and pushed the second soldier with a powerful forcefield. She exerted the force very quickly that the soldier was flung backwards violently. He lost grip of the sword in his hand which the master took it, and just in time, she parried the third soldier's strike with it. She continued the sword fight with the two remaining soldiers, releasing forcefield or water magic occasionally.
'They're using the snow to their advantage, melt them all. Heat up the ground and temperature' Marcala said, observing the battle. Erieka nodded obediently. She breathed in calmly. Her pupils turned crimson. The amulet hidden under her headscarf glowed very brightly that the light could be seen partially from outside. She wasn't moving anything but the power she was exerting was very great. From far, Flyra could feel the great energy running underneath. She glanced at Edward to see if he felt it too. He looked back at her. And he understood. He nodded, signifying he felt it too.
'She's using her amulet' Edward deduced. 'I can see it glowing from here'
Flyra turned to look. She saw Erieka, but she could not see her face that clearly. What more see her hidden amulet.
'How can you see?' Flyra asked.
'Oh, I forgot to tell you, I can see very far with my magic, it's a natural trait' Edward said. Flyra smiled feeling very impressed.
The snow started to melt very quickly. The field was now visible again, except without the grass. It was just soil. The snow on the trees also melted. Green was starting to show in the woods. With one final blow, Erieka breathed out, a wave of air full of energy radiated from her in a circle. The air wiped out completely every last bit of snow. Even the water that came from the melted snow was mostly wiped out as well. Only a few puddles and wet soil left here and there.
'That's better. Marvelous Erieka' Marcala said happily. 'Send the third group forward'
Erieka glanced at Lydia and Pertum who had been waiting. She signalled them that they could move already. Lydia and Pertum grinned excitedly. Finally it was time for them to shine.
'Charge!' Pertum shouted. The third group ran forward very fast, eager to spill some blood. Lydia, Pertum and some of the avengers transformed into black birds. They planned to land in the centre of the battlefield and continue from there. Some of them got shot by the archers.
'On me, charge!' David shouted. He led his army forward. The Arstar soldiers charged into battle, they headed towards the third group.
'Archers, after me!' Nathaliya shouted, following behind the last men of the Arstar army. Some of them were very good. Like Nathaliya, she shot an arrow while running, hitting a beast right in its eye from about ten metres away. When a target was harder to aim, she stopped for a while, shot her arrow and continued running. David and his army clashed into the third group. The beasts and avengers were overwhelming. The Outland soldiers joined and the numbers just got worse. David used both of his skills, sword fighting and his Sprite power. Nathaliya fought fiercely. She shot her arrow when the enemy was far away or a good guy was in danger of the enemy. Those who came at her, she struck them twice with her bow which knocked them out.
'Tankers, forward!' a soldier who was in charge of all the tankers shouted. The tankers moved in one line at first. Then they split up. One joined the third group battle, one joined the second group battle, and the last one stayed in between, offering help to both sides. The soldiers moved very quickly. The moment they had pushed the tanker to a good spot, they got to work. One soldier took care of refilling. They have a wheeled-crate of barrels filled with water for refill. A soldier controlled the valve. Two soldiers held the hose, one as the aimer, the other as a supporter. The last soldier led them, and checked the tanker occasionally in case it needed maintenance. The tanker was switched on and water sprayed out of the sprinkler very strongly due to the piston's push. They aimed at the enemy. A lot of them were thrown backwards. It was better than having one SHAW using normal powers to keep on sending forcefield. The battle went on. A lot of casualties on both sides. The battle seemed fair at this moment. However, the evil guys still have one more group that were not involved yet. And they have Marcala and Erieka in that group. The good guys only have Edward, Flyra, Lillain and her team, and Oliver and his animal friends left. All of them could not even match with the might of the avengers from the first group. What more an entire group.
There were casualties everywhere. Those of the good guys that survived an attack, are mostly badly injured. And the lucky ones among them, their mates noticed them and carried them to the tent. Dewi and Darleen were already very busy even though it was just twenty minutes since the war started.
'We should join in and help them' Edward said restlessly.
'We can't! Remember the plan. We cannot join in until Marcala does. We have to pay very close attention to her and Erieka. The amulet has to be taken away from her. Then we'll have the chance to stop the war' Flyra replied. Edward understood, but he couldn't help his thoughts. How many people had died while he was just standing there, watching.
'Okay but I'm sending the rest of our forces in' Edward said. Before Flyra could stop him, he signalled for Lillain and Oliver to join in. They charged.
'Edward, we discussed this!' Flyra scolded. This was the first time she was really mad at someone.
'We're losing Flyra! We're losing!' Edward argued. Flyra was speechless for a few seconds.
'What is this about?'
Edward gave her a look like he had no idea what she was saying.
'The war. What is this about? For revenge?'
'Oh my Flyra, you're putting words in my mouth?!'
'I did not say that!'
'You mean that!'
'No I didn't! Stop being such a fool!'
Flyra was very mad.
'We're doing this for the good of Inland. Not for winning. Winning is a good thing, an extra thing that comes out of it. But if we lose, at least we did our best. According to what we had planned and agreed upon. We are in this together after all. Stay strong Edward. I know Master Nvago gave you some good advice. Because he advised me too. Take them' Flyra said, before walking forward a few steps, just to get away from Edward for the time being. It was clear she wanted the conversation to end there. Edward knew she was totally right. He thought of it all. He needs to find the bright person he once was. Nvago was right. The child Edward would have been much more of a help than an adult Edward now, in terms of emotion. Aside from that, he really needs to bring back the intellect he once had as well. Edward concentrated hard, he felt the energy underneath. His sister's magic, flowing very strongly. He focused on his patience, pushing his rage aside. He reached down into the ground and grasped the energy as much as he could. It was full of rage and hate. He transferred his calmness into them. The energy beneath him turned pure and innocent. And at the same time, snow started falling again just at the area. He looked around him. The surface area where the snow was falling centred around Flyra. She was causing the temperature to fall. But it only happened when Edward cleansed the area from Erieka's energy. They could help the Ocean Masters to get back their sources. Because right now, they solely depend on releasing water from their hands. They need a real source of water to get the upper hand over the avengers. He hurried to Flyra's side and told her what happened.
'I will clear Erieka's energy around the Ocean Masters, you'll let the temperature down around them' Edward said.
'I can do better' Flyra said, smiling. They nodded in agreement. Edward reached out again underneath, feeling for Erieka's energy until he reached both battlefields. He diluted the rage with his calmness. He breathed in deep, then reached out again. He was using a lot of his energy to do so. At that moment, he recalled the moment he first felt Erieka's strong energy. He was very excited about it. He ran to tell his mother, Queen Dorothy. Her kind beautiful face warms him.
'Do I have that energy?' Edward asked. Queen Dorothy shook her head gently. Edward's face saddened.
'But I've never seen anyone with so much spirit before except you' Dorothy said.
'I don't quite understand the difference between energy and spirit' Edward said.
'Energy you can feel it, but spirit, you have to see it. I see and know your spirit since the day you learn who your parents are. Yes energy will seem powerful and intimidating to anyone. But spirit is the real reason that someone is very powerful. Because of spirit, all the great masters you know master a more complicated magic such as Gratultyn magic and those with higher spirit master light magic or if the opposite, dark magic'
He remembered the conversation he had with his mother. Her explanation about spirit and energy. Even Master Nvago saw the greatness in him even though he had unintentionally buried them for many years. He felt a sudden burst of motivation. He was feeling stronger than ever. And he did not realise, his eyes turned sapphire blue. Frost grew on every part of his skin. He was focusing very hard on diluting Erieka's energy to realise what was going on around him. Flyra was very surprised. She stared with her mouth open a little for a few seconds. She then blinked her eyes many times, Edward's magic was kind of luring her to a trance.
'I guess that's the sign then' Flyra murmured. She spread her arms in front of her. Snowflakes exited her hands very quickly and continuously. The snowflakes travelled a few metres in front of her before going down. The moment they touched the ground, they started spreading around the battlefields at very fast speed. Soon the two battlefields were covered in snow. Soil was no longer visible at the side of the good guys. Flyra stopped her magic. The Ocean Masters got back to their style. They made use of the snow elegantly. Flyra glanced at Edward who was still doing his thing.
'Edward, it's done' she said. But Edward did not give any response. 'Edward!'
Edward was getting deeper into his magic. At this moment, he was already unable to control himself, he was in a trance. The sky above got darker than before. The clouds clouded over the battlefields. He slowly raised his hands up, palms facing the sky. Water flowed out in between his fingers from both hands. The water swirled around in the air, moving towards the enemy. Flyra could only stare, she didn't know if this was a good thing or otherwise. But the dark sky worried her. She touched Edward's frost-covered skin. She felt a cold bite for a second, then it was like a normal feeling of holding his arm. The frost did not affect her at all. Then she saw the area of contact her hand has with Edward's skin. Her hand was protected by a barely visible layer of shield. Just like what happened all those times before with magic. The dragon's fire could not kill her. A shield formed up when that happened. And many other times she remembered when she was younger. She was never hurt by any magic. She couldn't be hurt by any magic. Only non magic weapons hurt her. It must be something to do with the seed of Gratultyn. Everyone looks at a child of the seed very respectfully. Though maybe only a few knew the true power, everyone respects a child of the seed. Master Nvago himself spoke highly of it. Darleen also mentioned to her before they came to war, she is the key to defeating Erieka's amulet. She let go of Edward's arm. The water he was controlling was now swirling around the Outland soldiers and avengers. Some were distracted by it and the good soldiers took the opportunity to kill them. There was a huge amount of water now. It made its way towards the first group which was still standing and enjoying the show.
'This won't stop me' Marcala said. The water swirled past her to the avengers behind. Marcala used her power to take control over the water. But it wasn't as easy as she thought it would be. The water was still fully under Edward's control.
'No!' Marcala exclaimed. She tried all she could. Erieka saw her struggling and decided to try and control it. The water stopped swirling, it stayed, the particles moving only among themselves. Erieka grinned with satisfaction. She then tried pushing the water back assuming the water was now under her control. But the water did not react to her command. She tried again but nothing happened. Edward was still in his trance. Erieka had managed to only stop the water from moving further. He was now trying to break past her magic. Flyra saw what happened and helped. She shot blue light rays from her hands to the water. The light travelled at the speed of a calm river along the water towards the end. The water, the whole of it, was now glowing light blue. The water resumed swirling towards the avengers and soldiers of the first group.
'He's in his ultimate state, stop him!' Marcala ordered.
'Avengers, in five!' Erieka shouted a command. She transformed into a black bird. Four other avengers followed her. Her command was easily understood. Five of them, including Erieka as one of them, will go. The special thing about the amulet Erieka was wearing, it was enchanted to take the shape and size of the person who wears it. The amulet hung around her bird neck, small and light. They landed around Edward and Flyra and transformed back to their human or animal selves. Flyra stopped her magic. But Edward was not aware of anything going on.
'Make him stop or he'll die' Erieka warned.
'He's your brother!' Flyra argued. She couldn't believe anyone would kill their family member to get what they want.
'That won't stop me' Erieka said. She lit a fire on her palm. For the next few seconds they stared intensely at each other.
'Kill them both' Erieka told the avengers. The avengers obeyed, they conjured fire or whatever elements their specialty is on their palms.
'No!' Flyra shouted. As Erieka and the avengers threw their powers, a translucent shield grew in the shape of a sphere, protecting Edward and Flyra. She now knows for sure, she couldn't be harmed with magic. The powers hit the shield and disappeared. And that was the first time Erieka showed a surprise reaction to anyone. It takes great power for a newbie to conjure such a big and powerful shield.
'You can never hurt me or Edward or anyone else! Stop the war now! Surrender Combination back to your brother' Flyra said firmly.
'Combination is mine too, I am also an heir to the throne!'
'Then stop this. Marcala is using you. You can come back with us. Your family wouldn't have wanted you to do this'
'I have a family! And that is with the avengers'
'Your real family is right in front of you! Your brother who loves you!'
That sentence took Erieka by surprise. It made her speechless for a while. Deep inside, she could feel the love. But her mind kept telling her, duty is more important. And she's doing this for Majuza.
'No, Majuza is my family. She deserves justice' Erieka replied stubbornly. Flyra had no idea what else to say. She just stood there, hoping that help would come. But for now, she will defend herself and Edward, and fight for Inland as much as she can. Erieka and four avengers can't stop her from trying.