The Ancient Prophecy Ch. 12b

Anna's ferocity did make the other two vampires keep their distance. But Anna's attention was not on her foes. Atrus was in trouble, and she had to finish this fight fast. She picked one of the vampires and engaged him in a close combat. The vampire hesitated and went defensive, parrying her mace rather than attacking back. Anna attacked furiously, deliberately forgetting the other vampire who was witnessing the brawl. However, she sensed signals being sent back and forth between the two vampires. She knew they were planning something. She knew they were baiting her.

This went on for a while, until she saw an opening too obvious to pass up. She thrust forward, bringing the spiked head of her mace to bear, but the vampire just vanished into thin air. And when she turned, she found a crystal dagger heading swiftly into her stomach.

The pain was blinding, but bearable. She could see the vampire before her, grinning evilly at her, holding the dagger on her stomach. She knew he deliberately missed any vital organs, wanting to see her suffer to her death rather than killing her swiftly.

And as she had suspected, another blinding pain came from her back. The other vampire had stabbed her in the back, sandwiching her between the two assailants. The pain was getting worse, and she was losing blood fast. She had to act now.

She had to act according to her plan.

She would never forget how grin vanished from the vampire's mouth when she smiled at him. Summoning her remaining power, she lifted her free hand and let out her chant.

"Banish Evil!!"

Maya shuddered as a strong jolt went all over her body.

Prince Roberto noticed this and quickly approached her chariot. He climbed the chariot and caught her before she fell to the ground. Her eyes were wide open, as if in terror, and her lips were moving wildly, although saying nothing. The chariot driver quickly took over the command of nearby knights to close in and protect the king of Aragon.

Roberto held her close in his arms until she could muster to speak again. There was no wound, and no sign of foul magic. She was not even harmed in any way. He decided to wait until she could tell him what was wrong.

Finally she drew her breath and spoke, although weakly, "M...master... mistress... trouble..."

Roberto was prepared for this. Maya had once told him of the time when she was on her deathbed from a potent poison when she and Anna were looking for Atrus a few years back. Atrus and Anna had retrieved an antidote from a flower called Black Orchid, a stronger poison to cure her, but her condition had gone downhill instead. The constant call from her master and mistress had somehow reached the barrier of life and death and she could hear them beckoning her to come back. She had survived the event, but since then a strong, unbreakable bond had been formed between her and the pair. Maya could sometimes sense their trouble, fear, and sorrow. Sometimes, she could even sense their pain.

And this was his deepest fear. He feared this would happen. If Atrus' team failed, the Alliance Army would stand no chance against the demons and would be utterly destroyed. If the Champion of the Guardian fell, the realm was lost.

Maya had recovered and was staring intently at him. No word was needed. They knew what each other were thinking.

"Have faith, Maya..." Roberto whispered into her ear. "I know they will succeed. I know they will."

Daemon hovered casually before Atrus, still held with the invisible magic. Atrus roared in frustration, but as he feared, the magic held. His stone sword seemed to weigh a ton, while his boots seemed to weigh a hundred times more. He was glued to the floor, open and helpless.

"I never thought you would commit such act of cowardice!" Atrus cried. "I suspect Falstoff understand the concept of honor more than you!"

"My Falstoff is dead!" Daemon replied coldly. "History is written by the victors. Honor is only for the fool and the dead."

"Is this how you win your war? With foul play?!"

Daemon grinned evilly as he lifted his demonic sword above his head. "Foul is my middle name."

As Atrus thought he was witnessing the last moment of his life, a pair of magic bolts slammed against Daemon's magic barrier, causing no harm but propelling the dark lord almost across the room.

Atrus couldn't believe how glad he was to see Anna coming to his aid, but when he saw the large blood stains on her stomach he was stunned. Her breath was ragged and her weak smile did little to hide the pain she was suffering. Behind her, two vampires were flapping on the floor, each futilely trying to get their own dagger out of his chest before his black heart collapsed. Atrus had no doubt those daggers were the ones causing Anna's wound.

"Hang on," she said quickly. "I'll try to dispel the bonds."

"Anna, you're hurt!" Atrus protested.

"I'm hurt, but not bad," she replied, and then cringed from the sudden pain. "I... must... dispel the bonds..."

A muffled warning from Ursula told Atrus that Daemon was back on his feet again.

"Take cover, Anna, he's coming!"

"Must... dispel... the bonds..."

Atrus could only look in terror as Daemon's figure loomed from behind Anna's body.

"Anna, look out!!"

Unmercifully, time seemed to pass in slow motion. Anna's deep concentration seemed unbroken as the cruel jagged tip of Daemon's sword pierced Anna's vulnerable abdomen. He could do nothing as he witnessed the terrible wound the sword had inflicted, and her precious blood pouring freely onto his face and to the ground.

For a moment Atrus wished he could impale himself onto Daemon's sword, that he could die together, right here with Anna. But the spell still held. And Anna was still deep in concentration. She kept reciting her chant even as blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth. Atrus stared at the sword sticking out from her wounded belly. No man could survive this kind of wound. It was as if something was keeping her alive a bit longer.

Finally she opened her eyes, albeit very slowly, and gave him a weak smile. "It is finished."

And she collapsed against Atrus' body, which fell to the ground along with her. Atrus groaned in relief as his muscles were moving once again. He quickly gathered Anna's body in his arms, inspecting her wound. It was really bad. The sword was impaled on her back onto her stomach. She was losing blood fast, and any attempt to take off the sword would worsen her condition. She was getting weaker, but there was nothing Atrus could think of to help.

"Tell me what to do, Anna!" he gasped.

She just smiled.

"Tell me the spell and I'll attempt it!"

Again, she remained silent and smiling.

"Don't waste any time, Anna! Give me the spell!"

She didn't reply. Instead, she lifted her trembling hand, trying to touch his face. Atrus held her hand and pressed it against his cheek tightly. He never had the answer, but at least she got his attention now.

"It is finished," she finally whispered.

"No, it's not finished!" Atrus protested. "The battle is still raging!"

"My fight is finished," she replied. "It's now your turn."

"No, we must go on!" Atrus insisted despite his tears. "I'm not going to let you go!"

"Honey..." Anna cringed from the pain, but quickly continued, "You have a battle to fight. Go and do your part."

"But, Anna, you're hurt!"

"There's nothing you can do, honey," Anna replied. "My wound is far too severe for my healing magic to undo. We have done our part. The Warriors are to escort the Champion safely to the Emerald Tower. Now this is your turn."

"Anna, dearest..." Atrus choked back his tears. "I don't want to lose you..."

"And you won't, honey," Anna said softly. "Be strong, and know that I will always be with you in spirit."

"But how about our promise? You promised that you would be there when I fulfill my destiny!"

Atrus could feel Anna's grip on his cheek weakening, but he refused to let go. He wrapped her in his arms as if he would not let go of his prize possession.

"I want you to be there, honey... Don't leave me... I want you to be there... Don't forget your promise..."

Anna's smiled widened. "My promise stands, my love... I will... be there..."

And she closed her eyes. This time, it was forever.

The land grew quiet. Commander Hawk carefully eyed his surroundings. The Gates remained open, but no new monsters popped out from there again. The Alliance Army renewed their struggle and slaughtered the remaining monsters, but eyed suspiciously at the open yet dormant Gates.

"Sir, should we strike back?" One of his knights asked excitedly. "We should send the wizards and the priestesses to those Gates and shut them down before they started working again."

His mind went to work. Indeed, this was a perfect chance, but a small part of his mind screamed a protest. This was not what it might seem to be. Something was not right. Something had happened, and he had a bad feeling about this.

"No, not now," Hawk replied. "This might be a trap."

"Sir, this is our chance! We might push them back to where they came from!"

"They can always reopen whatever gates we close," Hawk reasoned. "We'll use this chance to regroup and reorganize out defenses. Send words to King Roberto that something is not right."

The knight gave the proper order to his subordinates, and then stared back at Hawk. "I do hope you know what you're doing, Sir."

"I do hope so, my friend... I do hope so..."

When the news reached Roberto, he already knew.

During the battle, without a cause Maya's body stiffened suddenly and collapsed to the chariot floor. This time the chariot driver wasn't too surprised and quickly dismounted to give space to the panicking King Roberto.

Roberto climbed the chariot, lifted her body and resting her head against his hip. Her breath was long and hard earned, and cold sweat covered her forehead. Her eyes were again staring at him in terror. It was just like the last time, with one important difference. This time, her eyes were laden with tears.

Again he hugged her tightly and stroked her hair. He whispered gentle words in her ears, trying to comfort her, although he himself started wondering who exactly he was trying to comfort.

The words came soft and weak, "Anna... M... m... Anna..."

"Yes, Maya," Roberto said. "What's wrong with Anna."

And suddenly, without cause, it suddenly became clear to him.

"Oh dear Guardian..." Roberto muttered weakly, his voice shaken with fear and sadness. "Dear Adriana... Dear Adriana..."

Maya was now crying openly in his arms. Roberto couldn't hide the tears forming in his eyes, either. He had traveled with Anna for a long time, and had been quite fond of her, but Anna had been an essential part in Maya's life, or even her existence. Her loss would be most devastating to Maya.

Roberto didn't know what to say, for he too was laden with sadness. He could only hold her close and comfort her as best as he could. He just hoped that the last pillar of hope he was holding on now would not collapse along with him.

For a moment Atrus remained still, holding Anna's body close to his. His eyes, staring into her face, were filled with fear and disbelief. A thousand words of denial invaded his mind. The deepest part of him started insisting him that this dream had to stop, that the time had come for him to wake up, again finding Anna sleeping peacefully by his side...

No, this had to stop!

I want to wake up now!

Wake me up, Anna! Wake me up from this nightmare!

But the salvation he so longed for never came. The dream remained. The nightmare remained. And Anna was still sleeping peacefully in his arms. An eternal sleep, but a sleep nonetheless.

She was free. She had awakened from her dream, leaving him alone in this nightmare.

A nightmare beyond his control. And he knew who was in control.

His stare darted to Daemon, who was still standing apart from him. His inner soul cried out as he witnessed the grin forming out in the demon lord's mouth. He felt his anger urging him to unleash the monster lying hidden inside of him. He finally relented.

Bright flame burst from his body, enveloping him completely. Angry red flame licked the surrounding air, spreading an aura of heat around him. His eyes flared in bright red, eyeing his prey intently with lust for blood. His dormant sword still resisted him, so he casually tossed it aside.

If he could tear the demon lord apart with his bare hands, it would be more desirable.

Forgetting the pain still lingering in his chest, he charged forward with all speed. The fact that the enemy remained unmoved didn't bother him a bit. The protesting moans from both Goddess Gaea and Priestess Rosa didn't slow him down. His sole vision was one, which was the death of his archenemy.

His hands reached out for Daemon's neck, but couldn't find it. Instead, he went through him as if Daemon's form was nothing but mist. He roared in frustration and went to search for the dark lord. All his five senses worked in the overdrive, trying to locate his enemy.

"I'm right here, Champion of the Guardian."

Atrus found Daemon standing next to Anna's body, his dark sword back and ready in his hand. The fact that he had torn the sword out of Anna's battered body only angered Atrus even further. Without fear he charged forward, setting the thought of the fact that he was totally unarmed aside.

Daemon just chuckled, lifted the sword and swung it vertically through the air. A massive resulting shockwave swept across the room, smashed against Atrus' body and sent it sprawling across the floor. The flame around Atrus' body partially protected him from receiving full effect of the blow, but his pride took massive beating. He struggled to rise up despite her protesting muscles. In his vulnerable state, it would be easy for Daemon to finish him right there, but the demon lord decided to play a little game with him.

Summoning all the power he had left, Atrus stood up and faced his nemesis with renewed hatred. The flame around him still flared madly, mirroring his burning anger. Wasting no more time in hesitation, Atrus charged ahead.

This time, Daemon lifted his bare hand and made a gesture of grasping something, slowly drawing his fingers together. Instantly Atrus' body buckled as waves of pain ran through his body, centered on his chest. The warrior collapsed helplessly onto the floor, his muscles twitching uncontrollably.

"Pathetic creature," spat Daemon. "You think you can defeat me easily."

"What sort of foul magic is this, demon?!" Atrus cried while clenching his teeth.

"Why, Atrus, it's in you," the demon lord replied. "It's your blood, tainted with essence of the Underworld. And whoever have claws and horns down there, I can control. I can grant them minutes of pleasure," a smile formed in his mouth, "or hours of pain."

With that, Daemon clenched his fist. A greater wave of blinding pain shot through Atrus' body. His muscles refused to move. His vision was filled with stars, slowly robbing him of consciousness.

"Pathetic," Daemon spat. "Is this the best Lord Guardian can muster for a fight?"

"You and your foul magic!" Atrus heard himself saying.

"What do you think I should do to you now?" Daemon asked with amusement in his deep voice. "I can't kill you just yet. I may have to play around with you for a moment..."

Daemon's voice seemed to be trailing off as unconsciousness took over Atrus. His vision grew white, and his senses went numb. Gone was the pain. Considering the generous amount of pain he had been enduring, he would welcome death anytime now.

However, sweet oblivion never quite came. Instead, he heard a voice sweetly calling him.

"Atrus... This has to stop..."

His mind cried out in protest. The voice was too familiar, yet so untrue. He might be hearing illusions created by the demon lord. But considering his situation, there was nothing more to count on. He desperately turned to where the voice came from and cried out.

"Anna!! Help me!!"

Everything around him was white. He couldn't see the ground, or the sky. He tried to reach out with his hand, but grabbed nothing around him. He held his hands before his face. The pain in his body was gone. In fact, there was a soothing feeling caressing his body right now, awakening his every sense. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so good, so healthy. Time had gone fast, faster than he could comprehend. And all the moments that had gone by...

The death... the slaughter...

"Atrus..."

Again, his mind screamed its protest. This couldn't happen. She's... she's...

"Atrus..."

He turned around and was amazed at what he saw. There, in the middle of whiteness around him, Adriana stood in all her glory. Her old priestess suit had been replaced with a satin dress that flowed through her slim figure. Her collar and hairband were gone, but her face was nonetheless beautiful, with her hair flowing down, blown by unseen wind.

Atrus was bewildered, as if he was seeing a ghost.

But the figure smiled warmly and offered her hand. "Do not be afraid, Atrus. It is I."

"No..." Atrus mouthed silently. "You're... you're dead..."

The figure maintained a weak smile. "That is right, I'm afraid. But you are not."

"I'm not dead...?" Atrus looked around. "This is not Paradise? Where am I?"

"You are everywhere, yet you are nowhere," Anna said. "This is the place between places. If you ever see Maya again, ask her about it. She knows. She's been here before."

"Maya?" Atrus stared at the figure before him. "You know... Are you... are you really Anna? Anna who have died before my eyes?"

The figure nodded solemnly. "It is I. My time here is short, but I have to tell you something." Anna hesitated. "You're mistaken, Atrus honey. This is not how you fight."

"This is how I have been fighting!" Atrus said. "If I don't have this blasted venom inside my veins I would have ripped that demon apart!"

Anna shook her head slowly. "No, the venom is irrelevant. You are the Champion of the Guardian, the gods' chosen one. Such simple pest shouldn't slow you down. It just makes you human."

"Makes me human?"

"You start to think like a human," Anna explained. "You feel the pain to the earnest when the pain should be unnoticeable at all. You feel the fear when fighting overwhelming odds. You hesitate when your foes appear stronger than you. If you know that the entire heavens are on your side, you shouldn't feel these things.

"Instead, you turn to your human nature and depend your life on it. You give in to your anger, believing that it will grant you the strength. It will not. It will only speed up your demise."

"But all this time I've been using my anger to fight!" Atrus protested.

"No, you haven't," Anna replied. "The only time you used your anger was during our fight at Gideon. And you know the consequences. We lost Jen, and you almost killed me in the process. Do you want that to happen again?"

"No, but how do I fight then?!" Atrus was getting frustrated.

"Do not use your anger, Atrus," Anna said. "Remember the time you saved me from the bandits, just days after our first meeting. Remember the numerous times when you repeatedly saved Maya and me when we were traveling the land together. Remember the time when you defeated the demons deep within the Dark Elf stronghold to save the Forest of Elom. Remember the time when you defeated Gareth the Lich, the necromancer, and finally Falstoff.

Anna stared deeply into his eyes. "Didn't we go against overwhelming odds then? Weren't you the one who charged bravely before the group? Weren't you the one I always yelled at for fighting without regarding your own safety?" Anna sighed softly. "Honey, if you have survived this far without using your anger, why should you allow yourself to be controlled by your human nature?"