Transcendent

The floor creaked as I walked across the room, every step taken in agony, as more of my blood spilled oozed out with every step I took. My clothes were all ripped apart and soaked in blood, some of it, not my own, and some not even human. My wounds felt like a thousand knives being plunged into me, but I pulled myselfhimself back up and reached the safe. I wasn’t giving up yet. I am the daughter of the Tradio family, and we never give up, and I am not going to start now. I opened the safe, and took out the object that lay in it, finally disturbed after thousands of years. I had promised my mother to never use it. “I’m sorry mom. I don’t have a choice.”

The forest had all but disappeared, not even the stumps remained. All that was left was a crater, and at the center was my brother. “Raizel!” I hurried over to him, but I was too late. He was barely alive, slowly withering away. I held him in my arms. “Hey Christie. Seems like you are fine ..... I’ m glad,.”, he meekly whispered to me. My tears were my only response. What else could I say? I had failed to protect him. I could not keep my promise. Despite it all, he smiled. “It’s not your fault. This is my destiny. My fate was sealed long ago. I was going to die here no matter what you did. My purpose to you has been fulfilled. I kept him busy, so that you could escape, but he’s weak n…....” He said nothing more, coughing up blood. He only smiled, and caressed my cheek, before his hand dropped to the ground, closing his eyes forever. His body began to disintegrate disintegrating before my eyes, until only my arms remained. I could still feel his skin on my skin. I failed to protect him. I failed to protect another one of the people I loved. Now, I had no one else. No one to care for. Memories flashed before my eyes;, as I watched all of them crumble away to dust as they protected me. Their only crime was that they loved me, and that I loved them. The night was getting colder. The clouds parted to reveal the moon. He loved gazing at the moon, and I loved being with him, listening to tall tales of his heroic deeds, and unimportant Kings, with famous fathers. My tears were flowing more heavily now, as my wails filled the night sky.

The castle looked solemn and colorless that day, in stark contrast to the usual festive aura it gave off, before hell decided to swallow it up. There was blood and bodies all around, signs of a war. No. It was not a war. It was a massacre. The doors swung open as I came closer, two guards greeting me as I stepped inside. I walked over to my brother’s room, and opened the doors to the forbidden room which contained the object he made me promise to destroy ages ago, if anything were to happen to him. I did not think anything of it then for it was never a possibility that I considered would come to ever fruition, and now, my ignorance had killed him. I would will, at least, keep my promise to him. I entered the room, and at the center lay my target. It was covered by a satin cloth, the last remaining relic of ‘She of the beginning,’’, our mother, the creator. The ring that held the very source of her powers, the last gift my mother had left us, her children;, and I had promised to destroy it. I held it in my palm, and after giving it one last look, imprinting its image onto my memory, I crushed it and erased every piece from this plane of existence. “Are you leaving again? We don’t have anyone to lead us. I am not nearly as strong, or old enough, to rule.” I heard a familiar voice speak these words as I was leaving the castle. My niece. She wanted me to inherit the throne. “I am glad to see you safe Nerissa, but it is my job to protect, and not to rule, and even if I wished to, I have no claim on the throne. I failed to protect the countless lives lost today. You will do well, Nerissa. Believe in yourself. Your father always believed in you. He kept saying you would surpass him and me some day, and I, as his sister, believe that you will. Work hard and, be well. The times are changing, and it is only you who can lead these people.” I left without waiting for a response. I could not bear to look at her face, or I would break down and be a mess for them all to see.

“You’ve finally found me! I have been waiting quite a while for you! How long has it been since he died? A week? Why did you take so long to find me? I was quite injured after that. I would not have been able to protect myself. You were foolish to let me rest, my dear child.”

His words were filling me with rage, and I could barely hold it in. “Your child? You forfeited the right to call yourself our father the day you betrayed us. The day you killed our mother. It disgusts me to think I have some part of your blood running in my veins! How could you kill your own son? He had done nothing wrong! He did not even hate you for what you did!” I was not letting him get away with this, and for once, I let my fury control me. I charged at him, my sword aimed at his heart. I knew I would not be able to strike him, but I did have something else that could. When my sword was merely an inch away, he stopped me in my tracks. I was pushed down onto the earth. He did not even move a muscle. Surprising how overwhelmingly powerful he was, even though I knew he had my mother’s force coursing through him, and my brother’s as well. “Why don’t you fight me with your own power. Let us see who wins then, shall we?”

“……………Ha ha ha ha! Do you really think I’m that stupid? Why should I? Honor? Do you still believe in honor? Look where that got you.” He knelt and lifted my face by the chin. “Your eyes. They look just like mine. It’s too bad that I must take your life as well. You can join your……..”

“My eyes look nothing like yours! Your fate is already sealed, and your life, mine to take! By my authority as the guardian of Earth, I force you into eternal sleep!” I smirked and, lifted him by the collar onto his feet. I wanted him to know pain. I threw him away, but I left the dagger of void in him. He deserveds no mercy. It was slowly consuming him.

He got up, clearly in great pain, resisting the dagger with all his might, and smiled. His eyes met mine. Did he have something else up his sleeve?

“I’m sorry, my child. For all that we had to do to you, but I shall tell you now the truth behind it all.”

“Truth? What do you mean?” I was growing nervous.

“Your mother, and I came up with this plan ages ago, when we realized the peril you would face soon. We needed you to hate us. I was the one who was supposed to have died that day, and your mother, here in my……… place, but she tricked me and killed herself. Wanted me to live a bit longer, but most of all, I think she knew She gave me all her strength, and I took her place to wage war upon you, and your world. We needed you to get much stronger, and your hate would drive you to new heights. But I never could have known your………… brother had his own plans. Apparently, he overheard me and your mother speaking about the prophecy, and when the time came, he forced himself onto my blade, tricking me just as his mother did. They were always so similar. I guess you take after me then. I did not mean for him……. to die, but I guess he just loved you a lot, as do we all. I wish he had lived, and not taken such a stupid step. You are the child of prophecy………. after all. This dagger. I am glad you used it. It makes what I am about to do, a bit easier, but I cannot explain…… the specifics. Not much time remaining. I spoke too….. much. Ha. Now, in a few years, you will face the one we call ‘Armageddon,’ an ancient…………… being who will awaken once again to throw……. this world into chaos and ruin, and you……… will need our powers……… to stand a chance. The humans…………. will need you to protect them as well. For all their faults and………... greed, they are weak, and so much more beautiful……... than us. Protect them, and learn……. from them. Remember, you are the Guardian. You would…………. never have taken this will……ingly, so we had to force it on you. The relic you……... thought you destroyed……… earlier, was merely an enhancer. It……envelopes you now. Raizel really is crafty. This dagger was……. the key for us to leave……... our will to……. you, and leave………. you with a future. Use them wisely. Well……….This is goodbye, my child.”

He was right in front of me now. His arms, around me, embracing me meekly, slowly disintegrating away, just like my brother had. Once again, I was being thrown to the very depths of hell. I tried to open my mouth, but no words would come out. I just stood there in his embrace, until all that remained was only me, and that damned cursed weapon, but the weapon only stayed for a while. It was self-destructing, crumbling upon itself, turning into a million specs of light, and for a moment, I saw the ones I had lost, before they all rushed into me. The sky grew dark, and the clouds began to weep, more heavily as each moment passed, but I could not even do that. I shall let the sky weep for me today. I can only blame myself for this. I could feel their souls within me stirring, as if to soothe me, but it was too late for any of that. Pain is what I have known all my life, and now it shall be with me my whole life, and now I have an even more difficult task, and this time, it would be real. I looked at the thundering sky, and whispered for no one else to hear, or understand, “Why must it always be me?”