Matsuoka Nui

Act 23: La battaglia finale (The Final Battle) ~The Inferno of Bara Magna~ “No, it cannot end like this,” said Gresh, “I’ll find you, my love!” Gresh stepped into the symbol, but nothing happened. He could hear Certavus laughing as his plans were about to succeed. “Heavens embrace,” said Certavus, “For now I have the offering to you, grant me the power to cross worlds. The offering that I give you, is the daughter of Capulet. Now it’s time for her to become part of the system and join me in my conquest.” Erax snuck his way past him as he found Gresh trying to break open the symbol. Their combined strength wouldn’t even budge the door. “It’s no use,” said Gresh, “it’s over…” “Why do you say that?” snapped Erax, “She’s your love. You don’t give up on something that you truly belong to!” Those words, thought Gresh, I know them. Montague said the same thing from the legends, “don’t give up something that you truly belong to.” “The key,” said Erax, “I thought it merged with her?” “Maybe with that key, there’s hope to pass our way through,” replied Gresh. The two turned to see a small hatch that had a gigantic keyhole. Could the key that they have fit in? Gresh took it and unlocked the hatch. He took a peak inside and saw a bright light beyond the tunnel. However, the only way to get through was to climb down on the rusted ladder that led to the world below. “Let’s go,” he said, “This might be the way.” The two got in just as Certavus realized what they were about to do. “Seize them!” he shouted to the birds, “Make sure that they don’t touch Kiina!” “We won’t let you stop Gresh,” shouted a voice. Certavus turned to see the real Starax, Malum, Ackar’s spirit, Tiyan, Akanari, and several others including four of the Element Lords. Brutus helped Escalus to escape from the prison, now everyone was prepared for the final battle. “You all arrived,” said Certavus, “In time to see your friends die.” The birds soared their way down, attacking the group. The Glatorian and the Element Lord charged, using their weapons and powers to fight them off. “Thanks for getting us here,” said Tiyan to Vulcanus as she fought some of the birds away. “The Agori in the Arena are safe, until that landmass breaks apart,” he replied, “now then, you and Akanari should go and help save Kiina. You too Vastus, and Tarix; go on no matter what happened in the past; the only thing that matters is that this world must survive. The rest of us will buy you time.” The four nodded and went up to the hatch. “Despite our feuds, I’m sorry for bringing about the accusation to you,” said Vastus, he turned to Akanari and said, “How are you holding up?” “I’m fine,” he answered, “Let’s get going. We need to find them and escape from here.” *** After a long climbing down, Erax and Gresh arrived at a massive chamber that looked like a separate world. The landscape around them was full of flames, fire and lava. Already, the temperature was hotter than the chamber above. “This is…” muttered Gresh. “The heart of Bara Magna, the core of the world,” finished Erax. Gresh gasped as he saw Kiina at the very top of the chamber, she was being pulled into some strange energy sphere that housed a gigantic mass of vines that was trying to hold the chamber in place. The root, thought Gresh, the Triangle Root that was responsible for our world. The two turned to see several birds perching on some pipes nearby, waiting to strike. “I’ll distract them,” said Erax, “You go get Kiina.” “But you’ve been…” began Gresh. “It’s my place,” he answered, “Yours lies with Kiina. Now go, before it’s too late!” Gresh nodded and turned to face the greatest obstacle; the fire pits and the vines that guarded the root and his love. I won’t allow her to die, my love, he thought. Gresh took a few steps foreword and got to the stairs that led to the top. However, the fire pits busted the stairs and some of them crumbled to the lava below the gigantic pit. The strangest sight though was that at the top of this “world” was the sky above. It’s more than that, the Great Volcano too is part of this, he thought. Gresh jumped over the gap and ran his way up. The stairs challenged him by changing directions, wobbling and crumbling down. Then, some of the vines chased after him. Gresh responded by using the sword of Montague to break the vines. Just bear with me, thought Gresh, don’t give in! *** The spirit Ackar clashed his sword against Certavus. He was awfully shocked when he discovered the traitor’s plans. “You dare to oppose your brothers,” he growled, “Why?” “I chose to,” said Certavus, “It was an opportunity for my revenge. After all, I was once famous for my fighting techniques, but then things changed when I was sent here. I did NOT want to die. If I sap all of your lives, I will be reborn and have all of your powers. Not to mention your miserable life which Tuma did…” “So you sent Tuma to kill me!” snapped Ackar, “You bastard…” Certavus prepared an ice blast to finish the fire Glatorian off when he got distracted by Atarus who used his powers to create a wave of sand. Ackar used his spiritual powers from the Vulcanus lineage to heat up the sand and hopefully make glass. It seemed that it almost worked until Certavus used his powers of the Root to shatter the glass all over the place, giving additional cuts and scratches to the others. “The plan will proceed,” said Certavus, “I will be reborn and this world will pass.” Brutus and Starax combined their powers to create a rock fist to slam the traitor, but Certavus responded with a wave of snow to freeze them. Vulcanus created a ring of fire to surround the ice Glatorian but Certavus jumped over and called on the birds to attack them. Malum then sprung from the shadows and tackled him down but he was thrown off and smashed into the wall. Ackar turned and saw more birds attacking Malum. He carefully aimed a warning blast of fire to scare the birds away. Just as he was about to attack Certavus again, several vines grabbed him and the others. All of them were dragged into the air while Certavus stood in the center around them. He made sure that the vines tighten them enough that they couldn’t use their powers. “You are all…pathetic,” he said, “None of your strategies are able to stop me; but you still resist against my powers and the birds around here. Is if because you do it for them?” “You can’t do this!” snapped Ackar, “If you steal the root and our powers, you’ll kill everyone on this planet!” “I won’t be here by the time Bara Magna is finished,” he replied, “Even if the moons are shattered, this planet will take its time before it too passes away.” Certavus waved his hand and everyone was thrown to the wall, pinned by the vines. “You will remain here and watch your friends die first,” said Certavus, “Then it’ll be your turn, then the survivors outside.” *** Akanari, Tarix, Tiyan and Vastus reached the other side of the tunnel and saw a strange looking warrior fighting against his life from the birds. They charged in and helped Erax to get rid of the birds. “Who are you?” asked Erax. “We are the friends of Kiina and Gresh,” said Tiyan, “Well, at least we have ‘renewed our friendship’.” “Where is Gresh?” asked Vastus. “He’s up on those stairs, heading to Kiina. She has not been able to wake up since we got here,” explained Erax, “I thought that it was her soul that fell asleep...” Vastus turned and could see Gresh in the distance, going around the root on the steps. Please be careful, thought Vastus, all of our lives are at stake. “We should go follow him,” said Tiyan, “He’ll need…” “No,” answered Erax, “We have to wait for him to come back with Kiina. For now, I told him that I’ll guard here and fend off the birds.” *** Gresh was breathing heavily as he got closer to the top. His armor was covered in sweat from the heat in this blasted chamber. Just a bit further, he thought. He climbed up the stairs and saw a huge gap between him and the top floor. There, he saw Kiina inside the energy sphere with the Triangle Root. Using his final burst of strength, he jumped over and almost missed it when his chain glowed and used its power to send him to safety. He looked up and saw that Kiina was still asleep, but the force field and the root blocked him from passing through. He took out his father’s sword and stabbed the field. To his surprised, the field actually disabled, allowing him to gain entrance to the root. “Kiina, please wake up!” he shouted. When he heard no response, he said, “I’m coming, just wait!” He charged into the root and used his sword to cut through; it was going to be tricky since the root was thick and it seemed that every cut he made; the injury would heal. Time was running out for him as he could feel something trembling from above. Has Bara Magna reached its end of its life? Review

Act 22: La cheva al centro del mondo (The Key to Center of the World) ~The Heart of Bara Magna~ Arena Magna “I’m going to find them,” said Akanari, “No matter what I have to face.” “You can’t,” replied Tiyan, “Why must you find them?” “They could be in great danger,” he answered, “Or worse, they’re probably dead and at least I rather know where than having to not know what happened.” Tiayn wanted to argue, but she knew that he was right. For the past several millennia, they helped Kiina improve her life. After the disaster, they found her when Tarix brought her to the village. However, she had a different name at the time which was quite unique but it didn’t blend in with the others. Many years later, she became a Glatorian with their help and even gained special privileges that most females didn’t had. And she went too far sometimes too with them, thought Tiyan, but she knew what was right for her people, and this world. “Alright,” she finally replied, “We’ll go. But let’s make sure that the Agori will be safe. I don’t know what will happen if we walk out of here, but I’m sure that there’s some time left.” Once they got outside, they were in for a shock. Already, the area around them was missing. There was nothing but crevasses all over like an endless void. There was another piece of land that was still intact but it was far away. “Curses,” growled Tiyan, “We’re trapped here. And it’s anytime now before this chunk will fly away.” Before Akanari could respond, something was emerging from below. The two of them prepared for combat. Several blackish vines snaked their way up, trying to entangle them. Already, Tiyan turned to see some Agori screaming for their lives as the vines dragged several of them below the ground, never to be seen again. “The Agori,” said Akanari, “These vines are going to capture them if we don’t do something!” *** Tarix, Agniar and the survivors of the war raced their way back to Tajun. Many of them were worried that the Jungle Tribe sent some of the warriors to the village. However, none of them expected what was waiting for them. “What is this?” said Tarix, pointing at the region that was once the Sandray Canyon. Most of the region in the canyon was gone; now it was a gigantic gap of endless void that led to who know where. “They’re trapped,” muttered Agniar, “Oh I should’ve thought twice about our people…” No, said a voice in the Agori’s head, they’re safe in the Arena Magna. Agnair gasped at the voice in his head, he recognized it well. “…Capulet?” he asked quietly. Yes it is I, said the Water Lord, I am far away to help all of you as my enemy is chasing me to the north. All of you head back out to the Wastelands. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get to Atero. The landscape around there has disappeared just like the Sandray Canyon. Agniar wanted to ask more questions, but the voice left. “Let’s go back,” he said to Tarix, “We need to escape from here.” “I think it’s too late for that,” growled a voice. They turned to see several Skrall blocking their path. “Out of the way!” shouted Tarix, “You have no right to be here!” “You’ll have to fight us,” replied Branar, “If you wish to proceed.” *** Vastus, Avaran, and the other survivors from the battle ran back to Tesara and saw the destruction of the village as well. The two gigantic trees that housed the villages collapsed and the arena crumbled into ruins. “What happened to this place?” he muttered. He turned to see Sarhax who was badly injured from earlier. “What did this to you?” he asked. “The Agori…they fled…with Montague,” she answered, coughing. “Impossible,” said Avaran, “He is sealed away with the others!” “No, I saw him!” she replied, “He took the Agori to the main Arena.” “Tell us what happened,” said Vastus. Sarhax quickly explained about the Agori’s departure with Montague, the destruction of the village and her injuring from encountering strange vines coming from below the surface. “Are you sure that’s not his power?” asked Avaran. “I am sure. Montague’s vines are green and lively, not black and twisted. No, these vines were something that I’ve never seen,” she explained. “Let’s go then,” said Vastus, “We have to make sure that they’re safe.” *** Valley of the Maze Gresh and Erax walked through the hallways of the Maze Valley. They expected some traps to be sprung but to their surprise, nothing happened. “This place here,” said Gresh, “I remember something about it, but at the same time, I don’t know.” “Have you seen it before, in dreams?” asked Erax. “Maybe,” he answered, “But if they were dreams, then why…?” The two turned a corner and saw what was quite shocking; Starax, Ackar, Malum, a Vorox, and three of the Element Lords; Atarus, Vulcanus, and Brutus were all there. They were in a gigantic chamber that had the same symbol that Kiina had on the forehead in the floor. “What…?” said Gresh, “how can this be? Ackar was killed! And that symbol…” An illusion maybe, thought Erax, or are they spirits? “You’re absolutely correct, stranger,” said a voice. The two turned to see Certavus in his full glory. He looked like as if he was not dead at all. “Impossible,” said Gresh, “You disappeared and…” “Yes,” he answered, “I came here, because I was summoned.” Gresh seemed unsure, but he asked, “What can I do to save Kiina?” “Ah, the daughter of Capulet,” he answered, “That’s just what I need. But of course, that won’t be enough. That key that was separated into three smaller ones are needed too.” Wait a second, thought Gresh, before he died, Lein said that we had to come here with that key. But now what? “Not to worry,” lied Certavus, “This process is harmless. Kiina will wake up soon with my power combined with this key and the world will be safe once more.” “Don’t listen to him!” shouted a voice inside Gresh’s and Erax’s heads, “He’s trying to…” Certavus turned and aimed a blast of energy at the cage that housed Escalus. The Ice Lord’s voice was blocked. The Glatorian turned and used his power to send Kiina to the symbol on the floor. Erax took out his knowledge stone and quickly used its power. Before Certavus could try to stop it, Erax realized the truth; Certavus was using Kiina as ‘bait’ in order to drain her power so he could accelerate the process of Bara Magna’s destruction. When it was all done, he would come back to life and escape to another world and begin his conquest once he stole the children’s powers. “Go get her,” he barked. Gresh charged, shouting, “Kiina, wake up! You’re being misled!” “You have no permission to touch her!” growled Certavus. He used his power to send some vines to knock him down and to tangle him. However, Gresh took out the sword of Montague and sliced them into pieces. “Impossible,” muttered Certavus, “Your powers and hers are not meant for this!” Erax charged as well, trying to use his Tri-Sword to slash him down, but it went though him, harmless. Certavus chuckled and said, “Nice try, but I’m only a spirit; I’ve been dead!” Certavus spun and kicked Erax out of the way, sending him to the wall. Gresh turned to see him, fallen, but there was no time to worry; his goal was to rescue Kiina. The floor beneath Kiina glowed to life as she was being pulled underground. “After him!” shouted Certavus to the other children. They flared to life and charged. Gresh turned to see all of them preparing to attack. Concentrating on his sword, he fired a gigantic air blast that knocked most of them but few of them were still coming. Gresh jumped and somersaulted into the air, landing behind them. He fired his thornax at the Vorox, knocking the savage down. He then turned and did a swipe kick at Starax but realized that his foot went right through. For some reason, he realized that they were all a fake. “Impossible,” he muttered as he looked at Malum’s armor, “He doesn’t have the same color as the real one had.” Before his eyes, they all disappeared from view. “Indeed,” said Certavus, “They’re mere failures of my creations. I thought it would be more entertaining if you didn’t realize that.” Gresh ignored him and shouted, “Kiina, wake up, please!” but Kiina was already half way down through the floor. Then the noise was filled with caws and screeches. Gresh turned to see several birds flying towards Erax. The Glatorian noticed something weird about them and this time he knew why. Certavus seemed to communicate the birds as if they listened to him. “Those birds…” he muttered. “They answer to me,” replied Certavus, then with a sinister smile, “Of course…you don’t realize what I’ve become. I’m not just a child that had to sacrifice for the root; I am the Triangle Root. I control life on all of the fragments of Spherus Magna. That’s why…I sent those birds to attack the Skrall. Now that you refuse to surrender, I think it’s time that they become your enemies.” Gresh couldn’t decide what to do; Kiina was almost through the symbol, Erax was still down and the birds were attacking him. There’s only one thing I can do…thought Gresh. He closed his eyes and called upon his chain necklace and his father’s sword; if his plan worked, then there might be hope saving both of their lives. Just as he was about to send a gigantic blow of energy, he turned to see the Spherus Magna Key emerging from Kiina and dissolved into her body. “It’s too late now,” said Certavus, “Kiina will never awaken. The process has at last begun!” Erax slowly woke up and called upon his sword to send heat waves through his body to get rid of the birds. With a tricky blow, he unleashed a fire blaze at Certavus’ back. The heat struck him but it was useless. “I thought the birds took care of you,” he hissed, “But that doesn’t matter, you don’t belong here. You’ll be disposed of shortly once she’s gone.” Gresh tried to get Kiina but a strange force field blocked him from saving her. Kiina disappeared below and the energy sphere disappeared. Was it too late for the world? Has Certavus won at last? Review

Yess!! 500th post....!! :D :D anyway.... Wow...that's totally ironic....lol! XD! Not to mention that Juliet has red theme on her clothes....XD Too bad her fake name wasn't Akara (as her's is Odin). But that's neat though...I'll have to study Japanese sometime. Yeah, I needed something to fill in this chapter, that's why I called this "Fire and Water" to represent the former AxK (kinda, not really) prior to Ackar's death. (though it's obvious that Kiina never told him about her feelings)

Act 21: Il fucco e l’acqua (Fire and Water) ~Fallen Warrior~ “That noise,” she said, “Is back.” “What is she talking about?” asked Erax. “I don’t know, but I remember that she told me about some dream she had back in Bota Magna,” replied Gresh. Kiina closed her eyes and began to float in midair. This same noise summoned her back in Tajun which led her to a dream. There, Kiina saw herself with a strange symbol on her forehead. Suddenly, the scene changed as she saw herself opening a strange chasm that went belowground. Then she saw Gresh and Erax fighting against Certavus who was trying to steal their powers in order for his plan to unfold. “No! Gresh, stay back!” she screamed as she fell to the ground. “Kiina,” he replied, “What’s going on?” “What’s this?” asked Erax, pointing at a strange symbol on her forehead. Gresh looked at it and saw that the symbol was the same one that the Skrall carried on the shields. It was glowing dimly in a sickly green color. “Kiina, wake up,” said Gresh but she was knocked out. He went up closer to her and realized that she was not breathing. “Impossible,” he growled, “She can’t die, not now!” “It’s not her body,” said Erax, as he could feel the strange power coming from the peak of the hill, “If it’s not her body…could it be?” “What in the Great Beings are you talking about?” snapped Gresh. “No time to explain,” he answered, “And if I’m right, then I fear that her life is at risk. Let's go! I'm sure that we'll face a dangerous battle soon.” Gresh picked up Kiina and the two ran up the hill, time was running out and Gresh grew determined to save her no matter what danger lies ahead. *** Flashback: The Massacre of Vulcanus Wastelands “Sir, we are ready to invade Vulcanus and Iconox. The armies have enough weapons and vehicles to get through. We wait upon your orders,” said Branar. “At last, the moment has come. I shall go to Vulcanus and slay Ackar myself,” replied Tuma. “I thought Stronius…” began Branar. “No. He’s going to Iconox. You’re coming with me,” said the Skrall leader, “Together, this will be the first step to defeat the children.” “Yes of course, we’ll leave at once,” he answered. Branar turned and went to his army while Stronius came up and said, “Sir, there are some spies out there that discovered our plans! The tablet that contained our plan to attack has been stolen!” “Impossible,” growled Tuma, “Who would dare to take it? Moreover, who allowed it to be stolen?” “No one was around. But I’ve heard legends about a blue armored warrior called the Blue Savior,” he answered, “Perhaps it was him that found out.” “If you come across with that warrior, make sure he’s dead as well,” said Tuma, “Especially if he’s helping the children out there. He might become a threat if he’s not eliminated.” *** “You are absolutely crazy, Akara!” snapped Tiyan, “The Skrall probably beat us there first. Besides, how are we going to save everyone in both Vulcanus and Iconox?” “Vulcanus is closer, and there was a tournament there against the Ice Tribe. If I’m correct, then Iconox won’t be as necessary,” answered Kiina. Several Glatorian along with Kiina were riding on the Rock Steeds, making their way to the village. Time was running out for them in order to save the Agori and the Glatorian in Vulcanus. The Skrall’s plan was discovered by one of Tiyan’s friends. Once Kiina received the information, she planned to go to the village and hopefully try to save as many Agori and Glatorian before they get slaughtered. “Halt!” shouted Akanari, “I think there’s some company!” The team turned to the north and saw in the distance, a gigantic army of Skrall charging to the village. Thankfully, they were far away to be seen, but this was a bad sign for the team. “There’s another way in,” said Kiina, “Follow me!” *** Vulcanus Ackar walked back to his house and dropped off some supplies. He was quite exhausted for the last few days. A great dispute erupted between the Fire and Ice Tribes when the villagers of Iconox refused to send more recruits to Vulcanus due to the dangerous activity that the Skrall were doing. Many of the villagers began to disappear during this dispute. However, it was finally settled when Ackar was set to face off against Gelu. He won the fight and now the Ice Tribe was forced to send some recruits. He was about to lie down on his mat when he heard the alarm coming from the fortress. He quickly got back on his feet and reached to the fortress. “There’s an invasion; the Skrall are here!” said Kyry, “We have to evacuate the Agori, now!” “I’ll go see to Raanu and help him escape,” he answered as he went inside. Kyry nodded and ran in the other direction, activating the alarms in the village. Several Agori lined up and evacuated quickly while others wanted to stay and defend the village. “I’m afraid this battle will be the last,” said Kyry. “We must not give up,” replied Crotesius, “I’ll stay here and help you.” “We can’t. Raanu wants us out of here immediately,” he answered, “Or else…” The village grew silent at first as the time of the invasion was about to happen. The walls that defended the village fell as several Skrall charged, making their way to the fortress. “This way,” said Crotesius as he and Kyry tried to escape, but three Skrall surrounded them. Suddenly, the three Skrall screamed in pain as someone or something stabbed them to death. Before the Agori could react, a blue and blacked armored warrior placed them onto the Rock Steed and said, “Go and meet the others, I’ll make sure that anyone left behind will join the rest of you.” “Thanks, Blue Savior,” said Kyry, “I should’ve known.” “It’s nothing really. But I don’t know how long it will buy you time. You must get to Tajun but get to the desert first. We’ll meet all of you out there once we gather the survivors,” said Kiina. She turned and saw the others who were calling her. She ran up to them and said, “What’s going on?” “Several Skrall managed to get into the fortress. Who knows if there are any survivors in there, Akara?” said Tarix. “I’ll go in,” she answered, “Just make sure that the others are safe.” Kiina ran inside, despite the protest from the others. She ran inside making her away through several twists and turns throughout the fortress. She stopped as she could hear some fight going on. Kiina took a peak and gasped; it was Ackar fighting his very life against Tuma along with a few other Skrall. She was about to go and help him when she saw him getting stabbed by another Skrall. She wanted to scream but there was no time. Suddenly, she saw Raanu who was shocked as well by the murder. I must move, now, she thought. Kiina snuck her way through the corridor, making sure that the Skrall didn’t see her. As soon as she saw Raanu getting struck by a blow, she prepared her trident. She charged and slain the others just as they prepared a lethal blow to the Agori. “You’re safe now,” she said, “Come, we must leave.” “So…you are the Blue Savior, aren’t you?” growled Tuma. Yeah, but you don’t know exactly who I am, she thought, you murderer… Kiina turned and fired her thornax at a pillar which blocked the Skrall leader from attacking them. Ordinarily, she wanted to stay and fight, but she had no other choice but to flee in order to save her own life as well as the Agori's. She picked Rannu up and ran back outside. There, she found the others on the Rock Steeds, telling her to hurry. Together, they escaped just as the fortress exploded. Kiina tried to hold back the tears but cried silently as they escaped. I’m so sorry Ackar, she thought, please forgive me. I should have told you how I feel, but now you’re dead and there’s nothing I can do… *** Present Time: Maze Valley The two Glatorian; Gresh and Erax stood over on a cliff, looking at the Maze Valley. They finally made it after a long journey, but something bothered Erax as he somehow recognized that symbol from a different dimension that he visited to. “How is she?” asked Erax. “Still not breathing, but she has a pulse; which I don’t understand,” answered Gresh. Not breathing, but has a pulse, then that means…thought Erax. “It’s her soul that’s asleep,” he muttered, “I should’ve realized it.” “What did you say?” asked Gresh. “Never mind,” he replied, “We should get going and hopefully find a way to save her.” As they walked down the slope, they both felt a tremor to the ground. Suddenly, the path behind them broke free and disappeared into the skies. “We’re running out of time,” growled Erax, “If we don’t make it…” Gresh kept a tighter grip on Kiina, as he worried that she might die if they didn’t get help soon. At last, the two arrived at the entrance to the maze. From this point on, they knew that there was no turning back, for the future of Bara Magna is now in their hands. Review

Believe me, things are going to get interesting....;) But I already told you earlier (elsewhere) why the birds are attacking....;) That will get revealed soon though.

Act 20: Il Traditore delle bugie (The Traitor of Lies) ~Desire for Power~ Tarix and the other water Glatorian returned to the camp, all of them were worried about the cataclysm that just occurred. “We must get out of here, now!” said Tarix, “The earthquake has returned!” “Impossible,” replied Agniar, “There is no silver liquid…” “No. Something else is destroying this planet; so please, tell the other Glatorian to stop this fight!” he answered, “Besides, we must find Kiina. Her power as Capulet’s daughter will help us.” The ground shook again, the soil beneath their feet exploded as several vines emerged from the ground. It wasn’t the greenish type that Montague controlled; it was black and twisted with energy that radiated all over. The Glatorian and Agori fled as more of vines made their way to the surface. This isn’t Montague’s doing, thought Tarix, his vines are green as the jungles of Tesara. Unless… *** Back in the Arena Magna, several Agori made their peace and watched as the world was coming to its end. However, the ground was not shaking as hard as it was earlier. Some of the structures began to collapse and crumbled to the ground. Akanari woke up and saw Tiyan looking out through a small window. For the last half hour, she waited and prayed to the Great Beings that help might come. “The world hasn’t stopped yet?” he asked. “No, the world is dying, but something within it won’t give up,” she answered, “That’s why this world is breaking apart slowly rather that just having it end all at once.” She turned to him and asked, “The others, will they be alright?” Akanari shook his head and said, “I do not know. They might all be dead from the war, if the cataclysm didn’t strike them first.” For the first time, Tiyan noticed a teardrop coming from his left eye. She walked up to him and asked, “What’s wrong now?” “Forgive me, but I don’t know if you…really…” he began. “Just tell me now,” she replied, “If we end up dying, tell me what you want to say.” “I… love you, Tiyan,” he answered, “No matter how often we argued, I had these feelings to you for a very long time.” Tiyan was quite surprised; she wasn’t sure if she wanted to believe him or just laugh it out. But she knew that he was being serious and that she had some feelings for him too. “I love you too,” she replied. *** Belirax and the other Skrall emerged from the tent and saw several birds standing quite still at the fences. “What is the meaning of this?” snarled Belirax. “It’s them,” said the other Skrall, “They attacked our brothers and if they’re coming to get us…” “Nonsense,” laughed Belirax, “A simple mental blast will scare them away.” Belirax walked a few steps towards them and closed her eyes, preparing a strong mental blast. Suddenly, she was on the ground with several birds picking at her face. “Help me, someone!” she screamed, using her blast to free herself. Several birds took flight and soared their way down, attacking the female Skrall. Many of them screamed and fled the village while others used whatever they had to back them off. Belirax got up and realized that her face had some scratches. Her forehead had a minor cut from the birds’ attack. She was about to pick up her staff when she realized that the Capulet Sword was missing. Belirax was about to enter back into the tent to eliminate Kiina when she found herself surrounded by more birds. *** Gresh and Erax woke up and found themselves in a tent as well. They were both tied up on a pole and Kiina was missing. “Thinking what I’m thinking?” said Erax. “Yes,” answered Gresh. The two closed their eyes and combined their powers to break free. Once they got out of the tent, they were in for a surprise. The birds have come here to attack the female Skrall. “This is insane,” muttered Gresh, “Just what do these birds want?” “I don’t know,” replied Erax, “But they seemed to not attacking us this time. Come on, Kiina is still missing.” The two ran and found Kiina inside of another tent. Her sword was back into her hands from Belirax. “Let’s go,” she said, “The Maze Valley isn’t that far now.” “But I remember correctly that there’s a river and a forest that we have to encounter still, right?” asked Gresh. “I believe so,” she replied, “But let’s go. The birds are still attacking our enemies.” The three ran, making their escape from the village. They didn’t stop running until they found their way back to the mountains. *** Malum, Starax and the pack of Vorox arrived at the slopes of the Creep Canyon. It wasn’t the best place to be, but there was hardly anywhere to go to. “Is this even wise?” asked Starax. “No. But I fear that is the only place left to go to,” answered Malum, “Unless if the world stops shaking, then I’m afraid that we’ll have to make peace with this world and its people.” “O thou untaught! What manners is in this?” said a voice. Malum and Starax turned to see Vulcanus with Brutus and Atarus. “Son,” said Vulcanus, “Why do you attempt to pass before my grave?” “There’s not much of a world left to go to,” he answered, “Haven’t you seen the damage already?” “Forgive me, Vulcanus,” replied Brutus, “But you can’t just kill them only because Tuma killed your elder…” “Enough,” he snapped, “No one is dying today! We are going to meet up with Escalus and help the children, together.” Starax had no clue about what was going on. He was about to walk away when he realized that his feet would not move. “Come here,” said Brutus, “My son.” What, impossible, thought Starax, I can’t be. I thought it was…. “It’s not the one that overthrew you if that’s who you are thinking,” said the Rock Lord, “You, like Malum, Ackar, and several others are the children. My name is your lineage.” Starax turned and answered, “I’ve lost so many of my powers, father. I do not know what I have left.” “Don’t be crazy,” snapped Brutus, “You have many abilities within you. It was your doubt that prevented you from using them. When Tuma overthrew you back then, you were afraid that they would come after you, yes? However, when we were sealed away, I contacted Vulcanus through dreams to make sure that you were safe with Malum and the Vorox.” “You did all of that, for me?” asked Starax, “But why? Maybe I was meant to die…” “No. You are meant to stay alive…for the sake of those two,” he answered. “Let us go then,” said Atarus, “There’s only one place that might bring hope for this world.” *** Escalus watched Certavus as he raised his hands to the symbol that once consumed his life. For some reason, it was quite strange to see Certavus being able to communicate with the symbol. “What are you doing now?” asked the Ice Lord. “I thought you know the legends,” answered Certavus, “I’m not just a mere spirit bonded to this Maze and the root; I am the root.” “Impossible,” growled Escalus, “The Great Beings created the root to balance the world, not for someone like you to toy around with.” Certavus chuckled to himself and said, “Apparently, I’ve learned how to become its master. When I died back then, my spirit resisted to be consumed to this monstrosity. I was then privileged by the root to use its power wisely.” Realizing what was happening, Escalus prepared an ice blast, but Certavus struck first, knocking the Element Lord down. “I made so many decisions on how I want to end your miserable life, but why waste them when I can just wait for the children to come so I can drain their energy away…and use their power to restore my life,” said Certavus, “And once that’s done, I will escape just as Bara Magna and its moons are finally destroyed.” “You cannot be permitted to do that,” replied Escalus, as he realized the truth, “So that is why you’re destroying Bara Magna…for your own selfish reasons!” He fired a blast of ice at Certavus, but it exploded half way. Before he could react, Escalus found himself chained up to the wall. You’ll pay for this, thought Escalus, the others, they have to be warned. Escalus closed his eyes and tried to contact the others. Suddenly, he felt like as if his mind was being read. “Nice try, but your message will not be sent,” laughed Certavus, “I’m afraid that I’ll have to kill you if you keep resisting.” *** Erax, Gresh and Kiina finally arrived at the bottom of the mountains. Ahead of them was a wide river, known and River Dormus. Not far away was the Forest of Blades. However, the only way to get to the maze was to get past the river and through the woods. “I’ve heard legends about that river,” said Kiina, “Its name is ironic to how dangerous this river can become. It was controlled by my father back when the world was one. It eventually led to his realm, Aqua Magna.” These woods, thought Erax, why do they seem familiar? But what’s with all of the blades? Erax shook his head and said, “We should get going. There’s not that much time left until Bara Magna falls.” The three managed to cross the river quickly, and headed their way into the woods. As they stepped into the darkness, it felt awfully cold. What is with this place, thought Kiina, I’ve never seen trees like this? Before any of them could react, the blades flared to life. Kiina took out her sword to fight off a few blows while the others tried to knock down the trees. “We have to get out of here, fast!” snapped Gresh. Erax dodged another blow, but then he felt himself being pulled by one of the trees. He quickly used his power to break free from the trees. The three combined their powers and sent a devastating blast throughout the forest. “There!” said Kiina, “An opening!” The three ran as more trees tried to attack them. They jumped through the light and found themselves on the other side. “We’re almost there,” muttered Kiina, “I can feel its power.” Suddenly, she could hear a soft tone, coming from the direction ahead of them. It was the same noise that she heard back in Tajun after the dance. Review

Nothing, I was mistaken for something else. Anyway, now that I'm not as busy anymore, I'll try to get this story done, hopefully before February. And maybe I'll take a small break so I can figure out how the Decade story will work.

Grr...another typo, I was rushing to finish the story last night. I must have not paid attention. Their names were always Montague and Capulet, hadn't you noticed since the beginning? As of the weapons, she attached the ends of it, so it's like a gigantic staff/sword weapon.

Act 19: La radice della vita (The Root of Life) ~The Second Seed~ Tiyan tried her best to calm down the Agori in the Arena Magna. Several Agori huddle together in the corners of the arena, crying out that the end was near. This is no good, the world cannot stop shaking, she thought, if it doesn’t stop, then I’m afraid that there’s going to be no world left once this is all over. “Tiyan!” shouted a voice. She turned to see Akanari, his shoulder was injured from the battle earlier. He was about to fall to the ground but she got him safely. “What are you doing here?” she asked, “You’re supposed to be…” “No. The war is not my place,” he answered, “We have to find Kiina and Gresh. They’re out there, and we have to find them!” “We can’t leave,” said Tiyan, “Capulet has told us to stay here with the others, despite our rivalries. Now that you’re here, help me calm the Agori…” “I can’t, my right arm was injected by that venom when Vastus attacked me. I can only lift my sword up for mere moments,” he answered, “Set me aside, please.” Tiyan looked at him through the eyes. She could tell that there was another reason why he cam here, but what it was, she couldn’t say. Does he…no, I must be mistaken, she thought. *** Cauplet was on the run. He ran into the Water Tribe earlier when he found out that the Skrall were coming to kill them. Once they were safe in Atero (despite the fact that his enemy’s tribe was there too), he went out towards the north, heading his way to the Maze Valley. Along the way, he debated to himself whether he should turn back and help his army or to keep on going. Unless if Montague decides to fight, then I’ll head back, he thought, this feud of ours will not fall into their hands any further. I will make sure that our argument is done with, today. Just as he took another step, he tripped over and fell on his face into the sand. He got up and saw that his left arm was entangled by some vines. He’s here, he thought, just where I want him to be. Capulet raised his hand and a flood of water waved through the desert. The waves crashed into Montague which lost his concentration. Capulet broke free from the vines and attacked the other lord with a sphere of water over the head, cutting off the air. Montague growled and used his power to knock Capulet down. Capulet was about to get up when he was surrounded by several vines, snaking their way to him. “It’s over now,” said Montague, “This argument and war belongs to my victory.” Capulet shook his head and replied, “No. This is only the beginning. Those children, they’re heading to the maze, in case if you hadn’t noticed.” “I know about that,” he answered, “Atarus told me. He saw you talking to Escalus, hm? What did you tell him?” “That’s none of your business,” growled Capulet, “How dare you try to ask about my plans with him!” “Ah, then tell me. Who was the one that tried to keep their worthless names.?” asked Montague. “Those names, they were never meant to be. Their birth names were preordained, and you know it,” answered Capulet, "I don't know why my daughter..." “So tell me. What did you say to Escalus?” he asked, “Tell me or else I will use the vines to run you through.” “Unacceptable,” answered Capulet, “The world must be protected.” Before Montague could strike, Capulet disappeared into the wall of water. He had to get to the Maze Valley soon; there are others waiting. *** Vorox Caves Malum stood out on the entrance with Starax, watching in fear as the world was tearing apart. “This is just like the earthquake before,” he muttered, “But who are the belligerents?” “I’m sure my people are one of them,” growled Starax, “Oh if only I stood up to that lunatic, I would still be able to maintain the Skrall.” A Vorox ran up to Malum and growled in a strange tone along with some gestures with the hands. “Again?” asked Malum, confused. The Vorox replied and the Glatorian nodded, “Of course. Those birds were obviously not just going there; someone or something made them go there. Are they alright?” “What’s going on?” asked Starax. “It’s Kiina and Gresh,” answered Malum, “They’re in grave danger. I should have known, but…” “What is it?” he asked. “It’s Kiina that is in trouble. If the prophecy is true, then she’ll become the next candidate…” The ground shook beneath their feet. Malum whistled to the Vorox, warning him about the danger that’s been going on. Before the three of them could act, several cracks were forming around them. “Now!” shouted Malum. Several Vorox and Zesk emerged from the sand, lining up into a massive pack. Malum and Starax went to the front line and went south, heading to the Creep Canyon. As they evacuate, the nest behind them shook and eventually rocketed to the skies. “We have a long journey ahead,” said Malum, “But first we have to take them to safety.” Kiina, the next candidate of “The Root of Life”, he thought, I should have known about this during the wedding. *** Roxtus Atakus emerged from the rubble, breathing heavily. The last thing he recalled were flocks of birds flying all over and attacking the village. He was about to enter to the ruined fortress when a shadowy figure emerged from the ground. “No need to go in,” said Brutus, “The tribe has lost its leader.” “What did you do to Tuma?” growled Atakus. “Nothing,” he answered, “But Stronius though, he deserved his fate. Tuma however, has met his too, by the wings of Verona.” Atakus wanted to attack him for the murder but he knew that he would not defeat the Element Lord. Instead he replied, “Now that you caused all of this, what will it be for the tribe?” “The future depends on those two,” said Brutus, “For now, we must leave. This village will crumble away from the planet. And it was not I that sent the birds to come here…” Before the Agori could protest, he was bonded to Brutus’s Rock Chain and was forced to come along. The Rock Lord saw more survivors and used his power to join the chain as the group left the destroyed village. “From here on out,” muttered Brutus, as he thought about what Escalus told him, “It all depends on those two.” *** Vulcanus stood on a cliff, looking over the destroyed village that honored his name. From what he heard from the others, the Skrall took raid and killed one of his children, Ackar. As of Malum, he doesn’t know what happened to him, but he plans to find out. Since the tribe fled from here, they must have gone to either Tajun or Tesara. But as if late, the Skrall are raiding their village as well. However, the earthquake… The ground beneath him shook. Cracks began to form and the landmass around him was breaking free. He jumped and escaped barely as another piece of the planet tore off. The children, he thought, at this rate, they’ll have to stand together in order to save this world! The ground shifted again, but Vulcanus recognized the tremor. Moments later, Atarus emerged from the sand. “What are you doing here?” asked Vulcanus, “There’s nothing left here if you’re…” “No,” said Atarus, “Your son, Malum is with my people. He’s been looking after them for a long time. As of late, he forged an alliance with Brutus’s son, Starax.” “Why? Why does it have to be that coward?” he replied, “If Starax…” “It’s not about his past,” answered Atarus, “We don’t have time for arguments. Just come with me.” Vulcanus wanted to argue, but he knew that Atarus was right. Arguing was not going to help solve anything, especially when Bara Magna was crumbling. *** Kiina opened her eyes and saw that she was not in the mountain. She was chained up inside a tent and the others were not in sight. Curses, if it weren’t for those…she thought. A female Skrall entered the tent; her eyes were filled with hatred. Kiina wanted to break free and find the others but from the looks of the Skrall was like a warning of an attack. “Who are you?” asked Kiina, “Where are my friends?” At first, the female Skrall stayed silent. Then she replied coldly, “Your friends will die first under our name. Unless if you tell us why you have come here.” Kiina could tell that something was awfully wrong with the Skrall. If she were to tell her about her journey to the Maze Valley, then they would probably try to either come or something else... “Just passing through,” she said, “We are heading to the north to find resources for my tribe.” “Nice lie,” replied Belirax, “But I know that the sword you carry is your father’s; Capulet. Unfortunately for you, we have confiscated it and plan to use it against you and your friends.” “You can’t do this! I can’t let my father’s sword fall into your hands!” growled Kiina, “So please. Get me out of here.” “Such foolishness; you refuse to tell me the truth,” answered Belirax. Belirax prepared her staff with Capulet's sword, and aimed it at Kiina, saying, “Your miserable life here will end now, I’ll just have to tell them that you’ll are dead first.” But before she could act, she turned to see another female Skrall approaching. “What is it?” snapped Belirax. “Forgive me, but something is happening in the village,” said the other Skrall. Belirax turned back to Kiina and said, “You’re lucky for now, o daughter of Capulet, but I’ll be back to kill you so just sit here and relax and make your final words.” Through a chill, Kiina could tell what is happening outside. If she was right, all she could do is to pray for the others that they will be alright. Review

Tsk, grammar issues. My brain is like "dead". =P Oh well, there's always revision. The battle is somewhat going but it's disturbed by the "earthquake" that's affecting the whole planet. I don't know if I'll have them still fight or not. If you read my latest journal on DA, there are some spoilers. The power of flight is part of the "children's" ability. The Children (besides K and G) have several powers and abilities, but some of them only know about it. You'll see more of those powers later on as we get closer to the end of the story. Obviously for Erax, his powers were granted from his travels. Edit: Okay, those issues are fixed.

Act 18: La Legge dalle Radici (The Law of the Roots) ~Seeds of Power~ Kiina, Gresh, and Erax emerged from the tunnels from Roxtus, heading back into the mountains. It was quite dangerous to their escape due to the number of birds that were still attacking the village. “Hopefully we seen the last of that tyrant,” said Kiina, “He murdered many warriors, including Ackar.” “Ackar?” said Gresh, “What’s about him?” “He…well, when I joined the water tribe many millennia ago, Tarix and Ackar taught me how to fight. But when I was forced to go into my disguise, it was only Ackar that taught me the best moves,” she explained, trying to hide the fact that it was her first love. “But did he?” asked Gresh. “Yes, I once had feelings for him too,” she answered, “But once Tuma murdered him on the night that my friends and I tried to save many Agori to Tajun, I thought this was all over, until you came along. But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t love you. You came to heal my heart, and that is what I thank you for.” Erax was getting a bit annoyed, so he asked, “The key, is it safe now?” “Yes,” she answered, taking out the gigantic key. The key was now three times bigger than the Bara Magna Key, which was starting to feel heavy. The three continued their journey through the mountains, eventually arriving at a small wooden bridge. “I don’t like this,” growled Kiina, “Every time I hear about Glatorian walking here, there’s always a collapse.” “Our powers,” said Gresh, “We can cheat walking over the bridge.” The three used their powers to fly over the bridge. Just about half way through, several thornax fruits were raining down. “Watch out!” shouted Erax as he fired a blast to incinerate the fruit. Kiina looked up to see a stranger who was wearing a dark cloak with a strange looking staff. There were a few others that were standing nearby, holding several Thornax launchers. How…do I recognize that stranger, thought Kiina, why does it look so familiar? *** Belirax, along with three female Skrall watched as they tried to fly over the pass. Since the three of them flying had missed their attack, Belirax unleashed a mental blast at them, but somehow, there was a barrier in their minds. “Curses,” she growled, “Capture them once they get here!” The three turned and went down, heading to another hiding spot. *** Flashback: Approx. 75,000 Years Ago Bara Magna, just like what’s been happening currently was having its own troubles as well. There were several shakes and tremors within the planet. No one could figure out why, except for very few people who knew about “The Law of Roots”. Legend says that this “root” was created by the Great Beings as a failsafe to preserve Spherus Magna, even if the entire planet was to shatter. When the planet shattered, the gigantic root broke into three pieces, each preserving great power that kept all of the celestial bodies together. When the root starts to die, one Glatorian from the Element Lord’s children must perform a sacrifice in a disclosed, hidden location. In normal circumstances, the sole child will sacrifice to become part of the Spherus Magna system, thus keeping the planets from crumbling into dust. **** Certavus appeared in a darkened chamber where he saw his father, Escalus, waiting for him. “Son,” he said, “You must leave now and head out to the Valley of the Maze. The future of Bara Magna lies in your hands.” “And why is that important? Why me?” he asked. “Capulet and I arranged a deal a while back, before the earthquake sealed us away. It was said that one of our children must sacrifice and in return, the world will remain stable. I argued that his daughter should go…” “If this is something that I must do, I’ll go,” answered Certavus, “But who is this ‘daughter of Capulet’? I thought all of the children were men?” “This child, is very unique, unlike the others, she possess a stronger power than the others. But it is not her destiny to go now. She must be preserved long enough before she can sacrifice herself,” explained Escalus. “And what does she possess?” asked Certavus. “It’s something that cannot be said,” said Escalus, “But enough of that, you must leave Iconox tomorrow morning. Hurry, before the planet shatters...” *** Certavus woke up with a gasp. To him, this dream was perhaps the strangest thing that he saw. But was it really true? I might have noticed some strange things, he thought, but that doesn’t mean that it’s just a coincidence, right? Certavus felt a shake. Before he could get up, he could hear several Agori in panic. He went outside and saw that one of the mountain peaks in the distance was causing an avalanche, and it was heading towards the village! It can’t be, he thought, Escalus was right! He ran back inside and packed up for his journey, he had to get out and take the Agori and the other Glatorian to safety. Before he went back outside, he felt another tremor in the ground. Suddenly, he could hear a voice inside his head. No need to pack, you will be sent to your destination Before Certavus could reply, he felt his body glowing. He reappeared in the same darkened chamber from his dream. There was no one else around but he could feel a great chill on his back. He saw a symbol on one of the ground. With a closer look, he saw that it was the same symbol that the Skrall carried on their shields. Do they even know about this, he thought, as he walked up to it. Then he saw a smaller symbol that was in the center of the Skrall’s; three circles flanked by two odd curves around them. Was this, what the legend was taking about, he thought. The gigantic symbol glowed. Before he realized, the ground was shaking again. Certavus watched as the symbol sent waves of energy across the chamber, eventually heading outside. Suddenly, he was floating in mid-air, drawing towards the symbol. What’s going on, is this how my life will end? The Glatorian turned his back as he tried to escape, but the process wouldn’t stop. His body was then, fusing to become with the symbol. As he was dying, he saw the sight of his village in panic. The waves of power stopped the avalanche from continuing. The view changed as he saw his memories of him and his friends together; from fighting in matches to traveling across the planet. He closed his eyes as he knew that his life was about to end; his spirit left the body as he was finally able to become part of the root, while his essence became part of the chamber. It would take several millennia before the root would start to weaken once more. And this time, the dangers would be increased as Bara Magna reaches closer to its end. *** Present Time Gresh, Erax, and Kiina landed on the other side of the pass. Neither of them had any injury but the unexpected attack shook them for a little bit. “Is everyone alright?” asked Erax. “Yeah, but who were they? Why were they attacking us?” said Gresh. “I don’t know,” answered Kiina, “Maybe they’re guarding the Maze Valley?” “Or something valuable,” suggested Erax, “We should get going before we run into them again.” The three turned and went down the slope. It was a long path to the bottom, not to mention how narrow the road was. Neither of them wanted to waste their powers unless if it was necessary. “Look,” said Kiina, pointing to several birds flying towards the east, “more of them.” “This isn’t another attack, is it?” asked Gresh, preparing his blade. “Let them go,” said Erax, “They’re no threat to us.” “Probably,” growled Gresh, “But since when did you be the one in charge?” But Erax wasn’t listening; he saw a strange shield on the slope of their path. He picked it up and showed them, “This isn’t the Skrall’s shield, but the design is quite similar.” Kiina took a look at the shield; the symbol was on it, but there were no saw edges. However, there was another symbol that was in the center of the shield; representing one of the Element Lords. “It can’t be…is it?” she asked. “I know that this isn’t my father’s shield,” said Gresh, “He carried a different design; if he had any.” Kiina looked closer at the shield. Finally, she saw a name on it; “Capulet”. “This was my father’s,” she muttered, “But I thought that he…?” But before anyone could answer, the three of them were struck by explosive thornaxes, falling unconscious. *** Tarix, like all of the other Glatorian, were being pushed back towards the camps. The Jungle Tribe gained the upper hand of the war and there wasn’t much time left before they were forced to surrender. We cannot lose; I must find Kiina, thought Tarix, only her power as the daughter of Capulet can help us win this war. Tarix dodged another blow from Vastus’ spear. Tarix flung one of his blades; Vastus knocked it aside and fired his thornax launcher. “Give up, old friend,” said Vastus, “This war is our victory.” “No…it’s not over until one of us finds them,” growled Tarix, “I know they’re out there.” “But do you know where exactly?” he replied. “I don’t, but that doesn’t mean that they’re dead yet,” answered Tarix. Before Vastus could fire an insult, the ground shook beneath them. Apparently, the earthquake has finally arrived in the midst of the war. The two of them withdrew and headed back to their camps. This is bad, thought Tarix, and I should’ve known! The Triangle Root is weakening! He turned to see several Glatorian stranded on a chunk of the Wastelands that rocketed to the skies. Both sides panicked as their greatest fear was coming; “The World’s End.” Review

A little bit more, you'll know when the story will end. Instead of a number, I'll call it "L'atto Finale" (The Final Act) along with a title and subtitle.

I figured that you would go for that one. To be honest, I can't wait till I start that epic; I'm going to introduce some new worlds while I'll have him to revisit some old ones too.

Act 17: La bellezza si nasconde (The Hidden Beauty) ~The Outfit That Cloaked The One~ Northern Frost, Bota Magna Barax and several Agori went to the Northern Frost to find out where or what caused the world to tremble. Already several chunks of landmass from the planet were breaking free. “Let this stop,” muttered Barax, growing fear, “If the chain is destroyed, then there might not be a place to return to.” Another tremor shook the ground, this time it was constant. Barax knew that there was only one other choice. “We must leave,” he said to the Agori, “Now! Back to the villages and seek shelter underground!” The group fled just as another fragment of the Northern Frost broke free from the planet. Barax turned and saw something that was quite disturbing. Several twisted plants were leaking out of the crevasse, trying to entangle anyone that was in their way. Of course, he thought, that’s the root of Bota Magna, and if the other roots break free… *** Wall of Stars Mata Nui couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was a group of celestial planets that he had to repair; more memories of his past were coming back to him. He was built to heal the shattered planet, but it seems that it was already too late. Even if he was able to dodge all of the oncoming rubble, there was a chance that he would be damaged and his world inside might perish. All I can do is to wait, wait for the best moment to enter, he thought. *** Bara Magna “Battle of Water and Jungle Tribes” Tarix returned to the camps and checked in to see Akanari. “How are you holding up?” he asked. Akanari turned his head and answered, “I’m fine. I don’t know why I’m even sleeping here…if only…” “What’s wrong?” asked Tarix. “Nothing,” he replied, but he knew that he had something important to say. He asked, “Where’s Tiyan?” “I received a message from her,” said Tarix, “Capulet has taken her and the Water Tribe back in Tajun to the Arena Magna. Unfortunately, the Jungle Tribe got there first and now there’s some fight going on.” I hope she’s alright, thought Akanari, the next time I see her, I will tell her my feelings. He stood up and said, “I’m going back out. I’ll fight no matter what until I see Tiyan again. Tarix, don’t let Agnair know about this, but I have feelings for her. That’s why I asked you if she’s alright. No, better yet, I’ll find her.” “Your place is in this war,” answered Tarix, “But then again, you’re still a bit injured.” “I’ll be fine,” he growled, “I’ll help her protect the Agori from the others.” Before Tarix could protest further, Akanari left, heading towards the Arena Magna. *** Flashback: 5 Years Ago The three returned from the caves when they saw Kiina in the markets. “I’ll talk to her,” said Tiyan. “But I thought…” answered Tarix. “No, she will not know the truth,” she replied, “But I’ll see if I can convince her to wear a disguise. After all, I remember that she complained about the unfair wages and she wants to set a rebellion.” Tiyan ran up to her and said, “What a nice day in the markets, Kiina.” “Indeed,” she answered, “I haven’t seen such nice weather for a while.” “What’s wrong?” asked Tiyan. “Nothing, really,” answered Kiina, “I just can’t seem to find anything that I want to buy.” “Come with me,” she replied, “I know just the place.” The two went through the markets and headed towards the more expensive stores. There were weapons that were made out of pure exisdian, armor that were restored from the ancient times, as well as fancy dresses that were used for the annual ball. “Um, Tiyan, this is quite expensive here…” said Kiina when she felt a tug through her hand. “This way,” she replied as she dragged her across the markets. Eventually they stopped at a blacksmith’s shop with the owner named Gerian who had some of the best Glatorian armor, weapons and other accessories. Most of the Prime Glatorian from the other tribes would come down here to buy these products from this shop. “Good day, ladies,” he said. Then he realized, “Tiyan, what a pleasant surprise. I haven’t seen you for a while, eh?” “Yes it’s been some time,” she replied, trying to hide her concern about her discovery. “What’s wrong?” asked Gerian. “Long story,” she answered, “Do you have some special armor available here for my friend?” Gerian glanced at Kiina who felt quite uneasy about this. “I might have something for her,” he answered, “Come with me.” The two followed the blacksmith into the back of the store. There, they saw all bits and pieces of armor that were waiting to be processed. Once they reached their destination, Gerian opened a small chamber that housed one of his personal best creation; the Blue Savior Armor. “Um, Tiyan, are you sure this is a good idea?” asked Kiina. “Leave it to me,” she answered. She walked up to him and quietly explained the details of what she saw earlier. Gerian did his best to hide the shock and said, “Of course, certainly. She must acquire this right away.” Tiyan took out her payment and gave it to the blacksmith, but he replied, “Don’t. Just keep it for emergency use.” Kiina stepped in and was given the armor. She went to change and came out to show them. “You look…awesome!” said Tiyan, filled with excitement. *** Later, the two came back and met up with Akanari and Tarix. They all went to Kiina’s house as they tried to convince her about their plan. “Just listen to us, okay?” asked Tarix, “We’re trying to help you improve your skills as well as protecting you.” “What do you mean by protecting?” she asked. “That’s nothing to worry about,” answered Akanari, “From this forth, whenever you leave Tajun or participate in the matches, you must wear this armor at all times. Also, you must have a separate name to prevent your identity.” “The words Blue Savior will be a code for each of us,” explained Tiyan, “But I’m thinking that your disguise name should be…’Akara’.” “But why? Why am I forced to do this?” asked Kiina. “The time will come,” she answered, “For now, you’ll have to wait until then. Everything will make sense once you learn your destiny.” *** Tesara Gresh walked through the hallways of the Tesara Arena. He remembered a rumor that there was some trapdoor that led to an underground chamber below. But from the tales that he heard, that those who find it don’t ever come back. But what prevented them from leaving, he thought, that I want to know. He took out a tablet that he found in the seating area of the Arena. It was a map that had the possible destination of the trapdoor. According to what it said, it was within the tunnels that lead to the field. He turned into the tunnel and walked for only a few paces when he tripped on a rock. Before he could realize what happened, he saw himself in a different place. He immediately knew that it was not the Arena. Am I in that place that the rumor has spread, he thought. Before he could try to speak, he heard a voice coming from behind, “Son of Montague, take out the power that lies within you.” “What do you mean?” asked Gresh. “If you’re not Montague’s son, then you have no reason to be here,” came the reply, “You’ll die in this twisted place, never to return.” Of course, he thought, the necklace that Vastus gave me. As soon as he took it out, the world went bright. Before he knew what was happening, he was standing with a stranger in front of him. The voice returned, stating, “That person you will meet someday soon. But for now, your concern lies with her…” “Who?” asked the Glatorian. Gresh turned to see a blue armored warrior, whom Gresh didn’t recognize. But the symbol that surrounded the other Glatorian was obvious; the same symbol that the Skrall carried on their shields. The stranger opened her eyes and said, “Gresh, my real name is…” But the world suddenly changed as Gresh woke up back in the Tesara Arena. Who was that Glatorian, he thought. *** Present Time Valley of the Maze Escalus stood alone in the central, darkened chamber of the fortress. The walls were filled with writing that was carved by the Great Beings before they disappeared. Each of the section held a prophecy about the children of the Element Lords, their mission and the disaster that might wait. Already, the Ice Lord could feel the tremors beneath the ground, but the damage has not yet stretched out to this region. Then he saw a phrase that talked about the fusion of the three celestial objects; “The Three that must be one; The Two that must make them one.” The phrase was something that he recalled in his dream when he was sealed away by the cataclysm. Beneath the phrase were two names that Escalus didn’t recall, but they were scratched off and two other names were in place. He took a closer look and realized what the names were. The ones that were replaced were the names that he recognized. So that’s their true name, how intriguing, he thought, and yet they don’t know about it? Before he could try to figure out, he felt a chill in the air. Escalus turned to see his son, Certavus, floating in mid air. “I thought you were dead,” said the Ice Lord, “The sacrifice…” “I’m not alone,” replied the Glatorian, “Ackar is here too. We’re both waiting for the others to come.” “I thought the symbol took you to the root, son,” answered Escalus, “You know the Law of the Roots.” “Yes, but already, its power is weakening, and it’s not just Bara Magna,” said Certavus, "That's why we're waiting for the others to come." Review

I was kinda surprised when I found out that Tybalt was Romeo's older brother, unlike the Shakespeare play where he's related to the Capulets. I have some titles for my next epic about Erax. "Tales of the Traveler" "Decade: The Endless Journey" "Untold Destiny" which of the three sound best?

Okay, I'll be a bit busy this week. I don't know if I'll be able to release Act 17 before Weds. or Thurs. btw, I found out who killed LM. Is "M" on drugs or what? He acts just like Vezon after he killed LM.

Yeah, I saw "The Birds" during my vacation, (well most of it) and that was one CREEPY movie , so I thought about using several birds in Bara Magna to attack the Skrall in Roxtus. But I plan to use more birds later on as we get closer to the end. In fact, as I was writing Act 16, I was "laughing" sinisterly about the birds attacking the village; it felt like as if I was about to go insane. I didn't see the Great Battle in RxJ yet, but I saw some confrontation pictures of Juliet and Lord Montague in some music video. I wasn't expecting that K vs. T to be like J vs. LM, but then I guess it does remind you about that, but I threw the birds in there to finish him off.

Act 16: Gli Uccelli (The Birds) ~Wings of Torture~ (*This chapter includes references that were based on the movie “The Birds” (1963), credit goes to the movie.) “What was that?” said Kiina, gripping tighter on the sword. The echo continued to grow louder and louder, but it stopped suddenly. Before anyone could react, a Skrall warrior was struck by something that was flying. More warriors fell by the sudden attack from the air as the echo returned to the caverns; their noises were screeches and caws Out of the shadows were several flocks of birds flying and circling around the village. Many of them dove down and attacked the Skrall, using their beaks, claws and wings to torture the savages. “Birds?” said Gresh, confused and shocked at the same time. Before any of them could reply, some of the birds flew down towards them. Erax cast an attack spell from his weapon, striking the creatures down. “Let’s go,” he said, “Quickly!” As they ran, Gresh recognized some of the birds that were attacking the village. He saw several Verona, a type of birds that were known for their sharp beaks and claws that were strong enough to penetrate some exisdian metals. Their domain was in the jungles of Tesara, which was why it was weird for him to see them in Roxtus, since they were not used to the harsh environment. Already, most of them were attacking the special corp. Skrall, using their beaks and claws to rip them apart. More birds poured into the village, attacking the Agori prisoners and the Rock Agori that held them hostage. “We have to free them,” said Kiina, pointing to several Jungle and Ice Agori in the cages. “There’s not enough time,” replied Gresh, “We must find the key--” But Akara ran ahead, using the power of the Capulet sword to break the cages open. “Oh, Blue Savior, you saved us all,” said a Jungle Agori. “Go now,” said Kiina, “The birds are attacking the village. There’s a secret exit over there by the entrance.” The Agori turned and ran with the others as they tried to avoid the creatures while Kiina returned to the others and said, “I told you, this is not much of a waste of time. With the birds distracting the Skrall, we can take down Tuma and get the key.” *** Inside the fortress, Tuma stuck his head out the entrance and saw what was quite insane and yet scary since the encounter of the Baterra; flocks of birds from all over Bara Magna were attacking the village. By the corner of his eye, he saw three warriors that were coming to the fortress. He knew what they were looking for. It’s about time that they came, he thought, too bad that they won’t find this visit for long. He went back in and turned to Stronius, saying, “Outside is a bit…interesting, yet disturbing.” “I say it’s pathetic,” replied Stronius, “Birds attacking the Skrall. They should know better than that.” “They’re coming,” continued Tuma, “You know what to do.” Stronius nodded and answered, “Yes. They will find this visit to be their last.” Tuma left the chamber, gripping the key in his hand. He walked through the corridors, heading towards the back of the fortress. Making sure no one was around, he open a small chamber and could have sworn that he saw someone moving swiftly aside. “We meet again,” said a dark, ancient voice. “Show yourself, now!” growled Tuma. The floor shifted. Before Tuma’s eyes, a rock formation exactly like himself emerged. Tuma was quite surprised to see him once more, after over 100,000 years. “What are you doing here, Brutus?” asked Tuma. “You dared to oppose your brothers, didn’t you?” said Brutus, “A coward like you decide to grasp for power without my permission!?!” “So you knew. Then tell me, is that coward still alive?” asked the Skrall. Brutus raised his hand, sending Tuma against the wall. The Skrall’s body was slowing merging within the rock. “I asked you first,” snarled Brutus, “And I don’t take excuses.” Tuma could hear someone coming from the hall way. It was Stronius who was a bit shocked as well. “Lord Brutus?” asked Stronius as the fear kept him still. The Rock Lord turned to the warrior, raised his hand and unleashed a blast of rock that turned him into a statue. Then with a snap, the statue shattered into dust. Tuma had to close his eyes at the sight; it was too disturbing to see his fellow warrior killed. “That’s my final warning to you,” said Brutus, “Now hand me over that key, for the world must be put back before it all ends.” “I will not; I do not take orders from you,” replied Tuma, holding up the key. The key glowed as a blast of energy barely missed the Element Lord. Brutus vanished into the ground as he knew that someone was coming to take it. Tuma broke free from the bonds just as Gresh, Erax and Akara arrived. Gresh saw the key in Tuma’s hands and said, “That key does not belong to you.” “I claim rights to this key,” answered Tuma, “And I know that you have the other two, so allow me.” Tuma raise the key out, causing the other two to merge within the Bara Magna Key. Once the light disappeared, the three keys merged into a one larger key, the shape that resembled the lost world. “With this key, I shall grant myself absolute rule to not only Bara Magna, but to Bota Magna and any world beyond this universe!” The three charged, weapons at the ready, Tuma raised the key and sent a blast, knocking Gresh and Erax down, leaving Kiina standing. She wished that Capulet was here to help, but she still carried the sword in her hands. “I know that this is not what I am,” she said, raising the sword in the air, using the power to reveal herself as Capulet’s daughter. “You know who I am,” she continued, sword at the ready, “And by my power, I shall end this!” Tuma laughed and replied, “And even though you are Capulet’s daughter, better yet, the only female child, the key that I carry will prove to you that you’re just as weak as the other Glatorian.” “That key does not belong to you,” she answered, “Nor does your leadership.” Then the two clashed, blocking each other’s blows from their attacks. Kiina’s advantage as a Capulet, allowed her to be more quick and agile from Tuma’s strike. However, the key was awfully powerful; especially that it was in the wrong hands. Tuma was about to use the key again when one of the Verona Birds soared down and snatched it away. The Skrall leader fired his thornax launcher, which gave Kiina a chance to knock him down. Tuma crashed into the wall and fell. He tried to lift his head up as Kiina walked closer to him, preparing for a final blow. “Please, don’t hurt me,” he begged, “O daughter of Capulet.” “Enough,” she answered, “It’s not I that will punish you.” As she said those words, the birds that were attacking outside flew their way into the fortress. Eventually, they flew all over the room, deciding who to attack first. One of the birds dropped the key down, allowing Kiina to catch it. The others slowly got up on their feet and saw as several birds attacked Tuma, using their beaks and claws to tear open his armor and helmet. “Let’s go,” she said, “Things are about to get disgusting here.” The three quickly left, trying to evade from the birds while Tuma screamed in pain as the birds quickly tortured him to death. *** Wastelands Montague led the Jungle Tribe through the harsh sands of the Wastelands, heading towards the Arena Magna. Much to his suspicion, he saw several birds flying in the opposite direction. Strange, he thought, these birds are acting quite unusual. The tribe continued to migrate through the desert, finally reaching over a dune which showed the city of Atero in the distance. Montague turned to his tribe and said, “Once we get there, all of you are to stay until I come back.” Once all of the members went into the Arena Magna, Montague looked up at the sky again and saw hundreds of birds soaring through the desert. He could hear the screeching and the chirping from the distance. To his surprise, it was a message for him. He listened carefully and used his power to create a series of steps made out of vines. Once he climbed to the top, one of the Verona Birds came down to him and screeched. “I see,” he said, “So, they’re taken care of?” The bird nodded. Montague continued, “Go find any other Skrall out in the desert. Make sure that they’re eliminated as soon as possible, but leave Starax alive, for he is one of the children. He's a descendant of Brutus.” The bird screeched and flew back up with the others as they headed out west. Montague went back down and turned to see the sands shifting. The figure emerged from the ground was Atarus, the Element Lord of sand. “So we meet again, eh?” said Montague. “Indeed yes,” answered Atarus, “And I heard that there’s a war going on.” “You know it is,” replied Montague, “My feud against Capulet isn’t over yet.” “Yes, but there’s only one problem,” said Atarus, “Escalus was talking to Capulet and he is now heading towards the Maze Valley.” “Why should he go there?” growled Montague, "The time of the awakening hasn't started yet..." Before Atarus could reply, the ground began to shake again. Atarus could tell what was about to happen and said, “Quickly, this landmass is going to be separated!” The two escaped just as the area around them began to tear away from the planet. “I don’t have time for this,” said Montague, “There’s a war that I must go to. We’ll meet again later.” Review

I guess that makes sense now, thanks for the clarification. I'll make the changes in the next act and I'll later revise Act 15.

She won't be in her disguise for long, just Acts 15 and 16. (maybe a little bit in Act 17, but I can't say for sure) And keep in mind that it has to be a secret because the Skrall have an idea who the children are. Remember when they killed Ackar back in the prologue? Which by the way, Act 16 is going to get a bit scary, and I don't mean by just physical violence, it'll be more like "psychological". Of course, I won't say what it is, but this idea that I thought of was from an old movie that I saw during my vacation.

Act 15: Roxtus ~The Village of Shadow~ Tajun Tiyan raced her way back to the village, making sure that the others were safe. But as she reached the entrance, she could hear a faraway rumble coming from the canyon. She already recognized the noise from past experience as she realized that there was no time to lose. “They’re coming!” shouted Tiyan, “We must flee!” Several Agori ran out of their huts to ask what was going on. “We have to go now, flee! I can recognize the noise coming from the canyons!” she shouted. “What could possibly go wrong now?” asked Berix, "Black Carabinieri?" “Um, I think that might be it,” said Scondinous, pointing at the dust cloud over the distance. As soon as they saw the black Carabinieri (as a private joke used by the Agori to insult the Skrall), everyone just ran, led by Tiyan towards the tunnels. *** Hundreds of Skrall ran towards the village, firing their thornax launchers and killing any of the struggling Agori, but a strange rumble shook the earth. Without warning, another portion of the ground that carried most of canyon behind them broke free from the planet and rocketed to the skies. Branar turned to see such a scary, and yet strange sight as half of the armies was trapped on that flying rubble. Before his eyes, an explosion of fire from the earth below erupted. Smoke and ash were exploded into the air, darkening the skies. “Keep moving!” he shouted to the armies, “Whether they’re gone or not, we are Skrall!” “Sir, they escaped, all of them!” shouted another Skrall. “What does that matter? Destroy the village so they won’t have a place to return to!” he replied. *** Akanari woke up and realized that he was in a small tent. He wanted to get back to fighting, but he felt terrible pain coming from his right arm. It was already bandaged and wrapped with some fabric. He turned to see Agniar, who was waiting for him, “Are you alright?” “I’m fine,” he answered, “Let me go…” “I’m sorry, but you can’t until your injuries are gone,” answered Agniar, “Tarix has already gone back to fighting. He says that he’ll return at sundown.” The Glatorian sighed in disgust and lied back down. His weapons were set aside on a small table while his helmet was next to him. “Agniar, could you tell me about the previous war? You know, the one where Capulet led all of us?” he asked. “Why do you want to know?” he replied, “It’s just a war like this only without them.” “I know the truth!” he snarled, “There was some special liquid that came from the core, tell me exactly what happened, or else I’ll go back to fighting.” Agniar sighed, he knew that he couldn’t keep the whole story about Capulet and the Core War a secret. “Very well,” replied the Agori, “But you’ll have to forgive me that I don’t remember as much. You see, after the disaster, we tried to forget about that and tried to promote peace here.” “I understand, go on with the facts,” answered the Glatorian. *** “What’s wrong with him?” asked Erax. “I don’t know,” said Kiina, “He was never like this before. In fact, I used to have these weird dreams and visions too, but how does he know that the key is out there?” “Tuma has it,” said Gresh, still in his trance, “The Skrall took the key from a hidden place and gave it to him.” Erax took out a small vial and opened the cap. The scent from the tube brought Gresh back down and woke up from his strange vision. “Easy now,” said Kiina, “What happened to you?” “I don’t remember,” answered Gresh, “However, I thought I said something about the Bara Magna Key that we were supposed to look fore.” “You said that it was in that tyrant’s hands, Tuma, right?” asked Erax. Gresh shrugged at the question, he did not recall. “Well then, if it’s really in that village, then I guess we better get going,” he replied. “Wait a sec,” said Kiina, “I don’t know how to explain this but let me…” “Was this what you wanted?” asked Gresh as he gave Kiina her disguise armor to her, “I kept it safe when we left my village. I’m sure that you’re going to need it.” “Thanks,” she replied, “I’ll be back.” Once she was fully changed, she came back to them and said, “Just call me Akara so that way Tuma or the Skrall won’t find out that I’m Capulet’s daughter. And what about you, Gresh? Don’t you have a disguise too in case if they find you as Montague’s…?” “Not to worry,” he answered, as he closed his eyes and concentrated on his chain necklace. A moment later, his armor, helmet and weapons changed. His blades merged into a sword that had the symbol of Montague on it. “This is my father’s sword that was in the disguise of my blades,” he continued, “But apparently it lasts only for a while but then it transforms back.” “Let’s go then,” said Akara, “There’s a key waiting for us.” The three emerged from hiding and ran towards Roxtus, preparing for the danger that was coming ahead. *** For the first time since his duel against Gresh back in Tesara, Vastus was having a good time. He had already defeated several warriors within the use of his venom. Unfortunately, the venom was running low and he was forced to use it sparingly. He turned to see Sarhax, still driving on the Thornatus, plowing more Glatorian that tried to stop her. Vastus told her to leave the fighting and check on the camps, but she was having way too much fun. “Enough now,” he said, “I need to get some good warriors too you know.” Sarhax sighed and turned the vehicle, heading towards the camps. Once she got there, she saw Avaran panicked about the news that he heard. “What’s wrong?” she asked as she jumped off the vehicle. “It’s the Skrall,” said one of the Agori, “They’re going to besiege Tesara!” “I’ll go then,” answered Sarhax, “The other Glatorian that are over there will need--” “No, Sarhax!” snapped Avaran, “By the time you get there, it’ll be too late!” “I know a shortcut,” she replied, getting back on the vehicle. “Is she mad?” growled the Agori elder as he watched her driving away. *** Tesara In the village, however, the Skrall had not yet arrived, but a catastrophe was going on. The two tree towers that held the village began to tilt slowly. Hundreds of the Agori fled and evacuated towards the wastelands. “I wish Gresh was here,” muttered Tarduk, “I don’t know where he went…” “Are your ears deaf?” said another Agori, “Gresh disappeared with that water lady of Tajun!” “Yeah, but still, I hope he comes back. We don’t have enough defenses for the village, should the war spread out here,” answered Tarduk. “Why do you worry so much?” replied the other Agori, “Capulet and his tribe will be defeated once and for all!” The two suddenly felt a tremble in the ground, the world around them was shaking once more as it had since this morning. “Another one?” said another Agori, “Why is this world shaking?” Then, the area that held the Tesara Arena broke off from the planet and disappeared into the skies. “There’s only one place to go to,” said Tarduk, looking out to the wastelands, “We must get to Atero!” Before anyone could object the idea, the plants around them grew alive as if they were sentient. Then, within the dark forest, a warrior emerged, but his appearance was not a typical Glatorian. He was a tall, lean figure who had energy in his hands. Tarduk turned to see the figure and recognized his armor, as he could not believe what he was seeing. “Impossible…” said Tarduk, “Montague?” The Jungle Lord nodded and said, “Come, my tribe. We must head out to safety!” Everyone stopped to hear that familiar voice. It was hard to believe that their lord has returned. After giving brief explanations of his plan, the Agori and the Glatorian trainees followed the Element Lord to the Wastelands, heading towards the Arena Magna for refuge. This would not be an easy task, for he knew that there could be Vorox, Bone Hunters or Skrall along the way. But as long as everyone was together, no one would dare to stop them, especially with Montague around. Then, he thought, once I get them to safety, I shall go to the war and find my enemy. *** Roxtus Akara, Gresh, and Erax managed to sneak into the village. To their surprise, it was unusually dark as they heard that most of the city had some lights that glowed most of the cavern. “That’s a bit strange,” said Akara, “The lights are usually on here. Perhaps they’re expecting us?” “Just how I like it,” replied Erax. The others gave him an odd look. He continued, “Well. I’m used to situations like this during my travels.” “You sure act a bit strange sometimes,” said Gresh, “But then again, both of us know that you’re not from this world.” “Don’t you miss your world?” asked Akara, “The place where you came from?” “I don’t remember my origin, at all,” answered Erax, “I’m sorry. But even if I do find my way back, I’m sure that I won’t remember it.” The three saw a gigantic fortress ahead. Gresh could feel the key coming from there. “It’s in there,” he muttered, “The key.” But before they could continue, several Skrall emerged from the shadows, surrounding the three Glatorian. “I suppose that the outside air was cold enough,” muttered Akara. “Oh no, definitely not,” replied Gresh, with a grin, “I’m ready to take these savages down.” Before anyone could strike, there was a strange echo coming from the outside. Review

??? *stares blankly* ??? Oh I see what you meant. At first I was confused by that "friends". But you're talking about what Kiina said. That shall be fixed asap.

Act 14: La Guerra Comincia (The War Begins) ~Words of Violence~ Roxtus “Sir; The Glatorian of the Jungle and Water Tribes are at war. We need to strike the other villages,” said Branar. “Very well,” answered Tuma, “Now that their defenses are down for the villages, all of you go there and kill them all.” Tuma got up and held out the key to him, saying, “But this key will stay with me. I will find a place to hide it so that way, these “children” cannot find it.” Stronius arrived and said, “The armies are regrouping. When do you want us to go?” “Leave at dusk, find them and ambush those other tribes. If any of their freinds get in our way, kill them too,” ordered Tuma, “Now go!” *** Flashback: 5 Years Ago Tiyan raced for her life, escaping a small pack of bone hunters on the Thornatus. She turned and dodged the oncoming thornax as she steered the vehicle on a sharp turn in the Sandray Canyon. She was almost to Tajun and had to get there quickly. “This is going to be a rough ride,” she muttered as she took another sharp turn. The village was just down the slope. There, she saw Tarix and the new warrior, Akanari, waiting. “Get to defenses!” she shouted, “Bone Hunters are coming!” “Nonsense,” said Tarix, “Why would they want to come down here?” “It’s this,” she answered as she took out the gleaming sword. It was a unique design that was foreign to Bara Magna. On the handle on the sword was a single word; Capulet. “Impossible,” said Akanari, “How did the Bone Hunters get this?” “I don’t know,” she answered, “But they want it back, but I know that it doesn’t belong to them.” “How do you know?” asked Tarix, turning and fired his Thornax at the hunters as a sign of warning. The bandits turned and left; a relief for the Glatorian. “Come with me,” said Tiyan, “I discovered this cavern a few weeks ago. It was filled with ancient messages and it said something about this sword. That’s why I secretly took it from their camp. I found a way to distract them long enough for me to take it.” Leading the others into the cavern, Tiyan opened a secret passage way within one of the canyon walls of Tajun. Checking to make sure it was just the three of them, they walked inside. “This way,” she said, taking down a series of twisted steps. At the end of the steps, there were six different paths to choose from. However, Tiyan had other plans. She turned to one of the panels and knocked it down with a kick. The panel slid aside, revealing a darker tunnel. “These messages spoke the legend of the ‘Children of the Element Lords’; their destiny as well as whom they exactly are. Take a look; I think you’ll find one of them quite interesting.” Tarix took a glance to read, at his surprise, he recognized a lot of the names, but what really shocked him was the one who was the sole child of Capulet; Kiina. “It can’t be,” he said, with a shock. “It was Capulet’s only child, yet it was a daughter,” replied Tiyan, “Read on.” The others read and saw that the powers of the sword were only activated once Kiina was able to recognize the fact that she’s the sole daughter of Capulet (as well as the only female child out of all of the children). “She doesn’t know yet, does she?” asked Akanari. “No, but we must wait until the time comes,” said Tiyan, “I also, had a dream a while back. I saw Capulet; it was he who led me to this place and asked me to wait before I can show this to Kiina. He told me to get the sword from the Bone Hunters in order to not let it fall into worse hands.” *** Present Time: Battle of Water & Jungle Tribes Fall into worse hands, thought Akanari as he clashed with another jungle Glatorian. He dodged downwards and did a sweep kick that knocked down the other warrior. Akanari fired his thornax launcher at another Glatorian that was charging towards him. Tarix parried a few blows between Vastus as the two tried to knock each other down. “Give it up,” said Vastus, “It’s your fault for their disappearance.” “Since when did I tell Kiina to go out with Gresh?” growled Tarix, “It’s her choice, not ours!” Tarix jumped over and fired his thornax launcher, knocking Vastus down. With another reply, “It’s your fault for even bringing Gresh with you to the dance that evening!” “It was his choice to come with us!” said Vastus as he used his Venom Talon to knock Tarix down. He was about to inject the venom but was disturbed by Akanari who kicked his enemy into Vastus. In a rage, Vastus fired this thornax launcher at him, it struck his left arm. The water warrior fell, trying to hold his injury. Tarix rush to Akanari and said, “If you’re badly hurt, I’ll get you to the camps…” “I’m still going to fight,” he replied, “Besides, I’m ambidextrous.” With that said, Akanari got up and did another sweep kick to knock down Vastus, but the warrior dodged and almost stabbed him with the talon, but a fast toss of Tarix’s blades stopped the talon from striking. “I wouldn’t stand there, if I were you,” said Vastus, a hidden smile beneath his helmet. In a few moments, a Thornatus vehicle appeared with Sarhax driving, firing her blasters at the water Glatorian. They managed to dodge out of the way, but the female warrior flung a dagger at Tarix. The warrior turned and batted away with his blades. Akanari had other plans; he snuck behind the ongoing vehicle and got her by the neck in one hand, thronax at the ready on the other hand. “Get off of this vehicle, now,” he growled. Sarhax made no expression, but got off the vehicle slowly. At a blink of her left eye, Vastus charged from behind and used his talon to drag Akanari down, injecting the venom all over. Sarhax quickly got back on and fired a few blasts at Tarix. He dodged out of the way and tried to carry Akanari to the camps. “Run now,” hissed Vastus, “But in the end, you’ll die in the name of Montague!” *** Kiina, Gresh and Erax walked for what it seemed for days. There were a few sandstorms that slowed down their travels. Erax’s special powers were not able to help them as it was part of his limits. “Don’t you have some special powers of your own?” he asked. “We do, but I don’t know how we can master it exactly,” answered Gresh, “We are two of the children of the Element Lords. My lineage is Montague while Kiina’s is Capulet.” “I see, and do those lords have powers of their own too?” said Erax. “Yes, Montague is the Jungle Lord while Capulet has the power of water. Unfortunately though, the legend says that they had a bitter argument which caused a great war. Where they are now, we do not know as it’s only a legend,” he explained. “But if they do exist, then how did you get their powers, hm?” replied Erax, “That’s something that you want to ask.” “Well, I was given this sword; it holds mysterious powers which is more than just water; it teleported me a few times,” said Kiina. “Same with my necklace chain,” added Gresh, “Back in the tower on Bota Magna.” Bota Magna, thought Erax, what kind of a place is that? Unfortunately, Erax does not remember about Bota Magna. It was the last place he was at, in another Spherus Magna universe before he disappeared. But the words sounded familiar, but yet it was distant. The two reached over a dune and saw the Black Spikes with the skull that led to the city of Roxtus. Ahead, they saw several Skrall emerging from the entrance. “Hide here,” said Gresh as the three tried to stay out of sight. They watched as the savages marched out of village. “Where could they possibly go?” asked Erax. Kiina gasped as she could only make one speculation, they were heading for the other villages; Tajun and Tesara! “If they head out there, then our people will be in trouble!” she snarled, “They’re going to be in jeopardy if we don’t find them!” “We can’t,” said Gresh, his eyes closed. “What’s going on with you?” she snapped. Gresh’s body began to glow as he somehow could feel power coming from the north. “The last key,” he muttered, “it’s in Roxtus, Kiina. We have to retrieve it.” *** Aqua Magna The gigantic robot, Mata Nui stood over the ocean planet. He was finally awakened from his slumber. However, he suddenly felt a tremble within the planet. Beckoning to the Red Star; he jumped off and escaped into space. Then he turned and saw a strange cataclysmic event. A gigantic portion of the planet was blasted into space, with the atmosphere still intact. The magma from the core exploded and froze in the empty space. Already, the Great Spirit could feel something similar in the distance behind him. What is this, he thought, could it be? Unfortunately, the fall from when he was cast into slumber made him forget about the dangers about the Spherus Magna System. He was told that if the “root” of the system is destroyed, then Bara Magna and the moons would crumble away into dust, brining “The End” to the species that lived in each world. Mata Nui quickly turned to see a gigantic chunk of rock heading towards him. Using his powers, he stopped the broken piece from flying and held it still. Taking a quick examine, he somehow recognize the properties of this rock. If it’s what I think it is, then I fear that it might be too late, he thought, but still, I will have to try and stop this from happening in case if there’s hope. He collected the fragment of Aqua Magna and sent it back, hoping that it would stay on the moon while he would try get the other fragment back and then head to Bara Magna to prepare the fusion. Review

Yeah, something bad is about to happen during the war, and it's not just Bara Magna. Anyway, I'll be quite busy for the next few weeks so I don't know how much chapters will be up at this time.

Act 13: l’altra cheva (The Other Key) ~A Hero Rises~ The Wastelands of Bara Magna… Deep within the harsh desert of Bara Magna, in a region where even Malum has not yet explored, a portal opened. A lone warrior fell through the dimensional gates and crashed into the sands. Not long after he crashed, he felt a tremor in the sands for a few moments. Then it stopped dead. What was that, he thought. Suddenly, he felt another tremor again and saw something quite disturbing; several cracks formed ahead of him. Then that region rocketed to the skies, leaving a gigantic, endless pit of shadows. As he took a peak over the crater, the pit flared up into flames; smoke and ash exploded into the skies. I must move, he thought, as he turned and ran. He had to warn someone about this strange cataclysm should it get worse. Erax ran for his life, trying to escape from the explosion. Using one of his power stones, he called upon the power of speed, racing across the desert at great speed. *** The Mist Ruins, Bota Magna Kiina, Gresh and Lein stood at the entrance of the ruins. From what the Agori said, there was some way to return to Bara Magna by another portal. However, the ruins in there were like a maze with twisting corridors and traps. “This is the way home?” asked Gresh. “It’s the only way,” answered Lein, “You must leave now. Time is running out in Bara Magna.” “What, what do you mean?” asked Kiina. “Look at the sky,” he replied. The two looked up and saw Bara Magna overhead. Suddenly they saw something bursting out of the planet. From the looks of the sky, they saw a gigantic chunk of the landmass that was once part of the planet. “What was that?” asked Gresh. “The end is near,” said Lein, as his body began to dissolve, “You must get to the Valley of the Maze…the others are waiting,” “Lein, no!” shouted Kiina, but the Agori’s time was moving foreword, his destiny was completed. My duty is complete, now, my halted time must move foreword, he muttered silently. The Agori’s body began to glow; the result of Lein’s halted time from the Great Being’s caused a rapid acceleration to the disease. Before their eyes, the Agori disappeared from view. All what was left was another key; this time in a blue color with a slightly different shape unlike the other key. Kiina picked it up and read, “Aqua Magna.” She gasped and said, “The Great Sea! My father’s realm! But how did he get this key? And what does he mean that the others are waiting?” “Sounds like there’s trouble going on back home,” answered Gresh, “We’ll have to find the portal to take us back.” The two Glatorian ran into the ruins, heading deeper and deeper into the shadows. The ruins were somewhat haunted, with strange noises and echoes of laughter. Many of the structures seemed intact, filled with ancient carvings, but neither of them stopped until they saw a peak of light that was vanishing quite rapidly. “The portal; it’s closing!” growled Kiina. The two held hands in jumped in, hoping that they weren’t too late. *** White Quartz Escalus scaled down the white slopes of the White Quartz, heading to the village of Iconox. He was not aware about the Skrall that already destroyed the village. Once he saw it, he knew that something was not right. “Someone, or something,” he muttered, “Is trying to threaten the peace here.” He felt a tremor in the ground. Suddenly, the pass that he was walking through collapsed. Escalus fell, heading towards the river far below. Extending his arms out, he called upon a tower of ice. He scanned the view around him, wondering about if his brothers were still alive or not. Already, he sensed one that was heading this way. As he predicted, it was Capulet. “Capulet, what are you doing down there?” he called. Capulet created a wall of water and soared up to meet with Escalus, saying, “The payment; is it prepared?” “Oh I see, another round of investing, eh?” he replied, “Maybe you should just gamble against the others and see how long you can last.” “This is no time for jokes, Escalus,” growled Capulet, “I saw your son, Certavus, sacrificing his life for this world…through a dream. Already, I can feel tremors in the ground, and I know what that means.” “I know it too,” said Escalus, “The time for the world is coming. A new candidate must rise.” “We need to round up the children,” answered Capulet, “Both dead and alive.” “Impossible,” he replied, “How could the dead possibly help the others?” “Certavus told me that he and Ackar are waiting in the Maze Valley. But before I could ask more, I saw that there’s a war going on between my tribe and my enemy’s. So, I’m heading down there first to see if they’re really going to fight. And if Montague should dare…he will not live to see another spring,” said Capulet. “Then go, but make haste,” answered Escalus, “I’ll see to the Maze Valley and make sure it’s ready. Then we’ll make sure that everyone lives for one more day.” *** The armies of both Water and Jungle Tribe met on a desolated area of the Wastelands, hoping that the Skrall or Vorox will not attack them. Both sides felt uneasy about this as they had no “leader” like the Element Lords, instead, their leaders were Avaran and Agniar, the two Agori elders. Akanari stood out on a hill, waiting with the others for the Jungle Tribe to appear. It has been a day since they got here; preparing a camp that was about two miles behind the front line. Akanari turned to see Tarix, who was practicing his water blades at some targets. “What happened to Gelu?” he asked. Tarix turned and answered, “He’s assisting the Agori in the village. Hopefully Strakk will come by and help them bring the villagers to safety in case of an emergency.” “Like what could possibly happen?” said Akanari, “The Skrall doesn’t even know about this area here in the Wastelands!” “Yeah, but they have their spies. And I’m sure that they’ll do anything to stop us,” he replied, then he realized, “Where’s Tiyan?” “I don’t know,” answered Akanari, “All I remember was that she was with Agniar and several other warriors to set up the camps.” “I thought she was going to stay in the village.” he muttered, “This war will be too dangerous for her, even if she stayed there.” *** Erax stopped as he saw a rift in the sky. He was not expecting anyone coming from another world. From his past travels, he was the only one that had the power to cross worlds. Suddenly, he saw two warriors falling and crashing to the sands. He ran up and saw a green armored warrior holding his hand tightly to the blue warrior. Kiina got up and saw this strange figure in front of her. She realized that it was the same stranger from her dream earlier. In retaliation, she stepped in between Gresh and the stranger, saying, “Who are you, and what do you want from me?” “I don’t understand what you are asking of me,” said Erax, “I came here for a purpose; to help.” “Well, if you wanted help, you should’ve come earlier and find a way to stop our tribes from arguing about my relationship with Gresh,” she snapped. She turned to see Gresh getting up on his feet. “Are you alright?” she asked. “I’m fine,” he said, “Don’t worry, this is nothing compared to what we will face—hey, who is that being?” Erax recognize him as Gresh from another world that he visited earlier, but this one was different. From his observations, he noticed that Gresh was wearing a ring on his finger and wore a dark green cloak. “Tell us why you are here,” said Gresh, taking out his blades, “Or I will answer them with blood and metal.” “Has there been anything weird happening here?” asked Erax, hoping that he could try to get some information. But before either of them could answer, the ground began to shake. The three turned to see an explosion another region of the Wastelands rocketed to the skies. “That’s…what’s going on,” said Kiina, “Some weird cataclysms are endangering this planet again, just like that long ago earthquake that destroyed most of this world.” Earthquake…cataclysm…why do these terms sound so familiar…thought Erax. He took out his Knowledge Stone and held it in the air for a few moments. Then he put it back and said, “So I take that you are heading to the Valley of the Maze?” “How did you---?” asked Gresh “It’s this stone that I carry,” said Erax, “I was given this by a stranger a while back, telling me that I must be prepare to set the justice to each world that I visit to. When I can’t get information from anyone, I take this out to allow the world to talk to me.” “You know, it’s weird,” replied Kiina, “You almost look like a Glatorian but have such different accessories. Where are you from?” “That I do not remember,” he answered, “Ever since I met this witch, I forgot what happened before.” Erax changed the subject and continued, “Well then, I think it’s time that we must head out to your destination.” “Why should I trust this stranger?” muttered Gresh, “What if he’s leading us to a trap.” “If he is…then we’ll kill him,” answered Kiina, “But we must be careful even if he leads us to the Maze Valley.” The two followed Erax as they headed north, their journey has just begun, one that will determine this world and its people. Review