Memories (Part 3): Written by Exodus, Original Story by Exodus Two years on since the tragedy in Alcath, a lot had changed, and many members of Freedom Force retired from the group to raise a family. The demons had dispersed and less attacks occurred in the Kingdom of Scion, and so some of Freedom Force had reason to believe that their enemy Zycote had given up on Calix and that they could retire and live out their lives in peace. Andrew and his wife Shirley had their first son Kyle. He continued to work on the hidden metal in the secrecy of his cousin’s mountain hideout, his cousin, Harold Tech, was also expecting a child. James and Raven had a boy called Ross, but sadly, Raven died in childbirth, so James had to quit the group in order to raise Ross properly. Carl and his sick wife Mariah moved to the town of Fawra, located in east Scion, where there were better doctors to deal with her condition. They had a son, which Mariah named Roberto, but she slowly became worse off and would ultimately die within a few years. Carl quit to group to spend as much time as he could with her. Charles and Cecilia Corelle left from the forces to live peacefully in the village known as Viess (in the kingdom of Fiora northwest of Scion), they had twins, which they named Helena and Lucia. The McDeios settled down in Kylandia and had a second child, Angus, Evia continued to rule over the tribe of Yura and Titus found love, with the Gaian that he was protecting. The only active members left in Freedom Force were the prince, Nathan and the Great Elder, but the Gaians, Elenora, Rahs and Lucas filled in for the others. In the village of Grautz, a small settlement in south Haprin, during one particular night, was a cloaked man wearing a strange hat, walking through the storm. He was carrying a basket with him, he stared at the largest house as if he knew it well, and put the basket on the doorstep of the town leader, he knocked on the door and then ran away. Bernard Adulen, the leader of the village, peered through the window and saw the mysterious man depart, he soon opened the door, and leaned on his cane, staring down at the two babies soundly asleep in the basket... In Vilem, the Gaian, Kyos, was afraid. “If we’re so much in love, then why don’t you want us to have children?” asked Titus to his wife. “Because... the queen always told me, if people like us, full of magical energy, breed with those that don’t have the same energy inside them, they and the child will become somewhat like us by gaining similar powers, and you know how a demon experimented on me, enhanced my chaos powers, and now I can’t even control them. I don’t want to burden you or a child with such a thing.” “There’s no way to prevent this phase?...” “Well, your mystic staff can nullify my powers for a time, I guess it would be possible to take larger doses of your healing magic to prevent my powers from coming about during the pregnancy, so that I don’t pass anything to you or the baby... Okay, I’ll do it for you Titus, I would love to have a child with you.” Titus smiled and held his love close to him. In the tribe of Yura, more demonic beasts attacked the grounds of the natives. Three large demonic snakes slithered their way in, collapsing the huts with a simple touch. “Warriors! Stop them!” called out Evia. The tribal warriors retrieved their blades and dipped them in the tribe’s secret weapon. Liquids of different natures, some put enemies into a deep sleep, while others induced a high level of poison into the target, and so forth. Two of the snakes fell to the poison, and the hunters and townspeople overwhelmed them with sharp objects. The third was tricky and swayed left and right, edging its way through the village and towards the queen. She tried to run, but a hut shattered in front of her, the debris forcing her to the floor. The snake loomed over her and opened its mouth wide, Evia quivered, and shut her eyes. “You leave her alone!” screamed Ux, he ran in front of the queen and punched forward, holding a knife, which penetrated the creature’s head, the snake drove itself down, but Ux leaped up and landed on top of the snake. He had been training like he promised himself two years ago, now he was muscular and trained with many weapons, the snake shook violently, but Ux held on through it all, waiting for the right moment, he let go and grabbed his knife to plunge it into the creature’s left eye. It screamed out, and as a final act, forced Ux to land under it, to crush him as it fell, Ux dropped off and leapt to the side, but the snake partly managed to land on him before dying. “UX!” screamed Evia, the natives all gathered and lifted the snake off Ux. “I’m okay...” whispered Ux. “Are you sure?...” “Heh heh.” he chuckled, “My legs are smashed, but I’ll be okay.” “You’re not getting out of this so easily.” said Evia suddenly, with a stern tone in her voice. “You call this easy?...” said Ux coughing a little. “Ux, no one constantly risks their life like you have just serving their queen, you’re hiding something from me!” “Okay, I admit it, I love you, I’ve loved you for a very long time, but I knew I had to be stronger...” “Ux... I love you too, but I was afraid of what the others would say, but now its okay, you’re strong, now no one can stop us...” “Evia...” She leaped at him and passionately kissed him, Ux braced the pain of his broken bones and enjoyed it. In Kylandia castle, Edward had the last two members of the group staying with him to discuss certain matters, the Gaians had fitted in well, using their powers to help the group against the demons and making up for the huge loss of members. Lucas hung around the castle and didn’t really share any secrets with anyone, apart from a certain maid. Rahs enjoyed the hot climate of the desert town Ranphoa, but also the company. And Elenora, being a former queen, stayed with Edward to help him, as his mother’s life ebbed away. She felt a closeness that no one had ever given her when she was around him. All the other Gaians feared her majestic powers, and so, never even thought about a relationship with her, but Edward trusted her totally, not having lived under her control. All three original members were on the west wing balcony chatting away. “... And that’s how Gaians transfer their powers, and how in most cases, only a Calian that loves the Gaian, and their child, shall be blessed by them, and be given the same abilities.” explained Nathan, “Makes you think, doesn’t it?” “It sure does, if I were to pursue a relationship with Elenora, would I be willing to take on her powers?... Its a package deal.” thought Edward. “If you truly love someone, you have to take the good and the bad, and in this case, the magic also. Don’t let it turn you away from her, magic is the only thing that is different between Gaians and Calians.” muttered the elder. No one expected the next events to happen, as a cosmic force hit the castle and dragged it out of its dimension, and into the Demon Lair. Edward, Nathan and the elder stared at the blackness and cosmic abnormalities as the demons made their entrance on the balcony. A cackling could be heard, as the demon queen appeared with her lackeys. “Zycote!” screamed Edward, they had battled on many occasions, but she had disappeared for some time. “This is the final chapter,’prince’.” “What have you done?!” he shouted back at her. The castle was still solid, but it was suspended in what appeared to be total space. “Do you like it? Its the Demon Lair.” explained Zycote. She stood tall at about ten feet, blue scaly skin, and her feet were non existent, only a mess of tentacles that lay at the bottom of her dark dress. Horns poked out of her head, and her silver hair was tied back, her eyes glowed a pale yellow, and she had many claws and fangs. She was the mother of all the demons that Edward and his group had gone up against, defeat her, and there would be no more further demons from this world invading Scion. “I’ve brought you here so that you cannot call for help, don’t you know that when you kill one of my children, their soul returns to me? No? The Demon Lair started out small, until we tore apart other worlds and made them a part of the Demon Lair, Calix would help it grow immensely, there would be enough resources and space for me to produce millions of demon children, no world would stand up to us. You’ve done quite well to last this long.” “We will never let you destroy our world.” said Edward angrily. “You destroyed my ability to convert parts of worlds into demon matter in a previous battle, but now I have it back. If we destroy your insistent group, and any other rebels little by little, there will be no resistance, and the world shall be mine!” “So what are you waiting for?” said Edward drawing his spear. “’Prince’, you’re such a fool, we outnumber you 13 to 3.” The door burst open and Zycote’s lesser demons were caught in the explosion that followed. “You can make that 13 to 6.” said Elenora proudly. “Elenora, I know you and your people have helped us in the past but this is totally different.” shouted Edward. “We have our powers to help you, we’ll be fine.” she replied. “Grrrr, get them all!” screamed Zycote, and her demons charged forward. Lucas and Elenora were left to deal with the crazy seven demons that were powerful in their own right, but considered weak when compared to Zycote’s other demons. A pink one simply called Twist, spun himself into a tornado, Elenora threw in a special kind of plasma magic, that was sucked into the mini twister and exploded, he stopped spinning and fell to the floor, totally burnt. As Lucas summoned a pair of crystal knives to battle with the muscular orange one called Bully, Elenora swatted a pathetic shrimp of a demon out the way and then blasted a pair of idiotic members, one of which got the full force, and half his face was ripped off. The apparent leader of the lesser demons rode towards the two on a strange demon, it looked like a cross between a bull and a snake and was charging forward while ‘Boss Evil’ spun his tail, turning it into a sharp spinning blade. The two Gaians nodded their heads and combined their powers to throw plasma and crystal shards at the gang, throwing them over the edge of the castle and seemingly into nothingness. The pirate demon simply known as Captain, threw himself forward with a large blade and came down at Edward, Elenora threw an energy sphere which totally shattered his body, saving Edward, the soul appeared and flew towards the mother of demons but Elenora encased the spirit so that Zycote wouldn’t get any more powerful from its energy, she was battling with Edward who was currently holding up okay. The vampiress, Vampira swayed around Nathan, she pounced, and he used his karate and staff skills to use her own force against her, by lifting her up and hurling her over the edge. The brothers, Illusio, the master of illusions and deception, and Reflect, the mirror demon, unleashed many ghostly tentacles from Illusio’s orb, and Reflect’s magic mirror. The Great Elder leaped over, under and around every one, illusion or real, and spin-kicked the orb and the mirror away from their owners. Before they could even utter a curse at the old man, Rahs unleashed an explosion of earth to hit Illusio hard. “Kill him Brother!” screamed Illusio, reaching for his orb. “Oh sacred mirror, banish this witch to the mirror realm!” shouted Reflect, summoning a mirror which shot out an almost clear beam. Lucas intervened, and set up a selection of solid stationary crystals, which reflected the beam after a lot of bouncing, and shot back at Reflect, and sucking him into his own prison within the magic mirror. “Brother, no!” screamed Illusio, grabbing the mirror and trying to work out how to free his sibling. Rahs erupted the earth around him and flung him over the edge. Edward fell back, avoiding a slash from Zycote, as he picked himself up and charged forward, a white flash blocked his vision and something knocked him back. It was Chrono, the time demon. “I just used my powers to rectify things by going back in time. It was a nice hit you would have got in if its any consolation, Wheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!” he laughed, “You can't stop me, not when I can use time to anticipate your exact moves and correct them.” “That is correct, but you cannot do it without your precious energy!” Edward hit the obvious place on Chrono’s midget body with his spear. The whirling spiralling sphere on his stomach. There was a flash, and a sparkle of energy, and Chrono screamed, “What have you done?!” Nathan hit Chrono so that he plummeted as well. Now only Zycote remained. “We have to defeat Zycote in order to return home.” explained Edward loudly. “Demon queen, its just you against all of us!” said Lucas snidely. “I haven’t shown you all my power, mortals.” White flames surrounded her, now the real battle began. Suddenly waves of energy were emitted from her body which took effect on the magic users. They fell to the floor, holding their heads in agony, she was affecting their brain waves somehow, Zycote had obviously dealt with magic users before. “Guys! We have to beat her ourselves!” rallied Edward to his Calian comrades. Zycote extended her arms and slashed across the group, Edward and Nathan fell back, but the Great Elder had some strength in him to leap up very high, his hands suddenly took a certain stance, as if he were powering a ball of energy between them, he fired it off, invisible to everyone’s sights but still there. It hit Zycote hard in the chest and pushed into it until the sphere dissipated, and then the waves stopped. “Now’s your chance! Hit her with all you’ve got!” shouted Nathan. Elenora, Lucas and Rahs stepped up. Rahs made the first move and showered rocks on the mother demon, Lucas followed up and pierced her body with sharp crystals. Finally, Elenora fired off a huge ball of plasma energy which surrounded the queen, but she wasn’t finished there. “Oh powerful entity Energen, I implore you, use my body and deliver the killing blow to this demon!” Her skin changed a pale green, and her body became immersed with green flames, her teeth became fangs and her eyes changed into burning flames, what was this power that Elenora had? She was the queen of all Gaians once, and had a very powerful family guardian spirit. “Aaaarrrrrrr!!!” screamed the Energen entity, shooting herself forward, she literally went straight through Zycote’s chest, and then she followed up with another charge, and tore through Zycote again, making sure she was finished. Elenora returned to normal but fell into a deep sleep. “NOOOOOO!!!-” screamed Zycote as her body glowed white, she swayed around and her arms swung randomly, she couldn’t stop it, her body changed into a bright white, and then exploded into a lot of tiny particles which disappeared. “Mother! No!” screamed Chrono. The demons had somehow managed to get back up, they were weakened by their fall, but wanted vengeance for their mother. “It is over, leave now.” ordered Edward. “Never!” they screamed, all charging forward. Suddenly, three beams hit the group and moulded them into a sphere of many colours. A mystical chest appeared between Elenora and her subjects, and as soon as the sphere was inside, it was sealed, everyone but Chrono was drawn into it, he stood scared now. “What about the time demon?” asked Edward to Elenora. “He isn’t very powerful, but his abilities could be very dangerous if used by a higher power. We must do what our ancestors did to powerful demons, and seal his strength inside a crystal.” “No, please, I’ll do anything, just don’t- Agggghhh!!!” he screamed, as his body shattered into particles, they moved around and formed a crystal, Chrono’s spirit was trapped inside it now. “You shall have to bury these far underground so that no one can harness their power.” advised Elenora. “I promise.” replied Edward. There were many flashes of light around the realm. “Without the queen, I guess the Demon Lair is no more. Our war is truly over.” said the Great Elder wisely. The flashes increased with thundering and shattering sounds, and suddenly, the castle and everyone in it were back on Calix. Edward stared at the vast ocean, and the lands that followed in the horizon. “With Zycote gone, the demons defeated, and the Calian evils dispersed, our kingdom will be truly safe, for now. Freedom Force is no longer needed... I order all of you to live in peace with your families and friends.” He turned around after a little while, and they were still standing there, all with something to say. “Edward.” said Nathan, he had finally learned to call him by what he desired. “Its very obvious that the Gaians are good in nature, and pose no threat to the planet, there is no more need to research their powers, they are truly... magical. But I should tell you Sir, about Rahs, I’ve come to love her.” Rahs smiled and rested her head closer to Nathan. “I understand, be happy old friend.” smiled Edward. The two departed back to the desert town, Ranphoa. “I guess I’ll be returning to Qu’nos and spending the last years of my life teaching...” said the Great Elder, “You are indeed one of my finest pupils Edward, you’ll make a fine king.” “I do not think I could have been the man I am today without you.” They shook hands, and the Great Elder departed. Only Elenora was left, and was about to speak, when a loyal soldier interrupted her. “Prince Edward, that Gaian Lucas stole some of the royal treasure and took off with one of your servant girls!” Edward gave a slight look of concern. “Well it wasn’t really that much, but its still a theft.” commented the soldier. Elenora smiled, “I wouldn’t worry, Lucas has always been a bit of a rogue, he told me a little while ago that he had found love with a servant, and promised that he would love her and treat her like a queen.” “Don’t worry about it soldier, back to your post.” smiled Edward. He departed, leaving the prince and former queen alone. “Its too bad Lucas departed so fast, I wanted to thank him, and what about you Elenora? Where will you go?” “Where else? I’m quite happy being here... with you...” “You mean...” Edward was cut off by Elenora’s kiss. “You’ve shown me so much kindness and love... I would gladly live my life here with you.” “But what about your world?” asked Edward with concern. “I cannot do anything about the past. I must sadly, move on.” “Prince Edward...” called Iyaxxl, “Its your mother...” Edward hurried to the queen’s room, his mother looked the same as she always had, but it was obvious that her end was near. “Edward...” she whispered, “Its time for me to depart... Please... Live up to your responsibilities...” “Mother... The war is over... There’s no more need to fight... I’m sorry to see you go... But you can rest assured, I’ll rule this kingdom wisely and make you proud.” said Edward solemnly holding her hand. “And I’ll make sure of it.” added Elenora. “Son...” said Queen Elizabeth, uttering her final words, “That’s all I wanted to hear... Goodbye...” Her eyes closed, and she stopped breathing. Edward bowed down his head for some time... And so began Edward’s rule over Scion, but just because the demons had vanished from Calix, it didn’t mean that all evil had. Edward would soon face a brand new enemy, in the face of one so close. To be continued... Back to Part 2 Part 4 Back to “Past Heroes and New Beginnings” Back to the Library