Who are these two kings?" Sasha asked, her voice laced with curiosity.
"I don't know," Rose admitted.
"And this powerful female creature from the ocean?" Sasha pressed.
"I'm not certain," Rose replied, "but the old tales they speak of Mistress Para."
"Mistress Para? The one who trapped us here?" Sasha's voice flared with sudden anger.
"Yes," Rose confirmed grimly. "It is she."
A wave of hopelessness washed over Sasha as the name echoed in the suffocating darkness. "I don't even know how many years we've been in this place. Twenty, maybe more. We have no sense of time, no day or night. Only endless night." Her voice was heavy with despair.
"Her cruel jealousy has left us as good as dead," Rose added bitterly.
"If only my son Logan were in this kingdom," Sasha whispered. "Perhaps he could help us. But I don't even know if he's still alive if he even remembers having a mother."
"At least your son is not trapped here," Rose said, a hint of sadness in her tone. "My daughter Lily is in this very kingdom, yet she doesn't seem to care enough to find her own mother. It's heartbreaking."
"Don't be so quick to judge her, Rose," Sasha countered gently. "Perhaps she truly doesn't know where you are."
"But she should find out!" Rose insisted, her voice firm, brooking no argument.
Then, a flicker of memory crossed Rose's face. "Sasha, do you remember the dream you had about your son Logan?"
"Which dream are you talking about?" Sasha asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"The one where your son Logan became the Emperor of this entire mysterious kingdom! But in that dream you said they called him Leon," Rose explained.
Rose chuckled softly. "Can you believe it, Sasha? A dream is just a dream! How could Logan, a mere human, become an Emperor of such a powerful realm? Some things are just not meant to be taken seriously."
As the vision faded, Leon's eyes snapped open, and he kept calling out, "Mother! Mother!"
"Do you know who those two kings were?" the Mystical Eagle asked, his voice steady.
"I don't know," Leon replied, still shaken by the vision.
"Those two kings are you and Zander," the Mystical Eagle explained. "King Zander will die soon. But these destructive powers will strike you hard, sending you back to your homeland. However," his voice took on a grave tone, "you will lose your memories."
"How can I stop it from happening?" Leon asked, his voice filled with urgency.
"There is nothing you can do to prevent it," the Mystical Eagle declared, his words final.
"Then tell me," Leon asked, his anger rising, "where did Mistress Para imprison my mother?"
"I do not know that," the Mystical Eagle responded, "but you now possess the ability to find her yourself."
Suddenly, the joyful atmosphere shifted. Celebration turned to fear, an unspoken dread gripping everyone. Out in the sandy wilderness, a massive wave of water, like a silent tsunami, surged towards them with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, Leon had already taken flight, carrying an unconscious Ayana in his arms.
"What is this? What kind of power is this?" Leon muttered to himself as he soared away.
Below, everyone lay still, lifeless. Then, a figure stood amidst the fallen.
"Water Torrent," she murmured, her voice cold. "The destructive master," she added, a hint of triumph in her tone.
It was Mistress Para. She approached the lifeless form of the Mystical Eagle and sneered. "The Benoem, Benoem," she mocked. "Did you even know what it means, you pathetic fool? Let me enlighten you. The Benoem means 'The Appointed.' How could a powerless king like you possibly appoint and anoint anyone?" A harsh laugh escaped her lips.
Then, her unseen gaze fell upon Leon's necklace lying on the sand near her. She stepped towards it, picked it up, and examined it carefully. A slow smile spread across her face. "Poor human," she murmured, "wandering aimlessly, searching for power."
Instantly, five mystical mirrors shimmered into existence around her.
"The Eagle's Feast is no more," she hissed, addressing her reflections. "Tell me, which one is next?"
Leon carried Ayana high into the sky, towards one of the kingdoms of the surface world. Below, people gasped, some recoiling in fear, others gazing in awe at his eagle-like flight. He landed gently and asked them to care for Ayana, promising to return. Then, he soared back into the sky and disappeared.
Meanwhile, back at the grand mysterious palace, a look of shock and sorrow etched itself onto Lucy's face. "What did you do?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Lily offered a weak smile, her breath shallow. "I did what I had to," she whispered back. "You have to stop them." Her eyes fluttered shut, and she fell still.
Lena stared at her fallen sister, then at the destruction left by the raging Water Torrent. The weight of Lily's sacrifice settled heavily upon Lena and Lucy.
Lena rushed to Lily's side, her heart shattering. "Lily, no!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.
Lily's eyes flickered open, a soft smile gracing her lips. "I understand now," she whispered. "Forgive me, Lena."
With those final words, her eyes closed, her life fading away completely.
Lena, her heart broken but understanding the profound meaning of Lily's sacrifice, turned to face Rowena and Sara, who were attempting to flee amidst the chaos. Lena knew what she had to do. She had to finish what Lily had begun.
Drawing upon a newfound strength fueled by grief and rage, Lena gathered her own magic, weaving into it the raw pain of losing her sister. She unleashed a devastating wave of energy, striking Rowena and Sara, finally bringing their escape to an end.
The throne room was in ruins, but the mysterious realm was safe. Lily's sacrifice had not been in vain; Lena had saved their kingdom. The cost of power, the importance of forgiveness, and the true meaning of sisterhood were lessons etched into her heart. Her reign would not be one of selfish ambition or vengeance, but of wisdom and compassion. She would honor Lily's memory by ruling with fairness and mercy, ensuring the errors of the past were never repeated.
Just then, Lucy entered King Zander's room. She stood before him, and he spoke, his voice weak and weary, "Welcome, my daughter."
Lucy remained silent, her gaze fixed on him.
"What troubles you, my lovely daughter?" Zander asked, concern lacing his tone.
"Lucy is not your daughter," Mistress Para's voice cut through the air, sharp and insistent.
King Zander recoiled in shock as Mistress Para materialized before him, his heart pounding in his chest.
"King Zander, the king who hurts those who love him," Mistress Para sneered, her voice dripping with mockery.
Abruptly, Mistress Para's expression twisted into rage. Her five mystical mirrors appeared, swirling around her as they displayed vivid images of King Zander's past actions, each one a painful betrayal.
Then, she glanced at Lucy, a strange look in her eyes, before vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.
"It is time to test if my ancient magics are truly potent," Lucy murmured, her voice cold and resolute. "A simple test to see if this old fish's life is worth anything."
Before King Zander could utter a word, silence fell upon him forever.
Tears welled in Lucy's eyes as she whispered, "Water Torrent, take my father's life."
Lena rushed into the room, her breath catching in her throat as she saw her father. A cry of anguish escaped her lips.
As Leon returned to his throne room the destructive force of Water Torrent roared, ripping through the throne room like a hungry beast! Furniture splintered, tapestries tore, and amidst the chaos, Leon slammed against a jagged chunk of coral. Everything went black. Then, the relentless current grabbed him, pulling him away, further and further from that bizarre place, from the battle, from everything familiar.
Sunlight warmed his face. The cries of gulls echoed around him. Leon's eyes fluttered open. Sand. White sand stretched as far as he could see. Towering palm trees swayed in a gentle breeze. And then, the endless blue of the ocean. His head throbbed like a drum.
He sat up, disoriented. Where? A thick fog clung to his memories. It felt like a huge chunk of his life had simply vanished. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to grasp something, anything.
"Leon," he muttered. His name. That much he knew. But beyond that? Nothing. No family. No home. No reason for being here. He felt like an empty shell, a stranger inhabiting his own skin, adrift in a world he didn't recognize.
As Leon returned to his mysterious kingdom the Water Torrent's destructive power roared! It ripped through the room like a hungry beast, tearing apart everything! Furniture broke into pieces, tapestries shredded, and in the middle of it all, Leon was thrown against a sharp piece of coral. Everything went black. Then, the strong current grabbed him, pulling him away, farther and farther from that strange place, from the fight, from everything he knew.
Then, sunlight felt warm on his face. He heard the cries of seagulls all around. Leon's eyes slowly opened. Sand. White sand went on forever. Tall palm trees moved gently in the breeze. And then, the endless blue ocean. His head pounded like a drum.
He sat up, confused. Where was he? A thick fog covered his memories. It felt like a big part of his life was just gone. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to remember something, anything at all.
"Leon," he mumbled. That was his name. He knew that much. But what else? Nothing. No family. No home. No reason for being there. He felt like an empty shell, a stranger living in his own body, lost in a world he didn't know.
Mistress Para was back in her fancy place. Her five shiny magic mirrors showed her everything that happened in the throne room. She saw the sisters fight at first, then the Water Torrent's strong power, Lily giving up her life, and Lena bravely stopping Rowena and Sara.
When the last sounds of the fight disappeared from the mirrors, and the pictures of Rowena and Sara faded away, Mistress Para felt a cold smile spread on her face.
"Useless fish," she whispered, her voice a low hum in the dark. "I knew you would die. You were always weak, wanting silly things."
As the picture of Lena's strong face disappeared from the last mirror, a new scene appeared Leon being thrown out by the Water Torrent. Mistress Para watched, amused, as he was thrown towards the surface world. A sharp, mean laugh came from her. "Poor human," she sneered. "The weakest ruler I ever saw. He was a terrible mistake for our kingdom."
A scary laugh echoed in her watery home, a sound of old power and total disrespect. It went on and on, like a mean song of winning.
Finally, the laughter stopped, leaving a cold silence. "I am Mistress Para," she announced, her voice now strong and commanding. "The Queen. The Empress. And I am coming back to my rightful place. I will rule this whole mysterious kingdom, and then," her voice grew louder, filled with a never ending hunger, "the whole universe!"