Make a Wish

The young princess sits by herself in a library, studying the arts of holy magic. A pile of books she has gone through are laid out on the table. Her head aches from all of the continuous studying, but she has finally found her courage. She can’t give up now. However, the only thing that keeps her hesitant is fear and doubt. The loss of Amrita means that they are much weaker than before. She was very powerful, and soon, it will all be up to the young princess to finish this fight.

A flash of purple light interrupts her. Zassul appears before her and takes a seat beside her. “How are your independent studies going? Do you think you have a handle on everything?” He asks her.

“Yes…” The young princess answers unsurely. “I suppose so...”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well…” She feels embarrassed to admit it. Even though it’s a natural feeling, all she has done is be afraid. It’s an exhausting feeling. For once, she would like to just feel sure of herself. “I’m afraid.” She sheepishly tells Zassul. She sighs as she gently cups his amulet in her hands. “What if I fail?”

“You won’t.” He answers simply.

She admires his confidence in her. But she feels as though she’ll let him down when the time comes. “It’s so easy for you to say.”

“Because I know. Once a gifted maiden discovers their power within, they can master it incredibly quickly. No demon can overcome holy magic. It’s a gift from Allah. You were chosen for a reason. You can do it.”

The young princess breathes in his words of encouragement. It’s a vain thought to wonder what Allah was thinking in the first place. But she knows Zassul isn’t wrong. The power wouldn’t have been given to her if she wasn’t capable of any of this. “Alright. What’s the plan?”

“We’ll use stealth. Deception is my greatest strength. I’ll create a diversion and lure Abdelus out of his safe zone. That’s when you will strike. Seal him down into the Oblivion. Then we will deal with Iblīs once your parents are safe. The same will go for him. Seal him into the Oblivion. Once his seal is tightened, you won’t have to worry about him sending anymore of his demons after you. Lastly, you will put up a barrier over the Demon World so nothing can escape from it again.”

“I understand. I think I can do it.”

Zassul smiles reassuringly at her. “I know you can. Whenever you’re ready, I will take you to Ethereal.”

The young princess rises from her chair. The time has finally come to save her parents. Zassul warps her to another strange room of Ethereal’s layer. It holds a square space, the walls engulfed by the luminescent crystals that grow out of them. At the end of a room rests a small altar where a glass ball rests. Ethereal stands beside it, looking deeply into it.

“Good, you’re here.” She greets the two urgently. “Let’s not waste any time. I’ll make it short and sweet.” She beckons them over to her crystal ball. “Zassul, you’ll go in and cause a distraction, pull Abdelus away from the castle. ______ will sneak in and grab her parents. Take a look within the crystal ball.”

The young princess is shocked to see a perfect view of Abdelus’ castle. Seeing it again brings back unpleasant memories. Thick black clouds continue to surround the castle, turning the surroundings into a dark abyss. Ethereal draws her fingers along the crystal ball, causing the view to pan in her direction.

“_____, your parents are being held in this tower.” She zooms in on the outside for a better look.

The young princess begins to doubt the plan. “But won’t Abdelus sense my presence once I break in?” She asks Ethereal.

“You have a well enough handle on your powers. You’ll be able to cloak yourself. I’ll have Zassul step in if things get too out of control. Afterwards, the castle grounds will be completely obliterated. Understood?”

“So this is it then…” The young princess whispers to herself. She quickly inhales a swift breath of air. “I’m ready.”

As she says it, Zassul immediately disappears into a ray of purple light. The young princess and Ethereal observe him from the crystal ball as he begins to create his diversion. The two guards standing by the door are struck with a large ball of purple magic. One of them is sent flying while the other holds its ground. It forms a black ball of magic in retaliation and swings it at Zassul’s. He easily deflects it, sending it back to the demon and sending it flying into the castle garden where it explodes into a cloud of dust.

“Alright.” Ethereal tells the young princess. She snaps her fingers, causing the young princess to disappear.

She reappears into a dark room within the castle. Looking around, she still feels uncertain about being sent directly into the tower. Seeing this empty room, she wonders if her parents are even here in the first place.

Another explosion comes from the castle garden. Zassul’s purple magic engulfs the grounds, bringing every demon to him.

“Welcome back.” An ominous man speaks to the young princess from the shadows.

A scowl grows on the young princess’ face as she immediately recognizes who it is. “Abdelus.” She grumbles his name.

He stands before her, towering over her as he looks down at her with his unusually radiant, amber eyes. “I always knew you’d return. I wasn’t sure when, but I knew.”

Unwilling to listen to his ridiculous idle gossip, the young princess stands her ground against him. “Your face still makes my insides cringe.”

Abdelus slowly blinks, unbothered by her comment. “Charming.”

“Now where are my parents!?”

Abdelus raises his hand and a black ball of magic appears by his side, tiny figures being held inside of it. With a closer look, the young princess can tell those are her parents who have been shrunk in size.

“You bastard!” The young princess curses at him. “Let them go!”

“If you want me to let them go then you will give up this charade and come with me. They’re trapped in a barrier. I have all the control here.” Abdelus shrugs. “Or I could just kill them.” He raises a hand that causes the barrier to tremble.

Within a millisecond, the young princess feels her magic shooting through her veins. “Stop!!” She cries out, sending a force of holy magic towards Abdelus. It sends him back, knocking him off of his feet.

The barrier surrounding the young princess’ parents vanishes and they slowly begin to grow to their normal size. Sweat trickles down their skin as they gasp for air.

“Are you alright?” The young princess asks them.

Her mother shakes her head and responds. “Forget us. You must get out of here!”

The young princess stubbornly shakes her head. “I didn’t go through all of this trouble just to leave you behind!”

The air suddenly begins to tremble as Abdelus gets back on his feet. The anger begins to boil inside of him, causing his amber eyes to shift to a blood red. “You’re going to pay for that.” He hisses at the princess.

Black fire begins to eat away at his body. He screams in agony as his skin is melted away into gue. As it burns away, it is replaced with a black layer, giving him the same appearance as the demons. Red horns and wings sprout from his body, making him appear as a devil.

“Your parents will die first!” His voice booms like thunder as he completely shifts into a monster.

The young princess shakes away her fear just enough to place herself between him and her parents. The air trembles at his every move, causing the young princess’ vision to grow blurry. She tries to shake it away and reminds herself of what she must do.

“Mother, Father, stay behind me!” She instructs them as she places herself in a fighting stance. She gathers up a strong force of magic that she sends at Abdelus. It quickly sizzles into nothing as it comes in contact with him. “Oh no…” She whispers to herself.

Abdelus chuckles mockingly at her as he forms a massive ball of black magic. He swings it at her, causing their surroundings to explode into a massive wave of smog.

Stricken with fear, the young princess can’t feel her body. She tries to shake away the ringing in her ears. Smog surrounds the desamated room, making it impossible to see. Looking down, she notices she is still somehow on her feet.

“Who is that?” Her mother asks within the smog.

The young princess turns around to see that her parents are still behind her. Looking in front of her, she sees the back of a purple suit. “Zassul?”

He stands in front of her, shielding her from Abdelus’ rage. Black magic sizzles along his skin, causing his body to tremble. Whatever was shot at them, it seems he took the blow.

“Are you alright!?”

He doesn’t answer, his main focus on Abdelus. “I won’t let you hurt her.” He says to him through a strained tone.

“It’s you.” Abdelus growls unhappily. “She’s mine! I’ll kill all of you who get in my way!”

The air begins to tremble violently as Abdelus charges up another force of black magic. He sends it at Zassul, causing him to nearly lose his footing. The young princess knows he isn’t strong enough to face Abdelus. But she knows she isn’t either. She desperately tries to figure out what she can do for him.

Zassul pushes her backwards as another wave of magic comes their way. It collides with Zassul, part of it breaking through and hitting her. She’s knocked off of her feet. The ground does not come to her and she finds herself floating into a massive ball of red light. She sees Zassul falling with her. He reaches out his hand to try and grab her but he disappears into dust. The young princess looks behind her where she falls and is engulfed in red light.