Make a Wish

The trio appear on the top of a hill that overlooks Ethereal’s hidden realm. Black flames eat away at the sacred wood, turning everything into ugly, dark ash. A massive black figure stands within it all, towering over the trees. Just from its touch, they immediately incinerate into ash.

“He’s huge!” The young princess comments in disbelief. She stares at the massive figure that once depicted Abdelus.

“You’re awfully bold showing your ugly face here.” Ethereal shows no fear as she hurls her insults at him.

“I’m not afraid of you!” Abdelus roars in response. “Once I destroy you, I’ll take my rightful place as the true king of Hell and destroy the Human World!”

The air trembles from the immense aura that radiates from him. It cuts through the air, slamming its massive force into Ethereal and Zassul. The two are hurled off of the hill and into the stream that cuts through the wood.

The young princess curses at Abdelus. With her newly honed magic pumping through her veins, she conjures up a ball of blue electricity and hurls at it him. It collides with his chest, exploding into a wave of sparks that travel along his pitch black skin.

Shaking it off, his enraged demonic, red eyes set on the young princess. “I hope you enjoyed your freedom while it lasted! I will make you suffer for the rest of your life!”

The young princess loses her footing as an unknown force lifts her off of her feet. The world around her zips by with remarkable speed as she is tossed and turned around violently in the air. Nausea overtakes her as she becomes dizzy. From the speed she moves it, she feels her organs twist and turn in an excruciating way.

The hard ground slams into her body, stirring up a dust cloud. Although she lies still, the world continues to spin around her. As she lies by Abdelus’ massive feet, his aura sucks out her energy, leaving her immobilised.

A flash of blue light suddenly engulfs the once heavenly realm. The light nearly blinds the young princess’ already distorted vision. The light is carved into two shapes, hovering over her. Their serpentine shapes glide around in circles, tracing around Abdelus. With a mighty roar, they collide into Abdelus’ body, exploding into a wave of blue.

A shadow slowly travels along the burning forest floor. Another massively tall figure emerges in the chaos. A large pair of magenta eyes set on Abdelus, engraved in blue skin. Finally clearing up her vision, the young princess recognizes it as Zassul. His true form has been forced out of him.

The aura emanating off of him explodes into a wave of fury that sends Abdelus flying through the air and colliding into the other side of the wood. Blinded with rage, Zassul sends himself crashing into him and they sprawl along the forest floor.

The young princess manages to make it to her feet. She sturdies herself on trembling legs, the world still moving in her stationed position.

Blue flashes before her eyes and Ethereal appears beside her. “You need to stop the both of them. Zassul is in a blind rage. He is going to do something he’ll regret if you allow this to continue. He will destroy everything in his path. You’re the only one who can end this. I am all knowing, not all powerful. I cannot assist you in this.”

The young princess takes a swift breath in. She’s too close to give in now. The only threat left is Abdelus. She just needs to find that power within again.

“Okay, I’ll do it.” She says more to herself than Ethereal. The power she felt back in the Oblivion came to her after she met her grandmother. She doesn’t feel it anymore. She knows it’s still in her, but she needs to figure out how to awaken it again.

The heavy dust cloud stirred up by Zassul and Abdelus turns their figures into dark silhouettes. Loud crashes that are followed by a heavy shockwave come from them as they strike at each other with large pitchforks that are made of their own magic. Red and purple clash together, creating clouds of spark that burn to the touch.

The young princess fights through her aching body and makes her way to them. She tries to keep a safe distance, the shockwaves from their weapons colliding with each other nearly knock her off of her feet.

“Zassul!” She cries out to him. She tries again, worrying that her cries are clouded out by their duel.

“Stay out of this!” Zassul orders her as he strikes at Abdelus again.

“Damn it! Stop!” The young princess refuses to back down. She conjures a ball of blue electricity and slams it into Zassul’s face. He stumbles backward, barely evading the sharp tips of Abdelus’ weapon.

“What the hell are you doing!? I told you to stay out of this!”

Purple flashes before the young princess’ eyes. Heavy waves of electricity overtakes her body, throwing her to the ground. The ground continues to shake under her as the fight continues.

Darkness surrounds the young princess once more. She’s conscious enough to hear Ethereal calling to her, but she can’t seem to get herself to move. Once again, she’s left helpless.

“You can do this.” A familiar voice speaks to her. Samawi appears in the darkness. “I believe in you.”

The young princess clenches her fists tightly. She vowed to herself a long time ago that she would never give up. Her heart begins to increase its rate, pumping energy into her veins. She finds her strength again and rises to her feet. Blue flames engulf her body as she makes her way to the battlefield. Abdelus seems to flinch away from the sight of her, giving Zassul the chance to pierce through her skin. Blood paints the forest floor, creating a massive pool of crimson that pollutes the heavy streams of water.

The blue flames from the young princess begin to engulf Abdelus’ body, turning him into ash. Zassul pulls away his weapon and glares at the young princess who now stands almost as tall as him. Still blinded by rage, he begins to turn on her.

“Why did you do that!? I was going to deal with him myself!”

The young princess takes a deep breath and speaks to him calmly. “Zassul, it’s over. I need you to come back to me. There’s no reason to be angry anymore.”

The young princess feels his aura creep along her skin. It’s still hostile. She holds her ground and allows her blue flames to engulf his body. But instead of destroying him, they purify his form, forcing him back into his mortal state.

The young princess returns to her normal, human form. She stands before Zassul’s unconscious figure. A sigh of relief escapes her. She still can’t believe she was the one who struck the final blow. Before she was just cowering behind everyone, needing to be protected.

Ethereal appears before her. “Well done.” She happily praises her. But she notices the young princess is still troubled.

“It feels so strange. It’s been a month. Now that it’s over, I don’t know what to do next.”

Ethereal shakes her head. “Yes, you do.”

The young princess sits on the side of the bed in the bedroom she was given in Ethereal’s layer. Zassul lies in it, still unconscious. She wonders to herself how long it has been since Abdelus has been destroyed. It was only an hour ago, and yet, it feels like he will come back again. But all traces of him are gone.

She slowly rises from her bed. There is one last thing she needs to do. She steps out of the bedroom and down the short hall that leads into the main room of Ethereal’s house. Through another door, she sees her parents. Her mother continues to cry on her father’s shoulder, the two of them waiting to hear from their daughter.

The young princess slowly approaches them, the clacks of her shoes catching their attention. “Abdelus is dead.” She informs them. “We are all free. You can return home now.”

“You’re coming as well, right?” Her mother asks.

“No. I will remain here.” After everything that has happened, she can’t just leave Zassul. And she won’t leave Ethereal to rebuild her home by herself.

“But…!” The young princess’ father speaks in shock, but is cut off by his wife.

“We understand.” Eyes swollen and red from sobbing, Malika holds back her tears. “You were right. He saved your life. If it weren’t for him, we all wouldn’t be here now. You clearly love him. And we just want what’s best for you.”

“I…” The young princess is lost for words. She has always wanted to hear that from her parents. She smiles in relief. “Thank you.”

Her father sighs in defeat and nods. “We’re sorry, for everything. We know you’ll be happier with us out of your hair.”

“Who says I’ll never see you again? You’ll still see me all the time.” The young princess knows this. She won’t ever leave her parents.

She leaves the rest to Ethereal and allows her to take her parents back home. Now all that is left is for Zassul to wake up.

The young princess returns to the bedroom. Zassul sits at the edge of the bed, deep in thought. She approaches his troubled state and runs her fingers through his black hair.

“How are your parents?” He asks her.

She smiles happily at him. “It’s just you and me now.”

“So they’re okay with it?”

“Yes, they are.”

Zassul pauses for a moment before continuing. He can’t seem to smile like the young princess can. There’s still something he has to get off his chest. “I’m sorry. I should have never gotten carried away.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have.” The young princess says this bluntly to him. But she forgave him a while ago. “Abdelus was a terrible monster. He was the true devil. It’s okay. I forgive you.”

“I love you.”

The young princess is overwhelmed by butterflies in her stomach. “I love you too.” She kisses him on the cheek.

Free at last. She doesn’t know what comes next, but she does know that the Demon World is sealed off from the Human World once again. The only thing left now is to restore what was lost. She’ll start with Ethereal’s layer and then move on to Saraia. They’re in need of a new ruler now that the royal family has been lost. After that, she’ll go back and help her kingdom. And she knows she won’t be alone. Zassul will be with her until death does them apart.

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