The King's Beloved

[Music Recommendation: "Shrine" - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild OST - available in Spotify or Youtube]

"We're finally here," Elliot said as he looked at the Shrine of Ventus from above. "Everyone, take your position. Let's do this!"

As they planned, Eres and Bruma took care of the monsters outside the shrine, Fauna, Amare inside, and the rest to the innermost place where Ventus' green crystal obelisk stood. A Dark Pegasus was their opponent this time—with huge dark wings and a shiny black body of a horse. Dark wind was its hoofs and hair. An evil glow filled its dark golden eyes.

The Dark Pegasus was the strongest and fastest monster they fought yet. Because of that, the time they battled with it was doubled than usual. In fact, if it weren't for "that," the fight wouldn't have ended.

The same thing happened to Clavis' team.

After resting, they set forth to their last shrine—the Shrine of Bruma located on the icy continent below Bronte's. Clavis decided on Caligo and Ventus to clean the outside of the shrine, Terra, and Saburra inside, and the rest of them at the innermost place where Bruma's ice blue crystal obelisk stood. The boss monster this time was a Dark Spirit Fox, with its nine tails and black fur.

The Dark Spirit Fox proved way worse as an enemy than the rest they encountered so far. Each of its nine tails released highly concentrated magic in just a snap. They had to be fast enough to evade, or else they'd be dead for sure! Not even healing magic of barriers would work on such immense magic. 

Their battle had just started, and they had already found themselves exhausted. Even Ducis, the strongest of them, had a hard time keeping up with the monster. In fact, when the Dark Spirit Fox combined the powers from its nine tails, she released an attack that almost killed them! If not for "that"…

Yes… "that"…

That darkness that suddenly latched unto them like a tentacle and strangled them by the neck!

It came from above… from the highest of the skies.

The clouds obstructed their view, so they weren't sure where it came from but then…

"Ha-ha-ha."

A soft chuckle of a woman echoed in their ears.

She was laughing, but everyone felt great dread over their whole body.

Their eyes opened wide in shock, all staring at the dark clouds.

From head to foot, every fiber of their being shivered.

It wasn't because it was cold—it's because their whole being knew who that voice belonged to.

They didn't need to meet her personally to know.

"T-That's… Vindicta."

Alas, the dark tentacles killed both the Dark Pegasus and the Dark Spirit Fox in just a snap. Their whole body turned into black sparkles that went up and gathered towards the sky. Not only them, but all the monsters around them turned into dust.

It was as if their lives that were borrowed only for a moment were finally returning to their rightful owner.

Oh, how terribly doomed they were—Elliot, Rania, Luna, Ducis, Clavis, Selena, Illuminaire, all the Guardians, and all the Magi left in Gaia.

If they already experienced great trouble defeating the boss monsters in the shrines, how much more of the one who gave them life?

And now that all those spiritual energies came back to her, how in the world would they manage to defeat such an enemy?

The answer was clear…

Too clear that their faces couldn't even paint the great terror they were experiencing.

To even try to fight her would be mere suicide.

She could literally kill them in a mere lift of a finger.

Everyone could feel it—the immeasurable power gathering into one place…

Towards the Continent of Amare!

It only took a few minutes for Vindicta to gather all the energy from the monsters her miasma touched. Yet those few minutes felt like an eternity to everyone. Their hearts grew faint, and their spirit crushed to the extreme.

After that, the cloud cleared up towards the floating continent of Amare, located at the highest peak, even higher than the continent of Ventus.

With nothing to obscure their view, alas, everyone caught sight of her.

Their dreaded enemy, their great terror, and their impending death…

  Hatred was her name.

Hatred that took its form.

Hatred that sought to destroy the world and everything in it.

"It's been a while… Guardians," she said. "You should see the look on your faces. It's very amusing."

All the Guardians flinched on her call. 

Not only them, but every Magi in Gaia could also hear her voice.

It wasn't a shout or anything, but her voice reverberated everywhere as if traveling with the wind. Along with it was the horrible danger and ominous presence of Death.

"Oh my. It seems like you can't even utter a word of reply to me. What a pity. But no matter. I completely understand the horror you are going through right now."

Her tone was confident and malicious to the highest degree.

"For you all, seeing me is like seeing death. Yes, there's no other way to describe it. And people, even Guardians, are terrified by death. Even those who claim they're not afraid of it when reality like this sinks in… their hearts beat louder… their bodies tremble… and their minds think of a lot of things to the point their faces grow pale."

Indeed, it was the exact same thing everyone was experiencing.

"Go on," she continued. "Wallow in despair more. I want to see it. I want to savor more of this exhilarating feeling. All your fear is making me feel more alive."

They could only grit their teeth and clench their fists in retaliation. But their bodies… it wouldn't follow their minds. Truthfully, fear took hold of them, paralyzing them at their feet.

As great fear covered the whole planet and sent turmoil to everyone's hearts, Rania felt quite the contrary.

You see, instead of sorrow or terror or anything alike, she felt… peace.

She alone was unaffected by the misery that swallowed everyone whole.

She trembled at first, yes, but then a warm presence covered her.

In her mind, she thought…

"Everything is happening like how the Supreme showed it to me.

In that case, EVERYTHING will happen like how He planned it to be.

Gaia WILL be saved and everyone in it.

Gaia WILL recover and return to its former glory.

As the Supreme willed, this too shall pass."

And that warm presence was none other than… her faith.

If Vindicta's power was immeasurable, for Rania, it was her faith.

No one could break it. 

Not even Death.

And so, with a calm, unshaken voice, she replied to Vindicta. 

Her voice echoed for everyone to hear.

"Vindicta," Rania called her. "Indeed, you are strong. Very strong and powerful that none of us might be able to match you."

Along with her voice, a warm sensation started to spread throughout Gaia.

"We might be weak compared to you, but our God is stronger. He has delivered this battle into our hands. He has decided this long before the day you have awakened and much longer than the day you were born. He has written it in the prophecies of old."

At these words, everyone was reminded of the prophecies told by generations of Oracles. And indeed, they were written hundreds and thousands of years ago! 

A little light of hope shone in their hearts.

"The Most High has spoken.. This battle is ours. We will win and restore Gaia to what it once was!"

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