Chapter 30

Their bodies vibrated with love and happiness as they sat together on the horse Revina had followed Malin with. Leaning behind Malin, she wrapped her arms onto his belly, her breasts had pressed on his back. The clouded sky had reduced the intensity of the sun as a strong blowing wind howled it's way past their ears, swaying her tall hairs in the air, the trees dancing as they rode towards the palace. The horse rode slowly, being in no hurry to reach the palace. For Malin, feeling her breathe next to his ears and neck was the most beautiful feeling ever. All he could hope for was that fate would agree with their desire and when all the problems were over, they get the chance to experience forever, together.

The paths that led to the palace were blessed with a beautiful tranquil atmosphere with trees and flowers all over. Outside the urbanness of the city, the greenness that resided in the outskirts of the city was breathtaking, a picturesque. Revina looked at Malin as he directed the horse, smiling with him lovingly as her hair brushed his face, satisfied that he was with her. She had almost killed herself believing he had betrayed her. She would be forever grateful to the empress for saving both of them. Had she not known, she could have taken her life and Malin could have been devastated. But now, she was prepared to do anything to make him happy, to make him smile. He looked more handsome when he smiled and she loved him.

The howling wind intensified, becoming stronger and stronger. The trees swayed even more, almost bending to the ground as little whirlwinds began to pick. The horse stopped, cried and then lifted it's two front feet into the air. Malin and Revina dismounted and stood a few feet from the horse, looking frightened. Then the wind calmed, stilled and the trees straightened. The horse moved forward as if to flee from them but before it could go further, it stopped and headed back to them like it had forgotten something important. It was then that they saw him, standing in front of them with his arms crossed on his chest, Nicadeaus was looking at them with eyes of horror. He wasn't as scary as the last time of their encounter but he was deadly in his gaze all the same.

Malin, after recovering from the shock of seeing Nicadeaus in Dalawa empire for he had thought their paths would never cross again, moved forward with Revina behind him. The horse stood in the middle, separating them as if arbitrating for peace. Revina held Malin's left arm, holding on to it as if it contained the salvation they would need should things turn for the worse. Somehow, despite knowing what Malin was capable of, she was still terrified of Nicadeaus. She had never seen anyone so powerful and dreadful as Nicadeaus. With just a flick of a finger, he had turned Jeremy into a skeleton. He scared her more than death, even now.

"So it's true," Nicadeaus said, eyeing Malin with an eye that spoke more of hatred than his words.

"Is what true monster?" Malin asked, getting closer to Nicadeaus. He was scared of him in a manner he had never been scared of anyone but he wasn't going to let him see his fear.

"That you are here in Dalawa. Is it also true that you killed Prince Mamadu?"

"You must have taken ages to get here Nicadeaus. I don't need to answer any of your questions. I suggest you confirm with your father."

"So you have even met the Emperor then?"

"I'm sorry but you need to get out of our way. We need to get to the palace."

"That's not gonna happen kid. You may have escaped once but now you are where your escape is an impossibility. You can't challenge me and survive to tell the tale."

"I don't want to fight you. Until recently you were my father..."

"And until recently you were loyal to me. Now, your betrayal and insubordination must be put to the right punishment."

"We really don't have to do this."

"Then don't. But know this, none of you is going to tell anyone about this." Nicadeaus said as he advanced closer to Malin.

Malin pulled back and quickly put Revina on the back of the horse. Not all battles have to be fought. At times, yielding was not a sign of weakness but of strategy. He had to flee from this man. At a certain time in his life, he was his father and his father he could have remained had he not ordered the death of Revina. But that was not all. Something about Nicadeaus scared him to death. He couldn't tell what it was but deep down in his heart he felt that fighting against Nicadeaus had only one result, his loss. He had fought against Mamadu, an immortal monster and won but this seemed different. He had to flee.

But before he could climb the horse behind Revina, Nicadeaus grabbed and threw her away like one would a stone. Malin ran after her, calling her name frantically while hoping she didn't get hurt. As luck would have it, she fell on a pool of water covered by branches and leaves. She didn't get hurt but wet. He quickly grabbed her and pulled her out of the water. She was too terrified to move and the water stabbed her skin with a freezing coldness that she had to bend down and hold her body together to maximize the little heat she still had on her body. Malin grabbed her and pulled her to her feet for Nicadeaus was coming after them. He held her hand and pulled her gently and then fast as they broke into a run.

Nicadeaus rushed forward and blocked their way, standing in front of them like a rock. He dashed and punched at Malin who retreated back and pushed Revina away from him. It was clear to him that he had to fight even if he didn't want to. He didn't want Revina to be caught in between. Nicadeaus advanced again and threw another fistful punch at him and when he blocked the blow, Nicadeaus responded by blowing him away, creating a powerful wind that carried him in the air like a feather. Revina screamed and ran towards Malin who had just dropped like a bag of cement for the wind disappeared just as sudden as it appeared.

Nicadeaus grabbed Revina by her neck and thrusted her onto the bark of a tree where she hit her head and fell unconscious to the ground. Malin stood up and seeing what happened to Revina, ran towards her to rescue her. But then, Nicadeaus caught him on the neck with a powerful kick from behind that sent him to the ground on his face. Nicadeaus raised him up and blew another powerful wind from his mouth, blowing Malin away into the air again and before he could fall, Nicadeaus bent his knee and let Malin hit his chest on the bent knee. Malin felt anger instead of pain. It became clear to him that Nicadeaus was hellbent on killing him like he was going to in Palawa Kingdom. He felt a furious rage cascade through his body in pulses of his heartbeat. He felt the darkness and the redness of his anger on his lips with his tongue.

The light from his chest started shimmering slowly as he rolled on the ground while Nicadeaus watched in delight. He hit himself on a tree and the rolling stopped. The light grew brighter and brighter and his anger intensified with every ray that emanated from his chest. He rose to his feet and clenched his fingers into a fist, turned around and roared towards Nicadeaus. He caught Nicadeaus on the left jaw, sending him flying horizontally until Nicadeaus hit his back on a tree. He fell to the ground, holding on to his back as if it had been broken. Malin clasped his hands together and commanded arrows from his arms. He shot two quick arrows at Nicadeaus but the arrows slowed when they reached closer to Nicadeaus and fell to the ground before him.

Nicadeaus rose to his feet and with his rise, the wind started picking up again, gaining momentum as he fully rose to his feet. Malin stood back and stared at first. The wind was becoming stronger and stronger and he couldn't find his balance. Revina was still on the ground where she had fallen, not moving at all. Nicadeaus moved closer to him and the closer he moved, the powerful the wind became. Malin started rising, being lifted by the powerful whirlwind which was slowly and steadily becoming a tornado. Malin grabbed his chest with both his arms and pulled himself to the ground. The whirlwind was becoming too strong and from the corner of his eyes, he saw Revina floating in the air, her eyes shut and completely unaware of what was going on. He sent a lightening stroke of light through the wind and caught Nicadeaus on the chest. Nicadeaus moved back and the wind slowed.

Malin rushed to Revina before she could hit the ground and caught her into his arms. But before he could carefully place her on the ground to heal her, the whirlwind transformed into a powerful tornado and Malin became aware of Revina's absence moments later when he realized he had flown to over two hundred yards into the sky. The tornado was dark and loaded with different objects, blinding Malin temporarily as he struggled to fight off the many objects that headed his way. He closed his eyes and once again, his chest scintillating in bright light, sent arrows in the direction of Nicadeaus. But just like before, Nicadeaus slowed the arrows when they reached closer to him.

All over sudden, the strong tornado faded and the air stilled. Nicadeaus was thrown off guard by Cinderella's strong diving kick that had caught him by the chest, sending him staggering to the ground. Malin saw Revina as she descended to the ground at great speed but before he could reach to her, Cinderella grabbed her and placed her carefully on the ground. Malin descended to the ground and walked to them and with just one twist of an arm, he awoke Revina from her unconsciousness and healed her head, bringing her back to the living in a twinkle of an eye and to the surprise of Cinderella.

Revina gulped in air as if she hadn't breathed for a long time and hugged Malin, looking at Cinderella over his shoulder with both surprise and delight. She hadn't seen her for a while and despite what she had heard about her here in Dalawa, she was still her mother. She left Malin and went to her, holding her by the arm at first before embracing her tightly.

"You came for me?" Revina eventually asked Cinderella when she released her from the embrace.

"Yes my dear daughter, I came for you princess," Cinderella replied, looking at Revina's eyes with the love of a mother.

"But how did you know where to find me? When did you get in Dalawa?"

"There is a lot of things I need to explain to you my daughter but this is not the right time. We have to g..."

Nicadeaus struck Cinderella on the face with a powerful blow that sent her crushing onto the bark of a tree before falling on her bottoms into a sitting position, groaning in pain. Malin grabbed Revina and pulled her away from the path of Nicadeaus' blow that was aimed at Revina's forehead and in the process, the blow caught Malin's left ear, temporarily deafening him. With his left hand on his ear, Malin placed his right palm on his chest and radiated the light into his own body until his entire body started to glow. His ear normalized and when it did, his anger had surpassed it's normal rate. He created a shield between Nicadeaus and Revina and with his feet slightly above the ground, he spun into a circular ball, creating a small hollow path in the middle. The hollow path began to suck in air and consume the powers of Nicadeaus. The faster he spun, the weaker Nicadeaus became and the stronger Cinderella became.

realizing that Nicadeaus had greatly weakened, Malin spread his arms in the air and a sword appeared in each of his hands. He swung the sword in the air and without looking, speared them at Nicadeaus simultaneously. The swords struck Nicadeaus on each shoulder next to his neck, pinning him behind on a tree. Malin followed the arrows with a ball of lightening, striking Nicadeaus to the ground until he quieted into what Malin thought was his death. Malin ran to Revina and grabbed her into his arms, hugging her to comfort her. Revina had been more than horrified with what was going on.

"You have to come with me," Cinderella said from behind Revina who was still shaking in Malin's arms.

"What? Come with you?" Revina asked, surprised with Cinderella's commanding tone.

"We have to leave the city at once. Nicadeaus won't rest until you die. I can't let that happen."

"I'm sorry but I can't let you take her either," Malin responded, pulling Revina behind him and standing between her and Cinderella.

"Don't try to stop me young man."

"I won't try to stop you. I will stop you. Nobody takes Revina from me, nobody."

"I'm her mother you..."

"You are not my mother," Revina said, moving between Cinderella and Malin. "I know the truth. I know what you did here in Dalawa. I know how you ..."

"So you are taking his side? Have I not raised you like my daughter? What nonsense is this? Did I not carry you in my womb for nine months and give birth to you? Who told you I'm not your mother?"

"I..." Revina began but was rudely interrupted by the emergence of Pell who just landed behind Cinderella at that time. "What are you doing here you monster?" She asked Pell who showed no interest with her at all.

"Are you calling me a monster? I'm your mother Revina what's wrong with you?" Cinderella said, unaware of the presence of Pell behind her. Pell tapped her shoulder and when she looked back, she shrieked in horror as if she had just seen the devil himself.

Malin took Revina's hand and started to walk away from them. He couldn't believe Pell still had the audacity to show up to his face after what she had done to him. But he had learnt that Pell was the goddess of war and no matter how angry or mad he might have been, he couldn't fight Pell leave alone defeat her. Whatever it was that Pell had come for, Malin wanted to make sure she didn't get it. He led Revina through a path that led back to their horse, pulling her by the hand as they ran in a slow pace. Revina stopped and dragged Malin back. She wasn't going to run away without letting Pell know of what she thought of her. She pulled Malin to him and told him they had to go back and face Pell, running was the option of cowardice. The empress had also told her that Pell can only enthral one once and if Malin had recovered from her spell, she couldn't enthral him again.

But when they reached where they had left Pell and Cinderella, Nicadeaus had already awoken and his powers had doubled for the whirlwind he commanded tornadoed in seconds and this time, even Malin's lightening could not reach him. Cinderella, who had been scared to death with Pell's presence, moved towards Revina and grabbed her by the hand, trying to escape with her before they got engulfed in the tornado. Revina refused to go and decided to fight against her. But Cinderella was too strong for her and easily overpowered her. Cinderella put her on the back of a horse and before she could climb too, Malin struck the horse with a soft ball of light, sending the horse into a temporary sleep, forcing Cinderella to allow Revina alight from the horse. Malin then grabbed Cinderella and shoved her towards the oncoming tornado but Pell pulled her back before she could get lost into the tornado.

"I'm here to help you," Pell said as she readied herself to fight against Nicadeaus.

"We are not interested in your help you bitch," Revina retorted as she moved closer to Malin. "We know what you..."

"Listen kid," Pell interrupted her. "The war ahead is not an easy one and if you don't manage to keep your opinions about me to yourself, you all are going to perish."

"What are you talking about?" Malin asked.

Just then, the tornado reached them and enveloped all of them, Revina holding on to Malin to prevent her from flying away into the depths of the tornado. Pell managed to pull them away from the whirlwind. She rose high and faced Nicadeaus, trying all her best to enthral him and make him stop the tornado that was starting to affect the entire empire. She tried starting a conversation but Nicadeaus was so consumed in his rage that he couldn't utter a word to her. She tried using all her tricks but she couldn't enthral him. Seeing that she couldn't succeed in enslaving Nicadeaus, he chose to fight against him through Cinderella. She wanted to help the empire. She had caused so many havoc in this empire and now that the last test was here, she refused to carry her final order, going against the Godfather and choosing to protect the empire from the eminent destruction.

Nicadeaus rose above the tornado like a rider on a horse. He controlled the tornado with his hands and feet like one would a bicycle. When he raised an arm up, the tornado rose with it and when he pushed a feet forward, the tornado moved with it. Cinderella jumped high into the air until her height was equal to that of Nicadeaus and then she swung in the air, in the opposite direction of the tornado, reducing the strength of the whirlwind. Malin, after seeing the tornado receding, fired arrows of lightening into the tornado and at Nicadeaus with only one arrow reaching Nicadeaus.

With Cinderella rotating against the tornado, Nicadeaus strength became compromised and he began to breath heavily. Just then, when they had began to win, a hand glowing in a brighter luster than that of Malin, sparkling with flames of fire and glistening with the rays of the sun, grabbed Pell from behind and shoved her into oblivion, disappearing with her completely.

Nicadeaus had used most of his energy and he was already exhausted. It was becoming difficult to sustain the tornado and he let it go. He had almost won had Pell not arrived. But what he saw scared him too. The glowing hand that took Pell away was not normal. It scared him. What scared him even more was the resemblance between Medan and Malin. Just like his father, the Emperor, Nicadeaus saw Medan in Malin when they fought. That Malin could command such a powerful lightening just like prince Medan who was the prince of light, baffled him. He had raised Malin as his son but now it was becoming clear to him that the gods had played tricks on him.

He had to confirm his suspicions. Medan was in Medan forest, dead. He had to confirm it. It was useless fighting Malin for if he was connected to Medan, his chances of winning against him were dismal. And so, without fighting back, he descended from his tornado and calmed the air. Malin, Cinderella and Revina all retreated. The goddess had just disappeared and Cinderella had returned to her normal self, powerless against Nicadeaus. Revina was more scared after what she saw Nicadeaus do that she tried hiding herself from him behind Malin's back. Malin was himself perplexed and petrified. There was so many things that were beginning to become more confusing to him.

First, he remembered Nicadeaus from their childhood, as if they had grown up together. Then he remembered Pell as the first girlfriend Nicadeaus had back then. It was more complicated than he thought for when Pell was grabbed by the glowing hands, Malin saw the goddess of Dalawa, fighting against the Godfather. From what he saw, the goddess of Dalawa wanted Pell to help them while the Godfather didn't want Pell to help them. Then he remembered an incident where the two gods had fought, but the memory was foggy. He stood back in wait for Nicadeaus' next action and was beautifully relieved to see Nicadeaus retreat too.

For Nicadeaus, he wanted to head back to the Medan forest and confirm whether Medan was still there or not. He had to let Malin go, for now. If it was true that Medan was in deed dead, he would hunt down Malin regardless of what he transformed into. But if it was the opposite, he would find away of exiting Dalawa back to Palawa Kingdom for he feared what might happen should it occur that Medan was still alive. If he couldn't kill him then, he couldn't kill him now for royalties only die once and if the first attempt is not successful, they became immune to dark magic. They became immortal in all aspects. And with their immortality, they could be executioners of the other royals could they be convicted of any crimes.

Cinderella, after failing to win Revina and Malin's trust, disguised herself and left. She had pleaded with them to keep her identity a secret, a request which had been granted after numerous pleadings. She feared for Revina's life though. She was certain Nicadeaus would not stop hunting her and for that reason, she chose to stay close to the city where she could keep a close eye on the wicked Nicadeaus. She took heart in the fact that despite being weak, Nicadeaus couldn't kill her because they were both consumed by the same dark magic. For this reason, she was ready to defend her daughter no matter what. However, it hurt her deeply to learn that Revina no longer considered her as her mother. That Revina believed the nonsense she had been fed by the Great Wizard.

Though it was hard for her to believe for she had in deed given birth to her, Revina had shown signs that proved the Wizard's theory. If she was in deed her daughter, she couldn't have crossed the portal neither could she have survived a Nicadeaus' attack. But she couldn't believe that she could give birth to a daughter that was not hers. It was just impossible. She wished she had the same heart as Nicadeaus who could easily turn against his son and hunt his son down like an enemy. Whatever it was, Revina was her daughter and forever would be her daughter.