5 CHAPTER FOUR

The shadow creatures wreaked havoc in Swan Castle. Warriors defended the helpless people, and even the noble men and women were brave enough to help in fighting the dark creatures.

Harley: "Somehow, I think they aren't on the guest list."

Lesley: "What are they?!"

Gusion: "Abyssal Demons! They're part of the evil army of the Abyss Ruler!"

Guinevere: "Brother, Odette and Lunox have been cornered by Thamuz!"

Lancelot: "Odette! I'm coming!"

Gusion: "Okay, it's up to us now! Break the limits!"

Guinevere: "Dance for me!"

Harley: "Hiyya!"

Lesley: "One shot, one kill."

Lancelot ran to us as fast as he could as he wielded his sword slaying the shadow creatures on his way. Odette held off Thamuz as much as she could, summoning swans to fight the fiery monster. But no damage would the monster take. And I could tell that Odete is running out of strength. "What's the matter Swan Princess? Out of swans to summon?"

"Stay away from her, Thamuz!"

"Get away from them!" Belerick casted vines towards Thamuz and immobilized him for a second. "Odette you can't let him near Lunox! Hurry, you have to get Lunox out of here, now!"

Odette pulled me on my wrist and we again ran. I saw many noble warriors on our way fight as much as they could with their whole strengths. But the Abyssal demons kept on coming and coming. At that time, we were outnumbered. And I could see our people losing might as the fought further.

If only I had the power to help defeat the monsters., if only I could fulfill their prophecy. But I think that this only proves that I really am nothing. I cannot do anything to help save the innocent!

"Faster Lunox! We can't afford to – ugh!"

"No, Odette!" a blood orb hit Odette and she fell on the ground. Then a strong blow of the wind pushed me and I hit the floor, a woman with big crimson wings landed in front of us.

"Watch your back." Said the woman holding an evil grin on her face and conjuring a blood orb on her hands. "So you are the prophesied one, huh? I am not convinced. The prophesied one, must possess the Twilight Orb. But by the looks of you, you don't."

Alice walked back and forth with her eyes nailed on me. "Oh, let's put it this way. Why don't you come and join our side? You wear the very color of darkness after all."

"What?"

"Oh, dear, the darkness can also be a friend--Ugh! How dare you!?" A Swan attacked Alice from behind causing her to lose attention to me.

"Get away from her, Alice! You will never take her!"

"Ooh! And what are you gonna do, Swan Princess? Sing for me?"

"As a matter of fact," Odette stood up, shivering of hurt, and said, "I will. To stop you." Then she waved her scepter and gathered energy into it, and floated mid-air as she released a powerful song. "Swan!"

Odette's Swan song dealt continuous damage that it hurt Alice so much she casted a counter-attack. "How dare you! You twit!" Alice entered some kind of blood-sucking state and somehow she is healing herself while hurting Odette. The look on Odette's face seemed that she can hardly hold on any longer. I have never felt more useless. There, I watched the woman who had been my friend and other warriors, who believed that I will save the Land of Dawn from despair, get severely hurt trying to defend the land that they love and save me, whom they believed to be their savior. I couldn't do anything to help them! What kind of a prophesied one am I!?

"Odette! I'll save you!" Lancelot, despite being exhausted in the fighting the numerous shadow creatures, came in a split second and attacked Alice with the might of his sword. "Shadowpower Execute!"

Alice was knocked back, and Odette was severely weakened as her song ended. The injured Lancelot was just on time to catch the falling Odette. "Odette, please be okay, love. Please, I'm right here."

"I-I'm alright, Lance."

"You insolent fools!" Alice casted a blood stream towards Lancelot, which took away all of his remaining strength. "The Abyssal Ruler shall have the power of the Twilight Orb! And the Abyss shall rule all of Land of Dawn! Helcurt! Thamuz! Argus!" then three other identities appeared around us with their eyes laid on me. I froze, I was frightened. I couldn't do anything. I'm nothing, I'm useless. "Take Lunox with you!"

"No you won't -- !" Odette stood up and spent her remaining strength to stop Alice, but she was strangled by the demon's right hand, making her unable to breathe.

"No, p-please let go of her." Pleaded Lancelot who could barely get up at the time.

"In your dreams, handsome." Alice looked straight into Odette's eyes as she was holding her on the neck. "You could be useful to us. Why don't we take you with. Gentlemen, take that woman and the prophesied one! Now!" Alice handed Odette to Argus, then tied her up with his dark weakening claw-chains.

"No! Odette!" Screamed Lancelot but lost his consciousness when Thamuz tossed his scythe on him. My tears were welling up my eyes, I was afraid and I was petrified, kept thinking I could never do anything. I've spent oh so many nights thinking about myself and the prophecy, but I had not gained anything useful at times like this. I'm a piece of trash.

Thamuz and Helcurt were about to take hold of me, Belerick moved in their way to stop them but Helcurt stabbed him with his sharp claws. "Don't touch her--!" Belerick fell down to the ground, and I have never been more hurt inside. A flash of memory appeared in my mind, as if this event had happened before, I just couldn't remember. My tears fell one by one, and I screamed out of grief that I'm about to lose everything, and that a precious friend of mine is hurt and bound to taken away. And then something unexpected happened, the Twilight Orb inside me appeared and opened and released two energy forces which surrounded me soon after.

"The Twilight Orb!" gasped Alice, who couldn't believe that the Twilight Orb had been within me. "She is the prophesied one! Take her now!"

Thamuz and Helcurt, wearing their evil grins, were about to take me when the darker energy force glowed, and, "NOOOOOOOO!!!!" for some reason, I unleashed a very chaotic power and ruined everything without limits. All shadow creatures were defeated, hit by the destructive force I've casted, and I severely excruciated the four evil ones.

"Ugh! Such great power! Too strong to handle!" Screamed Thamuz as he stood up from the ground and as well did Helcurt.

"Thamuz, Helcurt, Argus! We must leave now! The army, it's gone!" exclaimed Alice who was feeling fear as written all over her face. "This is not the last, Lunox. We shall see each other again, and we will take you with us then!"

"Wait! Odette! Nooooooo!" The four of them swiftly went away, taking Odette with them. No, they've taken the Princess. What can I do? I'm too shocked to move.

"Brother!!!" Guinevere and the others, including the King and Queen Regina, came running to us. Guinevere went straight to her unconscious brother, whom Gusion afterwards took, together with Harley and Lesley who carried Belerick, to the Castle's infirmary. "Where's Princess Odette?" she asked. I, who can't believe what had happened, had blank eyes and felt so awful. I caused all of this. I was the root of all these mess. I felt extreme guilt that I couldn't move.

"Lunox, where is she?" the King asked me.

"She… she…" I started to weep, and sob for the worse part. "They took her."

"Who took her? Who?!" The Queen asked me crying.

"The Abyssal Warriors." I replied in the middle of blubbing. The King, Queen, and Guinevere wept as well.

"No! My daughter!" the Queen sorrowfully cried. It's my fault, it was all my fault. If it weren't for me being here, this would never have happened. Now, I lost a friend, and I could never forgive myself.

***

"I'm glad that you're alright, Belerick. I thought I lost you."

"Nah. Don't mention it, I can take more damage than you think." I am so glad that Belerick wasn't too harmed by Helcurt's sneak attack. I visited him in the infirmary the next morning after the assault. To my surprise, Belerick recovered so quickly after taking quite a strong hit. "I will never leave you, you're my friend."

When he said that, I couldn't help myself but to give him a warm hug. I was still traumatized by the events the past night. I never needed a friend more than that time. We lost someone precious to us, the Swan Princess. And I kept bringing myself into account of what happened. After all, none of those things had happened if I wasn't the prophesied one.

"Belerick, it's my fault. All of it." I began to weep. "We lost Odette, because of me."

"No, no. Don't bring the fault to yourself."

"I mean who else could be the root of all this? It's me. If I did not have the Twilight Orb, or if I wasn't the prophesied one, they wouldn't attack. Odette would never have been abducted."

"Don't be guilty, none if it was your fault. It's theirs for wanting to abuse the power of the Twilight Orb. So stop crying already, okay?"

"I know, but I can't help thinking that it was supposed to be me they took. Not the Princess. And now we don't even know where she is."

"Stop worrying about it too much. It would be bad for you. The King and Queen sent their mightiest warriors to search for her just after the attack. I'm sure they would bring us good news when they return."

"Okay." I sniffed and put on the brightest smile I could ever wear. But smiling did not cover the guilt I was feeling. I still remember the look on Odette's face as she was taken away, her eyes were telling me something that time. I just couldn't figure it out.

"U-ugh, Odette! Odette!" Lancelot finally woke up, at the sound of his voice, we immediately went to him to see how he was doing.

"Lancelot! Thank goodness you're awake." Belerick told Lancelot, worried and grateful that he regained his consciousness.

"Wha-what happened? Did we defeat the dark army? Where's Odette?" The bother was visible on his tired and exhausted face, and the damage he took weakened him so much. He kept turning look from me and Belerick, and I, for that matter, didn't know what to say.

"Lancelot, yes. We defeated the dark army, Lunox did." Belerick voiced out a reply, and Lancelot looke to me and smiled.

"I knew it, you truly are the prophesied one. Thank you for saving us."

"Well, uh, you-you're welcome, I think." Honestly, I didn't know how I would face Lancelot after what had happened to Odette. It kept bothering me, the thought of him hating me, for saving all of them but not the one he loved, and the one who took care of me.

"Oh yes, where is Odette? I hope she's okay after all that fighting."

"About that, Lance? Uhm." I couldn't speak, I didn't know which words to say and how I would let him know that Odette had been taken away. I'm afraid that Lancelot would hate me forever. Even though, I have not known him for so long, when he hates me, or if anyone hated me, it would be very awful.

"Yes, Lunox? What is it?"

"You see, O-Odette was…"

"Brother!" Guinevere and their parents came in running, along with Gusion. Guinevere directly sat on her brother's recliner and hugged him. "Oh, brother! I'm glad you're awake! I was so worried."

Lancelot gave a her a pat on the head. "It's okay now little sister. I'm alright."

"I'm glad to see you in good shape, bro." Gusion said to Lancelot.

"Kinda." Lance smile at Gusion. "You gave a good fight last night. I'm proud of you, little sis."

"I told you my powers are getting stronger, thanks to Gusion."

"I see. Hey, Gusion?" Gusion looked a Lancelot by the sound of his name. "Promise me one thing."

"What is it?" Gusion replied.

"Look after my sister, kay? She might act all tough and bossy, but she's still a vulnerable little girl inside." Gusion laughed and replied, "I will, bro."

"Brother!" Lancelot laughed kidding his sister around, together with Gusion. Their parents asked his condition and he said he was fine. Oh, I hope so after he learns that Odette has been abducted.

"Wait, where are you going, brother?" Guinevere asked in shock of his brother trying to get up.

"I'm going to see Odette, see how she's doing."

"Wait, bro. Just hold on a sec." Gusion interrupted Lancelot from getting up. "Don't move too often, you're still weak."

"Gusion is right, brother. You still have to rest, one day at least."

"But I have to see her now. I must assure her safety." Lancelot kept on forcing himself to go and see Odette, but then I suddenly spoke without me even realizing it.

"Wait! About Odette." I said, and all the others looked at me. "There's something I must tell you Lancelot."

"Yes, what is it, Lunox?" Lancelot waited for my reply. I had it in myself, the answer, and I had my decision to tell him everything. No matter what the consequence of this may be, I'm going to accept it. I just want to tell the truth. But the words just did not come right out of my mouth.

"Odette… s-she's… she's been--"

"She's recovering brother." I was about to tell him the truth when Guinevere interrupted. "She's up in her room. Resting. As you should to, brother. For the meantime, let's take you home. Okay?"

"But sister--"

"No buts. Do you want to taste my thumps and magic superpower, again? Hmm?" Guinevere warned his brother in joking manner. Lancelot, for that matter, looked scared. At that point, I thought it was her brother whom Guinevere practiced her powers on. Poor, Lancelot. But kidding aside, why did Guinevere not tell him the truth?

"Oh, no please. Never again. Okay, I'll do what you want, sister. I'll go home. But I must return here at dawn, tomorrow."

"Very well, agreed." Replied Guinevere. Mr. and Mrs. Baroque ordered their servants who were with them to assist Lancelot and carry him into their carriage. Lancelot waved us goodbye and said that he shall see us the next morning. Then Mr. and Mrs. Baroque said their farewell to us, too, then left afterwards. Guinevere and Gusion were left in there with us.

"Why didn't you tell him the truth?" I asked Guinevere as she approached me and Belerick.

"I'm sorry. I just don't want my brother to worry so much, especially in his condition. And I don't want him to lose his temper, again."

"Why? What's wrong with his temper?" Belerick asked Guin.

"It's a long story. But that was way before he met the Princess. He was so arrogant back then, but through the Princess, he has changed into a noble man and a sweet lover. I just don't know how he'll act when he learns that his love has been taken away by the abyss. I'm afraid he'll return to his selfish ways and make decisions that would harm himself and others." Guinevere replied in a sad manner, and Gusion wrapped his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. "I really hated that chapter of his life, it was not like the brother I have known when we were kids."

"I understand." Out of the blue, I said those words. Even though I did not fully understand the whole story, I know, that telling him the truth would cause bad events. I wouldn't want that to happen. Well, I guess, right now, all we have to do is wait. But I just couldn't stop worrying about the Princess. I wonder how she's doing in the Shadow Abyss, or wherever they have taken her. I hope she's okay, and hopefully nothing bad has been done to her.