The Radiants

Anger began to dominate Kiora to the head. She couldn't stop herself from expending her power and executing the man in front of him. Her breath began to pant along with her emotions which started to peak. The radius of the radiation emitted by her body got larger, indicating that the power she would release would be even greater.

Kiora pulled her hand from King Nata's neck, then pushed the king's chest. Even without great strength, King Nata was thrown very hard and far away!

Brakk!!!

King Nata's body hit the farthest wall and shattered it. And... Brukk!!! His helpless body fell to the floor. The power emitted by Kiora seemed to be able to put anything near her in danger and easily take anyone's life.

"Burry his body in a nearby graveyard! And don't forget to name it so that everyone will know that their King has died!" Kiora ordered while trying to calm her breathing.

"Y-yes, Queen," answered several members of her army stuttering, still in disbelief about what their Leader did to the King of Samsara.

Even though the Gora Army should have been happy that they had succeeded in controlling the Land of Samsara, which had long been their goal, but fear and horror still overtook them after what they had witnessed. They immediately approached the body of King Nata and did as ordered.

Kiora didn't take her eyes off what her soldiers were doing, instead she looked at General Zhor.

"You shouldn't have stopped swinging your sword so this doesn't have to happen," Kiora said in half-angry.

"Please forgive me, Leader!" General Zhor hastily lowered his head before Kiora to ask for her forgiveness. He was used to Kiora's dictatorship and the woman's constant desire for respect.

Kiora didn't respond to General Zhor's apology and instead turned her attention to a soldier that was coming toward her.

"This is the crown, Leader," said the man while handing the crown that was worn by King Nata before to Kiora.

Kiora accepted it and finally a smile appeared on her face as she stared at the crown in admiration. The crown was not too big, of the right size, made of silver and adorned with various clear and shimmering diamonds.

"Fortunately you're not made of gold," Kiora said quietly while smiling and looking at the crown. Of course there was a reason why she was grateful that the crown was not made of gold.

She immediately put the crown on her own head and immediately sat proudly on the throne where the leader of the Land of Samsara was enthroned. She looked around the large room, seeing one by one the dozens of soldiers who were looking at her as the center of their attention.

"Look! Our struggles have not been in vain! From now on... District Gora will take over and rule the Land of Samsara! And I... will become Queen Kiora of Samsara!" Kiora exclaimed with full of confidence and a smile that never stopped growing on her face.

"Long live then Queen! Long live the Queen! Long live the Queen!" Gora's Army shouted as they threw their fists in the air, cheering on the new leader and government of Samsara. The shout was also a sign that they were celebrating happily the takeover of the country by Gora.

Kiora smiled at the sight in front of her and realized that her big ambition had finally come true. She began to imagine what things she would do to change Samsara. Yes, she would change Samsara in every way she wanted...

***

A 10 year-old girl walked up to two adults who were sitting around a small dining table. There were two burning candles on the table and four cans of instant food. The little girl gave a can opener she took from the kitchen to a grown man sitting there.

"Thank you, Clara," said the man in his 40s.

The all-black clothes they wore looked shabby even though they still looked good. Understandably, in such post-apocalyptic conditions, clothing is certainly not the most important need. Food and water will be the most sought after necessities among the survivors.

In line with their shabby clothes, the house they lived in no longer looked intact. The house that had once stood firmly, looked like a tattered building with some patches on the walls and roof, partially collapsing. The other survivors lived in more or less the same kind of building, even more lived in a tent because there weren't many buildings left.

"Where's Jillian?" asked the woman, who was sitting opposite of the man.

"Looks like she's still in the back," replied the little girl named Clara innocently.

"Call her. We'll be having dinner soon," the man asked with a smile.

"All right," answered Clara.

Clara walked towards the back of the house where most of the light came from the candles and moonlight. Her little footsteps seemed very excited to pick up Jillian, her adopted sister, at the back of the house.

In the house lived John and his girlfriend, Maggy, and two girls they considered as their own children. Even without blood ties, they were already like a family. Most of the survivors had new families even without any blood ties.

Behind the house, Jillian was sitting on the ground looking up at the sky full of stars. There was a slight smile on the face of the short shoulder-length platinum blonde haired girl. Her ocean blue irises looked even more beautiful when she looked up at the stars.

"It's beautiful," said the 18-year-old girl at the sight before her eyes. As a girl who tended to be introverted, she prefered to be indoors and enjoy her own time. The beautiful natural scenery was able to make her heart healed.

"Jillian!" called Clara who had just come out of the open back door. Jillian turned her head to her adopted sister. "Let's eat! John and Maggy are ready."

"All right," Jillian answered while rising to her feet. She put her arm around her adopted sister's shoulders and walked together towards the dining table. She really loved Clara and Clara was vice versa. Even though they had only been together for two years, their bond was already very strong.

"Jillian, let's eat!" asked John pleasantly.

"Yes," Jillian answered with a smile and sat down on the chair next to Clara.

"What are you doing back there alone?" asked Maggy.

"Nothing. Just looking at the stars," Jillian answered simply, keeping a smile on her face. She is indeed a girl who doesn't talk much.

"Alright. Let's pray before we eat," said John. "Who will lead the prayer tonight?"

"I'll do it," Jillian answered without hesitation.

"Alright. I know that this clever and brave girl will always volunteer herself first," said John.

After witnessing the horrors of the Earth's apocalypse two years ago and the fierce competition between the survivors, Jillian had become a girl who was increasingly brave and didn't leave her essence as a smart girl. John and Maggy often felt proud and grateful to have an adopted child like Jillian.

"I want to be like Jillian later when I grow up," said Clara innocently, not wanting to lose to her sister.

"You will. You're a brave little girl, " Maggy said.

Jillian smiled looking at Clara. She could feel Clara's happiness who lived with her adoptive parents and sister that loved her since her childhood. Very far different from Jillian's childhood, which she spent in an orphanage, without the love of her parents.

"Whatever your situation, we will still love you." John smiled as he looked at Clara and Jillian. His smile was sincere, indicating that his words were indeed honest.

Jillian smiled back at John and Maggy. She was very grateful because the big disaster she went through actually brought her to a new family who loved her very much, something she never got in her past.

"But...." Clara pouted, then continued, "...there is a thing about Jillian that I will never be able to have."

John and Maggy looked surprised by the little girl's answer. "What's that?" asked John.

"Jillian's incredible power," answer Clara innocently.

The smile that had been plastered on Jillian's face slowly disappeared. She looked at John and Maggy who had also lost their smiles. The power that Clara mentioned earlier didn't seem to be a blessing and luck that the family had. It felt even more like something they had to hide from others.

Jillian turned her gaze to Clara, intending to fake a smile so her sister wouldn't feel sad. After a moment, she turned her eyes forward, starting to realize again why she and her family were hiding in the farthest corner of the Gora District. Her eyes stared blankly, and suddenly a blue light flashed in her eyes.

***

"I promise, I won't rebel. Don't hurt me! I beg you!" whined a girl dressed in gray whose hands were tightly held by two men dressed in armor made of gold, from head to toe.

Kiora chuckled then smiled crookedly in front of the girl. "I don't want to take risks. No one else can have the same power as me. I have to finish off the other Radiants." Kiora said casually while playing with her nails. "The Radiants" is a term for those possessing extraordinary powers like Kiora.

"If you don't let me go, I will fight you right now with my power!" threatened the girl.

"Try it... if you can," said Kiora lightly. There was no slightest look of uneasiness on her face, as if what the girl said was an impossible thing to do.

The girl seemed to be getting angry and her eyes flashed a green light. She tried to use all the strength she had to fight the two gold-armored Gora soldiers who held her. But no matter how much strength she put out, her power never appeared.

"Why do you stay still, Elle? You said you were going to fight me!" Kiora mocked.

With a mocking smile, she walked closer to the girl who was starting to look scared, then brought her face close to hers and looked at her with evil eyes.

"Don't you know, there's something here that makes you weak?" asked Kiora. The girl was silent because she didn't know the answer.

"Wow, apparently you really don't know, huh? It turns out that besides being strong, you also have to be smart." Kiora held the girl's chin tightly. "Too bad you're not smart," she sneered again, pushing her chin to the side.

Kiora walked away from the girl then stopped walking and said, "The world doesn't seem to need someone like you. After all, your king is dead. Nata District will no longer be of any use. Anyway, I want to tell you one thing before you die. The thing that can actually make you weak is...." She smirked before finally continuing, "…gold!"

The girl looked taken aback, very surprised. It had been very difficult to bring out her power because two gold-armored soldiers held her hands. It turned out that her extraordinary power would lose to gold. What made things worse was that a girl as evil as Kiora had learned of her own weakness and became the supreme leader of the Land of Samsara.

"Quickly kill her with your golden swords! We still have to find the rest of The Radiants." Kiora smiled crookedly with her evil eyes.

"No! I'm sorry, Meghan! I've been so mean to you in the past. I beg for your mercy! I could be your slave or whatever, but please don't hurt me!" The girl whined as she desperately tried to free her hands of the golden-armored soldiers, known as the Golden Army. Perhaps by apologizing for her previous mistakes when she and Kiora were still friends could make Kiora's heart melt.

Kiora turned around and looked at the girl named Elle with a straight face. It seemed that she was not at all pleased with the words that came out of Elle's mouth.

"You thought it would be that easy for me to forgive you? Don't you remember what you did to me back then?" asked Kiora angrily. "Oh yes. And one more thing... my name is no longer Meghan. I am Kiora, the Queen of Samsara. And I... will kill all the other Radiants in this land!" said Kiora with her big smile while pointing the crown on her head, aimed to showing it off.

Elle was silent after hearing the words that came out of Kiora's mouth. Besides feeling resigned to Kiora's determination, she could clearly imagine whom Kiora meant by "the other Radiants" because they knew each other before.

"Quickly finish her!" Kiora gave the order then walked away from her former friend.