One Day...

"No," I whisper as I sit in a puddle of blood and oil. Staring at those empty eyes staring right back. My Kayol is dead. My brother is dead. I glance at the one responsible for all of this death. There he is. Sitting all high and mighty on his pet manticore named Polly. There he is, laughing at my misery.

Deep inside my soul, my sadness and sorrow turn into pure fury. My eyes turn cold, and I slowly rise from the ground. I stare right into the gold eyes of this 'Dark King' as he calls himself. I look right at the face that once belonged to Leo. But this isn't Leo. This is just his body. My little brother is dead. Both my brothers are dead.

"You've taken everything from me!" I cry out in raging fury. Hanera only laughed at my outbreak.

Therion, who had tried to reach my side since I ran off hours ago, finally finds his way beside me. Sadness and rage flash through his eyes as his gaze lands on Kayol's corps.

"Oh, that's so sad," Hanera speaks, pulling my attention back to him. "Let me tell you, Buttercup, you will soon share the fate of everyone surrounding you. You will see them again. So, you are not separated from them for that long." He flashes us a quick but terrifying grin before he climbs down from Polly's back. His black polished, knee-length boots make a disgusting soggy sound as he lands on the marshy ground.

"Ew, that was gross," he wines, his face scrunched up in disgust.

"Well, so is your face!" Therion responds, yelling. I punch him. That face is still the face of Leo.

"Oh, man, you are a funny one, Boyo. Too bad I have to kill you guys to get what's mine." Hanera shrugs, and that terrifying grin returns on his lips.

I gulp and stumble back a step from a string of darkness that emerges from behind him. The last I see are those intense golden eyes before the darkness completely locks Therion and me in.

The darkness is so thick it blocks out every sight we have. It blocks the corpses of our people scattered around. It blocks out Hanera and his manticore. The only thing that still manages to pierce through the shield of pure darkness is the screams. The screams of the few remaining brave fighters on our side. The fighters give their all trying to protect what is most dear to them — their home, maybe their loved ones.

Over a course of time that feels like hours but is only mere minutes, the screams die down. Until they stopped completely, and we are left in suffocating silence.

Dead.

Everyone is dead.

Only Therion and I remain, but I know that we will soon follow.

I know this is the end. Everyone is dead. Hanera wins without even breaking a sweat. We had fought hard. We had fought bravely. We had given everything we got, but still, still it wasn't enough. We were no match for the Lord of Darkness and his army of adapted, mythological beasts.

Therion grabs my hand and pulls me close to his chest. I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him even closer. I nuzzle my face in the crook of his neck and shoulder. If we are about to die, we'd die in each other's hold. I close my eyes and press myself even closer to him. Tears stream down my face. I don't bother to wipe them away.

I am not afraid of what is to come. I am devastated that this is how our story will end, but I am not afraid.

I know deep in my heart that one day, Rolyra will be free. One day she will be a happy and carefree Kingdom again.

One day Hanera, Lord of Darkness, will be defeated.

Defeating Hanera is just a task that was not meant for us. But one day, one day, he will be defeated. One day he will fall. One day his face will be shoved into the mud. One day, a rightful ruler will be sitting on my throne.

It just isn't now.