|| XXII ||

I couldn't feel myself anymore. I was in a dark void and it was engulfing me completely. I felt out of breath, tired, defeated. There was no light anywhere- only deep and endless darkness.

"Hello?" I said, as my voice echoed throughout without any responses. "Where am I?"

Still, no answers.

"A-Am I… Am I dead?"

My mind wandered places, and it wasn't until this moment, that I began seeing things again. But… Everything that I saw had already happened. It was as if I was dreaming of my past right in front of my eyes. Astra, mom, dad, my grandparents, Vlad, Anya, and… Vic… They were all right in front of my eyes. Even I was there, smiling, laughing, and blushing. But- I couldn't reach out to them. I couldn't touch them, or speak to them. I tried harder, but my voice felt constricted. In a moment, everything in front of my eyes became fuzzy, as if it was being fast forwarded by some sort of controller. I tried harder and harder to stop it, but in vain. My head hurt as I saw these memories, and I could feel my heart hurt, but the memories went on, until it stopped at one point, and I could see myself again, but with Vic.

"The… Ceremony…" I whispered. In front of my eyes, I could see Vic and I walk as partners, with Vlad and Anya close behind. I was nervous, fidgeting with the scepter. But with every touch of Vic, I felt calmer, more confident. It was as if he was a source of my soul light. And indeed, I saw it now… I was glowing by the time I reached the river. My aura was almost lighting up the whole river bank like broad daylight.

"But- it… didn't happen like tha-"

"HAHAHAHAHAH!!! OH, YOU SILLY, SILLY ANGEL!"

Yes. It was Mal. His voice shook my soul. Even though I couldn't feel myself, and I didn't know if I was even alive, I could still feel my soul going cold with his maniacal laugh.

"ONLY IF YOU KNEW WHAT YOU'VE DONE, MY SWEET ANGEL!! ONLY IF YOU KNEW!!" His voice grew louder, and at this point, it was even hard to understand whether he was speaking in my mind, or in real life, during the ceremony. But if he did speak in real life, why did I not hear him then?

"Oh, yes… YES, YES, YES, I-I CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER, MA!! FREE ME!! FREE ME NOW!!!! H-Her soul light… it's FINALLY receding, Ma, and it's going back to her. This stone is USELESS now, Ma. THROW IT AWAY, FREE ME!! And then, I know very well how to curb her powers. FREE ME!!!"

His voice shook my memory, almost breaking it. I could see the hands… the same old hands removing my emerald necklace from the sword, as almost instantaneously thick black smoke and soot began crawling out of the crevice that was created by the sword. The whole dome shook in its presence as it roared and growled. Slowly, the dark smoke and soot crawled into one place, and took shape. It was Mal. His eyes were glowing red as he stood in front of his savior, his mother, Misha. He smirked, as saliva dripped off his mouth like he was a hungry beast- and in fact, he was. And the only thing that could probably satisfy him, was revenge.

"Go and bring forth the darkness you've held in for so long. Finish them, and win this war. Make me proud. It hurt me to even enter here and see you like this, son. End this torment for me. Finish. Vic. And Dione."

The dark aura moved from the Dome, shaking the core of its very existence as it went ahead towards the ceremony. It advanced fast, and neared in on me, and before I knew it…

"No… No, please-"

But my voice here wasn't heard by anyone in my memory. Mal attacked us, and everything changed. The memory began running again, making my head feel heavy. It was as if I was being beaten up by rods on my head with absolutely no escape. The memory kept playing and soon, everything turned deadly red. Blood filled everywhere I looked. Astra was hurt. Anya laid in a corner lifeless, and my mom was killed by Caleb. Caleb was also lifeless after destroying my stone. Vlad had crashed against a wall in the corner and was trying to get up, but in vain.

"Finally… It IS time, Vic. ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?!"

Mal said, as he began advancing on Vic. Vic was trying hard. He was bleeding, and panting, but he had a smile on his face.

"You- you won't… win, Mal. You cannot. E-Even if I- die, here, you- you will never get Dione. She… She is gone. She is far away from you. And- and you- you won't be able to- HNGH!!"

Before Vic could finish his sentence, Mal grabbed him by the throat, making him choke on his own blood. Vic coughed vigorously, and tried to breathe, while Mal only laughed.

"NO- VIC!! VIC!! MAL- LEAVE HIM!!" I shouted, but was he even able to hear me? I didn't know. All I knew was that I was shouting loud, with all that was left in me. I was trying hard, until everything surrounding me started falling apart. The darkness was falling apart, and so was the memory, and the last thing I saw was Mal looking at my direction for a split second with a stunned look. And then, the memory melted off, leaving me alone where I was when I lost consciousness.

I stirred up. I was alive, but my mind was racing a hundred miles an hour. I was panting, and breathing heavily. My throat was dry and it pained me to even try and speak. My body had no power left, and it felt impossible to even sit up. I laid my head on the ground as it was, but I was trying not to let go of the final bit of hope left in me… for Vic, and for everybody else. And that's when I heard something.

Everything was silent around me. The red night seemed unending, but as if charming up the red night, I heard the sound of anklets. Someone was walking towards me, raising a storm of dust as she did. I squinted my eyes, as I tried to see who it was. I almost forced myself to see through the dust, as I noticed it… I noticed- her.

Amidst her beautiful green aura, she stood in front of me. Her beautiful dark brown eyes looked at me as she smiled. Her kind smile almost relieved me of all my pain. It was as if I was levitating, while she stood there, her face glowing and her brownish-golden locks flying in the wind. Her bright red gown and intricately designed ornaments dazed me for a moment, and when I finally looked up at her, I couldn't find the right words to speak.

"Dione…?"

Although my voice was strained, she smiled, and extended a hand towards me. I was confused, and was asking myself more than ever- 'Am I dead? Or is this real?'

"Do you really need to ask if you're alive, Moon? Is your soul light really THAT dull?" She said. I didn't know if it was dull, or if it was just me.

"You're not dead, Moon. And neither am I. All of what you saw was there in front of your eyes for a reason. You have a purpose in life. And it is not to be someone's wife, or to marry someone and live a dream-like life. You are a leader, Moon. You always were. Even when you lived in this land as Dione. And this land needs its leader back, today. Tell me- won't you give it back to them?"

I gulped.

"I- I wanted to… But… the- the stone-"

Dione laughed out in a velvety tone. Her laugh was mystical, and every time I would hear it, I would feel tingles in my body- everywhere, until it all concentrated at the center of my forehead. I closed my eyes shut, grunting. Soon enough, everything in front of my eyes turned green. When it dissipated, I saw something that brought me to my senses.

I could see myself standing up to Caleb when he dared to disrespect me. I stood up to my mom and spoke for my love. I stood by Vic at his lowest, and I even dared to pounce at Mal when I didn't even know if I would survive or not. I remembered when I felt the tingles at the dome, and I remembered what I had seen when I had opened my eyes- the sigils that were once in Dione's hands, were glowing with a bright green aura in my hands.

'Look inwards, Dione, you have everything that you will ever need. No stone can hold the power you possess. It's you, YOU are the weapon for this war. All that you've done so far, was because you had the soul light within you. Wake up, Dione. Wake the power. They need you. This land needs you. Trust your guts, reach out, and whatever you need will be within you. Wake up, Dione. It's time. Wake up…'

Gasping, I came back to my senses. But I was no more in the middle of nowhere. I was somewhere else. It was the Türbeh. Though I didn't quite understand how I got there, my gut told me I was there for a reason. My subconscious brought me here after I got to know the truth of the light, and I knew I had very little time in my hands. I looked around the Türbeh, but there was nothing other than the tomb laying there in its grandeur. And as I looked at it, almost on cue, I felt myself walking towards it. I gently touched the tomb, and closed my eyes, trying to focus inwards. 'What am I here for?'

Answering my questions, I heard a dragging sound, as the lid of the tomb opened up, and among the dust and darkness inside, was…

"My… Wedding dress…"

The once white wedding dress was still stained with the blood from before. It was as if this was a reminder for me, but it was up to me to decide whether I wanted to remember my demise, or Mal's end.

A loud thunder once again carried his ominous voice to me. He was ecstatic, as he laughed.

"AHHHHH THERE YOU ARE!! YOU FINALLY FOUND IT, HUH? OH, MY LOVE, TRUST ME I CAN'T WAIT FOR IT. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU LIKE A NEW BRIDE. OH, JUST LIKE OLD TIMES… BUT TONIGHT- IS GOING TO BE OUR NIGHT, DIONE!! I-I CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE, DIONE!! QUICK, NOW- BE A GOOD GIRL AND COME TO ME… COME TO ME!!!"

I could feel my blood boiling. But I was determined to give him what he was asking for. He was asking for his end- and I was ready to give it to him.