Chapter 36

Dawn of Glory [the half-breed]



Thirty-sixth Chapter



Theme: The Cursed Bond



"Why are you doing this to me?" Joy screamed in frustration. 



How long had she been stuck here? She couldn't tell. She searched deep down for her power, but they weren't responding. She felt as if something was holding them down. 



"What did you mean by the curse bond hell? Why are you doing this to me?" She cried out again, but her voice echoed back to her. 



Seeing that Kira, or whatever wasn't going to reply again, she squatted down, picked her dog and rubbed her fur gently; just like she always does.



She stared into the dog's eyes and said "Bingo, can you smell any strange scents? Can you guess the way out?" 



The dog went silent for a moment, her nose sniffing everywhere as if searching for any strange things. Suddenly, the dog started barking. The dog became restless instantly, and Joy had no choice but to lower her down. 



She faced the north side and started barking. The dog was going front and back, pacing around Joy as if she had seen a ghost. Immediately, Joy knew something was lurking in the shadows.



Joy scrutinised the area carefully with her eyes, but she didn't see anything strange. The only thing she saw was a female status. The statue was holding a book, a long staff that was painted white, and a cactus flower.



She took battle stances and began to move closer to the sculpture. She was halfway through when a female emerged from behind the statue. At the sight of the female figure, Joy gasped in surprise and moved back at the same time. It was a replica.



They had the same height and features, and they were wearing the same dress. 



"I must be dreaming," Joy thought in her mind.



"I must be dreaming," her replica said out loud, and then sent a cold shiver down Joy's spine. The new being had just repeated what she thought.



Joy was flabbergasted beyond explanation. Yet, she decided to test the new being again. "Perhaps it's one of her dirty tricks." She thought in her mind again.



"Perhaps it's one of her dirty tricks." Another voice replied behind her, and Joy spun back. Behold, coming out behind another statue is another duplicate of her.



"What's happening here?" She screamed out in irritation.



As soon as Joy finished her speech, a multiplied voice replied to her back. "What's happening here?" 



That's when Joy knew that this was beyond her capacity. Her duplicates have now increased in number. They are now in their dozens. The only difference was that each one of them was holding a blade, rapier, or knife. They were rushing at Joy, and she could see the urge to kill in their eyes.



"Halt!" Kira's voice stopped them, and all the duplicated feet became glued to the ground. 



"Why are you hiding in the darkness like a coward? If you have the guts, why don't you come out and fight like a true warrior?" 



Even though Kira's face isn't visible, Joy could still hear her dark laughter filling the strange cave. 



"That's because I'm invisible!" She replied amidst the laughter. "I don't have a body. Luckily, I just found one."



"Why are you doing this?" Joy asked. "At least I'm yet to be born during your reign. Why are you tormenting me for an unknown sin?"



Kira let out a small scoff, and her laughter went down. For some minutes, everywhere was as silent as a graveyard. Joy hissed in irritation. She knew instantly that Kira wasn't going to reply to her again. 



She uses the opportunity to examine all the duplicates in front of her. The only difference between her and them is that they weren't blinking.



"You want to know what happened, isn't it?" Kira's voice finally cut through the atmosphere. "You and the second half-breed were not supposed to exist. I was the chosen one. I'm the one that was destined to defeat Lord Darius."



Seeing that she was silent, Joy asked. "Then why didn't you kill him? I guess you are weak. Perhaps, you lose concentration on the way."



"Shut up your filthy mouth," Kira yelled at her. "You know nothing about me?" 





Still holding her waist akimbo and tapping her foot on the floor, Joy said; "What could be so invaluable that it could make the chosen half-breed lose concentration in her quest?" 



She went silent for a while, and she could feel Kira's curiosity.



"I'm sure it's not about your family," she said. "Before you proceed, your guardians would have warned you about the danger. You are skilful and valiant, and from what I heard from Mrs Sandra, you recovered the blood sword successfully. Bingo, what did you think could make our saviour fail in her quest?" She said, her gaze now resting on bingo.





A thought suddenly crept into her mind as she mentioned Bingo's name. "Emotion!" she screeched loudly, and she could hear Kira gasping in shock.



"You fall in love with your guardian, don't you?" 



Hearing this, Kira asked in bewilderment. "How did you know?"



"Wild guess," Joy replied proudly. "Besides, that's why I'm wiser than you."



"You might be wise, but you can't outsmart me." Kira elaborated. "Did you know why?" She asked, and Joy could hear the mockery in her voice.



"I'm the first half-breed, and we are the same. You are from my bloodline. That's why I was able to possess you. I have access to your thoughts, psyche, and brain. Before you could think of a plan, I already knew and I had hundreds of tricks to outsmart you."



Even though Joy could hear everything Kira had just said, the one thing that drew her attention was the fact that she and Kira have the same blood type. How could that be possible? 



"Hell No!" She thought. "That's impossible."



Kira retorted with a smile. "Hell Yes! We share the same blood type. Same father but different mother."



"You are lying," Joy yelled at her. "I can't share the same father with you, bloody killer."



Joy could hear the giggle of Kira which echoed throughout the whole cave. She heard fast approaching footsteps behind her, and she quickly spun back. One of her duplicates is now moving toward her. 



"For your information, I didn't fail my mission. I killed all my guardians and committed suicide."



"Why would you do that?" Joy asked in confusion. 



She had expected the duplicate in front of her to reply, but another one replied behind her. "That's because they betrayed me. They scattered my heart and hurt me."



"Why would they do that? Did you fall in love with your male guardian?" Joy asked.



Another duplicated reply behind Joy. "You don't know anything about love, do you? I'm sure you haven't loved someone before. If yes, then you should know the pain when they betrayed you."



That's when Joy remembers Joel. She had fallen for him at first sight. Unknown to her, he was the son of Alexander. Not only that, he lied to her. He lured her to the city hall just to reveal her identity.



"I'm sure you know how much it hurts you," Kira said from one of the duplicates again. "That's one of the reasons why I'm asking you to unleash your anger. Those beings shouldn't be alive. They should be eradicated."



From what Kira had said, Joy could now guess the reason why her anger always leads to people's death. Kira is angry, and she's seeking revenge.



Kira's voice was heard from one of the duplicates again. "You are right," she confirmed. "I want revenge. When I fell in love with my guardian; Alexander, and his son, bribed him. They told him to kill me whenever he had the chance."



"If my guess is right, you found out earlier and killed him on sight." Joy suggested, "I thought there was a rumour that you were killed by Micah Tyler."



"Yes," Kira answered, from another duplicated being. "But that fellow has already stabbed me with a dark knife which seals my power. Knowing fully well that I wasn't going to live long, I decided to commit suicide, but Micah Tyler caught up with me on the boundary of Isengard."



"That means you were killed by Micah Tyler, doesn't it?" Joy asked.



"No," Kira declined. "We had a strong fight. Unfortunately, he beat me badly because I didn't have access to my power. I killed myself, knowing fully well that I couldn't escape. That also gave my soul the chance to visit our father. He's the one that bonds us together."



"I don't believe your lie," Joy screamed at her. "You are trying to deceive me, isn't it?" She yelled, then kicked the duplicate in front of her in the chest. The duplicated shift back and Joy could feel a sharp pain in her chest. It's where she kicked the duplicate.



"What have you done to me?" She asked, confused.



Another duplicated reply: "It's the cursed bond. I'm inside your head. That's why I created all these clones from your power. I can't be seen, but I can speak inside them. That's part of why I'm asking you to let your anger out. If you allow me, I will take full control of your body, take my revenge, and kill Lord Darius once and for all."



Joy said. "If I allow that, then I will be stuck in this cave forever." 



"Shut up," Kira slammed at her. "This is not a cave, it is your subconscious realm. Everything you see here is part of your imagination. I created them. Besides, what's wrong if you also spent a century here? I have been here ever since I failed."



That's when Joy was able to put the puzzle together. Her dog was the last being she saw before she lost consciousness. That being was licking her cheek just like she always did when Joy was sleeping at home.



She could also remember her thoughts when she was falling. She has imagined soft things bouncing her up just like in her bed at home. That means everything here isn't real.



"Not everything," Kira answered. "Some are also created by me." 



"Now tell me, who is my father?" Joy asked. "Mrs Sandra always told me that I'm from the family of Lord Darius. Not only that, but a different strange being also called me Darius Joy. How did you want to prove that?"



"That's because Lord Darius himself is the son of our father." Kira elaborated.



"Stop feeding me with your lie," Joy blasted at her. "I hate you. Will you just leave me alone and let me go home in peace? The middle land needs me."



"That's why I'm taking over," Kira replied, imperturbable. "You are right, Lord Darius isn't our father's son by blood. Yet, he is one of us. Did you know why? He sold his soul to our father, Bildad the Shuhite. In return, he was granted unlimited power. That is why he was feared all over the Middle Land. That's also the reason you are the only one that can end his life. Everyone that sold his soul automatically became one of us."





Seeing that Kira wasn't going to let her go easily, she begged. "Please, I need to get out of this place. The middle land is about to face doom. My friend needs help. The resistance is also in danger." She mumbled this with tears in her eyes.



"Did you know why I would give you a chance? It's because we are blood-related." Kira said, and Joy smiled inwardly. "However, it's not free."



Seeing the opportunity, Joy said. "I will do anything."



"Why would you take a risk for the middle land?" Kira asked from one of the duplicates with a chuckle. "Allow me to take over, have my revenge, and we will be sharing your body. None of us would be trapped here." Kira offered.



"Hell No! We can't do it like that." Joy declined instantly. 



She knew better than to accept the offer. This is her own body, for goddess' sake. Why would she share it with someone who's seeking revenge?



letting out a devious smirk from one of the duplicates, Kira said. "I can hear your thoughts."



"Will you just stop peeking into my mind?" Joy seethed in rage. 



"You should know that it's impossible. We are bound together." Kira said. She cleared her throat, and Joy could sense that she seemed ready.



"Let's go straight to the deal," Kira began. "You see that female statue with a staff?" said Kira, and Joy directed her gaze to the statue that stood alone in the middle of the cave. "If you can reach it and retrieve the staff, then you will proceed to the next realm."



Joy wanted to ask Kira what she meant by the next realm but didn't have the chance to speak.



As soon as she concluded her speech, all the clones that surrounded Joy disappeared and they appeared in front of the statue. 



There are ten in total. They have been reduced in number. They were holding dangerous weapons each, and Joy could see that they wouldn't hesitate to kill her.



Yet, she wasn't ready to back down. She was ready to fight her way out. 



Letting out a great battle cry, Joy lunged at her first duplicate. 



Joy retaliated by kicking her in the chest after she squashed aside to avoid her blow. In return, she felt the pain, and that made her stumble back.



That's when she remembered the cursed bond. The reality of the test that Kira gave her just dawned on her. She won't be able to beat those beings, but they can hurt her. That's an impossible mission.



"Since you know that it's impossible, then why can't you accept my deal?" Kira responded through one of the clones.



"Hell No!" Joy yelled. "I won't accept your deal, and I will win your challenges."



"I wish you a very bad luck," Kira said angrily. Instantly, all the ten clones dashed at Joy at once.



Instead of attacking them back, Joy stayed still. She allowed herself to focus. Even though those clones were a few inches from reaching her, Joy didn't fight back. She allowed herself to stay focused.



She believes that it's her imagination, and she was stronger than Kira. She was just picking up a thought in her mind and twisting it. Joy knew she was the real owner of the body, and she could do better.



Despite the loud cries of the clone, Joy didn't shake. She could hear her dog barking furiously while pacing up and down at the same time. Yet, she didn't budge. She was also trying her best not to think of anything so Kira won't pick them up again.



When the first clone was a foot away from slashing her, Joy said. "You're just my imagination. None of you exists." Instantly, the first clone disappeared. 



Kira yelled through the remaining nine clones, but Joy didn't allow that to move her. She didn't feel pity for her. She was only trying to use her body for selfish reasons. She didn't mean a good thing, and Joy couldn't afford to have any more enemies. She couldn't take the risk of battling with Lord Darius and her inner mind at the same time.



"Kira, I'm stronger than you." Joy spoke up. "Everything you said might be true, but you didn't belong to the outside world. You shall be struck here forever." Joy said, and all the clones disappeared at once.



Finally, a bright light illuminated the cave. In the next seconds, everything was gone. The cave, the clone, and the statue were gone. It is now replaced by a fountain with a Cactus plant.



T.b.c