CHAPTER 3

Melisa watched Quetan groan in pain. She was actually dying.

"I'm sorry I tried to hurt you Melisa, I don't know what came over me." Quetan said faintly. Melisa began to cry out, smearing her hands with her sister's blood. "..truth is, I have never stopped loving you, maybe I only got jealous a bit, but i just want you to know that I'm sorry for everything." She continued feebly.

" No sister, hang in there,..." Melisa cried out. ".. i forgive you, hold on, I'll heal you".

"No, you can't heal me, you do not have the celestial stone anymore. The souls I have killed are beckoning to me from hell. It is my time."

Melisa cried harder sitting her sister down. "....but I can share you my light."

"You are.... too weak for that." Quetan retorted slowly

"I will...."

".... What I need right now is not your light...." The thoughts in Melisa's head had come to a pause. "... The only way to save me is one" .

"How?" Melisa asked confused. Quetan gave a deep scary bloody cough.

"Tell me Melisa, where is the child?" She said with a reverberating voice. Melisa quickly took her hands away from Quetan in trepidation. She had lost sight of her. Before she could think things through, she was already caught up in a spinning mirage and the sound of Quetan's wicked laughter.

" Such a sweet, loving sister. You know what I love about good people? They are their own weaknesses. Vermia needs no weak Leader. You gave out the only stone that protected you from Elphims, from me! To your child! How foolish Is that!" Quetan's voice resonated. Melisa fell to her knees, exhausted from the whirl she was trapped in. She was already losing oxygen.

"...so easily deceived, you were trapped in an illusion I created."

"You have totally become an Elphim, sister" Melisa cried out, struggling to breathe.

"I have! Thanks to you, I have become a stronger one now!" Quetan said as Melisa looked around the bubbling mirage. It was sucking every bit of her powers.

Quetan stood in the room absorbing Melisa's powers until she was done. The bubbles dissipated and Melisa fell to the ground, barely lifeless. She managed to take a thorough look at her, the cut in her wrist was not there anymore, she was hale and hearty as ever, it really must have been an illusion, she thought.

Quetan walked towards her, she attempted to get away from her sister but she realised she had no strength left. She tried to cast a spell but failed woefully.

"You're weak, if you cast one more spell, you might die before I even kill you". Quetan reminded her. She began to crawl slowly.

A few of Quetan's escorts entered the chamber. They had captured one of the midwives who was present during the childbirth. Melisa gasped in shock, seeing the midwife. The midwife fell to the ground, with her head bowed, trembling. Quetan turned away from her sister and moved towards the midwife. "I suppose you know who I am" she asked. The midwife nodded in response, still trembling.

" Tell me where the child is and I'll spare your life"

The midwife began to quiver, stealing glances at Melisa.

" I see you choose death" Quetan turned to her.

"No..No..." She began to stutter. " Your majesty, the child was taken by one of the maids to be sent to the Human world"

Quetan paused for a moment and then began to laugh.

"Melisa, you have always been a fool, do you think you'll be able to protect her from me? ...." She held Melisa's Chin fiercely. ".. I will find her" she said as she pushed Melisa away and turned to one of the guards in the chamber. "Kill her!" The midwife began to scream, begging for her life as a guard unsheathed his sword and mercilessly slit her neck. Warm blood spilled everywhere and Melisa gave a disgusted look.

"My Queen, If a maid took the child, then she could not have gone too far. We should still be able to get them before they get to the boundary." Calgeno suggested with his head bowed. Quetan smiled and then turned to Levern.

"Lord, Levern. What do you think?". She asked

With no emotions or expression on his face. He said; "He is right, they couldn't have gone too far. We have only a few minutes before the boundary is closed, the eclipse shall soon clear off, once it does, no one would be able to cross the boundary to the other side. We need to hurry." Melisa felt a sharp stab into her heart, hearing him speak. She couldn't blame him, he had lost his will.

Quetan looked at her angrily. "I shall return to you sister, we have something urgent to take care of".. She took a few steps forward and looked down. She saw her shadow and then, it struck her "....No!" She screamed.

Melisa gave a wily smile

"No! No no!" Quetan yelled, hitting everything she could lay her hands on until they broke apart.

"She's gone, far away. You were too late!" Melisa said faintly.

"Too late?" She rose from the ground to Melisa and grabbed her neck, stifling it as much as she could. Melisa's legs dangled in the air right above the ground beneath her. Her palms were glued to Quetan's hand

" ..too late?" Quetan repeated. "... Incase you forgot, your life is in my hands right now."

Melissa continued to gasp for air.

"What do we do now My Queen, the moon's Shadow has been lifted"." Another escort said and she turned to him.

"I know!" She yelled watching little rays of the sun that managed to intrude the room reflect on Melisa's face. She removed her hand from her neck and Melisa fall to the ground. Melisa held her neck, coughing hard.

"You are weak sister, I won't kill you. Not yet. You should watch your child die in my hands" Quetan said.

Melisa snickered. This got Quetan very irritated. "What is funny?" She demanded

"The eclipse is gone, the boundary is closed .You can't stop the promise of the Creators, neither can you change fate, you'll never be able to get to the human world now. " Melisa said.

"But I can change your fate." She brought out a small piece of wood with numerous carvings. "... remember this? The antic doll, it was used in the past to trap the souls of Royal Vermians".

Melisa looked at it in fear.

"...I have decided to spare your life, I'm not so evil after all, am I? I'll let you live here for a while. When I finally find your child, I'll bring you out so you can watch her die in my hands."

"Uzothenio!" She cast a spell and Melisa began to see her body dissipate into dust. She was getting sucked in by the doll and she could do nothing about it. Screams from her filled the air until there was no residue of her left.

Quetan smiled. "When next will the boundary be open?" She asked.

"In the next 21 years" Calgeno replied.

"Good, I will gladly wait and prepare. For now, Vermia is mine. Prepare a banquet, a coronation is about to take place. Let the people know that their true Queen is here!".

"Yes, My Queen!" They all chorused.

And Quetan took over the throne of Vermia. The people trembled in fear of the new Queen. Evil and darkness reigned and the rumors of their missing queen and elected guardian spread among the people. The people earnestly waited for their savior. Whether their hopes were in vain or not, no one knew. There was no seer left to speak to the creator on their behalf, no one to protect them from the evil whims of the dark Queen. So, some waited, waited on the fulfilment of the prophecies, some rebelled against the kingdom and met their deaths and some accepted the fate that was handed out to them. Little did they know that doom had not yet even set his foot in Vermia.