Mikleo #4

10.5

Their side is finally losing, even with the lunatic Lunarre still at their side fighting. They are locked in a close combat inside a room, with limited space to move around in and fewer spots for the sneaky fox to hide in. For the first time, it feels as though they are finally pushing him into a corner.

Nayla also feels slightly relief, even when their immortal enemy is back. At least she can clear off her conscience now, because if he’s still around, that means she has never really committed a murder. Still, doesn’t mean that she likes it that he’s alive. 

Though now is not the time to be relax just yet. The Lord of Calamity is still as strong as ever, and she needs to do something to truly defeat him and keep the world save for good.

She doesn’t want to kill him either though. She just hopes that there’s a way to remove power from his person, just so that he won’t be able to do anything dangerous in the future. She’d like to avoid murder as much as possible, unless it should because a last option.

“Nayla, now!” Edna shouts from across the room. “We attack with together!”

Now that they’ve cleared out most of the way, her friends can finally give her a hand in this final battle. There are still groups of hellion attacking from all over the place, but they have the knights in their special built armor to help them make sure that their path stays cleared.

All seraphs and shepherds are aligned, standing side by side next to their Omniseraph, with the girl herself standing in the middle of all that.

Nayla looks to her left, then to her right, still pushing Heldalf back at the same time.

She can see Alisha, Zaveid, Edna and Mikleo to her left.

And to her right, she can see Sorey, Lailah, Rose and Dezel. The shepherd-sublord pairs fuse, appearing in their majestic form.

Each of them begin commencing a group attack, shooting out their elemental magic as strong as possible.

Colorful elements are flung across the room, directed right at Heldalf.

Earth, water, air and fire are shot at the Lord of Calamity all at the same time.

They combination attack is so powerful that Heldalf is quickly forced to be pushed back, now kneel on his knees.

“That’s it. We’re winning. Keep going!” Mikleo exclaims.

The attack is strong, but not as strong as they expect it to be. There’s still some linger power inside Heldalf that he had managed to hide, and he’s also using all that he’s got to defeat them.

“It seems like I am left with not much choice,” he starts. “But if you seraphs think that I’m just gonna give up, then you better think again!”

The don’t understand much after that. All they know is that there’s an explosion of dark energy, and that Heldalf is the center of it all. The concentrated malevolence energy is so strong that some humans are simply rendered to their knees when it happens. The influence is so strong that they have to choice but to be pressured under it, though still not taken over and turned into a hellion, all thanks to the blessed armors they were gifted with.

They still can’t allow this to go on though.

The other hellions know this too, which is why they are now turning their attention to the seraphs and shepherds. Damn. And while they are so close to defeating Heldalf too. If they don’t stop this soon, they’ll run out of energy and lose pretty soon. The malevolence are starting to affect the shepherds too, though not as strong as it does to the normal humans. The knights have their armors to protect them — even Alisha. But not Sorey and Nayla. They are the ones who count though, because both are much more powerful.

“I’ve got your back!” Alisha retrieves from the front line in order to cover their backs, attacking any incoming hellions. But soon she finds the hellions swarming around them, and suddenly she’s overwhelmed. A fused Rose retrieves to give her a hand also, clearing up more hellions on the way.

“Do something,” Rose says after a while. The strain is catching up to her when the hellions seem to come at them endlessly.

“We’ve got no any other choice. Sorey. Nayla. The two of you have to deliver the finishing blow. We’ll give you some cover,” Mikleo exclaims, before leading Edna and Zaveid to hold Heldalf back while the other two releases their continuous attacks, just enough to give them time to replenish and catch their breath for a brief moment, before preparing another attack again.

This time, they’ll have to give it their all.

“Nayla, you ready?” Sorey asks.

She doesn’t even have time to check on Mikleo and the others. She’s worried about them, but she has a duty to fulfill right now.

She doesn’t trust her own voice, throat to sore from all that screaming. So she simply nods at the now long haired boy.

Both of them get into position, body falling into a stance. They take a long, deep breath, before begin concentrating and pouring out all that they’ve got into this final attack.

“Heldalf, prepare yourself. We’ll never let you take control of the world. Ever!” Sorey shouts toward their enemy.

They are putting everything they’ve got for this attack. Ounce by ounce, power is poured into the shots.

Sorey is spurting fire.

Nayla is using a combination of all four elements, attacking with all four at the same time, causing a swirl of water, earth, fire and wind steadily.

Heldalf is combating their combined attacks, using the malevolence energy source that originates from the center of his body, fighting them back with all that he has.

As a result, elements and darkness collide, creating a strain struggle in the middle.

Both sides are giving all they have, and none seems to be willing to give up. Not even when they are breathless. Not even when they are starting to feel weak and drained. All they know is just that they can’t give up. They can’t. Both sides are persistent, and they won’t let their cause be destroyed.

“I—I don’t think I can last much longer,” Sorey says through his gritted teeth after a while. He and Lailah are doing the best they can’t, but Heldalf is much stronger and more persistent than what they had expected.

Their enemy is still omitting a large amount of dark energy, and there’s no clear telling when he will stop.

The other seraphs rejoin them in their attacks, shooting elemental magic toward Heldalf.

Finally, they can see some result. Heldalf is slowing backing up, and from the looks of it, he is troubled. It’s many against one, so of course there should be some lasting effects. Besides, Heldalf is not like Lunarre, who likes to escape from his own fights. Heldalf stands on his ground. His pride won’t let him escape.

He knows he can do this. He just needs to get rid of these pesky seraphs, and then he and his army will just have to wait for another millennia. They had done it before. Surely they can do it again. It doesn’t matter how long this will take. They are immortals, after all. But if he doesn’t win this fight, how is he going to find the future? Hence why he is using every last bit of himself, draining his dark energy and pouring it into the shot, wanting to get rid of his enemies as fast as possible.

The seraphs are holding on though. Now what’s left is when it comes down to stamina. Both sides have been fighting until they are almost out of it. If this go on, it is only a matter of time before the seraphs are starting to lose it — especially Nayla, who is still half mortal. Their strongest fighter will be the first one to go down, if they don’t end this soon.

It seems like both sides are now in the same mind track. They are pouring so much more power into the attacks. This continues on until some are drained from their power.

“I—I don’t think I can continue like this anymore.” Edna is the first who goes down.

Minutes later, a fused Rose follows.

“Sorry,” she mutters tiredly.

“It’s okay,” Nayla says, eyes looking tired as well. “Mikleo, you should escort them so safety. We’ll landing it from here.”

The water seraph brushes his hand against her shoulder. “You sure?” Will you be okay?

“Yes,” she lies, even when she can’t even tell if things will so south or not from here.

No, you’re the Omniseraph. You can’t lose, Nayla. The faith of the world relies on you.

But defeating Heldalf will take more than just intend. As of right now, he is way too strong for them to defeat just like that. It will take more than just all this. Something more, something much stronger. Someone will have to make a sacrifice, and there is nothing much more stronger than a sacrifice.

Nayla can feel her heart thundering inside her chest as the realization hits her. Yes, she will have to do this. It just feels right, even when it means losing her own life. It is only right. To accomplish a huge cause such as saving the world like this, she will have to go to this far extend. It will be worth it, the girl tells herself. If she succeed, her lover, friends and family will be save. She pictures the faces of the people she already knows, as well as the many faceless people that she can save. Imagine the many lives that will continue on living, if she just takes the right step forward.

Yes, she can do this.

For her dad.

Her squad.

Her love.

“Sorey, I have an idea,” she says to her left.

“Yeah?” His response comes a little bit late. He seems pretty out of it. He’s exhausted too.

“I just need your help a little bit. Will you?”

She doesn’t even have to finish the question, because any suggestion is better than nothing — better than this impending defeat that seems to loom over then.

“I’m all ears,” he groans out, trying to maintain a steady flow of fire attack at Heldalf at the same time. If he stops concentrating, he’ll lose it, and their biggest thread will break free.

“Listen, I need you to give everything you’ve got. Push him back, if you can. And once you’re done, you’ve gotta jump back. I’ll do the same.”

“Is that going to lead to somewhere?” Sorey doesn’t bother to wait around for her answer though, because before they know it, he is already doing what she asks.

Fire shots out of his sword until it almost turn the room into a sea of fire. That’s how much Sorey is using both his and Lailah’s power. It’s so much that the room goes several degrees higher, making their bodies sweat from being affected.

Nayla does the same as well, though she’s not really using all of her power. No, not yet.

Sorey sends off one last blast, causing an explosion to erupt around Heldalf’s body, who seems to be taking the damage head on.

“Okay, now!” he shouts, jumping back several feet, just as agreed. He expects Nayla to do the same as well, but he doesn’t. And now, she’s fighting the enemy alone. “What the—”

“Stay back!” Nayla takes over the frontal assault, taking in all of Heldalf’s attack, and at the same time trying to make sure that he remains being pushed back. Sorey’s attack has put him at a slight disadvantage, tipping the scale of this battle just slightly — which is actually just at the right enough amount for Nayla to take advantage.

She’s going to defeat.

Pulling everything from the deepest part of her power source, Nayla puts her true self for this final shot of hers.

She has to do this. It’s the only chance they got. She needs to use everything she got to defeat Heldalf. He’s already too strong, and this is the only way to defeat him for good. She knows because her mother knew, and the woman passed down that information to her during their brief last encounter. Nayla needs to do the right thing, and not just because she feels partially responsible for all humanity. 

She’s doing this for the people she loves, she knows, and that is the only kind of thought that still stays in her head, even as she can feel her life force being drained out of her.

Her friends don’t know why she’s doing this. They have no idea what she has in mind, only that they believe in her. And that is the only thing that keeps her going. The power of their faith is much bigger than what anyone can believe in. It’s so powerful that the Omniseraph can wield it to her advantage, turning something uncountable into something that she can uses as an external power outlet for the attack she’s going for.

The two individuals are in a power struggle. Each try to push the other back, pouring more strength into the attack until there’s nothing more but them draining themselves.

All of a sudden light erupts from within her. It travels fast and it goes straight to it’s target. All they can hear is Heldalf screaming in pain, before it grows louder and louder until the volume goes way higher than their ears can perceive.

Nayla pushes back at the last second, so hard that it finally throws Heldalf off balance.

And then . . . nothing.

The last fortress is left in ruins.

Nayla and Heldalf’s power struggle results in a blast, which crushes everything around it.

They have no idea what to think.

All the hellions are gone along with that blast.

The light has purged the darkness, and with that, their enemies.

Milkleo stares at the spot where he had last seen his love.

Nayla is nowhere to be seen.

It doesn’t matter how far she looks. He can’t find her.

He won’t.

Because she’s gone.

She’s dead.

His love is dead, and there isn’t even anything left of her that he can bury.

Mikleo cries then.

He cries and cries, until there is no more tears left to pour from his eyes.

His friends try to stop him, but fail to do so.

They understand what’s going through him, but heartbreak hits him the hardest the most.

The boy flees.

It has been five years since the last Mikleo had seen his lover. Even though she is no longer with him, he still thinks of her a lot. He misses her, dearly, and there has never been a day where he doesn’t imagine what their lives will be like, if she didn’t die.

But the time for mourning will soon be over, because one evening, the sun beams too brightly, and from there, a familiar figure approaches.

Mikleo can’t believe his own eyes when he sees it. It’s too surreal that he thinks that his eyes might be playing tricks on him. But it’s real — she is real.

“Mikleo,” comes Nayla soft call.

“. . . Nayla.” He is so dumbstruck, the man is speechless.

Yes, she says young man, because the Mikleo she knows has grown. He is no longer the boy she used to know. He’s taller now. His hair is longer, too. She can even see some newly developed muscles that she never saw before. Oh my, he certain has grown, and for the better too. He looks even much hotter now.

“W-what . . . How is it possible? You were gone for such a long time . . .” There are tears in his eyes.

Nayla takes one more step, closing the distance between us. She raises her hand, sweeping the tears from his eyes.

Mikleo leans in into her touch, wanting to feel the warmth that oozes off from her hand — wanting to make sure that she is real, and not just some imagination that his mind comes up with. It’s warm, and more tears flow out.

“I’m sorry it took me a while, but I’m here now.”

“Yes, you are.”

He smiles, and they lean in for a kiss. This one lasts for so long, by the time they pull out, the sky is already dark.

“Let’s go home, Nayla.”

“Home . . . where?”

“To Ladylake. The others would be so happy to see you.”

“Okay.” She’ll go wherever he wants to go.

“I love you, you know that?”

“Yes, I do. And I love you, too.”

“Promise you won’t leave me like that again.”

“Promise. I won’t leave even if I’m forced to.”

“I miss you.” He leans in to kiss her again, and this time Nayla wraps her arms around him so tightly, he is unable to let her go.

The two reunited lovers end up making love under the stars, so longing for each other that they can’t part their body contact. He stays inside her for so long, he might admit that he is a little paranoid, afraid that she will be gone the moment he can’t feel her warmth anymore.

Nayla assures him that she won’t be going anyway — not for a long time. Her return is for good. And she can say that for sure, before she has been reborn as a seraph this time — a complete immortal.

Now it would seem as though her death was fate, in order to make her next life span even longer.

They can be together forever now.

“I didn’t have any memory at first,” Nayla tells her lover as they lay n***d in each other’s embrace. “Not for a long time. I wandered across the land on my own, taken in and had encountered some nice seraph villagers along the way.”

“So then, what changed?”

“My memory had slowly returned about half a year ago. By that time, I was so far at the edge of the world, it took me a while to go through the route and get back.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“I followed your, let’s just say, energy signature. I simply closed my eyes and feel, allowing the spirits to guide me to you.”

“I still can’t believe this. You’re reborn as a seraph. And what’s your element?”

“I can still control all four, like before. Only this time, I don’t feel as easily tired as before. My control is much better now. I had plenty of time to practice.”

“Well, that’s good to near,” he says, hand brushing at her curly brown hair. “You have no idea how happy I am right now. When you died, it crushed me. I even almost—” He stops himself in his track. “Never mind that.”

“Almost what?” Nayla asks.

Mikleo doesn’t want to keep secrets from her, especially when he plans to spend the rest of his immortal life with her. And he’s not going to start lying now.

“I almost . . . killed myself,” he admits bitterly.

“Oh, Mikleo . . . .” Nayla’s eyes turn glassy this time.

“It’s . . . it’s in the past now. I’m— I’m not going to do that again. I have you back now, and there’s no reason for me to go to such lengths. But Nayla, I was really depressed at that time. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I . . . couldn’t go on.”

“I— I understand. I’m just glad that you didn’t really go through with it. If you had, I wouldn’t be able to go back to you right now.”

“Yes, I’m glad about that, too. Our friends also helped me recover. After that, I began working again. There are still some hellions left in this world, though they aren’t so strong or as many as before. The world still needs some balance after all, I assume.”

“Well, enough talk about others. Shall we go back to where we were?” Nayla says, pulling Mikleo into another kiss.

They move around for quite some time after that. First they get back to Ladylake and greet the princess and the squad. Another time, they go back to her childhood village and spend some time with her father (he can’t see his daughter anymore, but being around a certain seraph — his late wife — for some time had made him rather sensitive to their presence). And then at another time, they visit Elysia, getting used to the lifestyle of the seraph villagers there. Finally though, after some time, Mikleo and Nayla decides to settle down near Elysia, building a generous house just next to the village, so that they can visit any time, but also get enough privacy to spend time with just the two of them.

The one last miracle they receive is the ability to conceive, which Nayla seems to have gotten after consuming the Red Moon flower, just like the mother before her. It doesn’t take long before the first cry of a seraph child tears through the green lands, and the child is loved by all.

Epilogue

News about Mikleo and Nayla’s blessing is heard everywhere. It’s so widespread that the words even manage to reach the dark corners of the world, down to the last remaining shadows that is left to struggle till there’s nothing left.

. . . Or at least, that’s what the humans and seraphs like to believe.

When he can finally think again, he finds himself buried in a pile of snow, when a raging storm is already occurring outside the fortress — or at least whatever that is still left of it.

He finds that he is not quite himself, so weak and helpless that he can’t even move himself properly. He hates it. He despises his condition, and he only has one person he has to blame for this.

They had miscalculated her potential. They didn’t expect her to be this strong — so strong that she even managed to defeat his lord.

His lord . . . Oh, his lord . . . . The lion had took him in and brought him to power when he was too young and weak to save himself. He had owned everything he ever had to his lord. And now, the man was gone. His leader . . . his friend . . . his family.

What does that leave him now?

Nothing but to secretly gather back his strength. To plot and gloat until the day he can finally enact his plan for revenge.

The Omniseraph is going to pay.

He might be weak right now, but he can promise her one thing for now.

He will have her revenge.

And she will suffer.

Her and everyone she will ever love.

First, he will keep a low profile. His lord has taught him many things, and to be prepared is one of them. He wants the Omniseraph to have her guards down when he finally comes for her. So defenceless and helpless, just like how he was when she left him and his allies to oblivion.

There is no peace or afterlife after a hellion has been killed. They are immortals; they can not be killed. They can only be removed from existence. Obliviated from the surface of the earth; the same earth that every puny little humans that she so desperately tries to protect live in. They crawl on the same dirt, but why does the Omniseraph has to side with them? Why can’t she see that the hellions are better?

He doesn’t understand the concept since the start, and it seems like he will never understand it.

“Oh, I know that look. You’re think. What are you plotting, little goat?” comes Lunarre jarring — almost teasing tone.

The fox had found him when Callus barely had any soul fraction left. Lunarre knew what to do, and he had stayed around long enough to help gather it for him, before leaving. Lunarre is not the type that stays around. He left just as soon, only checking on Callus many days later. The goat hellion barely saw him, and it’s not like they are friends either.

“I’m sure you’re smart enough to know what I intend to do,” comes Callus vague reply.

“I sure can,” he says. No questions. No offers to help. Callus is almost sure that Lunarre is the type who will also want revenge, but he’s not exactly a team person. It seems like the fox will enact his revenge on his own way.

Whatever. Callus doubts the other hellion will want to anyone to order him around, anyway. Lunarre is not the type that follows rules or orders. He’s a one-man wild card.

“I assume you’re here about you need something?” Callus changes the subject.

“Not really. Maybe.” Lunarre is prying for Callus’ reaction. “I heard that the Omniseraph had a child. You know what it means, don’t you?”

The goat hellion wants to say that he can’t care any less that the Omniseraph had procreated with that water seraph. It has nothing to do with him or his plans, until—

“If that child is anything like his mother, then he’ll also grow up possessing all four elements.”

He bets. And that’s what Lunarre is counting on. All that the fox hellion has to do is drop the hint, and the other hellion will just simply react accordingly. Lunarre watches closely as something changes in Callus’ usually stoic facial expression.

The child. Yes, that’s it! Something lights up in the goat’s blue eyes. It doesn’t look dark and dead anymore. Well, it’s still dark, but at least now it almost seems . . . alive. Energized.

“I know what to do.” Callus suddenly claims and stands up.

He’s going to rip the Omniseraph from what she values the most. It will be so traumatic that he bets she will never forget about it. And what will hurt her more when she won’t even have any idea who would done it. Yes, it’s the perfect plan for revenge.

Though that is only the beginning.

He wants her to suffer, in every chance and moment she got, as long as she lives.

Good thing she’s immortal now, because Callus can’t wait to make her suffer for all eternity.

He wants her to be tormented for all her life. She deserves it, after what she had done to his hold.

And once she is at lost of what to do . . . once she’s got no one else to turn to . . . .

Oh, it will be glorious!

Nayla is nursing her newborn son. This is her first time holding him in her embrace. The first time seeing him. She had just given birth to him several hours ago, and had spent most of it recovering her strength while in her sleep.

She shouldn’t even be able to have him. It’s impossible, they had said. Her son’s birth is almost like a miracle, just as her return to life had been. But then she recalls about the Red Moon Flower and its effects, how the mother before her had taken it, just to be seen by her father. That must have been why Nayla was able to conceive, even though she’s now a full seraph. Her father can still see her too, which might also explain it. The Red Moon Flower is still in her system, and it seems like the effects are staying with her for good, no matter the reason.

Though she gotta say, the child’s arrival was a little bit unexpected at first. She and Mikleo were both under the pretext that seraphs can’t procreate, which was why they had been doing it wherever and whenever they please without worrying about protection (and rather active at it, she might say; though she’ll never admit it to anymore, no matter how much Edna and Zaveid tease the couple about it).

And that teasing continues even after Nayla has given birth.

“Oh, Mikleo. Man, that’s something,” Zaveid had said when news of Nayla’s pregnancy reach their friends. “I still can’t believe that this is really happening. You two must have been very determined, to break the laws of nature like that,” he said in a teasing manner. The others were grinning non-stop (except Sorey who can’t get the innuendo behind Zaveid’s words), while Mikleo and Nayla couldn’t stop blushing.

They are now gathering around the nursery room, with Nayla lying on a bed next to the baby crib. The girl, now a woman, is holding her newborn son in her arms ever so lovingly while her friends all gather around her to give her their blessings. Or at least what is what she thought was going to happen.

They can’t stop teasing the couple about this.

And just to add in more embarrassment to the newlyweds, Edna just had to step in. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. I mean, look at how much in love they are. I bet Mikleo can’t keep his hands off her—”

“Edna!” The brunette whisper-yells, while at the same time trying to keep it in a low tone, not wanting to starlt the baby. It was Nayla who had protested first, not wanting the earth seraph to finish her sentence. It’s already so embarrassing that their friends were teasing them, but the joke doesn’t seem to get any older. She’s not gonna let them say anything inappropriate in front of the baby though.

“Alright, enough you guys. Remember what we came here to do,” Alisha reminds them. “Oh my, look at the baby. He’s so adorable! He looks just like his parents blended together. I mean, look at that hair color . . . and his eyes!” The knight princess squeals excitedly.

The baby boy has some golden brown hair, which is similar to Nayla’s, only slightly lighter. 

The child is so obedient, having been so calm and quiet this whole time. His eyes are open wide, interested to see the new guests, but doesn’t throw any tantrum.

“He’s such a good baby. Not even throwing a fuss,” Lailah comments with a soft smile on her face.

“I wonder where he gets it from,” Sorey says.

“Well, definitely not from his mother, that’s for sure,” Mikleo snorts, spurting things out loud without even thinking of the consequences — with the said consequences be Nayla throwing daggers at her husband.

“Excuse me?” Nayla is trying hard to control her tone, but it’s becoming progressively harder and harder.

“What?” Mikleo still reminds clueless about what he has just caused, having his back turned to her.

“B-behind you,” his best friend mutters nervously, pointing toward the wife.

Mikleo turns around without much thought, which proves to be the wrong thing to do. The water seraph gulps when he sees Nayla glaring at him.

“W-what are you so upset about?” He tries to brush it off coolly. “It’s just the truth.”

“Oh yeah? The truth? About what?” Nayla asks with a dangerous tone under her breath. “I’d be careful for what you say next though, because you might not want to upset the Omniseraph.”

“Huh? You think I’m afraid of you? Just because you have a title and being my wife?” Mikleo only sniggers in response, not wanting to lose in this petty bickering.

And yes, they are doing this right now. In front of the audience. In front of the baby. That’s just how inevitable their argueing routine is. And since their baby is going to be a part of their lives forever, it’s best that he learns about what their parents interact with each other as soon as possible.

“Calm down, guys. You’re gonna upset the baby,” Rose reminds them with good intension, but only receives some backlashes in return.

Even when his parents are arguing again though, the child reminds calm, observing, as if he already understand what’s going on.

“Aw, you’re such a smart little boy, aren’t you? You must be like be,” Nayla coos the baby in her arms.

“But I bet he’ll grow up handsome like his father,” Mikleo adds in, patting the newborn lightly by the head.

“Wait, what? Why can’t he be pretty like me?” Nayla interjects.

“You think you’re pretty?” Mikleo asks back, tone sounding too mockingly.

“You don’t think I’m pretty?” the feisty brunette shoots back.

“Nope. Not even close.” His tone sounds final. “Besides, why would you want our baby boy to be pretty. He should be handsome, like me.”

“Why you—” Nayla is just about to get upset, when he quickly cuts her in.

“Besides, you’re not pretty. You’re breath-taking. Don’t sell yourself short like that.” He even dares to finish that sentence with a wink at the end, which in turn causes Nayla from boiling with anger to blushing madly with love.

Nayla is still so easy to please, and Mikleo takes every chance he gets to make her go flustered.

In bed, or outside the bed.

Their friends whistle and cheer from all around them, complimenting how close the two are. They continue giving their blessing, though having to keep it short since the baby needs a lot of rest. He’s still so young and vulnerable.

Nayla and Mikleo puts their son to sleep in his crib, while they direct their guests outside for some quiet, celebratory dinner. None of them think too much about it, because they never expect danger to loom under the safety of their roof.

That is . . . until a cry break out.

[ The End. ]