AMETHYST: The rise of Tetra

Chapter 6

    ‘You! You did this!’ Yelled a ferocious Zoraya, pointing an accusative finger at a fellow member of her coven, Irina, as she strode towards her angrily. Upon the realisation a protective Eliana placed a heavy hand in between to stop the woman from even getting closer to the dear friend of the Hybrid leader. 

    ‘Touch her, and I will ensure you don’t live another minute. You see, you were right when you assumed that I was immortal, I am. Frankly, I have no issues playing this game with you all day long, I can’t die, but I can surely ensure you do’ interrupted the great Luna, guiding the vexed eyes to face her instead. 

    ‘Because of her my people think I’m a fraud! They hate me!’ She continued to exclaim right in the face of the immortal woman. Gone were the thoughts of immortality from the head of the leader that was now left completely ashamed of her actions, instead, her only concern had been what her people would say or do to her. Surely she couldn’t be their leader anymore, not when she had just been exposed in such a way, and despite the loathe she felt for the Hybrid leader that destroyed her life, her major worries had been that of recovering her pack.

    ‘Actually it’s because of me, not her. I asked her to do this. So your issues here are with me not her’ responded Eliana, now fully dragging the attention back down to herself. The glaring woman could only clench her fists as she controlled the urge to fight the immortal woman, and as quickly as she could, attempted to come up with a plan that would ensure her successful revenge. 

    ‘Did you really think after this charade I would willingly join you in this war?’ she spat, feeling the electric rush of anger course through her veins. She knew that there was now way she could do any real harm to the Hybrid leader, but that didn’t mean -to her knowledge- that she could not harm the great Alpha of Gloarian to get to Eliana. Though having predicted this, Razaar had been ready for whatever attack he would have to counter to ensure his own truth would not come to light sooner than required. The flame had trusted them with this revelation, and for once they had decided to respect those wishes despite being frustrated to the core with all the riddles they had yet to solve. Smirking, Eliana forced herself closer to the coven leader, who retreated a couple steps feeling sheer discomfort at the reversed game that the Hybrid leader decided to turn against the woman. 

    ‘I didn’t think anything, Zoraya. I knew that you would join the cause. After this you only have two options: join me and attempt to restore the love and trust of your people, or get torn apart by your own coven, the choice is yours’ offered the Hybrid leader, satisfied with the game that she had just played. She too, had known that perhaps in a moment of anger the coven leader would take it out on her mate, and had been ready for that opportunity, knowing she would have to play all roles to free her mate from the burden of being discovered. 

    The moment of attack was coming closer, and the pair noticed the flecks of vengeance playing in the eyes of the leader who had been doing her best to control herself. 

    ‘You little bi-’

    ‘Might want to watch your words there, Zoraya, you’re talking to someone who's immortal, and by that logic, far superior than you are. Wouldn’t want to annoy someone more powerful than you now would we?’ interrupted Eliana, successfully pushing the woman over the line with the few mocking remarks she knew would work like a charm to trigger the coven leader. 

    Within seconds Zoraya had unleashed her anger in the only way she knew possible, by lashing a ball of fire in the direction of the Alpha that had only been waiting for his moment of escape. Ducking down, he escaped the heat that went right above his head and through the wall behind him, leaving a rather large hole that Zoraya would have to worry about later. Though as quickly as the ball of fire had escaped him, another returned, and this time the Alpha had only a spare second after being distracted to escape the attack. Luckily for him, the Hybrid leader had been paying all the attention in the world to the coven leader’s direction of anger, and had prepared herself to push Razaar out of the way the minute her anger would emerge. Shoving the man out of the way, she watched the ball of fire leave yet another dark whole on the ground. 

    Irina had decided to step in after a second of astonishment, and bravely stood up against her leader by placing herself in front of her friends, and creating a water barrier to block out the attacks coming their way. Though the manic woman had yet to stop, and as soon as the fire technique stopped working, she decided to go with something that would go against water to harm the trio. Sending a wave of lightning, she watched as Irina collapsed to the ground with the impact, and so the immortal couple were left defenseless once again. Eliana wished nothing more than to slither around in snake form and knock the woman unconscious with her bite, though she could not risk leaving her mate bare for a mere moment in case something were to happen to him. Knowing these risks, the only thing the Hybrid leader saw fit to do, was block every form of attack Zoraya would throw with her own frame between the threat and Razaar, knowing that her immortality had already been exposed to everyone. 

    The rage in Zoraya’s eyes had yet to die down, and as Irina shook awake, Eliana knew she would return to defend the couple, and therefore she only had to stall the coven leader for a few moments more. As the next ball of fire was released from the hands of the Witch, the oddest revelation came to light for the leaders, adding to the list of riddles they had yet to decipher from the flame. It all happened in the slowest of motions, and with most utter disbelief. The ball travelled in slow motion, this time headed right for Razaar’s head, who was only a mere meter away from being exposed. Eliana appeared in the way, blocking her mate to take the hit herself, preparing for the impact it was about to cause. She had been ready to die yet again, and her eyes had closed knowing how terribly content she would be knowing she had a life to return to after that. It was a feeling like no other, though she still awaited the impact that was, in theory, supposed to hit her. Though when a barrier of water flashed up within the instant, and terminated the furious flame of fire, the Hybrid leader watched with confusion as to how the barrier of water had gotten there to begin with. Looking down at Irina, she realised that the woman had been as shocked as she had been, and came to understand that it had not been Irina to protect her from the threat. Zoraya had halted for a moment with the same realisation, and Razaar looked curiously from behind, wondering exactly what or who had been the root of the barrier that had saved Eliana’s life. 

    It was a moment of sheer confusion for them all, though as much as they wished to stop and discuss the matter, it certainly would not have been possible with the coven leader constantly shooting attacks at the pair that had been too preoccupied with avoiding death. For this very reason Irina decided to take control, and in the moment of distraction her leader had experienced, she lifted her own ball of thunder, and rapidly sent it flying at the frame of an angry Zoraya, who fell back at the impact. To ensure she would, in fact, knock out, Eliana took advantage of the moment to switch to her snake form and slither quickly to the frame of the coven leader and bite her to unconsciousness. 

    Switching back to her frame, she stalked towards Razaar and Irina, with more questions that they had initially begun this trip with. 

    ‘Was that you?’ She questioned Irina, hoping that the answer would not be as complicated as it seemed. Sadly, the woman shook her head, knowing it would mean they would have to take the tougher route to explore yet another unanswered question. 

    ‘Then who? How did that barrier come up when I needed it to?’ Her question had been directed towards the flame more than anyone in the room, though the mighty power thought it was not yet time to reveal that it had been Eliana herself that had cast the barrier in that moment of need. Not knowing that she was the reincarnation of the Princess of water was something that would perhaps bring a lot more unexplained scenarios into her life, though she would still be grateful to possess the extra powers of water as inconveniences placed themselves in her tough life. 

    ‘I don’t understand,’ whispered Razaar to himself, attempting to piece the puzzle together himself, though not being able to. 

    ‘I think there are a lot more answers you may need before you get to the finish line. Make sure you have them before you go up against the Vermillion.’ Spoke Irina from the side, looking with slight fear and horror at the woman who had come to beat it all. What was wrong with the Hybrid leader that somehow managed to dodge every form of harm was something that not even the woman herself knew, though whatever it was had ensured that she would be a woman with a lot of power, that was undeniable and evident. In the moment that Razaar and Eliana exchanged looks that only held the same amount of concern, groans could be heard from behind them to signal that the lunatic coven leader had begun awakening. Before she could do anything, however, the great Luna of Gloarian took action, and placed herself right in the face of the woman, restraining her hands with her own, and pulling her up to face her directly. 

    ‘You want to keep fighting? Or are you finally ready to face your people and be a decent leader? I’m happy to fight with you all day long Zoraya, but it’s not going to do you any good, you’ll only be wasting your time and mine. What is it you want to do?’ Asked Eliana once again, fiving Zoraya her last chance of surrender. Noticing the position she was in, the coven leader held her head down in shame as she took in just how terribly she had sabotaged her own life in the span of a few minutes. She had been true to her words when she explained the dilemma of love and communication between her and her people, though instinctively she had come to care for them in a way she had not even noticed. Psychologically the woman was way behind, and stuck to the desperate words of escape that despite wanting, she knew she did not need.

    The truth was that Zoraya had never been one to make friends or close relationships, much like Darcena, the woman had closed herself off to her duties, and allowed herself not the chance to connect with her people the way she should have been. Perhaps it was just the need to stick to the gloomy stereotype that shadowed the very mention of Witches, though a large part of the reason was the very same that the Ivory Witch leader had experienced in her life, and that was the lack of support and companionship to begin with. Making an effort with her people seemed harder now, more than ever, though as the immortal woman had quite plainly put it there was not much of a choice in the matter. The damage had been done and there were only two ways the scenario would end, joining the Ivory, or losing it all. 

    Silently, she took a seat on the chair that belonged to her, and the very look of defeat on her face had eased the minds of the pair that hoped that the scenario would now take a turn. The breath that Zoraya released had been an indicator that their manifestation was coming their way, and they waited anxiously for the reveal of what the outcome would be. 

    ‘Very well, we’ll join the war, we’ll fight with you. Though you will leave me and my people alone and do everything in your power to protect them from harm’ she reasoned, getting an immediate smile from Eliana, who had learned over time to sympathise with those that lacked a bond with their people, and as a result became the worst versions of themselves. 

    ‘I promise you, if you stand by us, we will be there to protect everyone in that battle. I know you think your coven thinks wrongly of you, but they don’t. They just have never seen you connect with them before, so now, get down there and face your people. Tell them you’re going to change and be a better leader for them,’ convinced Eliana, stabbing an open wound that hit Zoraya more than it ever had. Nevertheless, the woman let it slide, and stood up to do exactly that: get her people to trust her again. 

    Following the leader out, they stopped by the entrance where all Amethyst Witches had still been waiting, including Vulen, who waited for a justification of what they had witnessed. 

    ‘I know you have all seen my words and actions in the past minutes. I am here to address those images and justify what has happened’ began Zoraya, continuing with the silence her people gave her. ‘I have never once connected with any of you on a personal level. I know not your names or positions in my coven, only that you are a member of my coven, and I have never taken an interest, because I have always hated the responsibilities I have had to take over to be a leader. I never asked to be a leader, nor did I ever want to be one. My father passed this position to me because he was your former leader. I, however, have never wanted to be a leader of anything. I have managed it well because it has been my duty to do so, though I have never wanted it. So today, I come here to announce a few important things to you. The first is that the great Alpha and Luna of Gloarian, and co-leaders of the Hybrids, have travelled here all the way from Gloarian to deliver the news that the Vermillion are planning an attack against all of Zaleon, and wish to bring down the entire hierarchy. The leaders asked for my support and at first I denied it to them, as you all clearly saw. Though I now realise the danger that will put us all in, and have decided to accept their invitation to fight in the upcoming war against the strongest 6 of Zaleon. I understand that it sounds like a large decision, but we are out of options, and I trust that with all of Gloarian and Tetra combined we will have a larger chance of defeating the enemy than we do alone.’ She announced, getting no response whatsoever before she continued with the next piece of news. ‘The other thing I wanted to announce is that I am resigning from my position as your leader.’ That statement had more of an effect as the entire population of Amethyst Witches had gasped aloud in surprise, as had the pair and Irina behind the leader. Zoraya lifted her hand to silence the noise that had now taken over and continued to share her reasons. ‘Like I said, I have never wanted to take over as a leader, and by doing so I have only ruined my chance at a relationship with you all. As you have just seen, a person like me is not fit to be your leader, and I will not let myself take on that position when I know I cannot do more for you all. However, I know someone who can, and I only wish to pass my position on to her. Irina Ygorov, is the only person in this coven that has stood up to me for a good cause, and fought valiantly against her own leader, knowing that I was making the wrong decisions this whole time. I would like to offer my position to her, if she will accept it’ completed the leader, shocking us all even further with her revelations. 

    Irina stoo stunned behind her, not knowing what to do or say, completely frozen in her stance. She shared a glance with Vulen, who only smiled at her in pride, and it had been enough motivation for her to step up and make her decision. 

    ‘I- I would be honored to’ she revealed, taking a moment to process that she had just accepted to be the leader of her kind. The thought had yet to hit her properly, though it was too late to back out now, and a smiling Zoraya welcomed her on the platform right next to her. 

    ‘Very well, then I officially declare your new leader, Miss Irina Ygorov. I will train her on everything she needs to know about running this coven, though from now on, you put your faith in her. You will respect her, and bow down to her, for after her training, Irina will be the leader of all Amethyst Witches.’ announced Zoraya.’If anyone has an issue with this, speak now, or be silenced’  she voiced, getting no complaints whatsoever. The area had been silent, and as everyone processed this vast piece of information, Razaar and Eliana realised just how lucky they were, to now have a friend as a leader. It would only benefit them in the long term, and that was a relief, knowing they would no longer have to face the prejudices of the Amethyst Witches. 

    A breath of relief escaped the couple as they realised that they had succeeded in the first part of the mission to ather the Amethyst Witches, and now only had to conquer the Fairens, Yolegs and the Warmecks, out of which one was already confirmed. 

    Their next worry would now be the Fairens, knowing that they were certainly the worst of Tetra, and it would not be an easy task to gather their kind for a battle against even more evil. Cruel had a way of working with cruel, and as much as they hated it, the exhausting truth was that the Fairens would probably choose to work against their planet, even if that meant joining the Vermilion. How they would figure out a solution to that issue was still a mystery, all they knew was that they needed a final night to reach out to the leader of Fairens and scheme a plan that would hopefully work in their favour. 

    As the crowd dispersed, Zoraya and Irina joined the pair for a final word. 

    ‘I may not like you, Miss Genova, but I thank you from freeing me from the shackles of leadership that had only clung to me as a burden. I’m sure Miss Ygorov will truly do a much better job of leading a kind I could never sympathise with or love. My only hope is that I will learn from her as much as she will learn from me’ spoked Zoraya, in a tone much different to the one she had started off with. ‘I believe you are headed to the Fairens next to gather the army?’ Posed the woman, getting a nod from the pair. ‘Very well, I know their leader, Clea Menso very well. I will send a  petition for your entry. Be warned, she is not the kindest of people, you might want to have a plan in mind, for she is far worse than I.’ Revealed Zoraya, facing Irina for the final time. ‘Training starts tomorrow. For now I think you’d better accommodate Miss Genova and Alpha Solonov for a final night before their travels, and take some time for yourself because from tomorrow you’re going to be a really busy woman’ she said, leaving the trio with a final smile. 

    The trio looked between themselves, attempting to understand what had just occurred, though remained silent for a brief minute, processing it all. Though when the thought had sunk into the mind of the Hybrid leader, there was only one thing left for her to say. 

    ‘I guess congratulations are in order, Irina Ygorov, leader of the Amethyst Witches’