THE LAST GIFT

WAR AND BETRAYAL

The skies darkened as they came with no mercy. The forces of our Eastern armies fought hard with their steel and magic. The ground shook beneath my feet as we charged to defend our homes at all costs. However, the human society couldn't be underestimated. I recalled the few times my people trained with them, and they had created a weapon that could match our magic.

For hours, the battle raged on, with spells and swords clashing in a spectacular display of might and magic. Both sides summoned shadowy illusions and treacherous terrain to confound their enemies. As the war raged on, there were losses on both sides, and we didn't relent.

That's when I heard a loud roar. Turning back, I saw my brother. I screamed and fought my way to him, but before I could reach him, a bullet flew directly towards his heart. He tried to use his powers of wind, but he couldn't stop it. As I rushed to his side, crying, he looked at me and said, "Go, find Mom. Go now!"

I rushed towards my mom, who was on her knees. I finally saw her – the head of all Councils, Cleo, my mom. She was being held down by two Enforcers. My mom looked towards me and asked, "How were you able to find us?"

The person holding her down replied, "Simple. With that face, I could see your face on your daughter's face, Tia. And of course, when you told Cinna about the royal blood, it was quite easy to put two and two together. And with the blood I drew from you in the laboratory a few years ago... But how were you able to get the ring?"

"Oh, that was quite easy," he said. "The power of love, or should I say, naivety." I was shocked as I saw Cinna and Ravidad walk hand in hand into my home. The shock and hurt I felt were so great that they consumed me.

With a force I didn't know I had in me, I asked with great hurt, "Ci, trust?" She replied with a look of no remorse, "Sorry, your kind is too unpredictable and can't be controlled."

I turned to Ravidad. "Your own people?" Before I could hear his reply, I heard a loud gunshot, and I turned towards my mother. She was on the floor in her own blood. My world went numb.

Ravidad had revealed all our secrets. I let loose the one secret that was kept from my family to Cinna. "That was kept ringing in my head as I was dragged out of the room." That's when I saw my people on the floor and my father.

Before I knew it, the power I couldn't comprehend engulfed me, and with much desperation, I screamed at the top of my lungs. Everything around me was engulfed in fire, and I lost control and passed out.