The Phoenix's Maiden

Madness

The two dark generals injured finally came back to the underworld, they were met with questioning stares.

Why are they injured? Why doesn’t they have the crystal in their hands? Why is there only two of them that come back? That is the question that clouded the minds of those who saw them. Shyvana felt ashamed of herself because she came back utterly defeated, while holding her dying ally.

The dragon landed on the ground and upon their landing their king who is the only one anticipating their arrival, greeted them personally. Upon seeing her king, Shyvana’s heart stopped beating because of shock. She did not expect that and she is still not ready to see her king.

The fear that she felt when she is facing Amber is nothing compared on the fear that she is feeling right now because she is in face to face towards the most fearsome creature that she can imagine. The king is smiling towards her meaning that it still expects, that she has the crystal.

She gathered her composure and tried her best not to panic, she is now thinking of excuses and as Cain took every step, her life falls short, as if there is an imminent cardiac arrest waiting for her. She can’t think of excuses.

“Well, well,” Cain announced, as he still remains oblivious about the current situation of his two underlings. “If it’s my two dark generals that promised me to bring me the fire crystal,” he said and Shyvana is starting to find it harder to breathe. “Shyvana,” he called. “My Crystal please,” he asked politely. Inside Shyvana’s mind is now clouded with wishes that she just accepted her death in Amber’s hands.

Now Cain is in front of her waiting for her response or hand him the crystal, because of fear Shyvana felt her tears and these are tears of fears, she is now terrified and she can’t do anything. She can’t just click her fingers to make the crystal appear in her hands.

“Where is the crystal?” he asked Shyvana again to hand him the crystal, but Shyvana continue to face the ground as her tears fall trying her best to hide it to others. She did not reply to Cain’s request and Cain is starting to grow impatient towards the dark general. “WHERE, IS, THE, CRYSTAL?” he said with now threat in his voice.

For Shyvana those words in that tone are like knives thrown at her and she is trying her best to hide her fear, but if she wants to remain alive still, she must answer the question of her king.

“I-“ she tried to open her mouth but this time it felt like that it is so heavy for her.

“What?” Cain started to grow frustrated and the foot soldiers who are eager to know what happened started to back away, because they know what will happen next if their king is met with disappointment. They already knew that the crystal is still at Amber’s hand, but they did not dare to tell that to their kind if they don’t want to die.

“I d- don’t h...” she tried to tell him again but the extreme fear that she is feeling right now is preventing her from telling her king, what really happened, clearly. “I do- don’t have the c- crystal,” she said in a low voice.

“What? Can you say it again but CLEARLY?” he shouted the last word making Shyvana more nervous. “What happened to the pride warrior that you are?” he started to question her personality.

“I don’t have the crystal!” she shouted and now the creatures around them started to run for their lives. She is tightly closing her eyes accepting her death.

“What? I think I did not hear that correctly,” he told the dark general.

“We failed to retrieve the crystal!” she repeated her words again. Then she felt a great force that threw her away and the next thing she felt is that she collided with a hard wall. She started to cough blood and this is her fate, she thought.

“YOU FAILED?!” he still asked Shyvana despite receiving a clear answer from her.

“M- miserably,” she still said even that she is now feeling extreme pain in her body. Then the king jumped towards her stomping one of his feet to her face, partially burying it on the ground.

“You still dared,” he hissed towards her. “WHAT HAPPENED?” he asked.

“There is the maiden of the phoenix clan my king,” she told him. “One of them returned in this world,” she added and that surprised Cain. His eyes widened really surprised to the news that he heard from his general.

“That’s not possible,” he whispered to himself.

“EXCUSES!” he shouted pressing Shyvana’s face on the ground, but she is resisting making an effort to prevent her lips from being buried below the ground.

“I- it’s true my k- king,” she insisted. “B- Borjr a- al- almost died by her flames,” she added. “H- he ne- needs im- immediate help,” she told her king. Then almost instantly she felt that her king’s foot disappeared, she used this as a chance to lift her head using her remaining strength.

It took her a while because her king really pinned her down below the ground. She felt the extreme pain that was given by her king.

“You mean this burnt guy?” then almost instantly he reappeared again in front of her which surprised her again and she backs away using her hands while nodding towards her king, telling him that burnt guy that he is currently holding is one of his generals, Borjr.

Then her eyes widened and her heart was completely consumed by terror when she saw her king tried to rip Borjr’s burned body into half. Then the burned Borjr screamed in pain, he was conscious all along but did not had the strength to move, the adrenaline caused by the pain made him scream in terror.

His guts and blood spilled as Cain’s body is currently bathing in his blood threw the ripped body of Borjr to his side then the hell hogs instantly rushed towards it and started feasting on his body. He started to walk again towards her and she continues to back away until her back met the wall.

Now with nowhere to go, she is now waiting for the imminent doom that is waiting for her, and she is hoping that her death would be not as painful as him.

“Allies?” he asked. “There is no such thing,” he said and laughed. “Caring clouds your judgement,” he added. “Eat her alive,” he commanded the remaining hell hogs and the he turned his back towards the weakened Shyvana and the hell hogs are looking at her menacingly with their hungry eyes.

They rushed to her as if they aren’t eating for days, hell hogs had pig like appearance that had spike on their back with big tusks, they have voracious appetites and will eat everything that came across their path. They are considered as one of the pestilences in crops and bringing misfortune to the farmers in any realm.

“I killed Amaterasu!” she shouted then she screamed when one of the hell hogs bites her legs then started to tear her flesh this made the other hell hogs excited and the others ganged up on her, taking their part on her flesh. The screech of pain continues... but that caught his attention.

“Stop!” he said making the hell hogs stop eating her alive. “Get away from her,” he commanded the gluttonous creatures and they quickly obeyed his orders even letting go pieces of flesh in their mouths. As he walks closer to Shyvana, the hell hogs revealed her half-eaten state.

She is still breathing and alive, but her whole body is shaking because of fear that she felt.

“What did you just say?” he asked the dark general again.

“I k- kil- killed th- the g- goddess Amaterasu,” even struggling she still manage to finish her sentence.

“Is that true?” he made sure that she is telling the truth.

“Yes, sire,” one of the dark oracles told him. “She managed to caught the supreme goddess off guard and briefly claiming the crystal,” they added.

The king smiled because he felt that this dark general under him, achieved something for him. He is extremely happy that one of his formidable foes are down.

“Carry her and heal her!” he commanded and the nearby demons started to move as fast as they can to obey his orders. Shyvana fainted now that she is certain that she managed to avoid death this time. Cain laughed frantically. “Rejoice,” he shouted and the other demons surrounding him shouted as their response for their king’s joy. He started to march continue to laugh frantically. “We are now one step closer towards our goal,” he announced but this time he is planning a different approach. “EAT! GET THE WOMAN YOU WANTED! SPREAD TERROR!” he said, and the demons cheered again.

His eyes quickly shifted to a more serious look.

“Prepare the army and we will attack the castle and the town,” he announced, while the others are rejoicing, he went straight to his royal room. Now that he knows that one of the Phoenix returned, he now achieved a new goal to accomplish. “This time I will attack them myself,” he stated while smirking and he opened the doors of his chambers.

He took his seat and grabbed one of the wine glasses already filled and took a sip of it and laughed again. “I will destroy the maiden,” he murmured.

-The Phoenix’s Maiden-