Kiji sat listening to her brother just outside of Eve's throne room as he presented her with the sword. She had almost expected Eve to praise him, but she scolded him instead. "You fool! Do you realize how much time you have waisted with your celebrating? The Stars are nearly aligned!" If Kiji had been watching, she would have seen her brother cower, but her gaze at the floor. "I'm sorry, my lady, but" He had begun but Eve cut him off abrutley. "No excuses! I want the girl you have chosen here by tomorrow night! No more failures!" She heard her brother respond, but did not hear what he had said.

Instead she turned from her spot and walked off. This was getting way out of hand. They were no longer at the same level of Eve, only mere slaves. She knew it now. She just couldn't live like this anymore. Wasn't there anything to do to stop the on coming doom?

Kiji walked down the black marble halls of the tower, approaching the stairs that went to the top of the tower. They rare visited the Tower, only to report to Eve, and recieve more orders. They never entered by the enterance at ground level.

They used a more effiecent way. They entered by landing on top on their Red Dragons, and took a flight of stairs down to Eve's throne room, and the odd pedistal for the sword, which she had believed until recently to be merely decoretive, but now she knew it as a lock to open the seal of the Seven Stars. Everyone in Paah'Zelne knew of the Sealed Tower, but thought of it only as a fairy tale.

It was the events she had seen since she and her brother had met Eve that followed that had opened her eyes. Tired of everything, she walked up the stairs quickly, turning back quickly just once, whispering "I'm sorry Brother, I can't take this anymore."

She reached the platform which they landed. The sun was setting, but was hardly visible as mountains ringed the tower, as if there were protecting the tower. There she quickly mounted her Red Dragon and headed off towards Ventura, a full nights ride. There she would destroy everything her brother had tried so hard to get. It was no longer right what he had been doing, and she wanted to show her disaproval somehow, and that was it.

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"Yes, My Lady." Hanshin knelt infront of Eve's throne again, the sword in front of him on the floor. The room was almost pitch black, it always was, even in broad daylight. She was scolding him. He had become relaxed after taking the sword and didn't even bother taking the sword to her now. She was angry because she had to wait so long. He was getting sick of doing all the work for her. She sat in her throne day to day as they did her dirty work.

Hanshin became bold through her scolds. "If I may ask, My Lady, but do you have any influence in that girl at all? I can understand why you want us to keep her under a sleeping spell, but she seems no different from they day we took her." His voice echoed through the empty room.

Eve's throne sat on a raised part of the floor which was made of black marble that had been inlayed with bright and colorful symbols and signs. There was a sword stand there, also decorated with gold symbols. Eve had mentioned it to be a seal, but he still didn't know to this day what it held. All he knew was in that seal, he would find his salvation.

Eve sat silent. Hanshin raised his head. "My lady?" She sat silent still. In the dark he could only see her outline. She only wore black, and a large belt with dimonds inlaid into it. Her black hair swirled around her face, which he could hardly ever see.

She took a breath, and responded finally."You will see in time, but that isn't what you should be worried about now." She paused a moment, "Kiji, however, has just betrayed us now." She said, with a sudden chill in her voice. It made him shiver. "What?" Hanshin stood, turning to the door where he had left Kiji. She no longer stood there. Before he could say anything before Eve did. "You will kill her when you attack Ventura, and rid the world of that filthy city.

Hanshin's heart shook. Could he destroy his hometown? Finding the strength the speak again, he paused a moment, then bowed. "Yes, My lady. I will attack when I return." He said, his voice shaking. He knew she heard his fear in his voice, but he continued anyway. He stood, and walked out the large doors. He was now doubting Eve's motives, but he did want to find a reason to disobey her. He wanted that power with all his heart.

Now angered by his sister’s actions, he ran down the hall and up the stairs to the platform where his dragon waited. He looked into the distance and spotted his sister gliding away. He watched her for a moment; the tension inside of him grew. How did Eve expect him to murder his own sister? He knew it was in the way of his plans for power, but the longer he watched her the tenser he grew.

He clenched his fists, overcome with anger. He couldn’t kill his own sister. Something inside of him yelled at him every time he went to mount his dragon. The overwhelming need for power that usually whelmed within him was a mere whisper. He couldn’t do it. He could not kill his sister and destroy the town that he had lived for so long.

He fought the feelings between his sister and power for a moment, though it seemed like an eternity. Fighting what he had thought to be the feelings to kill Kiji, he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, which it always had rested at his side. No, he couldn’t do it. He found he did not have the strength to kill her. He gave a sigh as his grip loosened and his arm fell to his side.

Confused and extremely angry with himself he fought with his emotions longer as he watched his sister fly further into the distance. "So, you couldn’t do it after all." A sharp voice said behind him. He was struck down with fear into his very heart with the sound of the voice. He turned and saw her standing there, wearing her black dress and large diamond belt. Her black curls fell over her shoulders and hid her deep black eyes.

Hanshin was shocked to see her standing in the sunlight. The sun had set behind the mountains, but there was enough light for Hanshin to know the anger which was on her face. He cowered backwards. "My lady, it’s not like that!" He yelled back, fearing his life. "I am committed to you with my life! I will not back down on ever having you as my queen!" He yelped, defending himself, as he bowed to her.

She laughed suddenly, humored in his words. "Queen? Have I given you that impression? It appears that I have!" She said. She gave another laugh. Hanshin felt suddenly extremely confused. "If that’s not what you have been planning, then tell me. What are your plans, my lady?" He asked, his anger overcoming all of his emotions.

She looked him straight in the eyes. Her black eyes froze him to the core of his very being. "You, my dear Hanshin, are merely a pawn in my plan. When I approached you, it was not because I found you worthy; it was because you were willing to pull off what I merely needed. Now I have which I need. You are no longer needed in my plans!" She laughed hard again.

Again, anger struck Hanshin hard. A pawn? Is this a joke? Has he been the fool the whole time? His feelings of rage merely took a hold of him. "Then who are you? Why have you been doing this to me?" He spat at her. She laughed again at him. "Why? Why have I done this? It was the only way I could! You see my real name is not Eve. My real name is Mekilia! I am the Goddess of Fear and Terror!" She laughed at him.

"What? A Goddess? You are weaker then a Human! You never go into the sunlight!" Hanshin stated in disbelief. There was no way this woman was a Goddess! She walked toward him. "Do you not know the legends of the great war? Do you not know of how this world was created? That is why I chose someone like you. In your Kingdom magic is a thing used by heretics and people who are freaks. Allow me to explain, my dear knight! What happens to a God or Goddess when they are injured so bad that humans would consider it to the point of death? Because we are immortal beings, we cannot die. Instead, what is left of us becomes weak, and we cannot take physical form." She explained, walking towards him.

She stopped just in front of him. "We are weak, but still, we live. After the Great War, I was so horribly injured that I hid for thousands of years, waiting for the perfect opportunity. What do you think really caused the rebellion which lead to the Great Silence? Jealousy? No, not Jealousy." She grinned at him. She stroked his face. He shivered at the touch of her cold hands. "I was the one who planted the Jealousy into the hearts of the people who rebelled. When the gods struck down onto non-believers, it was the perfect opportunity to hide myself amongst the common folk and go unnoticed for so long! I hid myself in the body of a girl. Unfortunately I found that as time went on, I may have kept living, but the body of the girl aged too quickly."

"I found myself moving from body to body as time went on. This is why I asked you to find a young woman and bring her to me. Not to be as your Queen, but to replace this aging body so that I may release what has been sealed from me for so long and take revenge on the Gods that have reduced me into such a state!" She said as her eyes locked onto his. He could barely breathe after hearing such information. He had been a pawn this whole time? He couldn’t believe it! He had to do something before this got out of hand. "As for the sunlight. I am not weak from it. The sun is a creation that shouldn’t have been made, but Kilrin insisted on creating something that would fill the darkness. I hate the sun and anything to do with it. It doesn’t hurt me, I simply just hate it!" She snapped at him.

He lowered his head, clenching his fists. "What do you expect me to do now?" He growled at her through his teeth. She laughed and stroked his face one more time. "You will continue to serve me until tonight." She said. "What’s tonight?" He growled again. "Tonight is when the seven planets align and I will break the seal on this tower!" She said gleefully. Hanshin could barely keep from lashing out at her. "What’s in this tower? Is it really magical power?" He demanded. She laughed again. "You are quick to catch on, once you know the truth! This tower is the prison of my dear twin brother Morlas, Lord of darkness and father of the Gods!" She laughed mechanically.

Hanshin felt completely helpless. He had been played for a fool. No, he can’t let this happen. He wasn’t going to let it. His anger filled him completely. All the people he has hurt and killed for nothing. She walked back towards the door. "Hanshin, because you know this, it does not mean that you are free of my services. Your life is bound to me still. My one last request is to kill Kiji and destroy Ventura!" She ordered him. He couldn’t say no, but he didn’t want to follow her orders anymore. He growled, clenching his fists. He was so angry that he couldn’t answer. "Hanshin, do as I ordered!" She said. Her voice chilled him to the bone.

A moment passed. He still was too angry to say anything or move. He couldn’t believe what had happened. She walked to the edge of the platform, waited a moment, and then waved her hand over her head. A blast of light shot from her hands towards Kiji and her dragon. "Kiji!!" Hanshin screamed running to the edge of the platform. He watched as the light reached his sister and as the dragon fell from the sky. "Kiji!" He screamed again. Mekilia had killed his sister! His anger overwhelmed him so much; he could no longer control his actions. He screamed in rage and ran, grabbing Mekilia around the neck. "You expect me to follow your orders after what you have just done?" He spat in her face.

She smiled at him again. "Of course, why shouldn’t I expect anything less?" She smiled at him again. "Now go into Ventura, and destroy it. It will show the world my power and make an example out of the foolish Princes of Mekal who now seek to stop us. Then when you are finished, return here and bring me the girl, so I may have a new body when I release my brother back into the world." She ordered him. He looked at her for a moment, and then released the grip he had on her neck.

He stepped back; the anger he felt blurred his vision. To think that he has wasted so many years on her account to find it was all for nothing. He stood his ground. "I will not." He said. Mekilia frowned. "What did you say?" She asked, offended by what he said. "I will no longer listen to what you have to say! I won’t listen to your orders!" He screamed back into her face.

She frowned looking him straight into the eyes. "It’s truly a shame that I have to do this." She said as she reached one of her hands forward and grabbed Hanshin’s forehead. Hardly a moment passed before something from her hand shot through his body. It burned him with an intense flame. He could only see white from the power that she was burning into him. It wasn’t long before his vision completely blurred and darkness began to take over. The last thing he saw was Mekilia’s face grinning at him when everything faded and went black.

Next Chapter still yet to come :x