6 Strange Emotions

"Liora, Caelum, you guys are here already," said Darian and he smiled. He saw Arion and recognized him as the one who he encountered at Heka sect entrance last time. But he kept silent and looked away.

"Leave behind the pleasantries. Let's go to the demon Lord's palace," said Merrick and they went there.

Merrick firstly paid his respect to the demon Lord,

"Greetings from Jay Merrick, to you my lord," and he bowed.

They were asked to have their seats afterwards and then, Liora gave the sword to Arion, telling him to guard it safely.

In the next second, the demon Princess appeared; her outfit a mixture of black and pink. Liora believed she's the only one that dresses like that.

"We sought assistance from Golangane but our minds can't be at ease sending you alone to manage our affairs. That's why the Princess has volunteered to fight the beast with you," said the demon Lord.

The lady smiled and said. "To kill time, I would like to have a practice with the Heavenly sword."

Liora got miffed and speechless, understanding that the Princess was indirectly asking for a fight with her. Taking her courage at both sides, she thought, "Anyways, I am born ready" and later on, the two of them got into the empty space at the palace backyard.

Arion crossed his arms, observing the heating atmosphere within the two ladies as he stood in the corridor. Then a hand suddenly wrapped around his neck, which infuriated him.

Glancing back, it was that Damian....Ramen or whatever.

He took off his arm with nonchalance.

Darian said, "With her wavy sword, the demon Princess can't be defeated. On the other hand, Liora is powerful with the Heavenly sword in her hand."

Arion shrugged nonchalantly.

"So, who do you think will win this fight?"

Did this guy have a death wish? Arion agreed he's at fault for not ending his life the last time.

The fight began. Clash of power manifested as the Princess' rigid sword crossed paths with the Heavenly sword sheath.

Liora understood that her moves were after making her to sheath the sword; but to whatever extent, she would never.

"The princess makes her moves in attempt to see the Heavenly sword barely and Liora is just adamant in doing that. What a compelling fight!" Darian said.

At the Gnostic sect, Thorian ordered his trusted guard, Seraphis,

"Check for me at the demon realm. Would it be Chen Liora that's going to eliminate the beast... or someone else?" He said and the man left to carry out his order.

"Even with the Heavenly sword, she can't possibly eliminate it: it's either someone else or she loses her life."

He sneered, his eyes fierce and distant. So he really knew Liora would lose her life, and yet, kept quiet.

Liora, with a swift move, seized the princess sword and blocked her neck with her own sword.

Darian clapped, grinning, "You are the best, Liora!" and looked at Arion expecting him to be praising her rigidity.

But he was uncaring as always.

"Yeah, you never talk with or care about others."

Liora returned her sword. And the Princess bowed,

"I seem to understand why you are one of the Golangane seasons now." She complimented her skills.

They were settled down in a room within the palace, and it was about time they went for the real business.

"Princess Amara, is there any destructive ability that beast has?"Caelum asked Amara.

"It is stored with poisonous gases, which I will warn you against. Someone that inhale any of these gases won't last the next 4 hours, so be careful," she said and they nodded in understanding.

Arion was about to follow them when Caelum asked him to stay.

" Well, that you eliminated the monsters last time may be a rare luck. You won't be able to protect yourself from the beast's attack and we'd be plagued by efforts to protect you — meanwhile, none of us must be distracted. So you have to stay."

What? Did he just look down on him? A mountain god for that matter?

"No, I can't -"

He interrupted Liora, "Is he more important than the emperor's command? We have to leave him behind."

"Time is running out; we have to leave!" The princess interjected.

Well, there's no choice than to do as Caelum said, and Liora left.

"What a betrayal! Why did she make me come when I am being seated in here like a little kid!?" Arion thought in his hyper infuriated mood.

The others also left, then Caelum casted a magical barrier at the room's entrance.

A barrier to prevent him from going out??? Was this some kind of joke?

Presently, he wasn't in his right state of mind so he just fell into the bed, gazing at the bluish thrilling barrier.

Amara and the four seasons landed at a cave. It was where the Princess said the beast's presence had been noticed.

"Here we are, the Bloodstream Cave!"

In was a colony of black birds, their guards kept high for any notice of sound.

The birds were called Echohunters with reliance on sound to attack.

Merrick kept his position at the front. Was he actually playing the hero even at the almighty Bloodstream Cave? Maybe he's sure of his skills, or probably, was trying to impress someone.

The Echohunters were not their business to begin with so they got past into the heart of the cave.

Upon getting there, intense heat blew which was a sign something great was around. The beast? Or another wild creature?

"It's Kaelen Hakal," said Amara.

"Is he some other...immortal that will help...us?" Darian asked with deep curiosity and his mates also looked at Amara with the same countenance.

"Don't be naive. It's the beast."

The beast?

"What? I thought we are dealing with an animal. I mean, like a serpent or mysterious panther...."

"Sometimes it is and again, it may take the form of immortals."

Caelum interrupted Darian, "How do we lure him out? We can't actually dash in unless we want to be his meal."

"That's very simple. It's just planting some elixir of magic," Amara replied.

"Elixir? Flower that magic is cultivated into?" Darian imagined, with fear of facing the beast. He didn't see anything else in the plan being made by others but stupidity.

She flinched to their front, "I will lure him with the elixir and then we ambush."

"Ok, I will shield you," Caelum passed magical powers to her as she made the elixir at the walkway leading to an empty room, where they believed Kaelen was hiding in.

However, their belief was right. The beast sat inside the non-vibrant room, leaning on the rough wall with his claws underlying the demon system and crave for energy and...blood.

Was that why the cave was called a bloodstream?

The glitter of torrent energy by the walkway made him excited that he could refill his lost energy now and he skulked out to the elixir. The plan was successful and Darian assumed the idea wasn't as null as he expected.

"For the love of demon realm! On me!" Merrick glided forward with his sword pointed at the heart of the beast. However, with a swift jump, Kaelen dodged his attack.

Amara soared towards Kaelen with her zig zag sword held high. Her eyes were fixed on his heart as she aimed to strike a decisive blow.

The anticipation hung in the air like a heavy shroud, and for a brief moment, time seemed to slow.

As she closed the distance, Darian, Caelum, and Liora, positioned strategically behind her, conjured their spell arrows. A flicker of magical energy surrounded each arrow as they released them in unison, the mystical projectiles streaking towards Kaelen.

In an astonishing display of agility, Kaelen evaded Amara's sword with a graceful sidestep.

Simultaneously, his sharp claws sliced through the incoming spell arrows, dispersing their magical energies harmlessly into the surroundings. It was a mesmerizing dance of precision and power.

Undeterred, Kaelen swiftly ascended to the top of a massive rock formation. From his elevated position, he drew a set of venomous arrows and let them loose.

Fortunately, Caelum, Amara, Darian, Merrick and Liora reacted with lightning reflexes, dodging the deadly projectiles as they whizzed past, narrowly missing their targets.

Seeing an opportunity, Caelum propelled himself towards Kaelen with incredible speed. However, Kaelen was equally swift; he effortlessly evaded Caelum's approach, soaring to another part of the cave.

With a fiery determination burning in his eyes, Merrick summoned the essence of fire onto his sword, coating the blade with searing flames. He ascended rapidly, closing the distance between himself and Kaelen. In a single fluid motion, Merrick swung his fiery blade, slicing through Kaelen's arm.

A torrent of green blood gushed from the wound, eliciting a pained roar from Kaelen. The cavern reverberated with the sound of his fury as he bled profusely from the wound Merrick had inflicted.

But Kaelen's anger was far from extinguished. With a deafening roar, he summoned the power of the wind, a cyclone of forceful gusts that sent Amara, Merrick, Darian, Caelum, and Liora hurtling through the air. Their bodies slammed against the rocky cave walls with bone-jarring impacts, leaving them momentarily dazed and disoriented.

In an awe-inspiring transformation, Kaelen's form began to shift and change. Scales erupted across his body, and enormous wings unfurled from his back and his body became larger, like that of a real beast.

He had become a formidable scaled beast, a creature of ancient and terrifying power, ready to continue the battle. The cavern trembled in response to his new might, setting the stage for an epic showdown between forces of light and darkness.

Kaelen, now a nightmarish amalgamation of scales and wings, unleashed its fury upon Liora.

With a malevolent intent, it flung her upwards, sending her soaring through the air before brutally smashing her back against a jagged rock.

Liora's agonized cry filled the cavern as blood spurted from her mouth, her body broken and battered.

"Liora! Are you okay?!" Merrick shouted.

Undeterred by Liora's brutal injury, the beast descended upon Merrick, who had once again ignited his sword into a blazing weapon of fire.

In a whirlwind of flames, Merrick attempted to slash at the creature. However, with a sweep of its monstrous claw, the beast sent him tumbling through the air, his fiery blade extinguished as he struggled to regain his bearings.

Caelum, consumed by rage at the sight of his fallen comrades, propelled himself toward the towering beast.

With a swift and precise thrust, Caelum drove the blade into the beast's scaled hide. The beast howled in searing pain, green blood gushing from the wound, a testament to the sword's potency.

Yet, in the midst of the battle, Caelum's realization struck like a bolt of lightning.

The sword attack alone wouldn't be enough to end the beast's reign of terror. It had to be the Heavenly sword, the only weapon that could truly harm the creature which required Liora to activate its potency, but yet, she lay injured and incapacitated nearby.

Seizing the opportunity, the beast, wounded but not defeated, lashed out at Caelum with a vicious swipe.

Its claws dug deep into Caelum's flesh, causing him to cry out in anguish as he, too, was grievously wounded.

The cavern echoed with the tumultuous battle, the odds tipping precariously in favor of the monstrous adversary.

With Liora incapacitated and Caelum gravely injured, the fate of the heroes hung in the balance, as they struggled to find a way to turn the tide against the formidable beast.

****

Arion had a bad feeling about Liora and others all of a sudden. He walked to the barrier, and slicing at the middle with his finger, it broke.

He didn't know where they went but still, his sophisticated brain and Rowan were on his side.

He summoned the dragon,and instantly, the creature appeared with his wings slicing through the air.

"You have to help me find where the..."

"I already know everything because I am always with you in the mind. Let's go," said Rowan and delightfully, he propelled himself to the top of the dragon.

And Rowan flew towards the Bloodstream Cave.

With a renewed sense of resilience and determination, Caelum and Merrick simultaneously launched another fierce assault on the monstrous beast.

Amara and Darian swiftly joined their efforts, uniting against their formidable foe. Amara's sword underwent a remarkable transformation, morphing into a rope-like material that she expertly used to bind the beast, restricting its movements.

Merrick, with his fiery sword, targeted the beast's legs, causing it to bellow in agony. Caelum and Darian, using their magical abilities, focused on neutralizing the beast's potential for further harm.

Their combined efforts seemed to weaken the creature, and they urgently urged Liora, who had been incapacitated, to act.

"It's time!!!!"

Summoning every ounce of her strength, Liora struggled to her feet. Her body pulsated with water magic, and her eyes took on a brilliant shade of blue as she unsheathed the Heavenly sword.

Liora leaped onto the beast and drove the celestial blade deep into its scaled hide.

A deafening roar of intense pain erupted from the creature as it recoiled in agony. In a desperate attempt to rid itself of its attackers, the beast flung them off once more and released a cloud of poisonous smoke.

Desperation filled the air as everyone covered their noses to avoid inhaling the toxic fumes.

Liora, however, couldn't escape entirely unscathed and breathed in some of the poison. Her comrades struggled to reach her, but the concentrated poison cloud made it impossible to approach.

In a miraculous turn of events, Arion, an unexpected savior, materialized on the scene.

He effortlessly lifted Liora from the ground and transported her to safety. Arion's inexplicable resistance to the poison became evident as he grabbed the Heavenly sword, which was even more surprising how he could use that sword.

Caelum pointed at Arion from his hidden position, surprised how Arion got through the barrier, "That man...how is he capable of breaking my barrier? Someone like him shouldn't have been able to..."

With a resolute determination, Arion leaped onto the beast's back and thrust the celestial blade into its hide once more. The creature's roars intensified, but it was unable to throw Arion off like it had done to others.

Drawing upon his mysterious power, Arion cast a spell that struck the beast with overwhelming force, causing it to tremble.

He then unleashed another spell, causing the creature to disintegrate before their eyes. The once-invincible beast had been defeated, and a profound silence descended upon the cave, broken only by the heroes' triumphant but weary breaths.

"Liora," Merrick ran to her with an embracing arm that held her from falling. Her face was worked up and the effect of the poison was getting obvious so he used his magic in order to neutralize the poison, but it never worked.

"Do not stress yourself, Merrick, I accept this as my fate," said Liora, in pain. "Now I understand why I was born — it's to sacrifice my life for others." She put on a wry smile. "The moment I had with you all is worthwhile, even the shortest with the Princess. When you get back to Golangane, tell my father I will forever remember him and...." Blood spurted from her mouth, "...the compensation from the emperor, if I were to be given one, please pass it to the stable worker. Stable worker, I won't forget about you too; I had the worstest moment with you of all people, but at least, I seem to find comfort with your coldness...."

"Who told you that you are free to decide whether you live or die? You think your life is a toy you can play with anyhow you like?!" Arion yelled at her. For the first time, he cared for someone. "Even if the only way to save your life is to climb to heaven, I won't hesitate. The life of a person is so precious, not like a piece of cheese!"

What? Did the ever cold and emotionless guy just care for someone's life?