A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 171 | August 25th | Welcome Back

Timeline | August 25th | Next Day

"The moment has come," Isis bellowed from her throne, elated by the news she had just received. The dilapidated palace on the moon, which served as a stronghold for her and her husband, along with the monsters they commanded, barely stood.

"Capture the Princess!" she ordered, and her armies, vast in number and ready for battle, prepared to engage their foes.

Cid stood at the entrance of the crumbling palace garden, observing the sinister creatures before him and their clamor. Isis had bestowed upon them her power, invigorating them for the impending war.

"Infiltrate the academies, attack the palace!" Isis roared, and the endless throngs of monsters howled in glee, bowing before her.

Cid cackled wickedly, "destroy anyone who stands in your way. Bring the Princess to me alive," he commanded, "it's time to merge our worlds. We will give 'the beast' what he desires most from our realm!"

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*** BEFORE you begin, yea I still have no idea what to call the enemy, literally the whole book was written around just calling him 'the beast' and really no other name, the context and way I wrote it made sure of it.

Sooo... if you have suggestions, that would be greattttt lol..... but in my head, the enemy legit looks like a mammoth like beast /boar thing. Not human.

******

"Go," Isis gestured with her hand and the minions of evil before them bowed to their Sorceress and Sorcerer, trembling in fear of their wrath.

Their armies were there to lure the warriors into a clearing, leaving them vulnerable to be attacked and destroyed, which would also ruin any alliances forged during the war. The plan was straightforward - with the crystal in hand, they would see an end to the war that was looming over them.

As they waited in the desolate, broken land before them, Cid turned to his wife and folded his arms. "Now we wait. The warriors will put up a fight. Expect fierce retaliation from him."

Isis smirked with delight. "I have seen that child in action, and he is nothing compared to us. I could have snapped his neck so easily."

Cid's frown deepened, and he leered at his wife. "He is mine to kill. Do what you will with the other children."

Before Isis could reply, they were interrupted by a dark figure shrouded in a cloak and the darkness of his magic. Both the Sorceress and Sorcerer dropped to their knees before him, waiting with bated breath for him to speak.

The creature hated this world. He had been here before, in another timeline, but it was all the same. The same stench of hope resided in this world as it had in the one in which he had been.

--- Flashback----

The world of Isadora stretched out before them, a vast expanse of towering structures that seemed to reach up into the heavens. As they looked out at the multitude of buildings, they saw that there were thousands of them, each one larger than any they had ever seen before.

A crowd of onlookers stood watching as the two time travellers arrived, the portal behind them shimmering and pulsing as it closed. The two of them exchanged a nod, quietly communicating their shared purpose.

"Find the crystal quickly," she said, turning to the beast-like creature at her side. "I'll make sure we haven't been followed."

He nodded, and she stepped back through the portal, disappearing from view. The creature was left alone to survey the strange new world that surrounded him. The buildings were curved and rounded, unlike any he had ever seen before, and the multicoloured roads and avenues snaked and twisted between the buildings in a seemingly chaotic yet organized fashion.

He stood at the remote outskirts, observing the world before him and planning his next move. The people with odd headgear were completely unaware of the danger that lay ahead, but it didn't matter to him. He knew what was coming and was determined to stop it. His current actions might have been condemned, but he was certain that they would ultimately save many more lives.

The pod-like vehicles buzzed along the streets, other vehicles and platforms laden with people transported from one destination to the next. They moved around the sprawling city like insects flying around a massive, bustling hive.

This was just what he could see in this tiny segment of a massive city that stretched into the horizon; what stood out for him was the single massive structure towered miles away in the centre of the beehive, rising above the metropolis and dominating the skyline.

The crystal pulsated at the top of the structure, a holy beacon of light that called to him for it hummed in its vibrations of this new world.

The onlookers stared upwards, diverted to the vivacious light as the sunrise had been their backdrop; there was no cause to worry, no hesitation in watching a magnificent flare brighten their skies. What it brought with it however had been the firing energy balls that streaked through the skies. 

They had hit hundreds of towers, setting them ablaze, rumbling the world, forcing the skyline buildings to crumble down to the streets in a ravenous roar of destruction. The city was soon consumed by a raging inferno, and the screams of civilians filled the air. 

The beast raised his palm and sent another round of energy balls at the city. It down poured all around the metropolis like an apocalyptic rainstorm and his

"Don't let the crystal slip through our fingers again," he commanded, as his army of youmas, monsters, and creatures that appeared at his side and charged into the utopian city. Their energy balls decimated everything in their path as they raced towards the palace, the source of power that would give them an edge in the war to come.

---- End Flashback -----

"Where is she?" he growled, his voice dripping with urgency. "Time is running out before Emmaine drags me back to the other world."

Cid acknowledged his question, raising his head ever so slightly to meet the gaze of the grey-eyed beast before him. "They're down there now," he said, gesturing towards the ground. "The youmas are getting her for you. The crystal will be yours."

Isis dared to ask a question, hoping to gain more knowledge about the Princess. "Master," she said tentatively, "how can you be certain it is her? How can you know that she held it?""

The beast chuckled softly beneath his robes, studying the fallen palace grounds on the moon where he stood. The contrast between this world and the one he had been bound to for years was vast.

"She is relentlessly predictable," the beast sneered at them both. "I have come to realize that she will come forward again to protect her home, just as the version of her did to create the barrier that stopped me. The ignorant version of her in this world will want to protect everyone, and that is where we will take her before the powers kill her again, before the crystal jumps timelines."

Cid and Isis nodded in agreement, and the beast turned to face them before enveloping himself in magic. "Do not fail me," he warned them. "The consequences will be your life."