DIVERSE TALES

RISE AND SHINE

Dedicated to newlywrittenbooks

Blood splattered against the dark stone. A howl of pain tore out of Makayla's throat even as her sight blurred. Makayla fell back onto the blood stained grass. Through her blurry vision, she could see the general advance. Gritting her teeth, she pulled back on her bottom, blades of grass scraping against rips in her leather tunic. The rush of adrenaline in her body gave way to pain that threatened to make her pass out. Makayla's back hit against the stone, halting her retreat as jabs of pain started up her spine. Her breathing hitched.

The man's boots crunched on the grass. Disgust curled in Makayla's stomach as she scrunched her nose up, defiance spreading up to her curled lips. She held a hand to the gash on her arm that flowed out freely. The sticky paste caused a sickening feeling in her belly as she struggled against the drowsiness that held her.

"Don't you see woman king?" A snort left his mouth on the title. Makayla couldn't help the clench that threatened to gather up to her fists. The grey of his armour that splotched her vision, his whole figure distorted in her flickering sight. The cries of her fallen soldiers echoed in her ears, causing an ache in her heart. Cries of women, young and old that had joined her to break Kratos free from the darkness that had threatened to claim it for far too long.

"Better alive and defeated than defeated and dead, don't you see you can't win this?" At that another round of screams ransacked the atmosphere. As though being pulled out from her haze, the world came back to her. Her women lay across the plains, blood seeping from different gashes. Men in silver armour towered over them, raising hands to the grey colored sky before shouting in triumph.

The general took another step towards her, his tall lean frame keeping away the faint rays of light that tumbled down from the sun. His silver sword glinted wickedly as he gripped it by the golden hilt. The general casually swung it as her blood roared in her ears. A bitterness trudged up Makayla's throat as the pain in her torso worsened.

"Goodbye, woman king. I wish you luck in your next life." With that, he raised his sword. Too tired to move, she accepted her fate, allowing the self preservation that stirred within her to die. Her eyes fluttered close. For some minutes all that was left was silence before a loud screech ripped through her ears. Heat blasted against her face, startling her as her eyes were forced open. There in the middle of everything stood, a woman shrouded in a glowing aura, her blonde hair flowed down to her back while her other parts were covered in white robes. The world around her had frozen, the chilly air almost encapsulating her before the heat of the woman's presence drove it away.

"Makayla, the woman king, your noble deeds have gone up to be a memorial onto you in this day of battle." Startled by the ethereal tone that the woman spoke with made Makayla shift in to herself, eyes guarded. The woman stretched forth a hand, the rumbling of the ground continuing at the background, the world still fixated in the blue frozen  capsule.

"Who are you?" The woman's eyes glowed the same color as her hair, the otherworldly glow chilling Makayla's bones with the mighty power that the woman exuded. Blood pounded in her ears as she gazed at the woman, transfixed.

"Rise up and shine! This is the gift of a lifetime." The woman brought her hand forth and the air around her hand shimmered before a flaming sword materialized before her, hovering just at her arm length, waiting expectantly for Makayla.

"Come, woman king and end this war." Hesitantly, she gritted her teeth and fought through the pain even as she stood up. Her black braids sweeping into her eyes. As soon as she touched the hovering sword, the light blinded her once again. She felt the agonizing pain that had terrorized her arms fade away, injuries sewing back together as the burning heat swept through her body. By the time her eyes opened, the general was hunched over, breathing heavily as he shakily gripped his sword.

Makayla looked at the sword in her hand, the glow had diminished to be left with a flamy line that drew across the metal blade before rushing up to the orange hilt. The heat that caressed her was vibrant, invigorating her every bones. Makayla smirked at the renewed energy. As soon as the general raised his head, she rushed forward, the burning of flames spread across her limbs, speeding her. In a momemt's notice, she slashed at his chest, blood dappled the grass and a gasp escaped the man's lips, the metal burst open by the sword which was instantly decimated by the flames left to be ashes that crumpled to the floor. The man crippled, his eyes going white before he fell.

Then the rest of the soldiers came before all hell broke loose. With the grace of a cat, she sped through the hordes of figures , slashing and kicking as blood smeared bodies. Makayla severed heads even as the flames ate away at writhing bodies. The dense fog of smoke followed her every dance, the fire pushing along to the silent tune that took hold of her soul. After the last man crippled to the sword, she finally took a breath.

  The smoke swirled up to the sky and the dense array of ashes scattered across the ground, blood and ashes forming the usual canvas of war. Suddenly, she had a splitting headache. Her body trembled, the sword suddenly began to burn her palms, the comforting warmth now suddenly turning jarring and dangerous. The sword clattered down. Then she fell.

Gifts are never given on credit, you have done well mortal. With that Makayla blacked out.

Word count: 1000 words.

  I want to thank God for giving me the Grace to write this. So, how was it? This is actually from a prompt given by newlywrittenbooks for a contest they are hosting.

Update: I want to thank God for giving me the Grace to win the contest I am so grateful to the newlywrittenbooks for this opportunity.