The Heart Of Gems

~ Chapter 4: Controlled ~

There are four Human monarchies in this world, North, South, East, and West. 

The North is most powerful; West is the weakest. Where I am right now is the North. The North and South monarchies fight each other. East and West are the same. 

The only time all four Human monarchies combined was in the attack against Zandora. I'm proud to say we're powerful enough to have all Humans alliance together. Zandorians can defeat all Human realms if not for the fact our Heart was stolen. 

I viciously stare at the Heart in the King's hands. If only it wasn't stolen....

We march a long way. Up mountains, through forests, over lakes. It takes a while to reach our destination. 

The King doesn't need to tell us directions. He can just control us. 

The land we are attacking is a dense forest with lots and lots of trees. And lots and lots of dark, hiding places. It's somewhere Zandorians love. 

A suspicion passes my mind. Are we not attacking Humans... but Zandorians? I cold feeling enters my heart. 

Humans normally fight on open lands. If not for Zandora being a mountainous land, they would've never attacked it. 

This is where Zandorian rebels lie. 

If I can figure it out, I'm sure other Zandorians can. The surrounding slaves shift uneasily. They've already noticed the suspicious surroundings. Unwillingness is evident in their eyes. 

As we shift uneasily, the Heart abruptly sends bolts of pain into our Gem's core. 

Ow.

My face twists in pain as the Gem hidden deep in my jerks my body. 

The Zandorians around me have similar pained expressions. 

"Don't have any thoughts of rebelling," the King coldly demands, "it won't be good for you."

With pale faces, we keep advancing. My heart thumps faster and faster as we near our final destination. I can literally feel Zandorians hiding everywhere in Gem form. 

Besides the still living Elder Topaz, there are three more elders of Zandora. Elder Lapis Lazuli, Garnet, and Iolite. 

I don't know if he has gone crazy, but they should not that without their Gem powers, they are as useless as Humans without weapons. 

After a couple hours of treading through the dense forest, we emerge from the thicket and enter a wide clearing. 

My jaw hangs wide open. 

In front of me, there are waves and waves of Gems. They are the last free Zandorians in the world. All of them are in Gem form. 

They stare back at us, former Zandorians. 

Elder Garnet stands in the frontline of the Zandorians. 

We feel as their hot stares pierce our skin. There's hopelessness and a resignation in their gazes. A resignation to their fate. 

They know the price for rebellion. A world of captivity. They know what awaits them in the hands of Humans. They tried to stay hidden, but Humans forced them out. They want to be back with their kin in endless darkness. 

The King holds the Heart up.

Shift! Kill the rebels!

The echo of the voice is barely fading before all Zandorians start panicking. 

Ah?! We're supposed to kill them?! Weren't the Humans supposed to capture them only?! 

My shock isn't any less than theirs. From what I know, Gems are supposed to be captured, not murdered. Even if they're captured, they aren't captured by us. 

Kill them all! Shift!

The second command rips through our bodies. Miserable screams ring out in the air as we struggle against his commands. The King doesn't kill us because we're still useful to him. 

I gaze back at the maniacal King. His face is sinister, and he laughs at the presence of our struggle. It's a game for him. Zandorian verses Zandorian. Gem against Gem. 

The Heart's commands shave the last sense of rebelling in us. The weaker Zandorians in Human gradually turn into Gem form. 

I fight against the King's demands with all my might. How can I kill my own kin? I'm the Prince of Zandora. It would be against our laws to murder our own species. 

One by one, captive Zandorians surrender under the Heart's influence. Almost everyone has fully transformed into our original form. 

Elder Topaz and I are soon one of the only ones still able to be partially in control. 

In total, there are six Zandorians still in Human form. To my surprise, Zephyr is one of the few. 

The Heart shines brighter. 

I grind my teeth together in determination as agony wracks my body. The Heart used to be ours. I won't let it control its former owners. 

We're slowly losing the spark of hope overhanging right in front of us. 

Soon, Zephyr and the others shift into Gems. 

Elder Topaz and I are the only ones left. Both of us have amazing identities. The powers inside us are the strongest out of all Zandorians. 

I watch in despair as Elder Topaz's eyes shine brightly. He makes a brief contact at me with his eyes. In a flash of light, his Human form is shed, and a bright, multi-colored Gem is in his place. 

The King and Human guards stare at me. I feel their eyes pierce into my very core. 

I know what they're thinking. Usually, the most powerful Zandorians are the ones that can resist the longest. They must've thought Elder Topaz was the hardest to conquer. Not so. 

To be honest, I also wasn't expecting this outcome. Elder Topaz is older than me. He should harness more power. 

The Human King roars, and the Heart glows. The entire clearing is filled with its light. 

I can't control the scream that escapes my mouth. 

I'm about to shift, but I can't. My identity will be proven, and I'll live a life worse than death if that happens.  

My Gem thrums within my core. 

Transform!

The word echoes in my Gem.