One Little Spark: Part 1

Chapter 20

          The dark prophecy that has haunted Iyrilia for centuries has at last been lifted. With Crizwalke gone along with his crimes put to rest for good, the time for peace in the country can now begin.

          The storm has calmed down its thunderous drumming and flashing lightning. The clouds have been cleansed into a white puffiness as the leftovers of the wasted blood begin to evaporate. The sky has been revealed in its natural blue color with the sun shining down its rays onto the surface ground. It enlightens the lush grass as it softly sways across the meadows. Beside them are the streams fully replenished with its surplus of water that has now been thoroughly decontaminated of the wasted blood. The rushing of this new water has doused the fires and dirt that had engulfed the city for the better from perpetual ruin. But with Álvaro banishing Crizwalke to his eternal prison, the likeliness of Iyra City still remaining intact after all this cause is very slim.

          The Dream Machines floats across the sky at this moment. Far across from them, a purple dot comes flying toward the crew on board. It is obvious of Dreamfinder to recognize who and what that purple dot is in the distance. Figment, who could not wait another second to reunite with his friends, races toward the Dream Machine in a great frenzy. Dreamfinder lets go of his grip onto Rachel and waves frantically for Figment to see. The dragon zips straight to his creator and greets him a tight, yet very relieving, hug.

"We did it!" Figment cheered. "We saved Iyrilia!"

"We all did, Figment!" Dreamfinder smiled. "We all did."

"Well...most of it." Howard Fitz said.

          As Howard lowers the Dream Machine to the ground, they all catch a glimpse of what is left of this great city. It is anything butrefined. The entire city has fallen together into a perfectly fit crater. The aftereffects of Álvaro's plunge completely destroyed the city to the ground. The towers and skyscrapers were torn down half-sized, the streets have turned into layers and layers of dirt ground, broken roads and debris, and whatever smoke was left from the fires overshadows the lower half of the city. There is no sign of life anywhere so far.

"Whoa..." Rachel and Croc both said in deep tones.

"Unbelievable!" said Dreamfinder.

"Man...our home..." Croc pauses.

"It's all gone." Rachel sighed, as she secretly took a picture with her camera. "Everything!"

"Well, on the bright side," Figment intervenes while trying to share a little cheer into the group, "the city can be rebuilt in whatever design it wants once everything gets cleaned up."

"If there are still people left." Rachel pointed out.

          Finally touching the ground, Howard turns off the Dream Machine. Everyone gets off the ship immediately happily planting their feet onto the grassy floor. The soft breeze gently blows onto everyone's faces in its cooling warmness. Along the wind comes Dreamfinder's top hat lost in the airiness after struggling through the harsh dusty lightning storms. Reaching out his arm, Dreamfinder catches his hat into his hand and places it back onto his head. He allows his flying to rest in his arms for a while. Flying around a vortex from hurting the civilians has been a tough job to tackle.

"Wait a minute." Figment interrupted. "Where's Alex?"

          Dreamfinder gave a gloomy look to his best friend in sorrow. He sighs and takes off his hat in respect feeling the need to cry. He was too late to grab him away from harm...too late to save him.

"He's...he's gone, Figment." said Dreamfinder in a sad tone. "Alex Wavers is no more."

"He slipped off the top of the mountain to his death." Rachel clarified. "I guess that makes both brothers gone now."

"Aww..." Figment moans.

"Yo guys, look! Up there!" Croc calls out pointing up to the heavens.

          The group turns their attention to the sky and watched in shock at what is coming at them. Coming down from the clouds, the winged Katkin Álvaro's silhouette blackens as the sun shines behind him. He had completed his mission in taking out Crizwalke and saving his people from total destruction unharmed. He soars down through the air like a falling incoming rocket ready to feet foot onto the land again. There is something on his back as he darts his way back. Another Katkin is holding onto him tightly, a Katkin boy whom everyone in the group knows very well.

"It's Álvaro!" Rachel exclaimed.

"And Alex!" Dreamfinder happily perks up at the sight. "He's alive!"

"Yay!" Figment cheers.

"Aw yeah!" Croc also cheers as he thrusts his fists into the air. "WOO! WOO! WOO! WOOOOO!"

"Thank goodness!" Howard sighs in relief.

          Figment flies out of Dreamfinder's arms to greet Álvaro and Alex. He twirls in a circle around the two Katkins as they land safely back onto the ground. Dreamfinder and Rachel come charging towards them happily and full of excitement with their feet trudging onto the freshly lit up grass as they run. Alex jumps off of Álvaro and falls into both Dreamfinder and Figment's arms and they hug him tightly enough for him to lose his breath. Álvaro grabs a hold onto Rachel's torso and swings her around across the air. He too gives Rachel a steady hug and kisses her on her forehead. Rachel blushes and giggles gaily with her head down in contented embarrassment. She returns a hug to Álvaro as well as a kiss on his cheek. He sets Rachel down as Rachel heads over to Alex and hugs him with comfort, while Figment gives Álvaro a friendly hug and Dreamfinder a firm appreciative handshake. Two more persons join in on the merriment. Howard and Croc, each awed by the sight of Álvaro standing here in person before them, kneeled before him in respectful worship. Of course Álvaro takes pride in his people's praise and gratitude.

"Rachel. And all my friends." Álvaro expresses lively. "I am so happy you all are safe."

"We have you to thank for that." Dreamfinder pointed out.

"No. It is I who must thank you all. Especially to Rachel, whose cries have reached my ears thoroughly and awoken me from my slumber."

"Well..." Rachel blushes. "You only fall from a thousand foot tower once in a blue moon and well...I'm happy to help."

"Alex! You're okay!" Figment said happily.

"Of course I'm alright!" Alex laughed. He gives a thumbs-up and says, "All Katkins manage to land on their own feet after a fall."

"Thank goodness!" Dreamfinder exclaims. "Here is your shirt, Alex." He hands the red shirt he pulled off by accident at the fall on the mountain back to Alex, who puts in on to his satisfaction.

"Hey guys!" Croc called. "Check this out!"

          Everyone gathers behind Croc where they see the fully destroyed city of Iyrilia. As described the city is in total ruin. Though he did not craft the city himself, Álvaro's lips quiver at the horrific sight of his crumbled civilization and on top of them his people. He clutches his heart feeling the pain ripping his heart into two. He lets go of Rachel and walks toward the center of the city alone. Behind him unbeknownst to himself Rachel, Dreamfinder, Figment and their friends follow behind him.

          This city has become unlike how Dreamfinder, Figment and Rachel first approached it when they first arrived in Iyrilia. When they came, the city was glistening with silver steel in the sunlight. Now every building they pass by are rusted, melted or torn to pieces by the dark prophecy's aftermath. The smoke from the doused fires continued to spread through the air like a plague. Vehicles from cars to trucks have all been turned over by the brute force beforehand. Some fire hydrants on the cracked and broken sidewalks broke off and shot water out of the ground like geysers in Yellowstone Park. Álvaro then spotted the center of Iyra City where his golden statue self once stood atop the marble pillar all broken down into small pebbles. Along with it, he finds some bodies lying dead from their battle with the robots police. Even some broken parts of the robot police were present as well. Álvaro's head hung heavily downward. His only comfort came to him when Rachel took his hand softly. He then shed a tear. While Álvaro had defeated Crizwalke, he also brought decimation to his own people. Was this really all worth it, he thought to himself? Perhaps not.

          But before he was able to confirm that, he hears a rumbling and crackling of rubble being moved from the distance. Everyone knows that debris does not move by itself. Someone is underneath the rubble trying to get out! Álvaro jerked his head back up and watched the surface for any movement. Not far away from him he spotted a turned-over car sitting beside a couple broken steel beams that sat on top of a bruised metal sheet. Grabbing Rachel by her torso with his arm, Álvaro swiftly flies over to the broken beams and finds that they are moving actively. Someone must be pounding at the thing from underneath! He puts Rachel back down and starts lifting away the heavy objects. Rachel signals her friends to come over and help and they did. Everyone takes a piece of rubble and tosses it aside.

          When they cleared away the metal, they find a crowded subway-like entrance leading underground to the secret tunnels. Shocked at the sight, Álvaro stood still. Survivors of his people are alive and well! They must have hidden underneath the ground for protection against his wrath on Crizwalke. They are all dirtied and bruised from their actions with Crizwalke's now broken robots who, thanks to Álvaro, have lost their battle. The people standing down there begin struggling out of the tunnel entrance. They send their children up first. Among those children came a little girl reaching for someone's hands to grab her out. Álvaro snapped out of his shock and pulls the little girl out and into his arms.

          The girl is very young, probably six or seven-years-old. Her long blackened red hair draped down her back and over her ears. Her small blue eyes looked up into Álvaro's glowing yellow pupils. At the sight, she began to feel warm and happy. In fact, she recognizes the winged Katkin's face and smiles. Álvaro could not help but smile back at the little girl. Seeing children smile and laugh is one of the prides and joys of his immortal life.

"What is your name?" Álvaro asked the little girl.

"Sarah." Sarah replied. "You're Álvaro, are you?"

"Yes."

"This is for you." Sarah hands to Álvaro a fistful of flowers.

          Each one of those flowers is colored differently and has bloomed beautifully. The stems of those flowers aren't even cut out. Their roots dangled down below as some of the leftover dirt dropped to the ground.

"You...you carried these all this way to the underground?" Álvaro asked with surprise.

"I wanted to give these to you when I saw you rescue that girl." Sarah said referring to Rachel. "But when the city was falling and those robots attacked, I was afraid that there would be no more flowers blooming when it was over. So I took some and saved them here for you."

          Such pure innocence Álvaro had found in this girl. He begins to shame himself for ever proclaiming such a terrible prophecy in the beginning. He takes the flowers gladly and sticks one of them into Sarah's hair. And then he presses his head onto hers and purrs mildly to which she giggles.

"They're beautiful, Sarah." said Álvaro. "We'll plant these together when the city is rebuilt."

          He then gives Sarah a hug. Immense warmth began to build up inside each of them. It even became contagious enough to spread over to the Katkin's friends.

          Rachel sniffed. Her eyes began to tear up at the sight. Little children are the most innocent begins ever created, that much she knew already. Right here in front her is proof. She takes out her camera and takes a picture of Álvaro holding onto Sarah as she gives him the flowers. Neither one of them paid any attention to Rachel doing this, but that was okay with her. When the picture printed and dries up, she puts it away in her pocket along with her camera.

"Rachel?" Dreamfinder hears Rachel sniffle. He leaned forward beside her and trying to see her face. "Are you crying?"

"No!" Rachel sniffed. "My eyes are just sweating. Let's get these guys out of there."

          Everyone contributes their strengths together pulling out ever citizen they could carry out. Those people who still had enough strength in their muscles as well as their hearts began to spread out across the broken city and find more openings for everyone to step out. Soon five to ten openings have been found. In a half hour, everyone in the city joined together with Álvaro and the group.

          The sight of Álvaro's people still alive despite all that had occurred lifted his spirits. Each one of them, human and anthropomorphic animal alike, man, woman and child, working together and standing tall as one has been defined as a strong community.

"Wowie-wow-wow!" Figment exclaims. "Everyone's all here!"

"Not everyone." Howard spoke solemnly.

          Howard points out to where Alex had been standing alone away from the crowd. The Katkin's fur slightly blew with the wind behind him. While his friends were helping the citizens out of the tunnels, he spotted something across the way from the central hub of the city. Alex heads over to that certain object and he finds a pair of broken glasses sitting below him. Ron's glasses. He can tell it was Ron's by the dark shade color of green Ron likes and the tiny inscription of his name engraved inside one of the temples. Alex picks up the glasses in a tremble. Remembering the fond memories he has had with Ron from when they escaped the orphanage as younger Katkin children to their foolish comedic antics all the way to the end of Ron's life made him want to burst into tears and scream. His older brother is gone forever and this pair of glasses is all that is left of him.

          But then a warmness came upon Alex's shoulder. He finds Dreamfinder's hand gently pats onto him with sympathy. The look on Dreamfinder's face is filled with gloom. His eyes meet with Alex's as his eyelids became heavy. To lose a family member and a friend has left them both destroyed to the core. Dreamfinder kneels down to Alex's height and hugs him tightly. Tis the season to be giving hugs.

"Alex, I'm so sorry." Dreamfinder said. "Hey you know, we saved Ron's body back in the Dream Machine. What say we have a proper funeral for him?"

"I don't want a funeral for Ron." Alex cried in Dreamfinder's shoulder. "I just want him back!" He grasps Ron's glasses firmly with each passing tear streaming down his furry cheeks.

"We all do. But I don't think any force in this world can bring him back."

"What about dream power?"

"I...no. I don't so. I'm not sure even dream power can help this cause. I am so, so sorry, Alex. Truly, I am."

          Behind Dreamfinder comes Figment fluttering beside them. Then Rachel and then Howard. And even Croc came to join the crowd. He only knew Ron for a mere half hour starting with watching Ron tearing a Crizwalke banner and yet he was able to feel deeply for Alex's loss. All of their arms wrapped around Alex into one big huddle.

          Alex's mind has then succumbed into a blankness as his head slid down and lay against Dreamfinder's chest. The only thing that appeared in his imagination is Ron. Seeing him at the front, Alex could not hold back his tears any longer. He started running toward his brother for his embrace. He reached out his arms for Ron to grab. And as their hands touched, a light illuminated brightly forcing everything in his unconsciousness to turn white and then into many different bright colors. The light burst into the air and came out of Alex in the form of his tears.

          The Katkin's tears fell to the ground. As they hit the ground, they begin to glow. It spread out outside the group and covered every piece of material left in Iyra City. Dreamfinder looks down below Alex and takes the first notice of this occurrence. He taps onto Alex and signals him to look down. The ground underneath the crowd is turning light blue, then green, then all yellow orange-ish. Everyone in the group gasps. They tore themselves apart from the huddle to get a better view of this phenomenon. The wave of colors spread out to as far as the city limits covering everything it touches along the way. The materials on the ground levitated themselves and started putting themselves together. Everything from broken wood and stone, leftover robots parts, scraped metals, broken glass and sheets of papers flew above the citizens and headed straight to their destined areas. They built up new parks, houses, cars, and skyscrapers and restored many restaurants, transit areas, social centers, schools and political structures alike. Some of which took the form of some different animals since the anthropomorphic-animals tribes first claimed the land long ago. Even the streets are newly paved again. No more potholes! Everything in Iyra City is reverting back to how it originally was, but with a much bigger addition. Instead of just silver structures, the buildings have all been changed into many different colors as well as the beams being made from gold, silver and bronze. Newer buildings and contraptions formed before everyone's eyes. Many of which only Alex would recognize.

"My...my inventions!" Alex gasps.

"What's happening here?" Rachel asked.

"Everything is returning to their previous estates as it once was." said Álvaro. "Along with that, new additions to the city are appearing before. Hopefully, for the better."

"I was only thinking of being with Ron again," Alex spoke, "and then this...started."

"It's dream power on the go!" Figment cheered.

"Emotional apprehensions made into matter manifestation!" Dreamfinder realized. "Brilliant!"

"Far out!" Croc exclaims.

"Incredible!" said Howard. "I knew Alex always had such a bright mind, but this tops it off!"

          The people of Iyra City awed at the sight of their home city being rebuilt into a new form. The dream power forming from Alex's mind rises higher and higher until the Iyrilian Tower has been newly restored and improved into the glory it had always been, perhaps even better. The last of the dream power magic reached up to the top of the Twisted Peek Mountain and formed a new rock to replace the broken tip that had been dusted away from the storm clouds in the high altitude.

          Right below Álvaro and Sarah a new plain of grass grew at their feet. Álvaro kneels down to the ground and puts Sarah down. Everyone watches as Álvaro digs a small hole in the dirt. Sarah puts the roots of the flowers into the hole and shoves the dirt back to its place. The dirt covers the roots and the flowers and now planted back into the Iyrilian soil. Smiles upon everybody's faces lit up in the act of the flowers blooming once again in the sunrays that had sewn through the open gaps of the mountain.

          Dreamfinder remained at Alex's side throughout the event. It is such a sight to see. The energy of dreams sparking at every corner of the city beautifying it with its marvelous power has made vast improvements of community structures. It's a wonder how minds create creations. Though it is not hard to figure out. Alex sheds another tear down his face. This time it is a tear of joy, not of pain.

"It's the dawn of a new era for Iyrilia." Alex said with his eyes still fixed at the renovated city.

"Hm?" Dreamfinder hummed.

"We always dreamed of making our home a better place together. When our parents died, Ron and I vowed to work hard in school and learn what he could do to change Iyra City for the better so that no one would have to face the same fates again, safe and peaceful. This utopia is what we both envisioned and more."

"No doubt this is what he would have wanted."

"No doubt at all."

"Alexander." Álvaro interrupts.

          Álvaro steps up to Alex and Dreamfinder with Sarah still in his arms. Rachel and Figment walk up behind Dreamfinder just as Howard and Croc walk up behind Alex. The winged Katkin smiles at the young Alex standing before him. He saved the city and his people from destruction. Without Alex, it is difficult to see what Iyrilia would have truly been.

"My dear Alexander," Álvaro speaks, "when I moved my people to this great land thousands of years ago, all I had ever wanted for them was to live prosperously and freely together. But then during my absence, a sheet of darkness had blanketed over them and transformed it to what it had just previously been. You heroism has saved our people from its darkest hours. Your ingenuity, your bravery, your faith and your purity has changed the face of this mighty nation into what you have contemplated all your life. This grand and beautiful world is now made to your credentials." He then swoops up to the air for everyone to see, speaks loudly for all to hear, and says, "Let it be known to the city and beyond that on this day and forever more...in honor of the this young Katkin's dream and vision for his homeland and to his brother Ronaldo Waver's passing and memory, the Twisted Peek Mountain shall be renamed to Alexander Heights and the plains outside the outside the mountain shall now be named Ronaldo Valley!"

          The city cheers to Álvaro's proclamation. Alex's jaw drops in shock. The reaction to this has knocked his senses off the ground. Dreamfinder and Howard pick up Alex together onto their shoulders as Alex throws his fists in the air with victory in his heart. This is the proudest moment in his life!