Strangers of the Forsaken.

Chapter Five: Part Three.

Chapter Five: Part Three.

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In the mind of young Kresten, he certainly had his own personal reasons for choosing to embark upon the path he was on. It may well have been nothing but a path of torturous self-destruction and mental instability, but he truly believed that he was now too far gone to recover. Nothing he could do now could truly ever reform Kresten back, to the good, kindhearted person he once was. Though he very rarely spoke of it to anyone, there were many tragically horrific circumstances he had suffered through in his lifetime. Things that had shaped the young boy into such a hater of all things good and pure in this world. On the very day he had made the decision to join Tobias and Anthony, in their plans to take down the royal castle; Kresten had sworn also to keep a very personal promise to himself. To reach upward into the very Heavens above, pull down this so-called "God" that so many people speak of and finally, bring an end to all of this torment. There was nothing he wanted more than to ultimately be able to pull Him from His very throne, proving once and for all that He is truly nothing more, than simply a mere farce and a fallacy. Invented only for the benefit and overall betterment of suspicious men. Men who know not, that such a fraud could never hope to bring about further good. Kresten never had allowed himself to be dragged further down, into the ever ongoing pit of nothingness, that religion so carelessly represented. To be restrained by the binding chains of faith and false belief, was not something this young boy could ever see himself doing. He had always point blank refused to find himself caught-up in such blissful mediocrity, as he knew all too well what it was like to suffer. Those who couldn't, or wouldn't understand this, could never fully comprehend why Kresten had chosen to blame this "God" for all that had gone so, so badly wrong so far in his short life.

The three young servant friends had gradually been putting together, what they had been thinking was the perfect plot. Over the past two to three days now, the small group had banded together to take their revenge on the world. Up until now, they each had been spending time gathering together the much needed materials, that were essential to their plan. It certainly wasn't going to be at all easy, not by a long shot. This was namely due to the fact that not one of them had much knowledge, in regards to explosives. But each boy's individual intellect was still enough, so that the three young minds combined together, would hopefully be able to come up with the perfect, ultimate weapon. Between the three of them, they all hoped to put their differences aside and work as a team. There are a great many ways in which one can start at the very bottom and rise up through the ruthless ranks of society. Eventually, such a path holds the potential to help rise anyone up to the top. This particular approach was just one possible way onto this path, though it carried a very important message – especially for Kresten. For him, the successful completion of this plan would take him one step closer, to achieving the revenge he so desperately sought after. No longer would he have to carry the all too heavy burden, of a bitterly empty soul and a hate-filled heart of never-ending resentment.

The very moment that Laylah's hand lightly touched the waters of the mysterious pond, she soon felt a sudden change within her. It was almost like an odd tingling sensation she could feel, and it rippled throughout her entire body, putting her very much on edge. This failed to stop her from wanting to continue on however, even when she began to spot that the water's surface was now lighting up. Her trusted sidekick and dear friend, Pydren, attempted to cry out to warn his owner to step away from the danger. As usual though, she refused to listen and instead chose to lean in further, so that she was now reaching as far as she could into the pond. It soon became clear to Pydren that something was soon going to happen to Laylah, if she continued to refuse to see sense and back away from the pond. The young dragon's cries fell on deaf ears however and soon enough, the entirety of the pond was soon awash with a bright, white light. It seemed to have emerged from the very deepest depths of the waters. All that could be heard from that point on, were the Princess' desperate cries, as she was pulled far below the viciously hungry waters. The few moments that followed were nothing short of painfully agonizing for poor Pydren, as he knew there was nothing he could do to save her. All he was able to do was look on, as his beloved friend and companion was stolen away from his very sight. Laylah's nightmarish, blood-curdling screams of fright still rang loudly in Pydren's head, long after the young girl had disappeared under the pond's surface. The situation seemed to end abruptly, almost as quickly as it had begun. The very moment the helpless Princess was fully submerged within the horrendously unforgiving waters, the bright light then immediately faded. The ache that had now been left behind in Pydren's heart was great, almost too great for a creature of his small size to bear. A feeling of utter emptiness, that he had never before experienced or had to go through. It didn't make sense, why hadn't she listened to him?!

As young Laylah's soft, weakening body went limp, slowly she soon began to sink down towards the bottom of the pond. Not that the now doomed Princess was truly aware of just what was happening to her. All around her, her surroundings were gradually fading from her blurred vision. As she blacked out, she also relinquished any and all control she may have had over her own body. Laylah was now at the very mercy of the soul-crushingly corrupt, evil waters that surrounded her. The life of the Princess was becoming more and more threatened with each passing second. The only audible sounds she could hear were the voices that rang loudly in her head. Screeching, screaming loudly at her. Why, why hadn't she taken notice of them when she had the chance to? Her very heart, soul and mind ached tremendously, with the thought that no matter what she did now, there was absolutely no going back now. All she could do as she sank further and further towards the bottom, was to trust the utterly manic waters of terror to carry her. A true act of insanity, if ever there was one. There never had been one whom had ventured into these terrible waters and come out alive, able to tell the tale. For the curse that lay itself so heavily upon this pond, was great indeed. So great a curse it was in-fact, it could not be lifted by mere mortal hands. Only the power of the supernatural would even be in with a chance of lifting the dark, evil curse that had been cast upon this place so callously. Truly a heartbreakingly devastating time for all who lived within this sorrowful kingdom, nothing here even felt remotely right anymore.

Out of all the messes, scrapes and close call situations she had gotten herself into, this was looking like the one that would finally end it all for young Laylah. Tragically, there was little more hope available for little Pydren, as he was now left to fend for himself in this world. There was surely no possible way now, that he was ever going to be able to get his dear friend back. A soft, slow tear emerged from his eye and gradually began to make its way down his cheek. He lifted a tiny wing to catch it, which then only caused even more tears to fall. He turned his back on the pond, no longer able to gaze upon its waters. It all had happened so quickly, there wasn't anything Pydren could have done to save Laylah. Now completely alone in the universe, the young dragon now had nobody to turn to. In his darkest hour, he had no-one but himself to lean on. He stayed sat by the pond for what felt like hours, not having the strength to leave the last place he had seen his best friend alive. His head was bowed, his wings were drooping and the world had truly just gotten that little bit darker. There was nothing that poor Pydren had to live for now, for all he loved had died along with any hopes of ever seeing his Princess again. The little, twinkling stars that still shone so brightly above his head, now no longer meant anything to the little dragon. The bright, shining moon glowed impressively, almost as if it were a lamp in the sky. Lighting the way home, for all the lost little woodland creatures who were still out. The soft rustling of the leaves on the trees and the various calls of passing birds, these were sounds that used to sound like music to Pydren. Now however, all they did was remind him of the sweet sounds he used to listen to so often, with his beloved friend... A friend who had now slipped so easily from his sights, never to be seen again by his eyes. Eyes that were now finding it increasingly difficult to hold back tears...

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