Dragon's Heart

Chapter 25

The battle was fierce. Morgan had less room to work with due to Scalestorm and his allies barricading the summit area. As the four combatants fought, she argued with the Prince. "We will not give in to the meddling of you three interlopers! If the Dark Raven's will for us is to have this kingdom be reduced to ash, then it shall be so!" she said. "Your loyalty is admirable...it is a great shame that you fight for the wrong side. I will give you one last chance; if you cease your hostilities, abandon your plans here, and promise to stay in Ravenswood's castle, we will spare you." the Prince replied. "Never! I will die before I see our plot turn to ruin!" Morgan protested. 

After trading several blows with the trio, she quickly became annoyed. "I grow tired of these petty games. Have a taste of my true power!" she exclaimed. 

With that, her staff began emanating a strange dark mist which soon engulfed the entirety of the heroes' half of the platform. Within seconds, they had fallen unconscious. 

***********************************************************************************************

After having blacked out for a while, Tobias re-awakened, but he was not at the summit of Mount Doom, as he was previously. Rather, he found himself completely isolated in a large, dark expanse, with nothing else in sight. "Oh, dear.....Matthew? Sally? Anybody? Is anyone there.....?" the Prince called, attempting to get some sort of answer. Unfortunately, there was none. He began walking for a while, thinking there was some sort of exit, but he did not come across any. What he did find, though, were two ghosts that happened to fade into view. Although their eyes were a solid, blank white, the good Prince recognized their appearances immediately.

"Mother.....? Father......?" 

"I am disappointed in you, son," Walt's ghost began. "I truly believed I had done my best to keep the Dragon's Heart away from Ravenswood's clutches. I died secure in the belief that you would continue our legacy! But now, look at what has happened. You and your useless sidekicks have foolishly allowed Ravenswood to bring his plan to fruition. The very doom of our kingdom is at hand!" 

"But---" Tobias tried to speak up, but his mother started talking as well. 

"Is this what you have grown up to become, Tobias? A pity. Even in my illness, I prayed that, by some miracle, I would survive. To see you grow up into the valiant prince that I thought you would turn out to be. I pleaded that death would come for me later rather than sooner. But after seeing everything that has transpired.....perhaps my demise was not such a bad thing after all." Lucilla said. 

"No.....no! I'm not  a failure! What.....why would you say  those things?!" Tobias cried. He tried to run away, but the ghosts actively gave chase. Just then, a familiar voice floated into his head. 

Hmmm.....it would seem as though Morgan has the upper hand, the voice mused. "It's.....you? You're the voice that Matthew and Sally have been hearing. Would I be correct?" the Prince asked. Yes, indeed I am. I know I said that once Ravenswood uses me to awaken the Dragon of the Ancients, that I would become unresponsive. However, he seems to be struggling a little bit out here. He has not picked me up once yet; he seems to be looking through his spellbook for the correct incantation, the voice continued.

"I am not surprised. Ravenswood wasn't always the brightest of us anyway. But.....what did you mean when you said that Morgan had the 'upper hand'?" the Prince inquired of the voice. 

I mean that she has cast you--all three of you--into an otherworldly "trance" of sorts. You are not in your own body right now; your body is still lying still at the summit of Mount Doom, as are Matthew's and Sally's. She has banished all of your spirits to the void and created false phantoms of those whom you love most in order to torment you, the voice explained. Do not worry; just keep evading them for right now, and ignore their verbal barbs. I will need some time to create an exit for you and your friends; it will appear before you know it. They are not real. They cannot hurt you physically, and they can only hurt you emotionally if you let them. 

"Wait.....how do you have the power to.....?" Tobias began his question, but the voice spoke up once again. I know you must have many questions, but hold fast. You and all of your allies will know everything when the right time comes, and that time is fast approaching. Tobias began to see a bright portal-like entity of light opening up in front of him. There. Hop through that and you will return to your own body. You must keep Morgan at bay while I perform the same process for your two sidekicks, the voice instructed. 

The Prince did so, and within seconds, he found himself back at Mount Doom, staring down Morgan and her master. He drew his sword once again, with Morgan looking back in surprise.

"Well.....did you miss me?"