Rainbow Guardians: Chapter 10

 Chapter 10: Chill Breath

 

This danger was it. I began to understand the meaning of walking on a thread, the straight path while trying to protect myself. My dear colleagues and I got stuck in this rotten drawbridge. The abyss we had attempted to avoid for many years was sucking us in. The volcano of revenge was awakening in the hands of Lord Stephen Victus Hugo Negavise. 

He looked at us as the massive screen behind him closed. His face had a proud, almost victorious grin; his eyes were reflecting anticipation.

“So, my dear friends, what are your opinions?” Stephen asked, placing his hands on the table.

“Firstly, make your wishes more apparent, Stephen,” Akilah replied. “Secondly, give us some private time to evaluate.”

“Oh, of course, Minerva, you will have the time to think, but I must state that I’m known for my impatience,” Stephen said and added. “I will clarify my desires once more.”

“Go ahead then,” Mr Castor of Starland responded from the corner; his voice was filled with rage.

“Alright, alright.” Stephen tried to calm down the nervous atmosphere. “I want you to acknowledge me as the legitimate king of Negavise and your council. Also, you have to retreat your military support from each planet. As the sole leader, I will assign my comrades, rule the council and decide upon every kingdom. I will take the title of Harmonial Emperor!”

“You are a lunatic! We can’t give you all this!” I cried.

“Persephone Greenwoods! We shall negotiate all the matters. I want all of you to be reasonable and patient, please!” Prof. Minerva warned us. I was about to reply but preferred to keep my mouth shut. Akilah has to have something up in her sleeves. 

“As the leader of the council, I request the freedom of my comrades, Lord Stephen. Then, we will appraise your wishes.”

Lord Stephen was astonished for a while, but he came to his senses a few seconds later. He shrugged, deactivating the mechanism that was holding us. All the members shook their wrists and relaxed their bodies. Minerva Akilah turned on her thought transmitter, releasing ultra-sensitive thought waves to each of us. This was her way of organising semi-secret consultations; thus, she could talk to us via telepathy.

‘The conditions he claims are hefty. We cannot grant each of them.' Akilah began the session.

‘That's clearly what I was telling Akilah! He is mad.' I scolded.

‘Persephone is right. He cannot have all.’ Castor told.

‘I can still send a secret, urgent military signal and destroy his plans!’ Duchess Reina of Volcanotopia suggested.

‘No. I do think we can trick him. He is like a spoiled child who wants a candy store.' Said, Minerva. ‘Also, we cannot forget what he has done to Starland.'

‘What is your idea then? My offer is still legit, though.' Duchess responded.

‘I think we should declare him as the new king of Negavise and give him a small place among the council members.’

‘Alright, what will happen then? He shall claim himself as the Harmonial emperor! I think a small place is way too much.’ Castor told.

‘Do we have any other choice? We will appear to grant his desires slowly; however, we shall erase him all at once.'

‘How so?’ inquired Lord Amorous of Lovelonia.

‘You will all see my friends. Now, is there anything you want to add?’ Said Prof. Minerva.

‘We must do a backup plan against Shadow Galactica. If we can collapse their bonds, it is possible to stop them both.’ Duchess Reina explained.

‘I have an idea, my dear friends. It may sound reckless, but we will cover up the army reinforcements. The five princesses in Rainbow Academy shall take place in the surface mission. Now, I am going to send you crypto mental notes after this negotiation.'

Our president removed her thought transmitter and placed it on the table. She stood up, facing Stephen Hugo; her face had an almost neutral expression. Stephen smirked across his seat and nodded. The negotiations were about to begin.

“Lord Stephen Victus Hugo of Negavise, I, the leader of the Harmonial council, will announce to you the decision we made.” 

"I'm waiting for your harmony." He replied impatiently.

"As the council, we shall declare you as the rightful king of Negavise, and we shall open up a part for your planet in the council. Moreover, we will give up half of our powers, retreat the army plan, let you choose your staff and will assign heiresses of the five kingdoms as commanders." Minerva issued in a high tone.

“Magnificent, absolutely magnificent! You made the best decision.” Stephen rubbed his hands in glee; his cheeks covered half of his eyes.

"But, we will do all these with one condition," Minerva said, raising her index finger. "You will withdraw your forces from the planetary cores and cut your whole links with Shadow Galactica."

“T-this is absurd! It would harm the existence of my family or comrades in that organisation. If you utter this again, I won’t let you go alive from here. ” Stephen started up, firing his fusion weapon.

“Hang in there!” Akilah warned him precisely, summoning her ancestral gun. “If you continue to impose our endurance, we won’t hesitate to use our armed forces!” 

Then, everyone in the room activated their fusion weapons, waiting for a movement from the opposite side. The atmosphere was more scintillating than a thunderstorm, even hotter than magma. 

"Calm down, everybody. Let's withdraw our guns shall we?"  Lord Amorous asked kindly and boosted up the oxygen levels with his core charm. He began to chant something ancient. It translated into this:

The winds of rage are gone, mix into the air,

Stop thine scorching flare.

I free the power of love,

What is both below and above,

Burns brightly in cosmic law!

This verse was one of the oldest in the Holy Scriptures. Lovelonians had been using the power of words effectively for centuries; thus, Lord Amorous was a master word player himself. His stanza began to soothe everyone, including me. We all drew back our weapons and sat down. I gently rubbed my poor head, trying to soothe its throb. Minerva was acting the same.

“Well, I’d like to offer something. It’s nearly the time of the A Thousand Memories Ball at my academy. Why don’t we organise dear Lord Stephen’s coronation there too?” I said, giving a smirk and a wink.

Minerva's eyes instantly lightened up, looked at me in shock. ‘Don't worry, and it will show off that we are still on our feet, and we will gain his trust this way.'

She nodded; everyone stared at each other. Their faces were displaying a sign of daze. Minerva gingerly lowered her palm, indicating everything was under control. After that, we shut our holographic screens up and with voice command; we recorded today's matters in a bond. Everyone signed their names below. Delegates from both sides were smiling. We all were wearing masks for now, but in reality, we were hiding daggers beneath our cloaks.

***

The spots turned on; the sounds of applause echoed around. The crimson curtains hovered in the air. At the stage, six figures appeared, each carrying out emblems: The star, heart, flame, hibiscus, diamond and spiral. Their faces weren't visible, but their eyes were glowing. They sat around a rectangular table, the diamond at the first corner and the spiral across it. The servants brought dishes, roasted flesh on a long plate and drinks. The meat was peculiar in a way; it was drawing an ‘S' pattern on the serving. It had piercing glass eyes, almost looking at me. The figures began to dine as if everything was fine. The head of the meat was facing my direction. Its eyes turned across the table. I didn't know the meaning of this; however, it had to indicate something. The spiral person was the first one to eat it. Like dominoes, the rest of the guests ate everything but the head. They rose some fancy cups and clinked them. These things had an ancient octagon shape carved on them. This octagonal symbol was the same as on Rainbow Academy's entrance. All colours of the spectrum were on them. The archaic union of the first human tribes! The ancestors of all the people (other than element spirits)! This was a representation of harmony, alliance and faith for many authorities. Everyone finished their beverages and dripped the last drop of the liquid on the meat's head. Suddenly, a hiss aroused from the head, and its mouth opened. From the fangs, an acidic fluid spouted. At that moment, I realised it was no ordinary flesh. It was a serpent! Its venom slowly vaporised the other emblems with shadows. The theatre melted away, turning the world around me. I fell, fell into a vortex of nothingness. It engulfed me from everywhere; I was becoming a part of it. My mind was blank as a paper, and it was saying me one thing: ‘You are the void itself!' I almost started to believe it, but a familiar presence drifted me away. It had a slightly salty and fresh scent. The odour of the ocean... Friggia! She carried me to another existence. It had the smell of new soil after rains, wildflowers and dry oaks. Friggia's wavy aura mixed with the earthy one. The leaves danced with the waves of the water and the dusty sand. A pair of forest green eyes appeared; a harsh yet warm voice echoed. ‘WE WILL MEET SOON, Alexander Megavoid Negavise!'

I instantly jumped out of my bed. Another dream featuring Friggia, omens and Negavise? What was the meaning of all these? Since I met Nelly, since I encountered her a few times, I was having all these dreams. It had to be because of my father's heritage. I could sense that. But why was that important? Why my father or Friggia hadn't explained to me about my predecessors or my family history? Men avoid... It was so similar to Negavise. According to my dreams, it was a planet of darkness and black holes. All these times there was an ample amount of void or emptiness there. There must have been an association between those two names. I had to seek the mystery covered in the nebula of the past. The second presence had to be one of the earth's spirits. Friggia had advised me to speak with the chieftain of all nymphs, the headmistress of Rainbow Academy and the president of the Earth delegates in the council. Persephone Greenwoods... She had the guidance I search for, a clue or any other piece of data. I also had to solve the complications between Nelly and me. Last time things were a little awkward, even unsettling. Her nervous, timid behaviour and my assertive and sultry attitude weren’t mixing well. She was like a girl who saw a stalker at midnight when I gave her the magnolia. Her eyes were Arctic oceans, about to crack into a great flood. This scene didn’t go away from my brain ever since. I also called her by my unique nickname for her, Scandinavian Nymph... What was wrong with me? Was I possessed or something? I can't forget the blush that crept onto her face either. Yes, the girl was fine as hell, even the body of beauty. But, we met only recently, and I felt immediately drawn to her somehow. I couldn't stop the pulses of my crazy heart afterwards. The course was the Rainbow Academy. Here I went there...

***

The news of the newest ‘agreement' spread like wildfire. Negavise's ‘victory' created a sensation all around the dimension. Many of the Harmony citizens were enraged, some of them were indecisive, and some were awaiting future consequences. Just the supporters of Lord Stephen were celebrating this (a minority of the people). Persephone, Eleanora and Penelope had returned to the academy. The rest of the delegates began to work again. Everything was almost turning to their usual speed despite the situation. Alyra and her crew, the many small or big animals had wholly settled into fairy chimneys of the forest. All the leaves were on the floor, crumbled and faded into the land. The barks had already sucked in their life juices, becoming nothing but wood.

Meanwhile, the lessons and tests were proceeding for each student. The subjects were much more intense, and the tasks were more demanding than before. Persephone was attempting her hardest to fix every leak of her absence. Shanya had a week of school services duty as a punishment for her mess in the dorm. Nelly and the other girls were practising their arsenal skills to improve. A boy from the Spectral City was the talk of the pupils. He had written a petition to Mistress Persephone to join a girl’s academy! However, the headmistress rejected his request. After learning about his special status inside the state, she sent a private tutor to teach him. It was Mr. Lextrum. However,  everything was becoming tense every day.

There was something specific, though. The atmosphere among the kingdoms was getting scorched like newly made steel. The only ingredient missing to add more to hot metal: The chill breath of Negavise.