SPELLBOUND

The feeling of dread was getting so strong and threatening to overwhelm Evie so much that it felt as if it was going to consume her whole. No! They were probably in a different place and fighting off enemies! I will go look for them! She told herself stubbornly.

But before she could move away from the front line, Evie heard her own voice again.

"My people… my warriors…" the Light Queen's voice echoed out and Evie turned to look at herself now standing so majestically on the head of the large dark dragon. Her silver hair was longer and a darker platinum now, her aura and power so impossibly strong. The dragon she was riding was oozing with darkness, the same darkness that had been reeking out of Gav when his eyes were blue.

The sight gave her gooseflesh all over skin. It was like seeing the light and darkness coming together in one frame.

"Hear me…" the Light Queen continued, and Evie felt her tears falling from her eyes. This was her voice but… this voice had so much weight and power now… to describe it as 'so much' was even an understatement!

"We are going to end this darkness and reclaim our lands… we will fight and destroy our enemies! We will fight with everything that we have and win this war today! We will not squander the lives of our loved ones who had passed on earlier to bring us to this fated day!" the Light Queen rallied the army before her, and Evie felt as though she was about to break down the moment she had heard the line 'our loved ones who had passed on'.

"This battle… this will be the very last one! And we will win this!" her voice boomed, as it carried over those who were listening to her. Her light was spreading out like she was becoming the sun itself. "The light will prevail!!!"

A roar echoed out next. A roar so loud, so full of unyielding fighting spirit that it was literally rocking and breaking Evie's heart and her entire soul. The entire scene was a grievous and heartrending one.

When the mind-blowing roar died down, the Light Queen, spoke again. "Today! This darkness will end!" she declared as if it was a fact that was set in stone. A smile of triumph was already plastered all over her face. And the army roared again, clamouring in agreement to the words of their leader.

At that moment, the dragon turned its back from the army.

That was when Evie finally looked ahead to where the army was facing, and it was then that she saw what looked like a wall of darkness ahead. This place… this place was not the Middle Land… now that Evie realized, the landscape… she had seen this place before. This vast plain could only be seen in the southernmost part of southern empire. This was close to the sea. She knew about this because she had been here before when they visited Mysteria, the city at the edge of Lirea, the city by the sea. This means… this darkness had already reached all the way up till here? It had already swallowed almost the entire land?!

Evie's throat hurt so much as she tried to hold back her tears. She watched 'herself' took the bow from behind her and held it in her hand. Then she lifted it and the army roared again as they began to run and fly towards the darkness ahead. The earth shook like an earthquake had occurred.

Then the dragons came as well and flew above the army. They too were roaring and screeching their battle cries as they flew forward in an attack formation. And now that Evie had fixed her eyes on the other dragons, she realised that she recognized two of them. Crimson and Silver were among those dragons and… on the back of largest of the bluish coloured dragon, Evie saw Vera riding on it.

'Vera…' Evie muttered to herself, as she saw her led the dozens of bluish dragons ahead.

Evie wiped her tears carelessly with the backs of her hands and looked at 'herself' again. She was still standing there as the army marched past her. Evie approached her and climbed onto the back of Onyx as well when suddenly the dragon lifted off from the ground and speedily flew off as well. However, instead of going forwards in the same direction as the united army, the dragon turned back and headed the other way.

It moved so fast and suddenly that it immediately overtook the entire army within a few heartbeats. What was she even thinking? Where is she going? As Evie asked herself those questions, she saw the ocean far ahead. She was right. The city of Mysteria lies ahead of them.

After flying over a wide empty space, Evie saw another army up ahead. It was a smaller contingent but still it consisted of at least a couple of thousands of soldiers. And it was behind this army where the Great City of Mysteria lay.

The dragon then spiralled down and landed mightily at the army's frontlines.

Evie watched 'herself' immediately jump down and hastily run ahead as if to meet someone for the very last time. Who? Gav? But… why would Gav be staying back here while she was at the frontline?

Evie's heart thundered again as she ran along with 'herself' and what she saw before her made her halt. A boy… a teenage boy… he is… he looked like… a mini version of Gav… only that he had peculiar eyes, one blue and one red.

"Mother!!!" he cried out as he lunged forward and hugged her around the waist.

"My son!" she whispered back, holding the teenage boy in her own tight grip. "Listen, take care of your sister, okay?"

"Mom… you're going to come back… right?" when the boy's eyes began to tear up, they turned amber.. "Promise me that you're going to come back to us. Please!"