"Don’t you think that was impolite?," Asteria whispered in an annoying tone. Orion yawned again just to spite her. While Zen, who was seated next to Orion noticed the distress on both of his friends, snickered.

"That’s not funny, Zen," Asteria remarked and gave him an if-looks-could-kill look.

"Will both of you quit it?," Tyras-Li hissed at the back of Asteria’s seat.

"Sorry," Orion replied as he straightened up from his seat. Asteria glared at him.

"Now what?," Orion asked in confusion.

"You dare listen to your sister?," she challenged. Orion raised an eyebrow.

"Of course! She’s my sister, for crying out loud!,".

"You really are despicable!,".

"Am not!,".

"Are too!,".

"Am darn not!,". Orion stood up in frustration.

"Are too!,". Asteria stood up to meet his match. Both stood gazing angrily at each other. Professor Lintel stopped on his tracks in front of them and cleared his throat.

"And what is the meaning of this?," Professor Lintel asked in a booming voice.

"Uh-oh," Sollace said.

"Big trouble in Paradise. Again," Tyras-Li chipped in.

"Let’s take this to the big boss," Professor Lintel said. Orion and Asteria rolled their eyes in annoyance.

After their classes are over for the day, they went back to their own place. Only Tyras-Li and Orion lived on the same condo.

"I cannot believe you made detention," Tyras-Li commented as she and Orion took the elevator towards the 21^st floor. Orion sighed in distress.

"It is not detention. It is merely…," his voice trailed off, trying to think of a better word.

"Punishment?," she asked.

"Ye-ah…," he replied in an embarrassing tone. The elevators’ bell rang once as a sign that they arrived on their condo. Both stepped out of the elevator and walked a few feet forward towards the white wooden double doors of their condo.

"Good thing the big boss let it easy on you," she commented as she rummage thru her backpack for the keys. He shook his head.

"That’s beside the point. Besides, I didn’t start the fight in the first place,".

"It doesn’t matter who started it. If you hadn’t yawned at the professor, Asteria wouldn’t snapped at you like that,".

"What can I do? I’ve got a poor listening ability when it comes to boring subjects," he said as he shrugged. Both of them went inside. Tyras-Li went straight to the kitchen while Orion followed her.

"Dinner will be serve in an hour. Make sure you cleaned the condo during that time," she commanded.

"You know, I thought being a god of fire would be great coz I’m not obligated to do some household chores. I guess I thought wrong," he replied as he leaned on the doorway of the kitchen hall. She turned to face him while trying on the apron.

"Being a god is tough work with or without household chores. We need this training for us to discipline ourselves. Not just lolling around doing nothing and wait for the time for us to work," she explained. He sighed in distress. She gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don’t worry, little bro. I’m sure there’s a lot of good stuff we can get out of this,".

"You need help with the fire?," he asked as he straightened his composure. She shook her head.

"No thanks. I can handle the old fashioned way,".

Meanwhile, at Asterias’ condo unit.

"I cannot believe how this could happen to me!," she exclaimed while she rummages through her fridge, trying to find something to eat to satisfy her frustration. She began taking out bread, wine, and cheese and placed it on the table. Then she went back to the fridge.

"That jerk!,".

"Watch your mouth, Asteria," commanded by a female voice out of the blue. Asteria rolled her eyes. She knew who’s the owner of the voice came from. She straightened up and turned.

"You can come out now, Ariel. I know you’re in here!," she said as she placed the mayonnaise on the table beside the cheese. A blinding light appeared across the kitchen then it floated towards the counter. The light slowly faded away as the figure of an angel-like apprentice of Mother Nature came to be.

"So, what brought you here?," Asteria asked in a cool tone on the blond headed blue eyed angel that is seated on the counter. Ariel took an apple from the tray of a variety of fruits.

"Just to check up on you," Ariel replied as she took a bite on it. Asteria gave her an annoying smile.

"Don’t you think you shouldn’t eat that?,".

"Why not?,".

"Haven’t you heard of the story of Adam of Eve?," Asteria said as she went back to the fridge. Ariel raised an eyebrow and examined the apple she just ate.

"Oh come on! This is not poisoned by you-know-who," she said with a quiver on her voice. Asteria laughed a bit.

"Oh really? What makes you think that it is not? After all, this is the mortals’ world. Anything can happen," Asteria replied as she turned to face her. Ariel looked at her, squinting her eyes to find out if she’s telling the truth or not while Asteria looked at her with triumph.

"You’re lying," Ariel said as she took another bite on the apple. Asteria shrugged.

"It’s your choice. Not mine,". Asteria went back to the fridge. Ariel jumped down from the counter and began looking around.

"Don’t you get fat eating so many food in one sitting?," she asked as she stood behind Asteria. Asteria turned and gave her a disbelief look.

"This is not greed, for your information. This is what I call frustration," she replied. Ariel shrugged.

"You shouldn’t do that, you know. It’s not good overeating,".

"Are you here to lecture me on my behavior or something else?," Asteria asked in annoyance.

"I came by to send news of your new status here on Earth,".

"No need to worry, my dear angel Ariel. Everything is perfectly normal and under control,".

"That’s what you think," Ariel said flatly as she walked towards the kitchen seat and sat down. Asteria’s face fell.

"What do you mean?,".

"I didn’t know such goddess exist," Mother Nature said in disbelief as she roam around her realm full of different kinds of flowers and trees and animals that surrounded her. A white baby tiger kept following her around trying to catch her attention with its paws.

"Even I didn’t know it. She must be from some sort of a different realm," said by her angel-like apprentice with black hair and dark blue eyes. She wore a long flowing, white short sleeved dress with a blue angel pin beside her heart and a blue diamond on her forehead as a sign of apprentice; while Mother Nature wore a white long, flowing sleeveless gown with a white scarf that surrounded her shoulders, and three green diamonds located on her forehead as a sign of supremacy that matched her sea-green eyes. Garlands of rare flowers were placed on top of her Mediterranean blue hair as a crown.

"We have to do something. Does anybody know about that goddess?," Mother Nature asked in a worried tone as she stopped roaming around and focused her attention on her apprentice. Her apprentice just shook her head.

"Do you want me to ask around?," she asked. Mother Nature began to think.

"No, Darren. It’s not necessary. Just pass this around to my fellow gods and goddesses, as quietly as possible," she ordered. Darren bowed in respect and took off.

"This is not good. What if she really does break free?," Mother Nature asked herself. The little white tiger looked up on her in confusion.

"What do you mean if she breaks free?," asked by the baby white tiger in a child-like voice. Mother Nature turned and bent down to cradle the cub in her arms.

"You don’t have to worry about it. Since you’re still a cub, Dar,". The cub gave her an annoying glance with a growl.

"Am not a baby!," he protested.

"You’re so cute when you make that noise!," she said as she gave the cub a kiss on the forehead. Dar shook his head in frustration and tried to break free from her arms.

"Just you wait! When I’m old enough to pounce on anyone who barges in our realm, I’ll do just that to prove to you that I can be brave!," Dar said with pride. Mother Nature’s face fell.

"I just do hope so,".

Night falls on Zen’s newly polished cabin in the nearby mountains. He knew he has to get some rest for the tending of the forest early tomorrow morning but a nagging feeling bothered him since the fight between Asteria and Orion. He sighed in frustration. Just what is going on in here? he asked himself as he wandered around his living room.

"Don’t you get dizzy roaming around the room and getting nowhere?," asked by a female voice behind him. He turned and found his pet cat crossed the room towards him.

"Hey Julie. What’s on your mind?," he asked. The orange striped blue eyed cat jumped onto the couch and sat down. Julie wore a leather strap with a gold name tag dangling on her neck and a green diamond on her forehead as a symbol of Mother Natures’ creation.

"I’m supposed to ask you that," she replied. He sighed and sat down next to her.

"Do you feel it?," he asked.

"Feel what?,".

"That feeling… of something not right. As though there’s an imbalance between realms,".

"Don’t get too creepy on me now, Zen. You know how I hate that," Julie warned. He placed his hands on his forehead and fell on his back to think clearly.

"This is not a joke. I could feel it. How come Mother Nature hasn’t sent word about this?," he asked in confusion. Julie shrugged and began licking her paws and rubbing it on her face.

"Maybe it’s because you’re the god of Earth," she replied. He stood up and went to the fireplace that is now blazing with fire and heat. He turned and walked towards the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?," she asked as she straightened up and jumped down the couch to follow him.

"Stay put, Julie. This is dangerous," he ordered. As he crossed the room, he took a dark green jar with a sign of Earth embedded on it from the center table of the living room and took off. The coolness of the night air chilled his body even if he wore his knitted brown sweater and black pants, black socks and black leather shoes to keep him warm. It doesn’t matter if I die of the cold night… I have to know if the life on Earth is in danger or not… he thought to himself. After a few feet away from his cabin, he looked up and saw the brightness of the full moon with the star-studded sky.

"I have to do this," he said to no one in particular as he opened the jar and took out a handful of sand. He closed his eyes and prayed.

"As the god of Earth, I, Zen, command this Creation to speak and let thy words of wisdom enlighten me on the condition of this domain,". He slowly opened his eyes and threw the sand with all his might into the sky. Then a powerful wind came and took the sand in a whirlpool around his body, making his dark brown hair flow with the wind and his light green eyes glowed in anticipation, then rays of light soon joined the forces of the wind. He stretched his arms sideways to feel the power that the wind and light generate.

"Emerge your knowledge, I command thee! For the sake of humanity!,". Then the wind and light stopped and formed a crystal ball in front of him. He brought his arms forward to hold the ball in his hands. A picture of a woman lay asleep in a crystal chamber wearing a black, long sleeved, off-the-shoulder flowing dress with a black diamond on her forehead and a gold chain with a black angel as its pendant on her neck.

"Who is she?," Zen asked as he looked closely at the crystal ball.

"That woman will be your next quest. Behold this woman who will create such force to change the lives of the humanity and will create the imbalance between this realm and the other worlds," said by a deep male voice, unmistakablys’ the crystal ball.

"How come Mother Nature didn’t warn me about this?," he asked.

"You are only allowed to ask one question. Other than that, you’re on your own," the crystal ball replied as it glowed with a blinding light and vanished into thin air. He slowly let down his arms and thought for a moment on what the crystal ball had said.

"That’s very foolish of you to do," said by a female voice behind him. He slowly turned and found Darren’s angelic face scowling at him.

"And why is that? Am I forbidden to use my powers? I am more powerful than you are, if you don’t remember, Darren," he replied in annoyance as he turned and walked past her.

"That is not part of your job as a god of Earth. It is my duty as Mother Natures’ apprentice to inform you on the status of this realm," she shot back.

"You know very well that I cannot just stand back and relax when I can already feel the agitation on this realm! It is MY DUTY! Not yours!," he shouted angrily as he went inside his cabin, he closed the door with a loud bang.

"You’re back," Julie greeted.

"And picked up a bad attitude," she added as Zen walked past her towards the kitchen.

"That’s not the only thing that I picked up on the way home," he snapped.

"Don’t bite my head off!," she protested. Then a light appeared before Julie with the form of a woman with wings. Slowly the light faded away, leaving the red faced Darren glaring at Zen.

"Hold on a minute!," Darren said. Julie rolled her eyes.

"Now I get why you’re so incensed," Julie said.

"Now what?," Zen asked with a note of irritation on his voice as he took out a container of cold water from the fridge and poured it into the glass. Darren marched right to him.

"Now that you know about this, Mother Nature asked me to warn you and to procure any information regarding this person," Darren said. Zen drank thirstily due to the frustration of having an apprentice around.

"Did you get that?," she asked angrily. Zen placed the glass on the table with a loud noise.

"Is he this thick headed?," Darren turned and asked Julie. Julie shrugged.

"It seems when you’re around he turns into some kind of … sorry for the word but the shoe fits… JERK," Julie replied. Darren turned her attention back to Zen.

"Does this have anything to do with me being around?," Darren asked in disbelief. Zen remained quietly still.

"I can’t believe this!,". She threw her hands up in anger at defeat.

"Just go, Darren," he ordered as he put down the container full of water on the table and walked past her without looking at her in the eye.

"Fine! I’ll do just that!,". Darren formed a circle around her. The blue diamond on her forehead glowed then as she disappeared into the light that appeared behind her.

"This isn’t good," he muttered. Definitely not good at all.

"I can’t believe that guy! How could he treat me this way?!," Darren muttered angrily as she walked forth and back in front of Sollace at his living room on his condo unit. Sollace looked baffled at the raging Darren as he was found seated on his living room couch. He didn’t dare move for the fear that Darren might cast a spell on him or something.

"Will you please tell me what’s going on?," Sollace asked after he gathered enough courage to ask her. Darren stopped walking and plopped down beside him.

"Okay. I give up. What brought that about?," Sollace asked. Darren’s face fell and looked down at his maroon colored carpet. He sighed and sat down next to her and gave her a brotherly hug. She placed her head on his shoulder for support.

"Look, Zen is going through a phase which he doesn’t understand as to why it has to include someone like you in it," he said. She lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"You think so?," she asked with a note of expectation on her voice. He nodded.

"I’m very sure,". He gave her a smile to encourage her.

"Thanks,". She smiled back in gratitude.

"So, can you tell me now on what’s going on?,".

"How could I miss this?," she asked herself as she searched high and low, ignoring the mess of books scattered around in her private library. She waved her hand once and commanded: "Staircase appear,". A wooden staircase appeared beside her.

"I wish this would just go away," she said as she began to climb the stairs. Suddenly, the staircase disappeared. She fell on her back with a loud thud.

"Ouch!," she cried out loud as she placed a hand on her back to soothe the pain that she felt.

"I hope I could find all the answers to my questions," she said as she took the book from the upper shelf and climbed down the stairs and exited the room towards the spell reading room which is next to her private library. She went inside, and placed the filth covered book on the center table. She waved her hand once and the book that was once covered with filth is now cleaned.

"This is not good. I can feel it,". She waved her hand once again and the book obeyed her command. It slowly opened towards the first page.

"Book Of Mysteries, tell me, where can I find the Mythology Of The Sleeping Goddess,". The book quickly turned its pages to where she asked. Then it stopped. She placed her right point finger on its page and began to scan the writings on it:

"That’s it?," she asked in disbelief.

"How can I solve this when I have few information regarding this goddess?!,". She closed the book angrily.

"What am I going to do?,". She crossed the room towards the large-sized window and opened it with a wave of her hand. It obeyed her command. She stepped out towards the balcony.

"Such beauty… All of it will be destroyed?,". The view on her balcony is spectacular, with all her creations laid before her eyes. She could see the variety of animals wandering around her garden, playing with their fellow creatures. Birds of rare kinds kept flying in the air. Her flowers bloomed just in time for the summer. She knew that if something went wrong, all of this… will perish.

"What am I supposed to do?," she asked in fear as a tear fell down her cheek.

When the fraternal twins are finished with their dinner and cleaning up, they decided to hang out in the living room and watched TV for a while.

"What’s new on cable?," Orion asked as he jumped over the living room couch and landed on it. He grabbed the remote control and switched the TV on. He brushed a strand of blue-gray colored hair out of his ice-blue eyes. Tyras-Li joined him, carrying a bowl of popcorn.

"I heard that the great James Bond movie is on Star World Movies channel. Wanna see it?," she asked. He fell on his back and pressed the button for Star World Movies channel. He stretched his arms sideways and placed it on the back of the couch. She too fell on her back and began eating popcorn and placed it between them. The movie of James Bond is now starting and both of them loved action movies. But, unbeknownst to both, Ariel quietly appeared behind them. She knew she had to tell them of the news as soon as possible, but she couldn’t resist teasing Orion first. She conjured a special type of fairy dust on her hand and blew it towards his direction. Orion sensed a change of ambiance in the room.

"Did you just do that?," he asked as he reached for a popcorn. Tyras-Li turned her attention towards him.

"Do what?," she asked in confusion.

"You know very well what," he replied. She looked at him as though he’s a stranger. A fairy dust flowed past between them, just in time for him to see as he looked at his sister.

"That," he added. She reached out and caught a fairy dust. She examined it closely and heard someone snickered. Tyras-Li raised an eyebrow at the fairy dust.

"For your information, dear. I didn’t summon this kind of things even if I am the goddess of wind,". Orion looked at it closely.

"Then who-?,".

"Ta-dah!," Ariel announced as she appeared before them in smoke and fairy dust. She wore a magician suit with matching hat and scepter. She bowed while an invisible audience clapped their hands for her.

"Thank you! Thank you! You’re too kind!," she said as she continued to bow before them. Tyras-Li accidentally threw the bowl of popcorn towards Orion, causing him to jump over the back of the couch in surprise. He landed on his back with a loud thump.

"Oh! Sorry! Are you okay?," Tyras-Li asked as she climbed up the couch and took a look at her twin.

"Do you think I’m okay?!," Orion snapped as he stood up and began dusting off the popcorn that was spilled on him.

"Oops! I guess my grand entrance did create a disturbance after all," Ariel said in embarrassment.

"What are you doing here?!," he demanded angrily while Tyras-Li turned to face Ariel.

"Wellll… is it a bad time?," she asked as she raised her right arm to clean the mess she made and returned her outfit back to a white, short sleeved, long flowing dress with a blue diamond on her forehead and a blue angel pin beside her heart.

"Since you mention it… YES!," Tyras-Li snapped as she began to clean the spilled popcorn on the floor.

"Oh! Let me take care of that," Ariel said as she pulled out a scepter from thin air and directed it towards the mess.

"Clean it up for me, my magical scepter!," she commanded. The diamond headed scepter obeyed and in an instant the couch and the floor are cleaned.

"So, as I had asked you before, what are you doing here?," Orion asked as he folded his arms over his chest in annoyance.

"I came here… to bring news about your new quest,".

"What new quest?," he asked as he leaned forward and placed his hands on the back of the couch for support. Ariel sighed.

"Do you know anything, anything at all, regarding a sleeping goddess in another secret realm?," she asked. Tyras-Li thought for a minute.

"Such goddess exist?," Tyras-Li asked. Ariel plopped down beside her.

"You have to procure data on this goddess before it’s too late," Ariel said.

"Didn’t Mother Nature find anything about this?," Orion asked as he went around the couch and sat beside her. Ariel saw her chance and let her head fell on his shoulder for comfort.

"Her books of magic are useless for this predicament. It didn’t find any information about this goddess," Ariel replied. Orion absent-mindedly placed his arm over her shoulder.

"Oh, Orion. I didn’t know you cared," Ariel said in a teasing tone while Tyras-Li rolled her eyes and stood up. Orion quickly stood up and crossed the room towards the TV. He gave himself a mental shake.

"What was I thinking?," he scolded himself.

"Asteria, perhaps?,". Ariel gave him a triumph smile. He glared at her.

"Listen, I’ll try asking Professor Lintel. I’m sure he has some sort of knowledge regarding this so-called goddess," Tyras-Li said.

"That old man? How could you stand him?! He’s practically ancient!," Orion protested. Tyras-Li waved her hand once to stop more arguments from coming.

"It’s the only choice we have. Besides, if he is practically ancient, then we stand a chance on getting some information on this goddess. We have to think not only for ourselves but for this realm too. If this realm dies, we die," Tyras-Li explained with the sound of bitterness on her voice.

"Wha-what?,". He cocked his head to the side to note her last words if he heard it right and that if it’s true. Ariel stood up, looked as though her best friend died.

"Then it’s true," Ariel said.

"What is?!," Orion demanded. Tyras-Lis’ face fell. This is not good, she thought to herself.

"Phoebe! Long time no see!," the girl greeted with a smile.

"Phoebe?," Tyras-Li asked. A girl with short, blond hair that is seated beside the brown headed girl turned.

"Phoebe! It is you! Where have you been? Ever since we took the silly comprehensive exam, you were gone!," the blond headed girl with green eyes, hidden behind by a pair of eyeglass, said with enthusiasm. Then before she knew it, Tyras-Li was being pulled to join their circle. She sat down between the girl who first greeted her and the other blond girl.

"So, how’s it been?," an Asian girl asked.

"I don’t understand. Who’s Phoebe?," Tyras-Li asked in confusion. All of them laugh.

"Come on! Don’t be silly! You remembered us and yet you forgot your own name?!," said in disbelief by another brown headed girl with a brown pin on her hair. Tyras-Li raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Okay. Let’s give her a chance to know us all again," suggested by the Asian girl. They are a group of 5. Each began their introductions. The brown headed girl, who first greeted her, was named Marie Frances. While the other brown headed girl with a brown pin was named Cheryl. The Asian girl is Mae Lynne. The blond is Sheila. The other blond who wore a white blouse and black jeans is Laurie Lei. They do have a point. If I don’t remember who I really am then how come I remembered this crowd as my friends? she wondered.

"So, what’s happening? Do you remember us now?," Laurie Lei asked.

"I’m Phoebe but that name doesn’t register in my head as my name," Tyras-Li said.

"What’s gotten into you?," Marie Frances asked with concern.

"Yeah. Ever since we all took that silly comprehensive exam you were somewhat different and distant," Mae Lynne said.

"What comprehensive exam?," Tyras-Li asked. She has to know. Is that the beginning why I’ve become a goddess?

"The exam that everyone took after their first year in college. The one with the weird questions," Sheila said.

"Can you explain it to me all over again?," Tyras-Li asked. Cheryl sighed.

"In our batch, this is a first to take the comprehensive exam about being in control of emotions and natural disasters. Our batch had been chosen for God knows the reason. They say 5 out of those who took the test shall pass it and is given special privileges in life," Cheryl explained.

"So, tell us. What are those privileges?," Laurie Lei asked excitedly. Tyras-Li began wondering if these were true. It must be true. Then Mother Nature eliminated our past memories. It’s got to be true! She quickly stood up.

"Hey, where are you going?," Marie Frances asked. Tyras-Li slowly eased out of their circle and started to walk away from them.

"Hey Phoebe! Whatever happened to our friendship, huh? You’re just gonna walk out on us again? Just like you did when that stupid Professor Lintel came to our class and took you away?!," Mae Lynne demanded angrily. Tyras-Li stopped on her tracks and turned to face them.

"You don’t understand. I’m not the same person you think I am. There are a lot of things that had changed between us that even I couldn’t explain," Tyras-Li said sadly.

"Whatever it is, Phoebe. We’re glad you came by to see us and that you still remembered us," Laurie Lei said with a smile.

"Always remember that we’ll be here if you need a friend. Don’t forget that," Cheryl assured her. Tyras-Li looked at them sadly.

"That is the one thing I would never forget. Even Mother Nature can’t stop me from remembering you guys,". Tyras-Li walked off with a resolution to find not only the answers to herself but for the sake of her friends and this realm.

Tyras-Li went straight to the schools’ elevator that leads to Professor Lintels’ office. That elevator is designed for gods and goddesses and other types of Mother Natures’ apprentice. As she went inside the elevator, she saw Sollace came up in front of her.

"Going up?," he asked. Tyras-Li nodded in answer. He went in and pressed the button for top floor where Professor Lintels’ office is located.

"So, what’s up? Why are you here?," he asked.

"Sollace, do you remember taking a comprehensive exam during our sophomore year?," she asked. He thought for a moment.

"Yeah… I guess so. Why?,". She turned to face him.

"Doesn’t it bother you on the fact that our past memories had been erased?,". He took a moment before facing her with confuse eyes.

"What do you mean?," he asked. She sighed.

"How could you forget being a mortal, Sollace. When you yourself told me once how lucky it must have been to be just a mere mortal without all these illusion?,".

"I don’t understand. What’s your point?,". Tyras-Li shook him hard by the shoulders.

"Wake up, Sollace! Don’t you even want to know how we became immortals in the first place, huh?!," she demanded. He looked at her as though she’d gone crazy. She shook him again.

"Sollace! Stop acting like an idiot! Think!,". With all these pent-up emotions that are threatening to spill out of him, he knew he has to control it. Otherwise, his being a god of winter might be shown. Slowly, little balls of snow came falling inside the elevator.

"Sollace! Stop that! You’re trained to control this!," Tyras-Li ordered as she let him go. He took a step back and embraced himself.

"You’re scaring me! What’s gotten into you anyway?! Have you been talking to those mortals again?!," he demanded as he looked at her icily. Heavy snowballs began to take form around his body, ready to throw it at her. She glared at him.

"So what if I socialize with my mortal friends?! I missed having them around! We’re still humans, Sollace! That doesn’t mean we have to stop acknowledging it just because we’ve become immortals!,".

"Stop that!," he demanded angrily as he covered his ears, trying to stop the words that nagged him ever since he became a god.

"No!,".

"I’ve had it with you! You’re too bossy to become a leader of this group! How I wish you’d just shut up!,".

"Fine! Let’s do this!,". She crossed her wrists over her chest and commanded, "Send forth the powerful barrier of the goddess of wind!,". Strong winds enveloped them both and the place turned black. Then it slowly turned into a deserted realm. He slowly put his hands down and looked around.

"You’re serious about this fight?! Then let’s begin," he challenged her. Both took a few steps back, far enough to conjure their powers and threw it at each other. Just as she was about to form a blazing wind and him a snowstorm, a blinding light appeared between them.

"Stop!," commanded by a deep male voice. Both of them stopped praying for their powers to come out and attack. The blinding light slowly faded away, leaving an angry faced Professor Lintel before them.

"The one special rule that must be strictly followed in being a god and goddess is to not fight against each other," Professor Lintel said.

"Professor Lintel, I hope you’re ready to tell us everything we need to know," she said as she approached him.

"Little Sollace here is still immature to accept the facts and the reality of it, sir," she added with a note of bitterness in her voice. Sollace scowled at her.

"Am not immature! Maybe you are, goddess of wind!," he mocked at her.

"Silence!," Professor Lintel commanded angrily as thunder and lightning appeared all over the place.

"I am ready to give all the details you needed to know. But it is up to you if you have the stomach to hear it,".

Zen noticed how the wild animals and the trees are unaffected by the situation when he knew that they should be the first to feel this imbalance.

"Funny how all of them just feel as though everything is normal. How could they stand that?," he asked himself. He looked down from where he is. He’s just there, on top of a pine tree where he can see all the things that surrounded his cabin. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and stretched his arms up and let it down easy. He embraced himself to keep him warm even if he now wore a black leather jacket and underneath it is a light blue knitted sweater. His black jeans and black Nike rubber shoes are a bit dusty due to the long hike in the woods. He could feel that nothing will go wrong today coz he already knew how to take care of it.

"Hey, Zen! Breakfast is ready!," Julie shouted at the top of her lungs. He looked down and saw Julie’s human form. She has long, wavy, orange hair and blue eyes. She wore a white, long sleeved flowing dress and a green diamond on her forehead.

"I’ll be right down!," he replied as he jumped down towards her.

"Hey! Don’t do that! You’re going to get yourself killed!," Julie exclaimed as she moved back to give him space to land on. He smiled and then suddenly he disappeared before he could land in front of her. She raised an eyebrow in confusion when she looked up and found him gone.

"Hey, Zen! Where the heck are you?!," she demanded as she looked around.

"Right here!," he replied. She turned and found Zen already at the front door of their cabin.

"Zen! Don’t scare me like that," she said in relief as she approached him.

"What? What did I do?," he asked innocently. She walked past him and opened the door.

"Breakfast is getting cold, Zen. You’d better hurry before you’ll be late for your class," she said as she went inside.

"So, tell me, Zen. What exactly do you feel about Darren?," Julie asked. Both Zen and she are on the kitchen table eating their breakfast. Julie is now back on her cat form. Just as Zen took a bite out of his pancake, he scowled at her.

"Tell me now, Zen. Or I’ll be the one to tell you about what I think is your feelings for her,".

"Nothing," he replied after finishing the last of the pancakes on his plate. She jumped down from the dining table and onto the sink where he began placing the dishes on it.

"You like her, don’t you?,". He sighed. He knew that if he didn’t tell her about it, she wouldn’t stop asking. He folded the sleeves of his light blue sweater. He opened the water on the sink and began washing the dishes.

"Well?," she asked persistently.

"Well…Fine. You win. I’ll tell you everything after I finished the dishes, okay?," he asked. She made a somersault as a sign of happiness.

"Hurry up! Don’t keep me waiting!," she said happily as she jumped down from the sink and crossed the room towards the living room couch and positioned herself, ready to listen. After a while, he placed the dishes back to where they were and took a piece of cloth from the handle of the fridge and wiped off his hands.

"Okay, you furry feline. Let’s get this over with,".

"Okay. Let’s start on the part of the goddess of destruction," he said.

"Goddess of what?," Tyras-Li asked. Professor Lintel cleared his throat.

Professor Lintel looked up after reading the page and found Sollace and Tyras-Li gaping at him.

"Did you understand?," he asked. Both of them shook their heads.

"Does that mean we have the duty to save the universe?," Sollace asked in confusion.

"Yes,".

"What?!," both Sollace and Tyras-Li said in unison.

"But it said there that Mother Nature will be the one to fight this Danielle!," she protested.

"It is true. But did you hear what the book said? It is up to you, the gods and goddesses, to decide upon this fate," Professor Lintel answered.

"What’s that supposed to mean?," Sollace asked. Professor Lintel sighed and stood up. He began walking around the room.

"You have the 5 diamonds of the gods and goddesses. You are chosen among the many to be that way. Your ancestors left those crystals for you to use on the day Danielle awakens. You will help Mother Nature to fight this battle,".

"But how did you know that those crystal are within us?," she asked.

"Still, why do you have to erase our past memories?," she asked.

"By the way, one of you have a direct relationship with Danielle,".

"Who is?," Sollace asked.

"Okay. I’m ready to listen!," Julie said. Zen sat down beside her. He sighed.

"Darren and I went to college together. We made a promise not to let go of each other …,".

"So technically she and you are lovers?,". He looked up and leaned on his back. He saw how the color on the ceilings are starting to fade away. Just like my life.

"Well?," Julie asked.

"Even until being an immortal…she… followed me…,".

"I still don’t understand why I made that choice. I did not choose to forget my past memories!," Tyras-Li protested.

"Yes, you did," Professor Lintel said as he stopped on his tracks in front of her. She stood up to meet his gaze.

"I did not!,".

"Oh get over it, Tyras-Li!," Sollace snapped as he looked up. Tyras-Li turned to face him and stared angrily at him.

"You shut up, you immature idiot!," she shot back.

"Oh you shut up!,". Sollace stood up to meet her match.

"No! You shut up!,".

"No! You shut up, goddess of wind!,".

"Both of you shut up! Stop this nonsense now!," Professor Lintel commanded in a thundering voice.

"Listen, both of you. I’m old enough to get tired of your childish antics. I’ve a good mind to cast a spell on you both to finish this differences between you,". Both of them turned to face him.

"Fix this and come back later and let me know what you have decided," Professor Lintel suggested as he crossed the room towards the door and opened it for them to leave.

"Find a place for both of you to get along. Move it!," he ordered. Both of them scampered out of the room. When the door on Professor Lintels’ office closed, both started to blame each other. Tyras-Li was the first one who broke off the fight with a sigh.

"Look, Sollace. I’m sorry for pressuring you about the memories bit. I don’t know what’s gotten into me," she said as she pressed the button for going down on the elevator.

"I’m sorry too. I guess I shouldn’t have picked up a fight with you. You’re confused right now. And I guess as the oldest one in our group, I should have understood your situation," he said as he placed his hands on his pockets. The elevator doors slowly opened and both of them went inside. He pressed the button for the ground floor.

"Thanks, Sollace. I don’t think you should be the understanding one or else I’ll be taking you for granted,".

"Yeah, well… I respect you a lot. A whole lot. That’s why it’s been hard for me to fight back especially when you’re the enemy,".

"Do you remember any of your past memories?," she asked. He sighed and began to think.

"Wellll… I remember my parents. They still didn’t want to let go of me from the day they found out I am one of us. Up until now they’re sending me letters, sweets on my birthdays and holidays. After all, I’m an only child. It’s really hard for them to let go of me. I miss them miserably. Then there’s the comprehensive exam when all of us took it at the same time. I remembered back then when I first saw you. I told myself that’s the kind of girl I wanted to get to know for the rest of my college years. You’re funny, smart, very caring to your brother Orion and most of all sweet and thoughtful to your friends,".

"You knew me? Just like that?," she asked in disbelief. He laughed.

"No, silly. I heard it from the conversations of my friends. I thought that I should check you out to make sure they are right and that you sounded too good to be true. I guess after 2 years of being with you made it all worthwhile to think you are what they say you are and more,". She looked at him as though he is someone that can be trusted and be friends for eternity. She gave him a warm smile.

"You’re sweet, Sollace. Has anyone ever tell you that?," she asked. He shook his head and returned her smile with one of his.

"It’s silly of me telling you all of this. But it’s worth it just to let you know that you could never forget your past. I’m sure of it coz you’re the type who wouldn’t forget anyone easily," he replied. Her heart went out to him and for the first time in her entire life she felt special and cared for. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on his cheek in gratitude. He blushed.

"Thanks," she said.

"Sollace, if you don’t mind my asking, do you have any girlfriend?," she asked in an embarrass tone after a few moments of silence.

"It’s okay. I can answer that. I’m planning to have one but the girl that I was hoping to be my girlfriend is hard to reach," he replied.

"Oh? Why? Is it because she’s smart, rich and beautiful or she’s a mortal with an expensive taste?," she teased. He laughed.

"None of the above,".

"Then what is the reason?,".

"It’s because she’s older than me,".

"Well? Am I right or wrong?," Julie asked. Zen sighed.

"It’s not what you think, Julie. It’s hard to explain… especially on my part. It’s difficult to understand. And besides, I’ve got something more important to think about other than that," Zen replied as he closed his eyes. Julie sighed.

"When will you tell me about her? Don’t you trust me enough?," she asked. He slowly opened his eyes and focused his attention to her.

"You will learn about it in time," he answered and gave her a smile.

"It’s been a long while," she muttered as she looked around her.

"The realm of Mystica. How strange…,". She climbed out of the crystal chamber and stretched her arms up.

"It’s been a long time since I got out and play," she said with a wicked smile.

"Time for me to claim my destiny!,". She formed a circle around her body with her hands. Black clouds started to appear around her and enveloped her in it. In an instant, she disappeared. An evil laugh echoed throughout the realm.

"Chapter 11 discusses the fact that when wind and fire are combined, a firestorm will appear and annihilate anything it sees. This combination is more powerful than the snowstorm and water," Professor Lintel said as he stopped on his tracks between Tyras-Li and Orion. Tyras-Li looked up on him. The professor bent his head close to her.

"Have you come to a conclusion?," he whispered. Tyras-Li nodded. Just then, the bell for classes to end rang. Professor Lintel straightened up as his students started to gather their things, ready to leave.

"Okay. Make sure you read the rest of the chapter and you’ll have your recitation tomorrow," he announced as he went back to his seat in front.

"Tyras-Li and the rest of your group, please stay," he added as he sat down on his seat. Tyras-Li stood up with the rest of her group. Orion took her arm and held her back.

"What’s going on, sis?," he whispered. She looked at him in the eye and said, "It’s game time,". She left him gaping at her in confusion. Tyras-Li first approached the professor and sat down in front of him. The rest of her group followed her. Professor Lintel made sure that the classroom has been evacuated first for their privacy.

"Okay. Have all of you understood the situation on this realm?," he asked.

All of them nodded in answer.

"Then tell me, what is your conclusion,".

"First, we need you to answer a couple of questions," Tyras-Li replied. Professor Lintel sighed.

"Fine. Let’s get this over with," Professor Lintel said.

"I wanted to know…," all of them began in unison. Professor Lintel waved his hand to stop them from going further.

"Raise your hand like a good student with a question," he ordered. All of them raised their right hands.

"Okay. Let’s start with Zen,".

"Sir, how come Mother Nature didn’t know of this?," Zen asked.

"Your recent Mother Nature isn’t born yet at the time the goddess of destruction Danielle exist. Next,". Professor Lintel picked Asteria.

"How come I’m the only one who is behind?,". Professor Lintel laughed a bit.

"I don’t think that’s a question, Asteria. Try again. Next," Professor Lintel replied as he picked Orion.

"Sir, are we strong enough to defeat this Danielle?,". Professor Lintel sighed and stood up and began walking forth and back in front of them.

"Each of you have the 5 diamonds of gods and goddess. You all have the capability to exterminate anything or anyone. But without the knowledge of using it wisely, your powers are useless,".

"Sir, we are immortals right?," Zen asked. Professor Lintel nodded in answer.

"Then we can’t die, right?," Zen added. Professor Lintel thought for a moment. He sat down and began looking at his students.

"Listen, all of you. You are immortals. You can’t die. But if this realm dies, you all die,".

"What?!," all of them demanded in unison except Tyras-Li.

"But that cannot be! Why?," Sollace asked in confusion.

"It’s because…," Professor Lintels’ voice trailed off.

"It’s because of this realm, we exist. Don’t you get it?," Tyras-Li cut in.

"Let me try to explain. This realm needs you, gods and goddesses, to control its natural forces. You should have understand it by now," Professor Lintel said. Tyras-Li sighed and stood up.

"My business here is over. I’m going to see Mother Nature," she said as she left the room.

"Wait for me!," Zen called out. He gathered his things and took off with her.

"I wonder if this is the university Mother Nature told me to go to," Ariel muttered as she looked up a tall light green building. She looked around and found students going in and out of the front gate.

"Then this must be it," she said happily. Then she saw Tyras-Li and Zen came out of the front gate.

"Hey! Ty-,". Suddenly someone placed a hand over her mouth.

"Don’t even think of crying out for help coz it won’t do you any good," whispered by a deep female voice in her ear. Ariel tried to calm herself. Who is this thief? Why would she take me? I don’t look like someone who is rich! she thought to herself.

"No need to say those words out loud, dear. I could read your mind and I’m not here for the money. I came here to finish you off!," replied by her captor. Ariel looked shocked and bewildered. Let go of me! she protested in her mind.

"Sorry. But your time on this realm is over. Time for you to have a long night sleep!,". Then a black cloud surrounded both of their bodies and disappeared from the scene.

Help me! Please! Anybody! cried out by a female voice. Zen shook his head to clear it. That voice… it sounded familiar… but why? Zen thought to himself.

"Are you sure you want to come along, Zen?," Tyras-Li asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Of course! I wouldn’t miss your company for anything," Zen replied with a sheepish grin. She raised an eyebrow.

"Hmmm… I think it’s better for me to do this alone," she said as she walked past him.

"Hold on, Li! Don’t walk away from me again,". He caught up with her. He took her arm and held her back.

"Listen. It’s been a while since we talk, alone. That is the real reason why I wanted to come with you," he said.

"What do you mean?," she asked innocently. He took her hand and led the way.

"Where are we going?," she asked as she followed him.

"To someplace private before we see Mother Nature," he replied.

"But we have to see her before night falls! We don’t have much time!," she protested. She knew what he’s up to. She didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet. Not until this is solve. But what if this won’t go away? What would happen to me? And to Zen? She looked at the back of his head. She stopped walking and gave his hand a tug. He too stopped walking and turned to her.

"Is there something wrong?," he asked. She gave him a smile.

"Zen, I-," she began. Zen placed a hand on her lips and smiled.

"You know we have to do this. Before anything happens… between us," he said. She looked at him sadly.

"Oh Zen,". He took her in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I don’t want to lose you. As much as I hated to admit it," he said.

Mother Nature decided to tend her rose garden while waiting for her fellow gods and goddesses to update her regarding the mystery goddess. She went to an array of alpine rose, her favorite. She summoned water to sprinkle them to life. Then she came across the tree of apple. She took a look at how the apples are bearing fruit. She picked one and noticed the unfamiliar redness of it.

"This is weird. How come this apples’ redness is like the color of blood?," she muttered as she examined it closely. Suddenly, the color of the apple started to fade away, leaving a red paint on her hands. She felt the paint somewhat sticky. She took a taste out of it and realized…

"Blood! Blood on my garden?! But why?," she asked in disbelief. Then a blood dropped on her head and dress. She looked up and found the face of Ariel looked shocked and covered with blood.

"Ariel! No!," she screamed in fear as she dropped the blood covered apple. She summoned the wind to bring Ariels’ body to the ground. The wind slowly eased Ariels’ body out of the branches of tree and placed it on the ground in front of her. She fell on her knees and brought Ariels’ face on her lap.

"Who did this to you?!," she demanded as tears fell on her cheeks. She noticed a relatively large hole on her chest as though someone ripped her heart out with its bare hands. She placed a hand on Ariels’ eyes and closed it.

"Who would do such a thing?," she asked as she embraced Ariels’ lifeless body.

"I did," a female voice answered. She looked up and found a woman with long wavy midnight blue hair and ice blue eyes. She wore an off-the-shoulder, long sleeved, black, flowing dress with a gold chain on her neck with a black angel as its pendant and a black diamond on her forehead.

"And you are?," Mother Nature asked.

"I am Danielle. The goddess of destruction," she replied as she approached Mother Nature. She bent down to meet Mother Natures’ wide eyes in shock.

"Did I scare you?," Danielle asked in triumph.

"How dare you do this?!," Mother Nature demanded with angry eyes. Danielle straightened her composure and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I can do whatever I want, Sasha," she replied. Sasha slowly laid Ariels’ head to the ground and stood up.

"Why do this?," she asked in confusion. Danielle began circling her around.

"I need the 5 diamonds of the gods and goddesses of the mortals realm. I need them for my powers to strengthen and most of all…,". Danielle conjured an image of the Earth on her hand.

"… to create my very own realm to be conquered by me. Only me!,". She crushed the image with her bare hands and then pieces of it slowly fell to the ground.

"Why did you take Ariels’ life?! She didn’t do anything to harm you nor do you need her crystal! How low can you possibly get?!," she said angrily. Danielle stopped circling her around and faced her.

"You mean this?,". A triangular blue crystal appeared infront of Sashas’ face. Sasha tried to steal it from her but it was only an image. Danielle laughed a bit.

"I need this as an alternative for my power. After all, she does have excellent skills on summoning of spells of all kinds," Danielle replied as she grabbed the image and turned it into dust and blew it towards Sashas’ direction.

"You’ll never have the diamonds! Never!,".

"I don’t think you should judge me yet. After all, I’ve been asleep for 2,000 years and every year, my powers grew stronger and more powerful that not even your precious gods and goddesses of the mortals realm can’t stop me!,".

"You mean-?,". Danielle gave her a wicked smile.

"Yes. If they don’t hand it to me willingly then they shall all die!," Danielle exclaimed with an evil laugh.

"You forget one important thing, Danielle! You’ll have to fight me first before you take your precious diamonds from my friends!," Sasha defended.

"Beating you in a duel is as easy as killing your precious Ariel. It’s the diamonds that I’m more interested to get," Danielle replied coolly.

"I still think you could not beat my fellow gods and goddesses! Ariel is just an apprentice! Her powers are not that strong as mine as well as the rest of my immortal friends! I have confidence in myself that I could beat you with one blow!,".

"Getting overconfident aren’t we?! Even if Ariel was just a prissy apprentice, I could still beat you! If God created the world in 6 days and took His rest on the 7^th day, then the 7^th day shall be humanity’s rest for… ETERNITY!," Danielle exclaimed with a laugh.

"I don’t think you’ll be able to do that," said by a female voice out of nowhere.

"Who goes there?," Danielle demanded.

"Blazing water!," commanded by the intruder. A wave of water came rushing towards Danielle’s direction. Danielle lifted her right hand to the incoming water and summoned a black shield. The wave of water collided with the shield and both disappeared.

"Asteria! Get out of here!," Sasha ordered even if she couldn’t see her.

"Come out! Goddess of Water!," Danielle commanded. A whirlpool of water appeared before her. Then Asteria emerge from it.

"Ah. My beautiful Asteria. How nice of you to drop by… in a tight situation," Danielle remarked. Asteria approached Ariels’ body and fell on her knees.

"Ariel, don’t worry about this bitch. I’ll avenge your death! No matter what it takes!," she assured the lifeless body of Ariel. She closed her eyes and formed her hands in a prayer and prayed for Ariel’s soul to be at peace. She slowly stood up and opened her eyes with blazing fury.

"You’ll pay for this, Danielle! I challenge you to a duel of our powers!," Asteria said as she approached Danielle.

"Asteria! No!," Sasha cried out.

"Stay out of this, Sasha. I’ll finish her off! Once and for all!," Asteria replied coolly.

"What is the price if ever you win or I win?," Danielle asked.

"You can have my diamond, as the goddess of water,".

"Asteria! Stop that!," Sasha protested.

"And if I lose?,".

"You’re going to die!,". Danielle took a moment to think this over.

"That’s fair enough. Shall we begin?," Danielle asked as she took a step back to ready herself in an attack mode. Asteria did the same.

"I should warn you, Asteria. In the game between life and death, I always win,".

"You forget, Danielle. The only reason you win is because you cheated!,". Danielle flinched then smiled.

"Very wise, young goddess. Then I take it that you already know that you’re going to lose?," Danielle asked in triumph.

"I won’t let you! Blazing whirlpool of the goddess of water!," Asteria commanded as she raised her right hand into the air. A whirlpool of water came rushing towards Danielle.

"World shaking! Soar!," Danielle summoned as she placed her right hand to the ground. A big ball of light formed and moved forward to capture Asteria.

"What the-?!," Asteria exclaimed.

"It’s over, goddess of water!," Danielle said as she saw the ball of light that she summoned enveloped Asteria and then disappeared. The whirlpool of water disappeared the same time as the goddess conjured it vanished.

"Asteria! Nooooo!," Sasha cried out as fresh tears started to fall on her cheeks. Danielle laughed at her distress.

"Remember, Sasha. On the 7^th day, humanity shall rest for eternity!," Danielle declared as black clouds formed around her body and then she vanished inside of it.

Unbeknownst to both, Darren saw and overheard everything. She knew she’s no match to fight Danielle. That’s why she remained hidden. She wanted to know if she can find some way to really beat Danielle wisely. Asteria is in deep trouble! What will Orion say about this? she thought to herself in panic. Then she looked at Ariel’s lifeless body covered with blood. She wanted so badly to come forward and take a moment of grief for Ariel and the same time comfort Mother Nature. Ariel… Why does it have to be you? Why?… Tears slowly fell on her cheeks. I won’t accept your fate! Never! It's too much to put up with! She closed her eyes tightly and ran away from the scene. Blinded by her tears, she bumped into something.

"Hey! What’s going on?," asked by a male voice. Darren looked up and opened her eyes.

"Jason!," she exclaimed. He wiped her tears away with his hands.

"What’s up?," he asked. She hugged him tightly to overcome the fear and hatred she felt.

"I… saw everything!," she sobbed. He embraced her back in comfort.

"Everything’s going to be alright, Darren. Calm down," he assured her. She pulled back and stared at him as though he’s some crazy idiot who didn’t speak her language.

"Jason! Don’t you get it?! The world is coming to an end! And yet you’re calm and collected! Don’t you care at all?!," she demanded angrily. He looked at her. She took a step back and turned, ready to leave.

"Wait! Don’t go yet!," he exclaimed as she started to walk away. She stopped on her tracks and turned.

"I have faith on the great gods and goddesses of the mortals realm. I knew they could make it. No matter what it takes. Even my mother believed in them," he said.

"Your mother should have known better! She should have created more powerful crystals to keep Danielle from awakening!," she replied angrily.

"Don’t blame this on my mother, Darren! As much as I love you, I won’t take your angry words against my mother!,".

"Your mother is the goddess of time travel and space! Couldn’t she be more sensitive on what’s happening now?!," she raged.

"The mighty goddess Scire is doing everything she can to preserve the mortals realm!," he defended.

"Listen to yourself! Are you the same guy I fell in love with 3 years ago?! The one who promises everything he can in order to preserve life?!,". He walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Darren, listen to me. You don’t understand the principles of history. My mother cannot do anything without hurting the balance of all realms. If she change the course of antiquity, then everything that you knew exist won’t appear on this time. Especially on the part of existence…you and I may never meet and never fall in love…," he explained sadly. Tears started to well up in her eyes. He took her in his arms gently and surprisingly, she didn’t resist.

"I still think it’s unfair," she sobbed.

"Nothing’s unfair in life," he replied flatly.

"Yeah, well. A lot has changed ever since we met," Zen replied as he took a seat on the living room couch. She looked at him with curious eyes.

"What did happen between us?," she asked as she sat down beside him and placed the soda on the center table.

"Li… I…," he began.

"Excuse me! Coming thru!," Julie said as she jumped to the couch and sat between them. Tyras-Li laughed.

"Julie? Is that you?," she asked with a smile. Julie cleared her throat.

"Of course it’s me! It’s been a while since we saw each other last! That’s all!," Julie replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Julie, what are you doing here?!," Zen demanded.

"I came here to make sure you won’t commit any mistakes," Julie replied coolly.

"What mistakes?," Tyras-Li asked in confusion.

"Hmph! May I remind you that Zen is already spoken for?,".

"And who might this lucky girl be?,". Tyras-Li looked at Zen in annoyance.

"Who else but the young apprentice Darren," Julie said flatly. Both Zen and Tyras-Li burst out laughing.

"What’s so funny?!," Julie demanded.

"Julie, do you mind leaving now?," Zen ordered as their laughter died down.

"No!," Julie answered. Zen stood up and took Julie.

"I’ll be right back," he said with a wink. Tyras-Li smiled in answer. He crossed the room and opened the door.

"Mother Nature warned me about your nosiness. So as your punishment, you’ll get to spend the night outside!," he said as he threw Julie out in the dark.

"Zen! Don’t do this to me!," Julie protested as she came running back.

"Oh no you don’t!,". He slammed the door shut before she could go back inside.

"Zen… Open up! I’m sorry! Let me in, please!," Julie begged as she carefully scratch the door with her paws.

"Stay there after I finish my business here," he commanded as he turned and walked back to Tyras-Li.

"Sorry about that," he said as he sat down close to her.

"Where was I?," he asked. She took a moment to think.

"You’re about to tell me on what happened… between us," she replied shyly. He took her hands in his.

"Li, it’s been a while. I can’t tell you how much I missed you," he said. She placed a hand on the right side of his face.

"There was a time when I thought that a lifetime was too long but then I met you… And I knew then that a lifetime was too short just to tell you how much I care for you," she replied as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Li, how come we haven’t thought of this before?," he asked as he took her in his arms.

"Maybe it’s because we didn’t want to hurt other people’s feelings," she answered as she lay her head on his shoulder.

"No. That’s not it. We just decided not to take the risk of the pain that we’ll soon feel if ever we confronted our feelings for each other,".

"Then how do you know about my feelings for you?,"

"I took the risk and well… it turned out okay. Actually, more than okay," he answered with a smile. Suddenly a blinding light appeared before them.

"What the-?," she asked in confusion as he enveloped her fully in his arms to protect her. A tear-faced Darren emerges from the blinding light. He slowly released her and looked up.

"Darren? What’s wrong?," he asked with concern. Darren walked towards him and plopped down beside him and cried her heart out. He took her in his arms for comfort.

"Li? Can you get Darren a glass of water?," he asked.

"Sure,". Tyras-Li stood up and hurriedly went to the kitchen. As she took a glass from the nearby sink, she saw Julie at the window, scratching for mercy. Tyras-Li sighed.

"I guess you can come in," she muttered as she opened the window. Julie jumped in and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Tyras-Li!," Julie said happily. Tyras-Li went to the fridge and took out a tall container of cold water. She poured it at the empty glass and placed the container back inside the fridge.

"Hey, what’s going on?," Julie asked.

"Darren is here. She’s in tears," Tyras-Li replied as she closed the door of the fridge.

"Li, can I ask you something?,".

"Sure. Go ahead,".

"What is Darren’s relationship with Zen?," Julie asked in an embarrassed tone.

"She’s his older sister," Tyras-Li answered with a smile as she turned to leave the room.

"Wait! Last question," Julie said. Tyras-Li turned.

"Okay. Let’s have it,".

"How come I didn’t know about you and Zen?,". Tyras-Li sighed.

"3 years ago, I met him before I took the comprehensive exam. He’s kind and a real gentleman. I never thought that our first meeting would go far. He already has a girlfriend at that time so I knew there’s no hope for me. But after Professor Lintel appointed us as the mortals realm gods and goddesses, he has to break up with his girlfriend. I still didn’t take the chance coz I knew it’d be hard for him. After a year of being constant with each other, my feelings for him grew. I still didn’t take the chance. But somehow, he felt the same way about me. And… I’m glad…," Tyras-Li explained.

"But why now?,".

"He courted me on that year but I turned him down saying that with this responsibility of being a goddess, it’s hard to control emotions that are not supposedly included. He got mad and promised me that he’ll never speak to me again… But after a year, he broke that promise and remained friends… close friends and I knew that we’re both hoping that it’ll more than just friends… and it did,".

"I’m sorry," Julie said sadly. Tyras-Li gave her a warm smile.

"Don’t be. I’m happy now coz it wasn’t too late to show our feelings for each other… even if this is a tight situation,". Tyras-Li turned and exited the room while Julie followed her.

"Here,". Tyras-Li handed over the water to Zen. Zen took it and gave it to Darren who is now a bit calm than before.

"What’s going on?," Tyras-Li asked as she sat down beside Zen.

"Bad news, Li. We have to get to Mother Nature ASAP," he replied as he stood up and went to his room.

"Li, I’m sorry for ruining your evening," Darren said apologetically.

"No need for apologies. I’m always here to help," Tyras-Li assured her.

"Ready to go, Li? I’ll tell you everything you need to know on the way there," Zen said as he approached her. Tyras-Li looked up and saw him wearing the light blue sweater that she knitted for him last Christmas. She smiled.

"Yeah," she replied as she stood up. She placed a hand on the sweater, noticing for the first time how handsome he looked in them.

"I never got to thank you for this," he muttered as he took her hand and kissed it.

"No words necessary," she answered.

"That old thing? It’s his favorite!," Julie remarked as she jumped onto the couch.

"Really?," Tyras-Li asked happily.

"I want to come along, Zen. You just can’t leave me here," Julie protested. Zen sighed.

"Okay. I’m sure Mother Nature is gathering all of her creations now. She needs every support she could possibly get in this world," he said.

After hours of preparation for the funeral, they finally settled Ariel’s body in a glass coffin. Friends, family and relatives came to visit and pay their respects to Ariel’s parents.

"Why does it have to be this way? Why?," Ariel’s mother sobbed as her husband tried to comfort her.

"I’m really sorry. Please forgive me," Mother Nature whispered as she took the black veil off her shoulder and placed it on her head. She made the sign of the cross and walked off, leaving Orion still grieving for Ariel. Then a brunette headed little girl with dark blue eyes came forward and approached Orion.

"I noticed who you are. Ariel often spoke about you," the little girl said. Orion turned.

"Who are you?," he asked.

"I’m Amanda. Ariel’s little sister in the Big Sisters Program. I missed her terribly. She told me to give this to you in case something happens to her,". Amanda took out a white envelope from her pocket and handed it to him. Orion took it gratefully.

Tears of sadness slowly fell on his cheeks.

"How can I tell Asteria my true feelings for her when she’s been captured by Danielle?," he asked.

"Why does it have to be this way?! Why?!," he raged as he buried his face on his hands.

"Nobody wanted it to be this way, Orion," said by a gentle female voice beside him. He looked up and found the concerned face of his twin. He took her in his arms and cried openly. In all my life, this is the first time I’ve seen my twin cry openly. It saddens me greatly how so much pain he felt. How I wish this would just go away…Tyras-Li thought to herself as she hugged her twin back.

"Mother Nature and Darren is already on the way home. Are you sure you can manage to go there safely?," Tyras-Li asked. Orion nodded in answer. He looked calm and collected than before.

"I have to talk to Mother Nature anyway. There are some things I needed to know," he replied. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful, okay?,".

"I will," he said with a smile.

"Ready to go, Li?," Zen asked. She turned and found him standing behind her.

"Hey, Zen. Take care of my sister, okay?," Orion asked as he took a step back. Zen smiled.

"You know I always do," he replied. Orion smiled and then clouds began to take form around his body.

"I’ll see you later, sis," he said with a wave of his hand as he disappeared into the clouds. Zen took her hand and led the way.

"It’s so peaceful here. I still can’t believe that all of these will perish if we didn’t vanquish Danielle," she said. He let go of her hand and placed his arm over her shoulder in comfort.

"Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you or to this realm. I have faith in ourselves ‘coz I knew that we wouldn’t let it happen," he assured her. Suddenly a group of black forms came and blocked their way. Both of them stopped.

"Are they thieves?," she asked as he let go of her.

"I don’t think so," he replied as a black form attacked him first. Zen moved aside so the prowler missed him.

"Zen! Be careful!," she shouted. Another black form attacked her with a kick and a punch.

"Blazing wind!," she commanded as she directed her right hand towards the prowlers. A gust of wind came and blew them away. Zen noticed that his prowlers are more in numbers than that of Tyras-Li. What’s going on here? He stepped aside and placed his hand onto the ground.

"World shaking! Soar!," he commanded. A ball of light appeared from the ground and moved forward towards the prowlers. The ball of light enveloped them then they disappeared. That’s strange. How come we beat them easily?

"Zen! Help!," she cried out. He turned and found her in the arms of the prowlers.

"Mistress Danielle didn’t warn us that you are the god of Earth," said by one of the prowlers.

"Danielle?! You work for that witch?!," Zen demanded angrily.

"I challenge you to a mortal combat!," said by the same prowler.

"And if I refuse?,". The prowlers that captured Tyras-Li tighten their grip on her.

"She’ll die,". Zen took off his leather jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

"Fine. I accept your challenge!," he said coolly. He readied himself in an attack mode.

"Zen! No! Stay back! Just get help!," she cried out as the prowlers tighten their grip on her than before.

"Let her go!," Zen ordered. The prowlers attacked all at once. He was hit in every part of his body. He fell on his knees and his face is now covered with blood. Tyras-Li screamed in fear. The leader of the prowlers bent his head to face Zen.

"Hear this, Zen. Your grandmother is expecting you to live and serve her. She’s giving you a chance to be her protégé. What say you?,".

"Tell her to go to hell!," he remarked. The leader of the prowler grabbed his hair and pulled it up.

"Foolish sentiment!,". The leader kicked him hard on his stomach, which made Zen coughed with blood. The leader stood up.

"Let her go. Our business here is finish," he commanded as all of the prowlers disappeared into thin air. Tyras-Li ran towards his side and fell on her knees.

"Can you get up?," she asked in concern. He nodded in answer. She took his arm and placed it over her shoulder for support and both of them stood up.

"I’d better take you to Sollace to heal your wounds," she said as both began to walk.

"B-but… why there?," he asked weakly.

"He has the capacity to heal," she replied as she summoned the clouds to bring them to Sollace.

Tyras-Li was roaming around the living room, deep in thought. I wonder what those prowlers want with Zen? Then Sollace came behind her. She stopped walking and faced him.

"Will he be alright?," she asked in concern. Sollace nodded.

"It’s a good thing you brought him just in time before his wounds got worse," he replied. She sighed in relief and sat down at the living room couch. He plopped down beside her.

"Thanks, Sollace," she said gratefully.

"You’re welcome,".

"How’s Darren?," he asked.

"I don’t know. She’s with Mother Nature. The last time I saw her, she was badly shaken up. She saw what happened to Ariel," she replied sadly.

"I wish I was there to comfort her,".

"I don’t think she needs you to comfort her. Jason is already there,". Sollace bent his head sadly in defeat. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I’m sorry, Sollace. There’s nothing I can do about it. She has her heart set on Jason," she said apologetically.

"No apologies necessary, Li. It’s my fault anyway," he answered as he stood up.

"Don’t say that!," she protested. He shook his head and faced her.

"It’s my fault I fell for her,". He gave her a weak smile.

"You can see him, Li. He’ll be glad to see you,".

"Thanks, Sollace,". She stood up and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek. She walked past him and entered the room to where Zen is resting. She found him sleeping.

"Zen?,". She crossed the room and sat down beside him. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled at the sight of her.

"Li,". He placed his hand on her cheek. She bent down and gave him a kiss. He kissed her back.

"I love you… No matter what happens…," he whispered.

"What are we going to do now?," Sollace asked.

"I don’t know," Mother Nature replied sadly.

"May I suggest something?," Tyras-Li asked as she came forward. Mother Nature turned to face her and nodded.

"We need to train for our powers to grow stronger than before," Tyras-Li said. Zen nodded in agreement.

"You’re right. You only have 5 days left before you face Danielle," Mother Nature said.

"Wait!," exclaimed by a female voice. Everyone turned and found the mighty goddess Scire, with her son Jason beside her, approached them. All of them bowed in respect.

"Your highness. What brought you here?," Mother Nature asked.

"All of you, be at ease," Scire ordered. All of them straightened their composure.

"I came here to bring news. I made sure that Danielle will never bother the mortals realm again," she added. All of them cheered in happiness.

"But! Listen carefully," Scire said with a wave of her hand to stop the cheering.

"I placed the mortals into another realm and created a barrier on the mortals realm to balance everything that will be affected on the final battle. But when Mother Nature losses this fight, everything I did will be useless. I suggest you train hard and well for the preservation of humanity," she added. Mother Nature approached her.

"What did the elder gods say about this? I knew that in order to attain this you’ll have to sacrifice something of your own," Mother Nature said.

"My fellow elder gods agreed to my plan… I sacrificed my immortality just to get them to agree with me,".

"What?!," all of them demanded in unison.

"I’m sorry," Darren said apologetically.

"No apologies needed. It’s free will. The other consequence is that if you failed, I die," Scire said sadly. She walked past Mother Nature and approached Tyras-Li.

"As the leader of gods and goddesses of the mortals realm, I wish you luck and bring out this idea of yours. You’ll need it,".

"Thank you, your highness,". Tyras-Li bowed gratefully.

"There’s something I still don’t understand," Sollace said. Scire turned to face him.

"Go ahead,".

"Why did the elder gods permit this?," he asked. Scire sighed.

"They told me that no one can interfere with the course of history. Not even them. Or else… they’ll sacrifice their own lives to interfere it. It’s a general rule, Sollace. No one can do anything about it. This is the only plan I knew that could save the entire human race," she explained.

"This is so unfair," Sollace muttered.

"Nothing is unfair, Sollace. Remember that," she replied.

Tyras-Li knew that before she could concentrate on her training, she has to know the answer to the question that’s been bothering her ever since she talked with Professor Lintel. She went to the private library and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Mother Nature answered. Tyras-Li went in and closed the door behind her.

"Is it a bad time?," she asked. Mother Nature looked up from the book she’s reading about magic and spell.

"Not at all. Please. Do come in," Mother Nature replied. Tyras-Li approached her.

"Sasha, I have a question to ask of you. It’s very important and I won’t take silence as the answer,".

"Go ahead,". Tyras-Li sighed.

"I wanted to know. How my memories vanished from my head?," she asked in confusion. Mother Nature sighed in worry as she closed the book she’s reading.

"You came to me and asked for my assistance in effacing your memories," she began.

"But why?,".

"It’s because you didn’t want to remember your loved ones so that it won’t interfere with your work as the goddess of wind. Do you regret it?," she asked with concern. Tyras-Li thought for a moment and shook her head.

"I don’t regret it, Sasha. I only wanted to know why I did it. It’s the logical thing for me to do. I guess when some of my memories came rushing back, it made me a little bit crazy," she replied. Sasha placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Do you ever wonder why you and your fellow gods and goddesses are called the Guardians Of Paradise?,". Tyras-Li shook her head in confusion while Sasha smiled.

"It’s because the mortals realm was once a paradise. That realm needs your constant attention of the forces of nature. Otherwise its beauty and innocence shall vanished and, all that will be left is nothing but desert and corpse,".

Five days had passed, each of the guardians of paradise learned to manipulate their powers wisely. They’ve mastered each of the three levels of their powers.

"One must have faith not only in yourself but also for the other members of your team. Don’t believe any deception that Danielle placed on you or else your friendship and love for each other will be ruined. Everything lies in your hands…Guardians Of Paradise… Good luck and I’ll be watching over you," Scire said as she summoned the wind and vanished, leaving gold ashes on the ground.

"Easy for her to say," Orion remarked coolly. Tyras-Li slapped him on the back.

"Watch your mouth, bro. Or else your emotions will affect your powers," Tyras-Li reminded him.

"Darren, come with me. Please," Jason pleaded. Darren placed a hand on his cheek.

"I can’t. I have to do my duty as Mother Nature’s apprentice," she replied sadly.

"You’re only an apprentice. You don’t have to do this,".

"As much as I wanted to be safe with you, I can’t just stand back and watch this fight. Remember that my little brother is there too. He’s fighting for what he believed in and he knew that if we didn’t do our part, many would suffer. I have to be there… I’m not only doing this for my safety but for my friends and their family," she explained as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He took her in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"I don’t want to let you go. But promise me, you’ll come back to me," he said. She hugged him back.

"Of course I will," she replied. He slowly pulled out of their embrace. He reached for the necklace on his neck and unclasped the chain. He took her hand and placed the golden necklace with a diamond crystal as its pendant on it.

"Wear this for good luck and as a remembrance of your promise to me,". Then he kissed it.

"I will,".

"Zen, no matter what happens. Please be careful," Tyras-Li said. Zen smiled.

"I should be the one telling you that," he replied as he took her in his arms for the last time.

"Don’t do anything to upset me. Please," she pleaded as a tear slowly fell on her cheek.

"I wouldn’t dream of it,".

Sollace knew he’s the only one besides Orion who doesn’t have any loved one to say goodbye to. This breaks my heart at the sight of Jason and Darren. I knew that if I have to tell her my feelings… I have to do it now… He slowly approached Darren just as Jason left to join his mother with the other elder gods.

"Um…Darren… Can I talk to you for a sec?," he asked. She turned to face him.

"Sure. What’s this all about?," she asked with curious eyes. He summoned a breeze of winter with his hand. Then a ring that is made of ice appeared on it.

"I want you to have this," he said as he took her hand and placed it on her right middle finger.

"Oh Sollace. This is so beautiful," she marveled at the ring.

"But why?," she asked in confusion.

"That ring will never dissolve unless the person who created it died. I gave you this as a sign of friendship and well… my feelings for you," he replied.

"I don’t understand,".

"I’m in love with you, Darren. It’s been a while from the first day I met and talked to you,".

"Sollace, I already-," she began but he stopped her with a wave of his hand.

"I know what you’re going to say. I’m not here to ask you to be mine. I just wanted to confront my feelings for you before the final battle to begin and end. That way, I won’t have any regrets," he explained. She took her in his arms and gave him a friendly hug.

"I’m so sorry," she said sadly.

"It’s okay. No apologies needed," he answered as he slowly eased out of her embrace.

"Be careful, Sollace. Bring back Asteria safely and save the world,".

"For you, fair maiden, I’ll risk life itself just to obey your command,".

"Listen up, all of you," Mother Nature commanded. All of them turned to face her.

"Before you all go to the Realm of Mystica for the final battle, I just want you all to know that whatever happens, do your best. I know that you will because so much is at stake here. Be careful, all of you. Never underestimate her. You don’t know yet what she’s capable of," she said. Tyras-Li approached her.

"Never worry, Mother Nature. We’ll do everything we can so that you won’t face her in the last phase of this battle," Tyras-Li assured her with a smile.

"Shall we go?," Orion asked.

"Time’s a wasting," Sollace said. Mother Nature summoned a ball of light as their passageway towards the Realm of Mystica. Sollace bowed before her as a sign of respect and goodbye. Then he went inside the ball of light. Orion and Zen did the same. While Tyras-Li gave her a salute and a reassuring smile before she joined her friends. Darren did the same but Mother Nature closed the portal before she went in.

"No. You can’t go, Darren," Mother Nature said. Darren turned, gaping at her in confusion.

"Why not?," she asked.

"I need you here. Your powers are not strong enough to fight with them,". Darren approached her.

"My brother is going to be there, fighting for his life. I just can’t stand here and be safe with you! I even turned down Jason’s offer to come with him!," she complained angrily.

"Listen to Sasha, Darren. You need her advice for a back-up plan," said by a deep male voice. Both of them turned and found Professor Lintel approaching them.

"And why is that?!," Darren demanded. He stopped on his tracks when he reached Mother Natures’ side.

"It’s because you don’t know yet the real reason why everything started," he replied. Mother Nature looked up to him to meet his gaze.

"Father, will they survive this?," Mother Nature asked in fear. Professor Lintel sighed.

"I sure hope so,".

"Whew! Danielle should do something about this fog," Sollace complained. Then they saw something shone with light. Tyras-Li squinted her eyes to see clearly.

"That must be her,". She pointed it out with her right point finger. They trudged along the path towards where they saw the light. Suddenly the place cleared. They saw Danielle seated on a throne with a crystal ball floating in front of her. Her eyes are closed as though she’s sleeping.

"A fine day to conquer the world. Isn’t it, Danielle?," Tyras-Li remarked. Slowly, Danielle’s eyes opened.

"Well, well, well. Look who’s here? I’ve been waiting for you," Danielle greeted with a smile.

"Enough talk! Let’s get this over with! Where’s Asteria?!," Orion demanded angrily. Danielle laughed.

"Don’t be foolish, child. There are consequences before I return her to you,".

"Oh really? Then I take it she’s dead?," Zen asked sarcastically. Danielle stood up and stepped down from her throne.

"You do have your father’s eyes and strong will. While you have your mother’s looks. But both are foolish enough to stand in my way!," she replied as she approached him. Zen held his ground and readied himself in an attack mode.

"My grandson, the god of Earth. You made me so proud of you," she added as she placed a hand on his face.

"Grandson?!," all of them asked in disbelief.

"What’s going on here, Zen?!," Tyras-Li demanded angrily.

"So, you’re the one Professor Lintel’s been telling us about. The one with a direct relationship to the goddess Danielle," Sollace said in a daze.

"I’m not here to be your protégé. I came here to save the world," he replied coolly. "My parents died a long time ago because of your foolish behavior!," he added. Danielle slapped him hard that made his head snapped to the side.

"You idiot! Your parents spoiled you too much. Did the elder gods tell you the real reason why they died?!," Danielle challenged. Zen stared at her angrily. Danielle laughed.

"I guess they didn’t, did they?,". Orion took his coat off and threw it to the side.

"Enough talk! I challenge you, Danielle, to a hand to hand combat!," Orion declared.

"Hold your temper, fire god. I have something in mind to make this battle a little more exciting,". She turned and raised her right hand to the sky. Then slowly, a vast circular stage emerges from the underground.

"Behold, the arena of death!," she proclaimed with a wicked smile. She approached the stage, gathered her skirt with her right hand and climbed up the stairs. She turned to face them.

"On this stage, the fate of paradise shall be decided!,". Orion took a step forward to follow her but a strong electric current passed him. He turned and found his twin glaring at him.

"Don’t make a move. As the leader of this group, you’re not permitted to start this battle," Tyras-Li ordered.

"But-!," he started to protest but stopped as she waved her hand once as a gesture of ending the conversation. She turned to Sollace.

"As the god of winter, you have the capability to heal and combine your powers with Asteria, the goddess of water. With both powers, you can create major destruction on Danielle. I have an idea on how to get Asteria back," she explained. Sollace nodded in understanding. Tyras-Li turned and faced Danielle.

"As the leader of this group, I picked Sollace to begin this battle. You should know by now that there is a rule about fighting with a fellow god or goddess in order to defeat a common enemy,".

"Yes, I do. As a birthday gift for my grandson, I’m giving away Asteria as Sollaces’ partner," Danielle said. Black clouds started to form at the end of the stage then a blank faced Asteria emerged from it. Sollace walked up the steps and approached Asteria.

"Are you okay?," he asked. Asteria slowly looked up, uncomprehending.

"What did you do to her?!," Orion demanded angrily, noticing Asterias’ blank gaze. Danielle laughed.

"I just gave her a rest… but never worry, fire god. It’s only temporary and I didn’t do anything to harm your precious lover,". Danielle snapped her fingers. Asteria’s head snapped up.

"What the-?!,". Asteria looked around and found Sollace beside her. "What’s going on?," she asked in confusion.

"There’s no time to explain. We have to fight together to defeat Danielle and to save the world," Sollace replied. Asteria sighed.

"All I know is that, Danielle has no right to kill and conquer the world. I’ll avenge Ariels’ death," she said. Both of them approached the center of the stage and readied themselves for an attack.

"Your move," Danielle said.

"Be careful, Asteria!," Orion shouted.

"Are you ready?," Sollace asked. Asteria nodded in answer.

"Good. Summon your water power to create the ice sword," he said. Asteria raised her right hand to the sky and called the water of the Realm of Mystica. A whirlpool of water formed in her hand. She directed it towards Sollace. Upon seeing this, Sollace caught the whirlpool of water in his hand and magically it turned into two ice swords. He took one of it and tossed it to Asteria, who caught it. Danielle formed a sword on her own, made of silver and gold.

"Let’s begin!," she said. Asteria raised her hands into the air and commanded, "Deep submerge, attack!,". A whirlpool of water came rushing towards her, forming a big ball of water. Then she directed it towards Danielle. Danielle raised her sword over her chest as a protection.

"You have to do better than that!," she remarked. Sollace faced his right hand to the incoming water that threatens to finish Danielle.

"Formation of Ice! Combine!," he ordered. Mist of ice cold air emerged from his hand and soared towards the whirlpool of water. Danielle just stood there in surprise. When both of the powers combined, it imprisoned Danielle just in time before she could protect herself. She’s now caught inside an iceberg.

"Great job, Asteria!," Orion cheered happily.

"And now for the final touch," Asteria muttered as she took her sword and ran towards the entrapped Danielle. Just as she was about to destroy Danielle’s image, she saw a crack of light.

"What the-!," she exclaimed in surprise.

"Get out of there!," Sollace ordered angrily. Then the iceberg split, setting Danielle free.

"As I’ve said, you have to do better than that!," she exclaimed. She found Asteria gaping at the sight of her. Danielle gave her a wicked smile then used her sword to pierce her heart.

"No!," Orion cried out. Asteria slowly reached for her heart.

"I’m immortal, remember? I can’t die," she said. Danielle pulled her sword out and pushed Asteria away.

"Ice blades of death!," she summoned. Ice blades appeared and came fast approaching the injured Asteria. Asteria raised her right hand towards the ice blades and used her waterpower to stir the ice blades away from her. But she failed. The ice blades strike her at all the parts of her body. She could barely move because of the pain and the blood that covered her entire body. Danielle laughed in triumph as she approached her.

"What now, goddess of water?," Danielle challenge.

"Asteria! Stand up! Fight for your life!," Orion uttered angrily.

"I’m coming, Asteria!," Sollace exclaimed as he ran towards her but Danielle summoned the wind to keep him out of her sight.

"I won’t give up…," Asteria whispered. Danielle bent down and placed her hand on Asteria’s heart.

"Time for me to claim my prize,". Then slowly, a heart crystal emerges from it, shining with light.

"Noooo! Asteria!," Orion shouted. He jumped towards the stage and ran towards Asteria’s side. Danielle straightened up and turned.

"One down, four more to go," she said happily. She walked towards the other side of the stage where Tyras-Li stood, eyes wide in surprise and in confusion.

"What do you say now, Li?," she asked in triumph. Tyras-Li shook her head to clear it and looked up.

"You won’t get away with this," she shot back. Danielle laughed as she went to the center of the stage to finish the fight.

"I already did. Watch me defeat Sollace and your twin,". Tyras-Li found her twin in tears and gently cradling Asteria in his arms. This can’t be happening. What am I supposed to do?

"Danielle! Die!," Sollace exclaimed as he jumped towards her and tried to aim her heart crystal with his sword. Danielle faced the water heart crystal to him and summoned the water. A whirlpool of water came forth and pushed him high into the sky. Danielle readied her sword to finish him off when he lands. But Sollace knew better. He used his power to create an ice slide for him to safely land on the ground. Just as he reached the bottom of the slide, Danielle stood there, ready to slice him into pieces. He conjured the shield of ice for protection.

"Pretty clever for an immature idiot!," Danielle exclaimed angrily. Her sword is now stuck on his shield.

"Better think of a better plan to defeat me, Danielle. Because it didn’t work this time," Sollace said in triumph.

"I already did," she said flatly. She pulled her sword out of the ice shield and sliced the shield into pieces. Then with one swift move, she took his winter heart crystal.

"It’s over," she whispered at the shocked-faced Sollace. He slowly fell on his back.

"Sollace! No!,". Tyras-Li jumped towards the stage and ran towards Sollace. She fell on her knees and saw that he’s still breathing.

"Sollace, stay still. You’ll be fine," she assured him. Sollace took a deep breath.

"I’m afraid it’s over for me, Li. I’m sorry I let you down," he said weakly.

"No apologies necessary,". He took her hand and kissed it.

"I’ll forever cherish the friendship you have given me. I’ll hold it close to my heart, we may not see each other as often as before but, I’ll forever be your friend wherever I may be. Be strong, Li. The Earth needs you now more than ever,". Then slowly he let go of her hand and closed his eyes. Tears fell on her cheeks.

"Three down, two more to go," Danielle announced happily. Tyras-Li looked up and found her twin lying on the ground.

"Orion!,". She quickly stood up and ran towards her twin. She found him struggling to live. She fell on her knees and cradled him in her arms as fresh tears started to form in her eyes.

"You’re too stupid to think of only Asteria," she scolded angrily.

"I was in love. I can’t help it," he replied in a weak smile.

"You’re here to help me! Not die!,". He raised his right hand and gently touched the side of her face.

"Take care, sis. I’m sorry about this,". Then he closed his eyes as his hand dropped to the side. She cried her heart out.

"World shaking! Attack!," Zen commanded. A ball of light came forward and clashed at the power of fire. Both of the powers disappeared as they collided. Zen ran towards her side.

"Li, you okay?," he asked. She looked up.

"Zen, what are we going to do? Do we still have the chance to defeat her?," she asked. It’s clear in her eyes that she’s losing hope and felt that she doesn’t posses the power to save the world. Zen knelt down beside her. He placed his hands on her shoulder.

"Li, don’t give up. Otherwise, Ariel, Sollace, Asteria and Orion died for nothing. They’re counting on us to finish the job. Don’t let them down," he said. He gently took her in his arms while she cried openly.

"But… what are we going to do…?," she sobbed.

"All three gods and goddess failed to use the three levels of our powers. They’re foolish enough to challenge Danielle without a thought on what they’re going to do. We won’t make the same mistake again," he replied. She pulled out of his embrace and looked at him in the eye.

"I ask of you, I even beg of you to please, calm down and strengthen your faith in yourself… on us… to save the world," he pleaded as he kissed her forehead. She nodded in answer. Both of them stood up and faced Danielle. Danielle yawned in boredom.

"How romantic," she said sarcastically.

"Too bad both of you will die!," she added. All three heart crystals of the gods and goddess surrounded her.

"Are you ready?," Zen whispered. Tyras-Li nodded. Both took a step back from each other.

"Now that you passed the preliminary phase of this battle. I warn you, we’re not giving up that easily!," Tyras-Li proclaimed.

"Danielle, even if you’re my grandmother, in order to save the world, I’ll sacrifice you and my life for this!," Zen exclaimed. Tyras-Li raised her right hand to the air which held a small blue crystal ball.

"Level one: hear the sounds of the wind that crossed over the oceans, to cleanse the soul, and to fly like the eagle as fast as the time has passed. Feel the soul beneath you… let it soar and the wind shall take it away… for your death has come!," Tyras-Li chanted as winds surrounded her body, then the whole place. The blue crystal ball shone with blinding light.

"Come forth, level one: the novice phase of death!," she added. A giant eagle emerges from the crystal ball and spread its wings.

"Hear this, Danielle. Your days are numbered!," she said in triumph as the eagle came fast approaching Danielle. Danielle gave her a smile and raised her sword over her chest for protection.

"Better said than done!," Danielle replied. Just as the eagle neared her, an invincible shield appeared and the eagle clashed onto it. The giant eagle floated backwards and watched his enemy.

"Level two: as the god of earth, I summon the earthquake to ruin the shield of the goddess of destruction!," Zen commanded. Slowly the intensity of the earthquake intensified, causing the shield and Danielle to collapse to the ground. The eagle saw its chance to defeat the enemy, and it flew directly towards her heart, but Danielle was fast enough to recover and to protect herself. She raised her sword over her chest and commanded, "Blazing fury of fire!,". The fire heart crystal glowed once and produced flames towards the eagle. The eagle was caught in the fire that it flew back and disappeared before it could regenerate itself towards his master. Danielle slowly stood up.

"You have to do better than that. I assure you, I can all defeat you with one blow," Danielle remarked. Zen flinched.

"Do tell me, Danielle, why did my parents died? Is it because of your cruelty that you didn’t want them to live?," Zen asked angrily. Danielle glared at him.

"You’ll die first, my dear grandson. It’s because foolish and naïve people like you deserve to die… just like your parents," Danielle replied angrily. Zen took his coat off and threw it at the side.

"It’s now or never, Danielle. Your move," Zen challenged.

"No, your move. I insist," Danielle replied. Zen created a light green crystal ball on his hand and faced it towards Danielle’s direction.

"Level three: the powerful force of Mother Nature. I summon the gigantic flower of death! Come forth and annihilate the goddess of destruction for the sake of the world!," Zen commanded as he grounded the light green crystal ball on the ground. It slowly shone with light and produced an earthquake towards Danielle. Then to where Danielle stood, emerged a giant flower underneath her, engulfing her to its mouth. The gigantic red flower looked like the combination of a rose and a sunflower. It stood proud at its master. Somehow there’s a trace of struggling inside it.

"Now, who defeated the enemy with one blow?," Zen asked in triumph.

"Zen! You did it!," Tyras-Li exclaimed happily as she ran towards him. Zen turned and took her in his arms.

"I’m glad it’s over," he said with a sigh of relief. Just then the gigantic flower cried out in pain then all of its petals burst open, leaving an angry faced Danielle floating in black light.

"Now you made your grandmother angry, Zen!," Danielle shouted angrily. He slowly let go of Tyras-Li and looked up.

"Now what?," Tyras-Li asked in irritation. Zen pushed her behind him for protection.

"It’s me you want? And it’s me you’ll get," Zen shot back.

"As I’ve said before, I’ll defeat you with only one blow! This time, I’ll end your legacy just in time before the big day comes near!," Danielle mocked him with an evil laugh. She slowly landed on the ground and placed her sword firmly on the ground. She placed her right hand above it and began meditating. Then the whole stage began to glow with light. Zen felt that if he didn’t do anything, both Tyras-Li and he will die.

"Li, walk away as far as you can," Zen ordered.

"But I want you to come with me!," she protested. Zen turned to face her.

"You’re the last chance, Li! I have to face my grandmother alone. I need you to stay alive! Do this for me, please!," he pleaded. She shook her head.

"No!,". Zen embraced her tight.

"You wouldn’t like it if I did this to you," he whispered.

"What are you-,". He kissed her to avoid any more arguments and let go of her. He placed his right hand to the ground and commanded, " World shaking! Form a shield for the safety of humanity!,". Then a ball of light emerged from the ground towards Tyras-Li and trapped her inside it. Tyras-Li began pounding her fists on it, to set her free.

"Zen! Don’t do this to me! I won’t let you!," she shouted angrily. Zen gave her a smile.

"I already did. Goodbye, my love," he said sadly as he saw her taken away by the ball that he conjured into the sky. He turned to face Danielle. This is it! I hope I made the right choice. Then as the wind grew stronger around the stage, a bolt of lightning came fast approaching him. He placed his right hand to the ground again.

"World shaking! Attack!," he commanded as a ball of light came forward and collided with the bolt of lightning. Danielle laughed.

"Fool! Your powers won’t stand a chance against mine! Send my regards to your parents!," she said. As the ball of light disappeared and the bolt of lightning still aim at him. He straightened up and faced his destiny. Li, forgive me. he thought to himself as a tear slowly fell on his cheek.

"No!," Tyras-Li shouted. Then in an instant, he was gone. Tyras-Li bent her head in agony. Why does it have to be this way?! Why?!

"Four down and one more to go!," Danielle announced happily. The ball of light that carried Tyras-Li slowly landed onto the stage then it disappeared.

"Why so glum, Li? You’re going to join them sooner than you thought," Danielle remarked.

"If you think you could defeat me with one blow, you’re dead wrong," Tyras-Li shot back. Danielle raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?,". Tyras-Li took a step back. Gusts of wind filled the place.

"You’re the one who’s going to rest on the 7^th day, Danielle!,". Blades of wind kept attacking Danielle. She tried to avoid it but because of the continuous attack, cuts and bruises landed on her entire body. Tyras-Li gave her a wicked smile.

"Who’s laughing now?," Tyras-Li remarked with a laugh.

"Don’t count me out yet, goddess of wind!," Danielle snapped. Then Tyras-Li formed a star with her right point finger infront of her.

"Level three: the most powerful force in the event of time and space. The Wind Star of the mighty goddess of wind!," she commanded as the formation of the star shone with light.

"I warn you, Danielle. This power has never been used by any of the elder gods for this is more powerful to control than they are,".

"Do you know what you’re talking about?! You don’t even know the real reason why everything started in the first place!,".

"I don’t care! All I know is that if I don’t defeat you, humanity will die!," Tyras-Li said angrily. She raised her arms to the sky and commanded to reverse the formation of the star.

"Wind Star! Attack!,". The star moved forward in a cyclone formation. Danielle placed her sword over her chest as a sign of protection.

"Foolish child! You deserve to die! Not me!," Danielle said angrily. The star came fast approaching her then in one swift move, it went straight to her heart. It took her heart crystal and destroyed it, leaving a shocked-face Danielle. She slowly reached for her heart and her face showed pain. Tyras-Li gradually let her arms down and fell on her knees in exhaustion.

"Finally, it’s over," Tyras-Li whispered and bent her head in relief. I hope this is truly over.

"This… can’t be… happening…," Danielle said in pain. Tyras-Li looked up and found Danielle on her back. Tyras-Li felt sad at the goddess. She stood up and went to Danielle’s side.

"Tell me, what can I do to soothe your pain?," Tyras-Li asked gently as she took Danielle’s hand.

"Zen is … right about you… No wonder he chose you… to be with him forever… I’m sorry I took his life away… But I have to…," Danielle said.

"Why? Is it because of world domination?," Tyras-Li asked. Danielle shook her head.

"No… It’s to protect you all from a greater… threat…the elder gods…,’".

"What about the elder gods?,".

"They’re the ones who started all of these…," Danielle said weakly. Then in one final breath, she muttered, "Be careful, Li. Use the heart crystals of your friends to defeat the real enemy…,".

"Li! Thank goodness you’re home!," Mother Nature greeted happily as she gave Tyras-Li a hug. Professor Lintel did the same then Darren just stood there, trying to see if her brother is still alive.

"Darren… I’m sorry… I couldn’t save him...," Tyras-Li said apologetically. Darren gave her a weak smile.

"I know my brother, he has the habit of sacrificing his life just to save the one he loves…,". Tears fell on her cheeks as she buried her face on her hands.

"Did you get the heart crystals?," Professor Lintel asked.

"Before I hand them over to you, tell me one thing. Is it true that the elder gods permit this to happen because of …?,". Tyras-Li made sure that they’re the ones who’ll finish the sentence for her. Professor Lintel sighed.

"So, you knew. Who told you?," Mother Nature asked.

"It doesn’t matter who told me! Answer the question!," Tyras-Li demanded angrily.

"Watch your mouth, Li!," Professor Lintel scolded.

"No. It’s okay, father," Mother Nature said. She sighed.

"It is true that Danielle is the goddess of destruction and that she only took the heart crystals for not world domination, but to stop the elder gods from taking more power…,".

"Hold on a sec! Does that mean if they acquire more powers, there would be an imbalance in all the realms and that everything will perish, leaving only their paradise?!," Tyras-Li raged. Mother Nature nodded. Tyras-Li turned to leave.

"Where are you going?," Professor Lintel asked.

"To see the elder gods," Tyras-Li replied flatly.

"But if you go there, you won’t stand a chance to hear yourself out!," Mother Nature warned her.

"I’m not going there for that, Sasha. I’m going there because I wanted to deliver these heart crystals to them… personally,".

"I hope you know what you’re doing," Darren said.

Tyras-Li knew that if she ever confronted the elder gods, she’ll be in big trouble. Who cares about trouble anyway? I’m bound to die sooner or later. She slowly walked the red carpeted hallway towards to where the elder gods are. Then she reached the double golden doors towards their chamber.

"Come in," said by a deep male voice. The doors opened automatically. She saw at the end of the room the four elements of life.

"Come in, my child," said by the element of water in a female voice. She took a step forward and sighed.

"Don’t be afraid. We want to congratulate you on defeating the goddess of destruction," said by the element of fire in a male voice. She made her way towards their throne. She knelt on her right knee and bowed in respect.

"Have I come at a bad time?," Tyras-Li asked.

"No. It’s you that we’re waiting for. At ease, Tyras-Li," said by the element of wind in a male voice. She stood up and took notice on what they all look like. Neither one of them has any human form. It’s as though you’re talking to the element itself.

"Can we see the heart crystal of Danielle?," asked by the Earth element in a female voice.

"Shouldn’t you be more interested in the heart crystals of my fellow gods and goddess?," Tyras-Li asked innocently.

"No matter what you say or do, those crystals belong to us. It is our right and heritage," replied by the element of water.

"But why? Why the sudden change of plan? Are you afraid that we might take your place in the end when we truly defeat Danielle?," Tyras-Li challenge. I won’t back down now. Even if it costs my life. I’ll do it! For the world’s sake.

"Do you know the consequence in taking all of these heart crystals for your heart’s desire?," she added.

"You are indeed a wise goddess. No wonder Mother Nature is having second thoughts in giving you immortality," said by the fire element.

"I need to know, before I die. Why did Zen’s parents die tragically?,".

"Zen’s parents tried to protect the goddess of destruction by taking those heart crystals and absorb its power. But they failed due to the curse that is placed on them. Only to those who has a pure heart will those crystals work and serve to protect," the element of Earth explained.

"But Danielle didn’t have any intention of using it for world domination! Why are they killed and trapped in the Realm of Mystica?," Tyras-Li asked.

"It’s because we knew that if they successfully took those crystal, they’ll win in this battle and that we may never exist," the water element replied.

"Just because of existence?! That’s it?!," she demanded angrily.

"I hope you came here prepared, young lady," said by the element of wind.

"Don’t worry, I always come prepared," Tyras-Li replied as she took out the heart crystals of her fellow gods and goddess. She took a deep breath and prayed. I hope my plan works… She reached for her heart and took out her heart crystal.

"I’ve learned a few things before I fought Danielle. I learned that I can defeat you all, the elder gods, in one swift blow. With the powers that I possessed in my hands, I know I can win. Even if I die along with you! You all don’t deserve to live!," she exclaimed as she watched all the five crystals of the Guardians of Paradise form in a circle.

"You’re a fool to do this, Li!," said by the water element.

"All of you combine your powers to defeat her!," ordered by the Earth element. All four elder gods produced their own capability and rush towards the crystals of the Guardians of Paradise.

"Level four: as the wind softens its path towards the reality, it surpasses the time and space to fill the world with air and beauty. Let all of these powers protect humanity and gain the balance in all of the realms of the universe. With all of your combined powers, I summon the phoenix! Come forth and claim your real power!," Tyras-Li commanded. A powerful phoenix emerged from the crystals and flew directly to the elder gods.

"Now… I can die peacefully…," Tyras-Li whispered as she collapsed on the floor. The whole palace shattered as the elder gods cried out in pain and vanished into thin air.

As the dawn of a new era, may this story be a living legend for us to remember those who are willing to sacrifice everything for life, love and friendship. Always cherish those who you love. For you may never know their true meaning until the day they’re gone. And also learn to value life itself. As the saying goes: ‘Life is only traveled once. Today’s moment becomes tomorrow’s memory. Enjoy every moment, good or bad, because the gift of life is LIFE itself!’.

Don’t forget, of course, the loving and almighty God. He made sure that I could pass this story to you… to believe in yourself and to count on you to do good deeds in His name. Remember this promise: