Chapter 18.

  Guardian took Enigma to a high altitude so there was
less of a chance from being spotted from the ground. They
were so high, Enigma was having trouble breathing. For
several day’s they lingered around, simply watching as
the ships sailed on. All side’s of the Korutianian Sea
were visible. Each coast line could been seen, and even
the dangerous looking cloud dawdling over the Cathedral
was perceptible. 
  The cult vessels were moving at a steady rate. It
wouldn’t be long before they arrive, Enigma thought. A
decision had to be made, and he hoped to death, that he’d
made the right one.
  ‘Guardian.’ he said. ‘Take me to the Platinium Rings,
and then go back and tell Ksid that they’ve touched
down.’
  ‘Enigma. I must protest.’ he objected. ‘I just can’t
leave you there on your own. Not with the Revolution so
close to touchdown. What if Ksid is held up and can’t
make it? Look at our ships there.’ He pointed to Enigma’s
confederate’s. They were half way across the sea by now.
‘It’s going to take them at least three days to a week to
even get to the shore. But even then, they have to travel
across land a little to catch up.’
  ‘I have to go down.’ Enigma had made up his mind. ‘They
could been trying to destroy the rings. Our mission
depends on that, and I have to make sure they’re safe.’
  ‘If Lord Ksid gets up me, then I’m going to come back 
and haunt you.’ They flew south a fair way, and then 
began to descend northwards until they touched down next 
to a peculiar rock formation. 
  ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Guardian gave him
one last chance.
  ‘I’m sure.’ Enigma gave a brave face.
  ‘Okay.’ the brute sighed. ‘If you get into any trouble,
use this.’ He handed him a circular crystal that he
withdrew out of no where. ‘I’ve had this for a while now,
and it can only be used once. I was one of the first
people to ever be recognised as a gargoyle when I was
really young. And for that, I was visited by “The Supreme
Being”, Cludge. He knew of the gargoyles troubles with
man and gave me the crystal for protection.’ 
  ‘How does it work?’
  ‘You smash it, and it releases his soul unto the earth.
He’ll protect who ever smashes it, and who ever the host
wishes to be protected. All threat to the host will be
will be vanquished. But use it wisely.’
  Enigma carefully put it away. ‘Thanks.’
  ‘Take care. I’ll go and tell Lord Ksid that he can
begin his journey here.’ Then once again, he flew off,
leaving Enigma on his own inside a distant and unknown
land. 
  He felt suddenly isolated. 
  The Platinium Rings were unlike any other rock 
formation he had seen before. It consisted of large 
boulders, stacked up on top of each other. In one sense, 
it reminded Enigma of an above ground grave. The rings 
themselves sat on top three separate piles, also made 
from fashioned stone. 
  Though it looked like loose stone, it was as solid as a
well built stronghold. Nothing would budge. Everything
was tightly packed. He didn’t dare touch the rings
though, in case he put them out of place. 
  A hiding place was his next objective. There were
several trees and bushes he could conceal himself in, but
reasoned that that’d be to obvious. So he spent his time,
reporting to himself the pro’s and con’s of all the
possible places.
  Sitting against the rock formation, he opened his
manual to a new message. “Do not distress.” it said. “The
portal you desire to voyage shall be nullified
unceremoniously, during battle. But not all is lost. The
beast lord has mighty strengths, and can get you to your
next position. Unfortunately, the preceptor shall be
retained.” He closed the book with confusion. What it was
saying didn’t sound good, and he wasn’t looking forward
to finding out what it meant.
  It would take, Enigma guessed, about three day’s for
the Revolution army to find their way the Platinium Rings
from the shore.
  He sat down upon one of the rocks. There was still a 
lot of time left, which gave him a chance to think. He 
had come along way so far, and all of it had seemed 
accidental. Everything and everyone was phased into the 
plot, just appearing out of no where, and then simply 
joining him in his labours, serving different kings and 
people. One thing led to another with no chance to back 
away from the whole situation.
  The whole concept of their mission, Enigma found 
confusing. There was a lot involved, with many different
tasks they had to fulfil, and the burden of being in the
centre of things was not a responsibility he really
wanted to accept.
  He soon came up with a possible way to hide himself.
Concentrating on his body, he suddenly turned blue, then
the world began growing around him. In actual fact, he
was shrinking himself, and before long, he was well
concealed amongst a tall jungle of grass. 
  It was amazing, unlike anything he had seen before. The
long strands of grass he once could easily pick up and
rip to shreds, were as thick as tree trunks and equally
as tall. Visibility at his height was not negotiable.
Beyond the maze of green could have been unknown dangers
which he thought were harmless bugs, easily destroyed
with the touch of a finger. 
  Despite the dangers, he decided to stick to the vast
shelter as his cover.
  Awaiting the arrival of his enemies, he occupied most 
of his time watching his back. Things were much different 
now, compared to when he was normal human size. New
sounds filled his ears, and new sights astounded his
eyes. Simple grains of dirt appeared as boulders, being
some of the hardest physical obstacles he had ever come
across.
  Hiding from the army may have been a better option, he 
thought, than keeping himself hidden from the creatures 
in the ground. There were several bugs he saw that he 
once thought were harmless. He came across a lady - 
beetle at one stage. It’s colours were mystifying, and 
it’s magnificence bewildered him. He felt impeccable
wisdom from it’s presence as he peered curiously at it
from behind cover. 
  There was another encounter, where he was the one being
thoroughly examined. The ground had suddenly risen then
fallen beneath his feet. Something was tunnelling in the
earth blindly, kicking up dust as it speedily shot by.
The thing shot out of sight.
  ‘Safe.’ Enigma said to himself. But he was far from
right. The underground animal had circled and was coming
right back at him. It stopped before him, and with an
explosion of dirt, it popped out of the ground, rearing
it’s head.
  It was a worm, Enigma figured. Never before though, had
he seen a more vicious one. Like a giant serpent, it
lifted it self off the ground with intimidation. It’s
insides were visible because of a slimy, see - through
body. It was revoltingly magnified to a much larger
scale. 
  As if about to strike, it swayed back and forth, edging
closer and closer. Taking upon a battle stance with his
special sword low, Enigma was ready for an onslaught. 
  From the inside of his clothes came an unusual
sensation. Something scampered across his body. 
  It was Atrebor. She sprinted out of Enigma’s sleeve, 
and down his sword arm, scampering all the way out to 
it’s tip. She then began chirping in her own language.
  Astonishingly, the worm stopped in it’s tracks. The 
swaying ceased as it leant forward, as if leaning in,
listening to the conversation. What ever Atrebor was
doing, it was working, so Enigma didn’t say anything,
instead, holding his blade higher. 
  As Atrebor finished her rambling, the worm dipped his
head. Thinking he was imagining things, it looked as if
the worm was actually bowing to him. He watched with
confusion as it disappeared once again in to the ground
and disappeared. 
  ‘How did you get here, Atrebor?’ Enigma asked her,
taking her in his hand.
  She looked at him, twitching her nose.
  ‘And what on earth did you do there?’ Putting his sword 
away, he created something for his new pet to eat. ‘Your 
really sneaky. I didn’t even know that you were with me.’
  Finishing off its meal, she then returned to the spot 
she was resting before.
  His sleep was restless, worrying too much about what
was happening around him. Most of the night, Enigma was
up, watching the miniature wildlife closely. 
  The estimate of the time of arrival of his enemies was
very accurate. It was with luck that a thundering rampage
approached. Impatience was becoming of him due to the
lack of sleep. It went on for several hours, until they
passed right over the top of him, and kept on going. 
  ‘That can’t be.’ Enigma said to himself. Altering 
himself a little, his neck extended to the top of the 
grass, leaving his body behind, yet still connected. 
  Peeping over the canopy, a wave of men filled his
vision. They stood taller than any giant he had seen
before. Instead of surrounding the great sight like he
had originally thought, the opposing army continued to
charge south towards an unknown destination. 
  He then withdrew back into hiding with confusion. 
  There was nothing he could come up with to explain what
happened. There was no where else really, that they could
have gone. The focus surely had to be on what mattered
the most. But what mattered most to Enigma seemed not so
with his enemies. He’d have to keep a close eye on this
situation. 
  His allies couldn’t have been to far behind. Each day
he checked the surrounding areas, raising his head from
beneath cover. It was on the day that Enigma expected
Yalerkűm and the other forces to turn up when things made
a turn for the worst.
  His daily ritual of inspection became reckless. The boy
was caught out. His head stuck out from the grass rather
casually. A sudden pressure he felt around his head. He
found himself being lifted into the air. The rest of his
body dangled dangerously, somewhere further below as if
attached to a string. A nightmare was what he was faced
with. 
  ‘Well, well.’ a mean voice said with a hint of fortune. 
‘What do we have here?’ It was Velyaha, Enigma reasoned. 
Standing close behind her, was her four minions whose 
identities were recently discovered, and a great army, 
watching on like lively zombies.
  He was being choked as he changed himself quickly back 
to full size. Though looking puny from afar, she was
effortlessly holding her prey with one hand, in the air
by the neck.
  With the essence of joy, she threw the young man into
the arms of her fellow compatriots.
  ‘You don’t stand a chance.’ Enigma told her, struggling
to break free from the paralysing grasp. 
  The evil leader lifted her head, roaring with wicked 
laughter. ‘Stupid boy. Actual, and I believe you know, 
that I have the best chance of winning this battle than 
there is a man most likely to get drunk in a tavern. I 
hold all the cards here, and now that I’ve got you,
nothing can stop us.’
  ‘The battle’s not over yet.’ His struggling ceased. ‘My
friends shall be here any moment now.’
  ‘All I need is a moment.’
  ‘What do you plan to do?’
  Her face drew in closer. ‘Why Conscripted Boy,’ she
whispered, ‘I thought you knew me by now. I killed your
little girl friend in cult mountain, so what do you think
I’m going to do to you?’
  He wrenched his body from side to side, with a cold
fire blazing in his eyes. But with no success, his
capturers laughed at the entertainment.
  ‘Now.’ the dark leader began to pace in front of him. 
‘Seeing as this is your last few moments her on earth, I 
shall do you the favour of allowing you to rest for 
eternity with at least some of your curiosities answered. 
I would like to introduce to you my humble partners in 
crime.’ She took Enigma upon herself, so the others could 
have their fun. 
  They pulled back the cloth that enshrouded their faces. 
  ‘Conscripted Boy.’ one man greeted with a mock bow. ‘My
name is Eucros, the one they call Butcher.’ Eucros was a
working man. It could be seen in his eyes, his skin, and
the way he held himself. He had a head of light brown
hair, with a stubbled face and rotten, off - coloured
teeth. A pointed nose signified his arrogance.
  The one named Assassin was giggling annoyingly. How he
could once be regarded as a top bounty hunter was unknown
when he acted pathetically. Wen was tall with sharp,
beady eyes. He had a large flat nose under a face full of
black facial hair, with a bald head and chubby cheeks.
  Viper, otherwise known as Rorrim looked as if he
belonged as a teacher in one of the state universities.
The career he was in hardly suited what he looked like on
the outside. His head was stained with streaks of grey.
He had a long, clean face to go with a serious
temperament. Not a single line marked what skin he
showed, and he peered around nervously, as if he didn’t
really want to be there.
  The three men bore identical scars on their cheeks.
They were Sharks.
  Although Enigma had seen something similar once before, 
Vulture was hideous. Her face was a simple mass of skin 
with bumps and dints a normal person would usually have. 
Velyaha, he recalled, had the same sort of facial detail 
- or lack of - and she proved this when  she herself 
revealed what was usually forever hidden with in the 
shadows of darkness.
  The army still, looking on motionlessly.
  ‘Any other questions?’ Velyaha’s voice could be heard,
but it’s origins were confusing.
  He was handed back to the minor party. ‘Yes. I saw you 
all pass by a few day’s ago. What are you doing back 
here?’
  ‘You must know that I see every move you make.’ She
pulled out from beneath her jacket the pulsating sphere
that he had seen before.
  ‘What is that thing?’
  ‘The source of my powers.’ She then began stroking it,
looking at it as if it were a new born infant. ‘And also
a channel of Lord Thanatos’s powers. It amplifies my own
powers making them stronger than ever before. I knew
where you were the whole time. What you felt and saw pass
over you was what has deceived you this whole time. It
was an illusion. I specialise in tricks.’
  ‘Why the illusion? Why not just flush me out right from
the start?’
  ‘Your mind would have been aware of our real presence. 
Before the illusion passed, you were expecting us, 
therefore, you were careful. When you thought that we’d 
passed by, you became careless, and your mind was fooled. 
You see Enigma, our powers are alike. The magic comes 
from the mind, whereas most magic comes from the heart. 
They are then expressed in auras. Mine are emphasised 
within my precious sphere, and enhanced. To my disliking, 
you have a few auras that I don’t have, and I have a few
that you don’t have. So we are pretty even.’
  ‘Why are we so special?’
  ‘Because we were born special. I was born within Lord
Thanatos’s world, and under his guidance was my powers
born. I am second in favour - the high priestess, next to
the head priestess, who too, uses the mind for power.
Vulture though, is below me, and doesn’t quite have this
privilege yet. I am not exactly sure why you have the
same sort of origins, but it has something to do with
your past. All I can tell you is that you were brought to
life as one of the most important things time shall ever
bear. But not after this day once your soul joins your
friends.’
  Enigma didn’t answer.
  ‘Before I kill you, there are some confessions I would
like you to witness, so you can struggle with hatred in
hell. Remember back to that fateful day when you were
playing with your sister. You were having so much fun
that it eventually sent heads rolling, if you know what I
mean.’
  ‘You had something to do with that?’ Enigma’s voice
turned to a chilling ice.
  ‘Partly my boy. Butcher had a bigger part in it
though.’
  ‘Hardly.’ he corrected. ‘I was only the one who 
organised it. It was Assassin and Viper that got the job 
done.’
  Enigma sucked it all in.
  ‘I remember that day.’ Assassin recalled. ‘I put some
real pathetic people to rest.’
  ‘To adults and one dog, wasn’t it?’ Viper asked.
  ‘What about my sister?’ Enigma realised.
  ‘Your sister?’ Assassin replied. 
  ‘We let her go remember.’ Viper told him. ‘She was of
no use to us. Besides, we had good enough fun with the
other three.’
  Enigma kept his cool, building it all up. 
  ‘Now that we have everything out in the open,’ Velyaha
said, ‘it’s time for you to die. Any last quotes or
requests?’
  ‘Both, actually.’ Enigma answered. ‘Don’t think you can
win so easily. Once Ksid finds out what your doing, you
won’t even come close to victory - you or your pathetic
god.’
  Angrily, she grasped the boy by the throat once more,
lifting him off his feet. ‘You’ll regret what you just
said for the rest of eternity. Your death, therefore
shall be slow and very excruciatingly painful.’ With the
sphere in her other hand, she lifted it in front of his
face. It began to glow a bright red.
  ‘Wait a minute.’ Enigma struggled with the words. ‘I
still get one last request.’
  ‘Then hurry up!’ She lowered the deadly jewel with
frustration.
  ‘I request, that you all burn in hell!’ Enigma reached 
inside his shirt, pulling out the object Guardian had 
given him for protection. He shattered it upon Velyaha’s 
head, knocking her back onto the ground. 
  There was a bright flash that lasted only a few
seconds, but the brightness was enough to send everyone
to the ground. 
  Something was staring down at him when he opened his
eyes - one of the most cutest things he had ever seen
before. It was a baby gargoyle, much smaller than some of
the stories portrayed infant gargoyles to be. It was
about two feet tall with beefy - yet strong - arms. It’s
skin was an average green, very tough, but smooth. His
face was like that of a baby lion with a charming
hideousness. It gargled, then smiled, taking the boy by
the arm, and helping him to his feet. Playfully, he began
to run circles around the boy, his tiny legs moving in a
fast blur.
  Velyaha was furious, but what she saw when she got up
delighted her. ‘That’s what you plan to defeat us with?’
Her laughter slowly eased into the army as they looked
upon the lack of threat.
  The gargoyle stopped in his tracks, looking upon the
evil before him. Obviously, he didn’t like being laughed
at. With a little pout, he slowly ascended into the air,
twirling as he went. Once at a fair distance above their
heads, another flash exploded in their faces, and before
them was the true power of Cludge, the Gargoyle God.
  ‘My goodness.’ Enigma whispered to himself.
  In his new shape, Cludge was terrifying. He stood twice 
the size of the Barbarians, with one of the biggest 
wingspan imaginable. His face was bearded white, clashing 
with his now dark green skin. It had a long head dress - 
like mane of different colours, that fluttered in the
wind. Gruesome chunks of bone protruded out of his back
and shoulders, hunching him over. From his fingers, sharp
blades were his nails, and death was his hands. He
breathed sighs of steam, and twisted his neck, his bones
snapping and cracking.
  The outrageous laughter stopped, and was replaced with
chatters of fear and distress. It was the command of
“attack” that everyone broke from their trance. 
  Cludge was a formidable ally. He bore his wrath down
upon them with a gasp of flame, dividing the army like a
horse through water. All kinds of weapons were thrown at
him, but they simply bounced off his flesh.
  Velyaha created a few monsters for Cludge to play with.
Death Warriors were her kind of beast, though they were
easily disposed of by the Gargoyle’s swinging arms.
  Enigma drew his sword, squaring off with the black
leader who was in shock. Advancing slowly, she disappear,
and left her companions to fend for themselves. 
  The four left overs tried to run. Unrelenting, Enigma
stalked them, giving them only a slight chance to fight
back.
  Assassin fought well. However his weapons were easily
sliced in half. The execution was conducted in the same
way he lost his family - Assassin was decapitated. 
  Viper quickly ducked and weaved out of trouble. Several 
soldiers got in Enigmas way, but they were easily cut 
down. Viper dropped to his knees in mercy, but was slain 
for his troubles.
  Butcher was quick with his daggers. He had many,
concealed in different places. He was able to swiftly
drive one sharp dagger into the boy’s thigh, but the pain
turned into anger. Withdrawing the dagger, Enigma sliced
off Eucros’s arms, then plunged his diamond blade into
his heart.
  Vulture however was a little tougher. She utilised her
powers, moving herself to different locations before he
could get to her. As Enigma lunged, he passed right
through her, and found she was elsewhere. Outsmarting
her, he faked an attack, spun around, and flicked his
sword. His estimate was good, for the sword slid right
into Vulture’s chest as she reappeared, killing her
instantly.
  Enigma retrieved his sword and spat at the carcass in
disgust. Cludge was doing a real good job, swinging his
arms back and forth like a broom, knocking the army
about. 
  An arrow whistled passed Enigma’s body, driving into a
soldier near by. Looking towards the north, his heart
rose a little, as backup had finally arrived.
  A mass of people swept across the land towards them, a 
cheer of war following them. At the head of the pack, he 
could just make out the usual team of men on horse back. 
Ksid, Arem, Terrol, Iikin, Power and Ice charging head 
on. Beside them, Animal, Cannibal, Savage, Guardian, 
Aegis, Sentinel, and General Doom. These people detoured 
around the fighting, whilst the rest of the army dove 
straight into battle. 
  The group soon joined him. Ksid dismounted his horse
with an irate look.
  ‘I ought to kill you myself.’ he said, checking Enigma
was safe.
  ‘Good to see you too.’ Enigma replied. ‘I’ve been busy
here over the passed couple of day’s. What took you all
so long?’
  ‘We came as fast as possible.’ Yalerkűm said, joining
them along with King Seth.
  ‘What have you been up to here?’ the King of Krestia
asked.
  ‘I was able to rid the world of four more bad people.’
Enigma looked down at Vulture’s remains.
  ‘And of Velyaha?’ Ksid asked.
  ‘She disappeared. I don’t know where she is or where
she went.’ 
  ‘And what’s that?’ Arem pointed to the dominating
creature in the sky.
  ‘That, is Cludge, God of the Gargoyles.’
  ‘Magnificent.’ General Doom said in awe.
  ‘He -’ Enigma halted, collapsing to his knees. A stray
arrow had struck him in the back at a point he couldn’t
reach. It was reasonably lodged in.
  ‘Enigma.’ They said, going to his aid. 
  ‘Pull it out, pull it out.’ he begged.
  Iikin began yanking, but it wouldn’t move. Terrol then 
assisted him, yet it still wouldn’t budge.
  A group of men surrounded Enigma and the others. 
  ‘Get that thing out of him!’ Ksid yelled, fending off
the attackers. Enigma found himself surrounded, left with
Terrol and Iikin. He screamed with pain as they tared at
his body. It was moving, however very little. 
  With blurred vision, only just was his eyes able to
pick up disturbance in the sky. Black clouds, like those
over the Cathedral, rushed over the top of them, faster
than any other cloud he had seen move before. It swirled
in the same fashion, but something extra was added to it.
The outline of a face was distinguishable within. 
  ‘Vebia!’ Ksid shouted, fighting back more men. Thunder
tolled with laughter at the situation they were in. Her
evil presence was felt, stronger than anything before. 
  The little bit of Thanatos that Iikin and Terrol had
left in them was acted upon. They changed, breathing
heavily, grunting annoyingly. The arrow then began to
slide back into place.
  There was nothing Ksid or anybody could do about it. 
They were all busy fighting the on coming attackers. 
‘Fight it!’ Ksid yelled.
  Enigma shriek, his back numbing. He could feel every 
inch of the foreign object, and progressively more.
‘Think about what we’re fighting for.’ he said.
  The human left in them recognised the words, and took
heed. Iikin and Terrol soon battling themselves versus
what they were taught.
  After several agonising minutes, the inner Thanatos was 
defeated. The arrow began to withdraw, though lapses in 
concentration forced it back in, until they had full 
control of themselves once more. 
  The cloud then disappeared. 
  ‘It’s a fatal wound.’ Iikin said. ‘Unless we can get
some very serious treatment.’
  Without a word, and without thinking of the possible
consequences, Enigma focused on his body.
  ‘Don’t do it Enigma.’ Ksid said over his shoulder.
  He kept on going though. His body was surrounded with a
refreshing orange. The wound began to seal up, and the
pain eased. Eventually, it was totally gone. 
  Ironically, the defenders were finally able to get rid
of the attackers.
  ‘You shouldn’t have done that with that type of wound.’
Ksid scolded. ‘If it didn’t work, it could have killed
you.’
  He breathed deeply. ‘I feel great.’
  ‘Same here.’ Terrol added. ‘Really refreshed.’ He took
off his glove. ‘Hey, the mark’s gone.’
  ‘Mine too.’ Iikin examined his hand. ‘I feel free.’
  Enigma got to his feet. ‘Well, at least I know that it
works.’ He peered over the battle. His side was clearly
winning. ‘How are we going at the Cathedral?’
  ‘Before we left, it was pretty even.’ General Doom
answered. ‘Hopefully the back up that’s on it’s way will
help a little.’
  Cludge was cleaning house, and with the extra’s 
fighting on foot, the Revolution was easily wiped out. By 
sun down, they were celebrating a great victory for the 
ages. 
  Cludge returned to his original form, flying about
wildly in the sky around their heads. He stopped,
hovering in the air in front of Arem’s face.
  ‘He’s so cute.’ she squealed, plucking him out of the
air, nursing him like an infant. Cludge smiled happily,
pointing at what he had done.
  ‘You know what tonight is.’ Ksid said quietly looking
towards the northern sky at a new light. ‘Tonight’s the
night of the Platinium.’
  ‘We’ve failed haven’t we?’ Power said.
  ‘Looks like it.’ Ksid answered
  Enigma meditated on it for a while. ‘Not necessarily. I
feel something. Something close, very familiar.’
  ‘What is it?’ Terrol asked.
  Enigma closed his eyes. His hands turned yellow, as 
did a spot on the ground. In an open space, a faceless 
woman knelt, stripped of clothes, holding a very familiar 
stone in front of her. It was Velyaha, grovelling to her 
perverted god, Thanatos.
  ‘The stone!’ Ksid yelled, running over to the woman.
Realising where she was, she attempted to run, but she
was caught and the stone was wrenched from her hands.
  ‘How dare you.’ she hissed.
  ‘How dare us?’ Ice said. ‘Your the one who took what
didn’t belong to you in the first place. And for god -
sake put some clothes on.’
  Velyaha began chuckling in Ksid’s face. ‘Well done 
Enigma. You caught me.’
  ‘Did you expect an less?’ Enigma asked. ‘I certainly 
expected more out of you.’
  ‘You shouldn’t expect more out of me.’ she replied.
‘Instead, why don’t you question your teacher. He’s the
one who left you for dead, anyway.’
  ‘What?’
  ‘That’s right.’ Velyaha said. ‘Question your teacher.
Ask him why he didn’t save your family from being killed,
and why you spent the better part of your childhood as a
slave with little food, and a heck of a lot of bruises.’
  Enigma didn’t know what to say.
  ‘Go on. Ask him.’
  ‘Ksid?’ Enigma hesitated.
  ‘You have a very difficult childhood, Enigma.’ Ksid
explained. ‘I knew what was going to happen, but there
was nothing I could do. The same for the slavery. I
wanted desperately to do something, but I was ordered not
to do anything. I’m sorry, and I’ll explain to you a
little better later on.’
  Enigma was shocked with the confession.
  ‘You didn’t know that, did you boy.’ Velyaha pressured.
‘Now who are you going to trust? You have a man who knew
you were in a bad situation, but didn’t do anything about
it, and you have someone who wanted to kill you. It shows
how much Ksid really cares for you. Not enough, by the
looks of things, or else he would have gone against
orders to rescue you.’
  Enigma was really unsure now. Velyaha had a point, but 
she was the one who was trying to kill him in the first 
place. Who was he now to trust?
  ‘Enough with the games, Velyaha.’ Ksid grabbed her by 
the back of the head. ‘The boy’s got a good mind. Don’t
think he’s going to fall for your trickery.’
  ‘Look at him Ksid. Look at his face. He’s unsure. I
think he’s finally realising the truth. But, I’ll let you
sought it out amongst your selves. For now, you have
something else to worry about.’
  ‘What’s that?’
  ‘Remember back when Power and Ice came into the world, 
and I disappeared from sight. I didn’t exactly go back to 
the time of brutality, the same time period as they. I 
went just a tiny bit further, with the help of a little 
manipulation.’
  ‘What’s the point?’
  ‘What’s the point?’ she repeated. ‘I’ll tell you what
the point is. You know how you haven’t heard from your
sister in a very long time?’
  ‘Merian? What did you do to her.’
  ‘Let’s just say she had a little - accident.’
  ‘If you did anything to hurt her, you won’t live to see
the afterlife.’ Ksid threatened.
  She broke free from Ksid’s grip and rose into the air.
‘You know, you can’t kill me, and as soon as you leave,
I’m just going to cause as much havoc as when you were
here. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.’
*  *  *