<< Chapter 7: Tragedy >>

" You're a real jerk! You never care about anyone else! You never care if you're breaking other person's heart! All you care about is yourself! You are thinking of nothing but yourself! I've tried to be kind to you but now I hate you! I HATE YOU, HEATH LOCKHART!!! I HATE YOU!!!!!!!! " Without thinking, she ran out of the Royal Hall as fast as she could with a really grim face, tears streaming down.

Heath was stunned, unable to say or do anything. The words she said echoed in his mind. Feeling a little kinder, his friend, Locke, The Guardian of Light went beside him and gave him a mere advise. " You shouldn't have spoken to her like that. You know she gets very emotional sometimes. I guessed, you've broken her heart. " Heath stood silence.

" You're so stupid, Heath, " Leith, The Guardian of Water, stepped forth. " Why are you pretending? Why must you say those words that could shred her heart into pieces? Why must you hurt her when you love her more than anything in your life?! " He said. Heath was surprised at what Leith said that he looked up and stared at him weirdly. " What do you mean? Who said I love her?! "

Leith continued. " Listen here, Heath. You don't have to deny it. I, I mean we already know that you love her so very much. You hide it from her all these years and pretend to be her rival." 

" No, I was not! "

" You know you can't hide your affection for her in your eyes."

" Uh... I ...I... "

" Honestly, Heath, why must you hide your true feelings from her? Don't you know that she too loves you so? " 

" Huh?! "

Misty sighed. " Oh, Heath, you're so clueless! Can't you see that she cares for you? " She snapped. Heath bent down, pondering at Misty's words for a moment. He tried to remember all the events that happened between he, and her. Every single moment they fought each other, they became closer and closer. He thought about it until he can't deny it anymore. He couldn't deny the truth that he loved her more than anything in his life anymore.

His fists clenched and he gritted his teeth at the thought of how stupid he had been all these years. He thought of himself being a real fool every time he tried to deny his love for her. Then, he realized that he tore his own heart when he denied it. 


" Go, Heath. You should comfort her. Remember, she is our Princess and we mustn't break her heart. You should just go and tell her everything. Tell her what is true. I believe everything's gonna be fine, " Errol, The Guardian of Ice and also Leith's younger brother, told him firmly and then gave him an assuring smile.

Heath looked up with a new glitter in his sea-green eyes. " I know, now. Thank you, guys. You're really my true friends, " he thanked the rest of his friends before running off after his princess. " I wish, everything will turn out fine between those two.. " Sierra, The Guardian of Earth, muttered softly beneath her breath.

" I feel weird.. " Claudia, The Guardian of Wind, said all of a sudden. " Why? " Asked Misty. " I feel like the wind is starting to stop blowing... " Claudia said warily. The Ring of Wind she wore started to glow. " What?! "

" And I feel like the fire of the volcanoes started to... Grow wilder and wilder... " Andriana, The Guardian of Fire, continued. With this, her Ring of Fire glowed a soft red light.

* * * * * * * * * *

Heath ran all the way to reach Addea. He knew where she just might be when she's down. Non other than the Secret Garden. He was right; she was there, sitting on the grass, burying her face with her hands. He was about to say something when she cut him without turning around. " What the hell are you doing here?! "

He was taken aback but tried to remain calm. " Er, actually I.. "

" Go away, Heath. Leave me alone! "

" Addea, listen to me. I'm sorry. "

" What sorry?! " She stood up and faced him with an angry look. " You never seem to follow my words. I just said that you shouldn't go because it's too dangerous out there but you wouldn't listen. And ... "

" Addea, I said I'm sorry... "

" Oh, sorry? When did you learn to apologise to me? Huh, that must be some of your practical joke. "

" Addea... "

" I don't care what you're going to say. No more words and I command that no one will go to check the outer space. We will have a meeting to discuss about it. If you still say otherwise, then you're not a part of us anymore and --mmph???! " Her eyes widened as he cut her off with his sudden action, his kiss. " Mmm... " She turned bright red as his hands trailed the course of her back, pulling her closer in his arms and hugged her tightly as if he was never going to let go of her anymore. That was what he wanted all these years.

After a few moments, he broke the kiss and looked into her hazel nut eyes sharply. " I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself. I... I love you.. " He confessed. " Huh? " " I know I was being a jerk. Actually I was trying to hide this feeling from you. But now, I simply can't hide it anymore, Addea.. "

Addea looked at him as sharp as he did her. She never thought that he cared about her and she never thought that he loved her. " Heath...Are you kidding, again? " " No, of course not. Do you remember the song I sang not too long ago? It was for you. " " Huh? " " I'll repeat the words.. "

I looked in your eyes
And I see a mirage in them
Since then, my heart told me
All I wish for is in you
All I'm longing for is with you

I sat down and tried
I tried to sort it out
Why am I feeling this way for you
Then, something told me
You are the only one I ever need

You're always there in my heart
You're more than an angle
You gave me more than love
But you never thought that I cared

It's time you know, my love
Now that I've found you and I'll never let go
You are my everything and I need you so
And loving you is all that I know
I swear that I'll never break your heart

I want you to know that I love you so
And I swear I will continue to love you
Even in the afterlife
You are always gonna be here in my heart
Forever and ever more 

Addea simply did not know what to say or do. She closed her eyes tightly, but deep down her heart she felt so happy, just knowing the one she loved, loved her too. She hugged him back and whispered in his ear. " I love you too. "

* * * * * * * * * *

The other Soul Knights who were currently in the Royal Hall started to feel weird deep within their soul.

" I can feel the trees, the flowers and the leaves are crying... " Victoria, The Guardian of Wood said as she looked at her glowing Ring of Wood.

" I can feel the people's loves are began to fade, " said Misty. Her Ring of Love also began to glow.

Elwin, The Guardian of Thunder, followed. His Ring of Thunder glowed a yellow light. " The thunder is starting to make it's way on its own.. "

GROOOOOMMMMM!! The thunder roared on the sky.

" The light begins to fade a way... " Locke said softly, his hands trembled looking at his glowing Ring of Light.

" And the darkness begins to surround us all, " Adrian, The Guardian of Darkness continued Locke's sentence. As soon as he said it, the sky turned dark and thunder roared even more.

* * * * * * * * * *

" What's happening? " Heath said as she looked up to the dark sky. " Urgh.. " Addea suddenly felt like her head being hit rapidly by needles. She knelt down and tried to sort out the cause of the sudden pain. " Addea, what's the matter? " Heath knelt beside her and looked at her warily. " My head... Hurt.. " " Huh? " Heath looked at her questioningly and suddenly felt something weird was going on. " The fire.. The fire and the thunder are clashing with each other.. " He muttered quietly. His face turned pale.

Addea looked up to the dark sky. She began to sweat. ' No, it can't be! '

* * * * * * * * * *

" The ice is melting... " Errol mumbled. His Ring of Ice was glowing a soft blue light.

" And the sea is drying..." Leith completed his brother's sentence. His Ring of Water was also glowing with soft marine light. 

" The land starts to shake.." Sierra declared, her Ring of Earth glowed. As she said it, a sudden brief earthquake attacked them.

They looked at each other nervously. Their rings began to release brighter lights. " What's happening??"

* * * * * * * * * *

" Huh, my ring... " Heath stared at his Ring of Twin Elements, which was releasing a multicoloured light. It kept on glowing and glowing. " What is happening? " " The Crystal! " Addea cried frantically. 

" What crystal? "

" The Crystal of Mirage! Someone might have tried to steal it and now.. It's losing its balance!!!!! " 

" Princess!! " A guard appeared all of a sudden. " We've been attacked by armies from the outer space! " He declared .

" What??!! " Addea and Heath was terribly shocked. * Heath! Addea! * The both heard a familiar voice. It was Leith's voice. " Leith, what's happening? " Heath asked nervously. * I don't know but it seems like the army of Centuria is attacking us*

" How the hell did they break into our Mirage Varia? " Heath was mentioning to Mirage protection spell. 

* They used a great, unknown magic to destroy the varia. Now, they are heading to Mirage Heart. They wanted to destroy our Mirage Crystal! Now, the ten of us will try to fight the army outside this palace. Soon, Heath. Look after the princess for us!* 


" Damn them all. This must be that stupid, hell-boy Keith's idea. He must be the head of this all. Addea, stay here and don't go anywhere. You'll be safe in the palace varia, " Heath assured. " Where are you going? " 

" Mirage Heart. "

" No! You can't go there alone. It's too dangerous!! "

" I must go, Addea. I must. I'm doing this for you and our people's peace! I must go and deal with that Keith. "

" You might get killed back there! "

" It is my sworn duty. Let me go, Addea. I can't stay here while our people are fighting for life.. Do you, understand me? "

She stayed quiet for a while and then nodded feebly." .... Yes.. I understand... I understand." " Thanks for understanding. " She looked at the ground, hoping that he would not notice her tears. They could hear the people crying and shouting in fear. The army kept attacking mercilessly.

Heath held her chin, made her faced him looked and into her eyes firmly. He held her hands and pressed his forehead against hers. " Now, listen here, my dearest princess. Before I go, I want you to know that I love you so very much. Nothing in this world would ever replace you. I swear to love you forever and I swear I will continue to love you even in the afterlife. You'll be here in my heart forever and ever more. I beg you to please don't cry when I die. Promise me, my love.."

She nodded slowly, tears streaming down. He gave her an assuring smile and a brief kiss before he left for Mirage Heart. 

Addea stood in silence. She did not know what to say or do. From where she was standing, she could hear cries of Mirage people. ' Mirage, tell me what must I do! I can't stay in silence here..' Her heart answered her question. ' Terra Addea Mirage, you as the princess and the protector of this kingdom should defend it with all your heart and soul. Use your power to bring it back to normal. Restore the power of the Mirage Crystal! '

' Defend? Just to defend? Why can't I fight? Why can't I use the Crystal Sword of Mirage?'

' You can't. Have you forgot about the rules your father said? First, you are not allowed to go out of Mirage, no matter what happens. Second, you must use your power to protect Mirage from any harm. Third, you can't use the Crystal Sword of Mirage for personal reason. And the last rule is... '

' I simply don't care about it anymore. ' She made up her mind. ' I can't stay here while my people are clinging tenaciously to live on. I'm ready to face the consequences of my actions. I'll never let Mirage falls to someone else. I'm not scared to die! ' 

' Well, then, princess. Follow your heart. ' 

' I know..'

She used her magic to teleport herself to another place, an altar surrounded by fire and water, and a fine looking sword was floating at the centre of the altar. ' Are you sure about this? ' Her heart asked. ' Yes! '

* * * * * * * * * *

- Outside of The Palace of Mirage -

" This is stupid! No matter how many times we destroy them, they just keep on reviving! Are they the undead? " Leith mumbled as he tried to destroy the army of Centuria. " Maybe you're right, " Misty answered. 

" So, you're the Soul Knights, eh? " Asked a little boy who was floating in the air. He looked like he was 9 years old or something. He was smiling and looked so innocence. 

" Who are you, little boy? " Sierra asked.

" Me? Ah, ha, ha! You don't have to know about me 'coz you're all going to DIE!! " The boy laughed hard and attacked them with his Rapid Fire. The ten Soul Knights tried their best to dodge his spell. They were shocked to see that a little boy like him had such a great magic. " You're too much, kid! Get this!! " Errol tried to attack him with his Ice Field but the boy was faster than him. 

" Ice Field? You're underestimating me, brother. " He dodged completely and began chanting. A bright red light began to gather up in the dark sky. " Guys, isn't that... " Locke stammered. He knew that magic very well. It was the greatest dark magic and sorta fire element. It was the... " ANCIENT! " The boy at last stopped chanting and released his magic to attack them.

Leith, Errol and Adrian finally realized." That's it! I know now. You're Elliot!! "

* * * * * * * * * *

- Mirage Heart - The Centre of Mirage -

" Halt, Keith! You're not going any further! " Heath swung his Elemental Sword to a silver haired guy, who looked just like him. The guy, whose name was supposed to be Keith, turned around and stopped him with his sword. " Urgh... You moron! Don't try to stop me or you'll die! " Keith muttered in a very disgruntled look.

They both fought each other using their swords, just like what Squall Leonhart and Seifer Almassy did in Final Fantasy 8.

* * * * * * * * * *

Addea stood in front of the elemental altar and closed her eyes. She extended her hands, as if she was trying to touch the floating sword. ' Okay, Addea. Here goes.. '

" From the source of the light, came the darkness. From the natural world and the combination of magic, came the great Crystal Sword. By the elemental power of wood, fire, thunder, water, ice, wind, earth, love, darkness and light, I, Princess Terra Addea Of Mirage, command you to serve me with all your power. By the name of Mirage, I command you, Crystal Sword of Mirage, to release the light!!!!! " 

As soon as she said it, there was a very bright light and in no time, she was holding the sword firmly in her right hand.

* * * * * * * * * *

" Stop, Elliot! You'll destroy yourself if you use Ancient! " Leith tried to stop the little boy. 

" You're too late brother. Now, you all will die! "

Suddenly, they were surprised and halted by a blinking light from the palace. The little boy shut his eyes closely, couldn't stand the light that was too bright and too blinding. The sudden flash destroyed his Ancient magic. The Soul Knights also couldn't stand to open their eyes. Miraculously, the Centuria army fell onto the ground and vanished in a nick of time.

" God, what is the princess doing this time??" Elwin cried and buried his face in his hands. The little boy slowly stepped back, without opening his eyes. He knew he would become a blind if he does so and he was shaking with fear. " No, this is incredible! I can't stand anymore! " He fell to the ground and disappeared.

* * * * * * * * * * *

" Huh, what light is that? " Heath turned his face to the palace direction and was dazed to see a very bright light coming from it. Mirage Heart and Mirage Palace was miles away but he still could see the shade of the light. Keith noticed that this was the opportunity to kill his rival. He raised his sword at the startled Heath and tried to strike him. Heath was surprised that he can't move and closed his eyes, waiting for Keith's sword to strike him to death. ' Addea! '

" Not quite!" A fine, shining sword, which appeared all of a sudden, halted Keith's sword. His eyes widened as he looked at the owner of the sword. " Princess Terra Addea?!" He raised his power and tried to strike her down. Addea flashed a mischievous smile at him and the sword she was holding blinked. She pushed her sword hardly, causing Keith to jump backward. They both stared into each other's eyes very sharply.

" Addea, what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay in the palace? " Heath shouted at her but she simply did not care. Keith was trying to attack her when he suddenly heard a voice. * General Keith, retreat now. Our army had been destroyed. Elliot and our other knights are badly hurt. Come back here at once. Mirage is starting to explode! * Keith nodded his head. " Huh, nonsense! Remember, Heath." He turned his head and smiled coyly at Heath. " She'll be mine. " He whispered before disappearing. 

As soon as he disappeared, there was a sudden earthquake, shaking the whole kingdom. BOOM! The volcanoes exploded and the ice melt. The water dried, trees were destroyed, thunder roared, people screamed in fear, light faded completely and leave the people with total darkness. The Crystal of Mirage was starting to disappear as its power withered. " I gotta restore the crystal! " Addea ran towards where the crystal was located but Heath grabbed her hands. " Let go of me, Heath! "

" No! " 

" Let go of me, Heath! I gotta use the combination of my power and this Crystal Sword to restore the Crystal of Mirage! " 

" You'd break the fourth rule if you do it! "

" Is there anything else I can do?! Is there?! "

" Er.... But... " " I know, Heath. The fourth rule is that I can't use my power along with the power of the Crystal Sword if its not in war. If I break it, I will lost my soul and die. But that doesn't matter anymore. I'll sacrifice myself for Mirage. " She turned around, could not stand to look at his face anymore.

" Why don't you just let it serve its own purpose? You're not supposed to sacrifice your life! Please Addea, don't! Don't leave us. Don't leave me! We still.."

She quickly cut him off by kissing him on the lips. His eyes widened but tears managed to roll down his cheek. After she broke the kiss, she placed her hand on his head and put a spell on him. " Sleeping Dust.. " " Sleeping dust? Hey, what are you doing to me?! Addea...y..you... " She used her sleep magic, Sleeping Dust. He collapsed in the heap of exhaustion. She laid him down softly as his tears streamed down. " Addea...Why.. y..you... " " Forgive me, Heath. I have to do this. Before I go, I want you to know that I'm gonna love you even in the afterlife. I was so happy to know that you love me. Goodbye, my love.. " She kissed his forehead.

" Add..dea..Don't leave.... me... " At last, he felt asleep. She looked at him for a last moment before going to where the crystal was. 

Addea raised the sword high in the sky and she began to float. " By the name of Mirage, combine my power with the Crystal Sword of Mirage and restore the power of The Crystal of Mirage. I command you, realease the light! "

The whole kingdom was surrounded by a bright light all of a sudden while Addea felt like her energy being pulled out of her vein forcefully. ' Goodbye, my Mirage..and Heath... ' A short after, The Princess of Mirage disappeared. The whole things in the kingdom turned to crystal, including the people but not the Soul Knights. They were determined to sleep for years and find their princess back as they wake up from their long sleep.

No one ever knows about Mirage again after that day the kingdom turned into crystal. No one until one day...

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--- To be continued ---
Next - Chapter 8>> " Let's go hunting for our friends, guys! "