“No, Faizul, no!! Don’t do it!! It’s a trap!! No!!!” screamed the older Azrun to his best friend after realizing that the previously angry Faizul had dropped his halberd and approached the sobbing woman in a trancelike fashion.
Seeing that his older counterpart had lost it, the red-capped boy quickly reached out for his fallen weapon and threw it over at the spot where the red cap lay, sending both the shadowy figure of the President and the magical illusion of Datin Maznah towards the opposite ends of the chamber in one burst of energy, seconds before the altar and the woman disappeared, the chamber was lit again and the shadowy face of the President was shadowy no more!
And the seemingly hypnotized Faizul, now fully awake, swiftly reached out for his halberd, held it in his trembling palms and repeatedly dismember the President’s face with his blood-red stares, a proverbial powder keg about to explode.
“Tisk, tisk, is this how your Peace Keeper taught you to address your absolute ruler of the country, let alone, your progenitor?’ was the reply from the cold and calculating figure. “Alas, your mother would have wept ever so strongly if she saw how you looked at me just now… She would be very ashamed of you Angah!
She truly-”
“Sh-sh-sh-shut up…sh-sh-shut up…sh-sh-sh-shut up you monster!” interrupted the furious older Faizul. “My father is dead, my…my…my father was killed…in a plane crash, and my mother went mad because of his death…but you! You were the cause of it all! You made me into this
You destroyed my life, my family, my future! You…have no rights; have no…goddamn rights to live, you filthy sick demon!!” he screamed in agitated fury while gripping hard on his fiery halberd.
“Oh you can never ever begun to imagine how I look like underneath this ageing flesh Angah, so I recommend you to cease addressing me in that tone of voice if you ever want to see the light of day again, you hear me?!” he replied in a sinister tone, seconds before his eyes went ablaze, burnt the entire chamber with a fiery stare and revealed the pulsating black plate above him, pulsating like a blackened heart.
“Even as we speak my pitiful rebels, the ever-seeing Crystal of Kornak have begun its meticulous traversing across the unknown depths of the ‘Hidden Layer’, searching ever furiously for the whereabouts of Shaik the Fallen One; and time can only tell so much of his liberation,” he said while watching the pulsating metal plate the size of an average man slowly descended onto the spot where the altar used to be.
“But indeed it has been quite a lacklustre millennium since I last sank my fist on the faces of my foes, and as the red crystal does its job, I’ve decided to make you my most honourable punching bags, germs! And I’m going to enjoy mashing you up,” he said yet again, seconds before the remaining, clinging flames suddenly roared back to life, jumped onto the plate in unison, magnified and bounced back to the circular wall one more time and incinerated the chamber in just a short second!
“Peace Keeper, look! The President’s office is on fire!” shouted one of his Generals to the middle aged Commander as the scene of the penthouse exploding and bursting into flames greeted their sight, turning the entire building into a flaming monolith.
A monolith that burned ever so brightly below the darkened sky that it made the sky dawned momentarily upon its many blazing battlefields—a dawn minus the sun!
“God, I hope they’re all right…” muttered the administrator before resuming his half-hearted vigil over the Alliance’s progress, leaving the edifice and its denizens to the mercy of The Maker.
“Well now, shall we begin?” asked the sinister politician, watching as the golden force field of Life Force Emanations flame protecting the group extinguished itself once the fire went out and left them vulnerable again.
“Yes, it’s time all right! Time to pay for your atrocities and detriments; on my father’s grave I swear you this!” answered the moustached rebel while simultaneously readjusting his grip over the sacred spear, focusing all his attention on his foe as his team-mates prepared themselves in their own way.
Once all was said and done, the pulsating plate levitated itself out of harm’s way; the four rebels took on a defensive posture and the ageing President suddenly dropped down on his knees, acting as if deep in meditation. Suddenly, right before their very eyes, the sinister man swiftly levitated himself, arms outstretched, and quietly imploded into a black, pulsating heart-like object, an object that tintinnabulated with a symphony of evil!
And at once the crumbling chamber came alive with the appearance of screaming flying shadows, shadows that screamed and darted erratically around the blackened core, occasionally coming too close for comfort to the fearful quartet!
“Yo, watch out you guys! He’s gonna release his most powerful attacks yet!” shouted the mighty halberd to the group.
“Yes, it is time,” seconded the electric spear. “Defend yourself once the shadows are dispersed but don’t you ever, ever! Let that Absonikta out of your sight! For he thrives on delivering underhanded offensives so keep an eye on him, always!”
And with the last of the spear’s words, the ruthless Lord Absonikta revealed his true form.
“Oh my God, what in all hell is that?!!” exclaimed the muscular Faizul soon after, trembling as the black and pulsating heart suddenly materialized into a gigantic, faceless, worm-like monster.
A jet black creature with an organic, pyramid-like body with two limbs sticking out of it (a static, glossy finger-like appendage on top whereas the bottom one was an active, whip-like feeler), floating menacingly behind a thick, corruptive black aura circumambulated by hundreds of screaming shadows.
And with a deep, trembling roar it intensified its aura and dispatched all the shadows around it into every corner of the chamber, heralding a relentless confrontation with the fearful four!
“I am Lord Absonikta of the Shudwa Dumanta Legion,” the creature introduced himself.
“Consider this as the end of your days, foolish mortals! The time when my shadows lovingly embrace you, smothering you with intoxicating destruction, sealing your fate with the oblivion that you so craved!!! Hah hah hah hah hah!!!” it said again, maniacally as the valiant four began repelling the hostile shadows around them, occasionally lashing its tail towards the unsuspecting four so that its minions can do a much quicker job in destroying them.
And for a moment, success was theirs!
“No, Abang, look out!!” shouted the fearful ten-year-old to his older counterpart, fatigued from his attempt to take on ten of those shadowy beings all at the same time, and never about to realize on whatever the faceless one had in store for him!
Seeing that the muscular soldier was about to be downed by the shadowy monster, the red-capped boy willingly let down his guard, pushed the muddle headed soldier out of harm’s way…and paid the price for his action!
“Arrgh, no!! It…hurts!! Arrgh!!” screamed the unfortunate boy in utter anguish as the blackened, corroding energy beam from the beast’s lower appendage slowly engulfed him, sending him down to the floor in a writhing, gripping pain.
“Faizul, no!!! Not again!!!” shouted his fearful older self, seconds before that Dark Lord’s corrupting black beam completely turned his younger self into the likeness of those helpless war casualties they have encountered.
An inanimate figure resembling the dead yet breathed still through a degenerative black cocoon: a living corpse with a frozen body and a corrupted soul!
And the muscular soldier, now fearful of the worst, unthinkably ran towards his downed alter self, sat and cradled that tearful boy in his arms and scurried off towards a safer area; leaving the Evil One and its dreadful shadows to roam the chamber undaunted.
“No! Faizul, please, wake up Faizul, wake up! Please don’t die on me Faizul, please don’t die,” muttered the crestfallen soldier to the seemingly lifeless kid, repeatedly as the remaining two resumed their fight in remorse, trying their very best in fending off the advancing shadows as their cruel foe laughed maniacally at them.
Suddenly, as everything seemed to have drifted helplessly towards the darkness, a strange beam of light immediately appeared before the faceless demon, a strong magical illumination containing the chosen Earthling from the other dimension, the wielder of a glowing staff and custodian of the powers of all five Great Guardians themselves!
For he was Khaliq, Leader of the Ephron Dantiaz, Ambassador of the Galactic Union, and the appointed saviour of mankind...
“Looks like the damage has been done, O Great Ones. We are quite too late so to speak,” the young Earthling sadly muttered.
“No matter O Great Khaliq, for we have a much more pressing thing to deal with right now,” replied a new voice from the lips of the young man himself, as his eyes momentarily turned green and glowing as he spoke.
“For the entire Creation itself would disintegrate should the Dark Lord makes good his plans as we make waste the time, so let’s curtail the detriments and destroy Absonikta for good! Onwards, Qanqia Ephron Dantica!”
“What? Who, who is that Azrun?” asked the moustached soldier to his younger self, seconds after seeing the one in question appeared from the beam of light and slowly descended onto the battleground, where he was quickly greeted by enraged, deadly shadows the moment he touched down.
“A-ha! That’s, that’s the same person we’ve known quite well, Abang! He’s the one who used to live in Faizul’s house and Leader of a magical Legion I’ve told you about!
Come on, let’s help him! Come on!!” exclaimed the ecstatic nine-year-old before running carelessly towards him, leaving the befuddled older Azrun to quietly glance back at his mournful friend for a moment before going after his younger self next.
“So you came at last, O Great Qanqia! And my, you have grown strong, but still not as big a threat as your counterpart here! But a worthy distraction nonetheless,” remarked the sinister creature after seeing the young Earthling single-handedly disposed of all his shadowy creations in one sinister gesture.
“You will regret those pompous remarks once we’re through with you Absonikta! Your retribution is due, Dark Servant! Payable with your life!!” shouted the one called Mikro from the young man’s mouth, making his eyes glowing yellow at the same time; sounding very much to the faceless one’s surprise!
“Huh, no! You mean-no! It can’t be! It can’t be!! I saw the Viceroy incarcerated you, sealing your fate! No, this, this cannot be happening!! No!!!” exclaimed the fearful demon, acting like a nightmare just patted him on the shoulder and greeted him in his wakefulness.
“The Angel of Death knocks hard on your door Absonikta, for you’ve let your oversight to cloud your thoughts yet again; leaving you a complacent fool beyond mercy and salvation! You either submit to us, peacefully, or face your demise as just another mindless, headstrong imbecile you are, a fitting end not unlike your fallen comrades have had!” spoke the Ambassador through his glowing blue eyes.
“…So be it, my ostentatious foes, so be it!” replied the faceless one as it launched a series of high level attacks towards the Chosen One, a sinister event that no mortals have ever seen, or should ever see!
“Abang Khaliq, we’re here to help you! Are you sure you can take this creature on? I mean, can we help you?” asked the young boy to the seemingly possessed Envoy soon after realizing that the faceless creature had ignored them completely and concentrated all its fury on the possessed human.
“No,” replied the one called Mika from all around them, addressing them in a tone of voice audible only to their ears. “There is not much you can do for us, only that the Trans-Dimensional Portal has to be closed, now!”
“So tell us, Great One, please!” asked the older Azrun next.
“Very well,” replied the one called Mikra yet again.
“To seal off that portal you will have to stand below it, face each other, concentrate and meld into each other’s mind until your heartbeats are in synch. Once you see your auras turning gold, close your eyes and collectively visualise with your third eye, a solid piece of metal or rock blocking it. Imagine it real hard and anything that appears from both your minds would seal that portal indefinitely!
You can do it, my friends, you can do it…”
“But what,” asked the young Azrun again. “But what about my friend there, O Great Ones? He’s, he’s dying from Absonikta’s spell! I don’t know how long can he hold on before-! Please O Great Ones; I don’t want to lose my friend!! Save him please, save him!!” pleaded the despondent boy to the Guardians over and over again.
“I’m, I’m truly sorry about your friend Great Azrun, but we, we just can’t deal with him now…” answered the one called Mu-Adib in a caring tone.
“But rest assured that we are not heartless Great Azrun! Mark my word, for once we’re through with the Dark Lord we shall help your friend in any way we can!” he said again.
And towards the end of the conversation, the two similar beings from different dimensions unthinkably dashed towards the rear end of the monster and sealed the pulsating plate as instructed, moments before making their way back to the kneeling muscular soldier and sat around him, silent and remorseful as Faizul gently cradled his tearful younger self in his muscular arms.
“I, I did what I could Azrun, I did what I could,” he said without being asked, permanently fixing his tearful gaze towards the lifeless, staring eyes of the red-capped one as he talked.
“No, that’s okay Faizul, that’s okay,” consoled his moustached best friend. “The Great Ones have agreed to help, so we just have to wait until they’re through, we just have to…(sigh)” he said, heavily as the two super beings in the epicentre of the chamber found themselves lost in a furious slugfest, with neither one seemed to be giving up, and neither one seemed to be losing!
And for a moment, there was despair.
Then suddenly,
“Time stood still…as the air flowing around me…carried my thoughts on all…all the things inside my mind…into the sky…into all hearts,” he softly sang the first few lines of his last poem to the unconscious boy, singing it with such tender and kindness that it touches the heart of his surviving two friends and prompted them to accompany his mournful words, softly blowing out melancholic sounds from their instruments all the way to its concluding stanza, spiritually urging him to sing it again.
And that he did as he sadly gazed towards the tear-soaked face of his lifeless friend and younger self, never in need to know or to care of the things that was going on around him as he sang these wonderful words, singing it with all his heart so much so that his heartfelt song can now be heard by the feuding Ganymedian and his heartless foe!
And just as the tearful soldier had reached the middle of his song for the second time, the combination of his poem and the melodies of the musical instruments have generated the appearance of many ethereal portals all around the chamber, and through these appeared celestial choruses of a thousand or more voices, voices that sang alongside of him and momentarily turned the intense feud inside the crumbling chamber and the fiery battles outside into a standstill; gracefully as they engulfed the faceless terror against its will with feelings of pure innocence.
Voices that revealed themselves as a thousand or more of flying streaks of light encircling the gloomy chamber, making the beast halted its vicious advances and fell feebly to the ground, overwhelmed by the streaks of light as they continued to sing and surround him ever closer until both the streaks of light and the ruthless Lord Absonikta were one and the same, conjoined tightly together within a small confines of space to surreally produce a glowing heart-shaped white object, an object bursting with a rejuvenating, refreshing aura of gold.
An aura that emotionally made its way into the heart of the red-capped boy and revived him from his half-living state, yawning as the chimes of hope tintinnabulated across this blissful chamber at the end of his heartfelt song.
And from far above the centre of the glowing chamber, reverberated a kind and gentle voice of a woman, appearing as the previous, ethereal sweet chimes now made their way out the dilapidated chamber and into the dawning sky.
“It is done at last. The moment of terror, tyranny and oppression are now over. Fate, it would seem, has now comes full circle as times of joy, peace and liberation replace the departing evil, soaking ever gently your barren lands back into its youthful vigour, gracefully as the songs of hope fill the empty air…”
The floating Qanqia then immediately landed on the dusty floor and approached the strangely jovial group, where streams of accolades from both the two boys and their older counterpart immediately enveloped him upon his approach.
“Now come forth to the glowing heart, my young Gate Openers, and disseminate your light into the darkened sky. So let it be, and let it be,” she said again.
“Her words are not to be taken lightly, my Chosen Ones. For only the four of you have the power to relight the flickering candles of the future; releasing the long kept truth for one last time…” said the seemingly male voice from the glowing heart next.
“Hurry O Great Gate Openers, for time is of the essence now!” said the voice of the glowing heart again.
“Come my friends, it’s time,” seconded the smiling Diplomat while sounding very much himself again.
And with that the two immediately played and sang the sacred dirge The Dreamer’s Sigh to the world, layered occasionally by melodies of Corporal Azrun’s harmonica. An act that immediately made the chamber aglow again as the previous streaks of light reappeared and revealed themselves as a graceful school of crystalline snakes, the same ethereal creatures that had appeared once before in the other dimension.
Then suddenly, under the influence of the sacred words and graceful melodies the glowing heart exploded behind a gigantic effulgence, disseminating sacred glowing particles effortlessly across the battle scarred edifice that immediately engulfed the entire city, the war torn nation, the planet and later the universe behind an aura of love and care, halting all the war machines in their trek and embracing each and every one of the corrupted casualties and the mindless zombie troopers with a cascading cocoon of light, miraculously reverting the brutally constructed drones back to who they used to be; and ditto to the previous living corpses as they rose from their bed dazed and into the arms of their ever joyful friends, family members and all those who had waited patiently by their side, hoping against all hope for their fallen loved ones to return to the world of the living and back into their lives.
So once the ethereal fanfare and choir were over, the glow quietly returned to the floating heart and immediately a gigantic crystalline serpent slithered out of it; an ethereally constructed reptile that majestically sang an outlandish song upon emerging, gently carrying the unconscious President over its head as it appeared.
“I am Absonikta Arsti, the Glory Bearer of the Great Shaira, on whose name had I and shall I praise for all eternity through my celestial paeans,” introduced the creature after reaching the concluding note of his very alien song.
“When the Great Xnrene was stripped of his birthright for all eternity one fateful day, it was my destined duty to faithfully follow him down his embittered path of life as he walked out of the light and into the darkness, legacy of a grave mistake that called upon his punishment,” the seemingly transparent serpent resumed his words as he gently lowered the drowsy old man down before the apprehensive older Faizul, the one who still harboured hatred towards him.
“And though Fate had made me live the life of evil just to continue performing my sacred function, that fact must not be used against your father, Warrior Faizul, for he was merely a pawn of the Dark Legion, and all his atrocities were mine, not his...”
And a small drop of glowing tear gently fell out of one of the serpent’s eyes at this point, ending up a glowing star-shaped crystal lying motionless on the floor.
“So please Warrior Faizul, for if you cannot find it within you to forgive me for what I’ve done to you, then do not mistreat or forsake your innocent father. Forgive him for what he did not do,” he said again as that drowsy man in question slowly awakened from his long slumber and tried to stand up.
Once he regained his composure, the muscular soldier quietly approached the old politician, stared silently at the face of his past tormentor for a while and hugged the clueless, befuddled old man as lovingly as he could, tearful and thankful in his heart for this heavenly reunion.
And as the jubilant six made their exit through one of the big cracks on the wall of the crumbling penthouse, a spectacular scene of victory and joy had spread out beyond the charred building and the equally messed up city.
A blissful panorama that was also shared by two Xnrenes as they conversed inaudibly from their vantage point, celestial beings from the beginning of time previously seen on another planet.
“You have done well Great Eliza, an impressive feat of redemption if I do say so myself! And I’d be very much a liar if I didn’t say, even I couldn’t have done what you did, O Lady of the Shadows!” commended the Guardian of Emotion and Feelings to the lady in black, watching as the sacred Crystal Snake gestured the six to climb onto its back before spiriting itself away from the blackened penthouse towards the awestruck crowd down below.
“You, are most kind to have said that Great Roygbiv. But if you’ve known me well enough you’d know that, words like those mattered little to me Great Roygbiv…not worthy of it,” replied the woman shortly after, as she watched the serpent slowly landed before the mesmerized crowd.
“Yes, I know, for your heart would only succumb to the sacred sounds of a great longing for the one you loved more than your life. He who forever lingers in your heart and soul but is destined to lose his, five millennia from now…” replied the seemingly mournful Guardian, watching as the crowd suddenly turned angry and demanded a public execution of the former President, whereas the muscular soldier and his best friends were now on the befuddled politician’s side, defending him with all their heart.
“It’s true Great Roygbiv, all of it!” she replied wholeheartedly, watching as the sacred glassy snake defended the former President’s innocence by telling the reinstated King his side of the story.
“And it gets even harder for me now that I’ve assumed his leadership! For the tasks of keeping his loyal subjects united and his Legion flourishing hang precariously on my shoulders! Its integrity has to be carefully maintained lest chaos will reign again if I relent!”
“Yes,” seconded the glowing eyed being. “For the existence of the Shadowy Legion is but an intrinsic part in the Almighty’s Grand Scheme of Things. Only Lord knows how unstable His Creation would be if the balance of good and evil is tipped yet again!”
“That is true, Great Roygbiv,” remarked the Legion’s acting chief. “An even more terrifying predicament than that of the last Great War, or so I’ve heard, (sigh) when the ‘Unwanted’ confronted our planet and destroyed the Samawi Empire—our lifelong protectors—as we did nothing but watched! The war that for all our intent and purpose, was non-existing, but alas, we can ignore it for only so long!”
“Yes,” replied the Guardian. “One of the many dark blotches in our annals that we’re still trying to make up for, the Three Great Wars of Shame that presaged the-!
(Sigh) It was indeed commendable that you refused my offer the last we met, Eliza, forgive me for my oversight,” he said again as the two watched the frail looking King officially decreed a Royal Pardon for the former President, and watched as the gathering crowd swiftly chanted words of glory towards His Highness, symbolizing the people’s recognition of their Ruler’s decision.
An act which quickly heralded the departed feelings of jubilation returning unto the silent crowd as they resumed their well-earned victory celebrations in liberating their country from the forces of evil in free abandon—louder and merrier than before!
“It’s time for my return, Great Roygbiv, for I cannot leave my seat of power to idle away too long! The empty throne of the Dark Legion must be filled at once or else everything will-!
I’m sorry Roygbiv, but I really cannot stay!” she said in a desperate tone as the scene shifted to the sight of the King and the two Khaliqs hoisting the aged, bloodstained flag into the air, hoisting it in perfect synchrony with the sound of the old National Anthem (The Negaraku) sung by the huge crowd gathering in-between the many war vehicles within the Capitol Square:
A tear-inducing scene for those who love their country more than life itself.
“Then go Eliza, O Mistress of Darkness,” said the Guardian to the one with the golden hair.
“Hasten back to your hearth and home before your subjects harbour suspicion on you. Our paths shall cross again someday, I promise you that.”
“Farewell,” bade the Guardian of Emotion And Feeling to the Xnrene Outcast before parting ways above the singing crowd, seconds before the mechanical hibiscus on the two boys’ palms gently expanded from their buds in response to the crowd’s heartfelt singing, blooming into a magnificent flower blessed by Xnrene magic.
And even more magical and surreal than that was the scene of the Jalur Gemilang Flag itself, the emblem of glory for the proud people of this country, successfully hoisted into the clear blue sky amidst the cheering and the grateful smiles, on that fateful morning of August 31st, 2037.
Where it gracefully fluttered, in the spiritually invigorating breeze, of the ethereal Emerald Wind.
THE END
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