61. The end

I remember that day like it was just yesterday, even if it betid years ago. It was the day it all ended, a day I will never forget. As planned, I went out to an open field deep inside a forest and waited there for Esme to detect me, which she did. Arc hid in the ground somewhere while I played bait. It started with a clear sky and gentle breeze, but suddenly, the sky was covered with dark clouds and the air was tainted with a horrible stench of death. Thunder rumbled aggressively in the sky, the wind blew against me violently and before I knew what was happening, series of lightning charged down to the ground, to me.

Acting on reflexes and in the best way I could, I dodged and diverted as much lightning as I could, easily seizing some and using it to cancel others. Then she sent down whirlwind. I pulled the wind seal out and use it as an anchor to stop the whirlwind, destroying it by split. Esme sent down balls of fire, I had the fire seal to shield me. With none of her plans working, she came out herself. I did not expect what I saw, the beast she had turned herself into.

"Congratulations, you successfully pull…(hiss)…ed me out," she scorned, "you'll regret that."

"You told me to be prepared when you returned so I did, I am as ready as ever, Esme, what have you got?" I taunted.

"Brave words for s…(hiss)…omeone who just lost her d…(hiss)…aughter, must have hurt knowing that yet again one of your loved ones died to m…(hiss)…e."

"The rest didn't die to you," I scoffed, "and I will make you pay for hurting my baby…"

"I can feel the lives forming inside y…(hiss)…you, Juno, so I know that you cannot use the s…(hiss)…eals on me. Even if you use them, they are of no use," she laughed, "now how are you s…(hiss)…upp…(hiss)…ose to fight me if you can't use your full powers? Are you here to beg?"

"Beg? You wish," Arc snarled from behind her. Esme turned only her neck back, like an owl. "Jue, leave, now."

My feet remained rooted to the ground, I didn't want to leave him alone. "Well, well, well, look who we have here. Somebody has got…(hiss)…ten stronger, hasn't he?"

"Juno, leave!" He commanded. I reluctantly turned and started walking away.

"Not so fast, miss,"

"Jue!" Before I could comprehend what he was yelling about, something plunged into my side. I screamed as the thing shoved deep in, but breaks as it collided with the barrier I placed around my womb for this emergency. I turned with white eyes to who did it, a petite little grey girl. Swinging my hand with force, I smacked her on the face, sending her flying far into the forest and smashing trees. The long metal she plunged into me turned to ash, my body healed immediately. I looked behind me to Arc, he was busy with Esme.

I'm fine, Arc, I'll deal with that one… I sent a telepathic message to him and closed it before he had the chance to argue.

I rushed into the forest after her, the stupid grey girl was walking back to us. She hissed at me, exposing her own set of snake tongue. Her venom spluttered from her mouth like a spittle disorder, her eyes turning yellow and green, like a snake. I watched as she grew taller, legs morphing into a long tail; lamia. Scales filled her body, her long green tail was the size of an anaconda and length of a python. She hissed and shot out her claws. With the strike of a snake, she attacked me. I jumped out of the way, continuously jumping and doing mid-air flips to avoid her strikes and acidic venom spit.

I flipped unto the side of a tree, landing with the ball of my feet, I projected myself forward, hurling myself over to the next tree. I jumped from the side of trees to trees, avoiding her acidic spittle that melted the trees it touched. I led her back to where Esme and Arc were fighting. The short minutes I was gone, and the field was partly destroyed. The ground had different splits almost everywhere, pointy tower of rocks and vines protruding out of the ground.

Arc hands grappled with three of Esme's spider legs, pinning two together and holding them in one hand and holding the third with the other. Esme groaned and shot out a fourth leg, Arc caught it too, the earth underneath cracked from the impact.

"Let go of my legs!" Esme tried to punch him but with quick reflexes and speed, he quickly yanked off two of her legs and sent her up in the air with her legs, brought her down and kick her in the side. Esme screamed as she was sent flying towards me, skipping on the surface of the earth like rock on water.

I felt the lamia behind me, I zoomed to her back and grabbed her by the tail. With great strength, I picked her up and flung her to Esme's coming body. The two bodies collided but unexpectedly, the snake wrapped itself into Esme and before my very eyes, Esme swallowed her into her hair. Her body changed as she took the lamia's form, with her spider legs protruding from her back. She hissed and turned back to Arc, not paying me any attention. She knew I wasn't capable of doing much damage.

"You'll p…(hiss)…ay for that!" She screeched. Arc smirked and crushed the legs in his hands. "You wouldn't have been able to maim me if…(hiss)… that stupid daughter of y…(hiss)…ours didn't break my barrier and quick sanation! I'll make sure I end you be…(hiss)…fore I finish your wife off!"

"Why do evil people always talk instead of getting it over with," Arc said with a mocking yawn. Esme screeched and hiss again. The earth underneath her feet turned into some kind of metal, like her tail soaked it. She shot out her arms, causing the drenched earth to burst out and fly towards Arc. Arc jumped and dodged the shards, flipping and jumping back.

"Hold still, let me kill you!" She screeched. Arc landed in a crouch, smashing the earth beneath his feet. He leapt into the air with a spin, gathering the earth under him into a spiral rock typhoon. When the earth was high enough, he flipped off the line and kicked the earth typhoon towards Esme. Five more rose from the ground and went to Esme, she leapt up from between them. Her tail extended like a giant fat bind and squeezed the typhoons together, crushing them instantly.

She landed on the ground and immediately sent spittles of acids towards my mate. Arc created an island of rock and surfed the earth, avoiding the spittles and moving around in an unfathomable motion. Pillars of rock would rise to block the spittles as he continued to surf skilfully closer to Esme. Esme groaned as he got closer, shooting her hands up, black pillars of vine struck the island of rocks. Arc leapt out of it and landed on the ground, skidding over cracks and vines from their previous fight. Another wave of her hand and black vines as sharp as knives burst out from the ground, Arc skilfully dodged all.

"Since I can't hurt you, then fine!" Vines as fat as an apple tree burst out from beside me, one quickly grabbed and threw me into the air. I screamed as I was grabbed and thrown up, then all thick vines wrapped around my stomach and neck and strangled me.

The vines collapsed along with me but before I hit the ground, Arc caught me. I shot up to tell Arc that it was a trap, but it was too late, Esme had removed one of her serpent hair and threw it at him. The snake plunged into Arc, directly into his heart. I screamed as I felt the pain in my heart, he fell on his knees with me still in his arms. Before the snake would completely eat his heart, I dug my hand into his chest, grabbed the idiot and ripped it out of him at the same time maintaining a barrier to keep Esme out. I twisted the neck of the snake, causing Esme to screamed in pain and stagger back.

"Arc, Arc," I cried. I was no longer in his arms, he was bending over and moaning in pain.

"Keep her busy, Juno, don't let her hurt you."

"But…"

"Buy me some time…" I didn't have time to argue as lightning upon lightning struck the barrier. I glared murderously at her, my eyes landing on the hole in her chest. I could see something I know she wasn't seeing, something Judith left. With a smirk, I raised my hands up to the sky.

"Fulgura tenebrarum, munda lucem. Currere ad plenam potestatem et obedite præcepto meo?" (Lightning of darkness, cleanse to light. Run up to full current and obey my command!)

The barrier shattered and all the lightning entered my hands. I rolled it around like a ball and diverted it to Esme, right in the spot. The lightning struck her in the chest, throwing her backwards. Esme screamed and screamed as it shattered her legs and destroyed her tail and hair snakes. The lightning destroyed her skin, burning her completely. I washed as her body completely turned black like someone badly cooked by fire. She stood up still screaming and raised her hands up, a large ball of black energy grew in it. She threw it at me.

"Converte!" The ball went back to sender. Esme jumped out of the way. The ball sank into the earth, creating a powerful hole down for further than I could see. She rolled up another ball and threw it again. I whipped the ball off with my hand. She screamed maniacally as she kept throwing orbs of energy towards me, I diverted as many as I could.

A sudden typhoon descended from the sky and struck her. I gasped, I didn't do that. I looked behind me when I heard Aira's pegasus neigh, surprise to see Aira on her back, meticulously controlling the typhoon. Like that wasn't enough, flame burst out and whirled around the typhoon, making it a fire wind typhoon. I didn't need to tell me who did that. His wings behind his back blew a massive current of wind as it flapped with heavy sounds. Earth followed up and wrapped around the typhoon.

"Since you can't use the seals, I called for backup," Arc groaned, "normally they would never have responded but when I mentioned you, then agreed. Seems like you made great friends."

Indeed, I did.

"The typhoon won't stay! Where is Seamus?!" Phoenix shouted.

"Dead!" Arc shouted over the noise of the typhoon.

"We need all four elements! Arc, this thing won't…" her words were cut off as power exploded from inside the typhoon. The blast was like a sudden explosion of a nuclear bomb. It consumed everyone, consumed all in sight, destroying everything miles and miles away. Like Arc knew, before the explosion reached us, he drew me to the ground and used his body to cover me.

I knew we screamed, I felt their pains, I knew when his heart stopped. Imagine yourself in such a blast, the silence that followed it as it quietly spread through the earth. Darkness momentarily enfolded me before I woke up again, my ears ringing. I sat up and looked around the destruction, nothing remained, all their bodies disintegrated, the ground was badly destroyed. I stood up with tears running down my cheeks, I still survived, but I knew half the earth was destroyed.

"No!" I fell back on my knees, bursting into tears. I screamed as I cried, everything, everyone I knew and loved were gone. They tried to help me, they tried to protect my baby, but it would have been better if I lost it and did my job. I was still screaming and crying when I felt movement ahead of me.

The soil rose and started forming a body, dark energy surrounding it. Even after it all, Esme was coming back to finish what she started. I had no idea what powers she acquired, but it was too powerful. I covered my eyes and continued to cry, the voices began whispering to me, chanting incorrigible words. I remembered that what I needed to do was there, but the darkness was blocking it completely. With my bleeding heart, I whispered softly.

"PROLUO," (purify) the voices became clearer, all whispering at the same time. I inhaled and listened, listened to the one whisper that told me what to do.

Open your heart and mind and sing in a whisper, Juno, summon the light to purify the darkness.

My heart, I had nothing left to live for. Memories, images, everything flooded my head and with the pain of the dead, I sang out in a whisper.

"Lumina caelestia, ubi es?

Non me vides?

Voces meas non audis?

Chaos incidit in homines

Confregit cor nostrum

Rectores aquae, venti et ignis auxilio conati sunt

Sed quid aliud faciunt?

Lumina universi, canticum audite meum

Descende et remove tenebras ab omni luce."

Silence fell, not a single sound I could hear. It started with whispers, it ended with a whisper. And that one whisper changed everything.

"Restore."