The Lost Kingdom (The Fifth Element Chronicles)

Chapter 15 [part 1]

Was I destined to run?

To run from hardship only to run towards new challenges?

It had all started when I ran away from what I was forced to do, ran away from a destiny I didn't feel was mine.

But now, running toward the new test, I had no idea what lay ahead.

I only knew one thing.

I always felt that I was running alone, that no one could join me in this race of life.

However, Caelus was running with me.

And, believe me, I never thought it was going to be someone like him.

Someone so arrogant and despicable, someone with so few good qualities.

But it was he who now ran with me, it was with him that I would race hand in hand across the barren terrain of Eurus, it was with him that I would make it to the Tree, together we would make a legend come true.

It was he who held my hand and helped me leave behind the fight against the Angelis, the torture of Naenia and the new knowledge that there was a group ready to end the monarchies.

It was a lot of things I didn't think I could deal with.

But somehow I had. A new version of myself had done it.

Maybe I was becoming someone I had never wanted to be. Maybe I would never find the girl I once was. Maybe I would never like myself.

But none of that mattered now, all I could see was the mountain in front of us.

The sunlight was threatening to leave us out of the game.

'Okay princess, now or never,' he said to me before we started to climb the mountain.

My legs were on fire, screaming for me to stop.

The air was rushing into my lungs and instead of helping me, it was making me miserable.

I would not give up.

We had to get to that test no matter what it took.

I didn't want to see the sky, I was afraid it would announce that we were late.

I stumbled very close to the top.

Caelus held me and lifted me up.

He wouldn't go on without me, he couldn't do it, and perhaps, deep inside, he didn't want to.

Neither of us spoke, fearing that what seemed inevitable would happen.

There was only a little more to go, just a little. But we would not make it, it would be impossible.

From the mountain, a noise paralyzed us.

Echo began to fly towards us.

'You can never trust humans,' he said to us before grabbing us by the collar of our clothes and flying us up.

It was the strangest thing I had ever experienced.

I was flying, really flying.

Caelus didn't seem too sure about it, but he couldn't complain, considering that surprisingly Echo was helping us.

He carefully landed us at the top, just before the dawn started to break.

'Why did you do that?' Caelus asked as soon as our feet touched the mountain.

'In theory you were supposed to be on the mountain before dawn and you did, I just gave you a little push. And I might as well want something in return.'