Freedom comes at a price and a young Earthal princess must live the life of somebody else, even if it means facing evil threats and impossible odds.
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As someone who craves freedom, Princess Clarabelle cannot just stand by and let her life be take...
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A BLOOD-CURDLING scream spewed from Clara's throat. She tried to catch her breath, but her skin was alive with red-hot burns. Everything hurt; it was a pain beyond all previous thresholds, and she saw stars behind her eyes. Only a moment later, Emir met the same fate. Clara could only imagine behind her closed lids as Emir's welcome cry of agony pierced her heart.
"You, monster," she growled. "Wait till I free myself. You'll regret this."
The master turned and took a few steps toward her. He stared down at her writhing form. There was interest alight in his eyes at her pain. "I want to be as gentle as possible to you, Princess. But it is a false move to speak ill of the mighty Dread and doubt his power. You'll see soon enough. Before the Dread grants you death, he might be generous enough to let you watch the first years of his reign." His mouth split into a menacing smile. "Let us begin, shall we?"
The night stretched longer, but the stars hid behind the clouds and the clouds parted for the moon. Under the moonlight, the Guardian Deity's crown emitted an intense glow. The more it sparkled, the more the moon's glow dimmed.
The master dipped the dagger tip in Clara's wounded flesh. The dagger sipped the blood, its blade turning a crimson shade of red. He repeated the same step to Emir's blood until the crimson blood turned darker, close to becoming black.
Blood dripped from the tip of the blade. A stone basin—the same one where they peered through the past of the Hiestoran clans—filled with water was placed between the two stone slabs. The master let the dagger drop into the basin and the water assumed the color of the blood.
The moon shone a light on the small pool of blood as if drawn to it. The master breathed in the air, spreading his arms above his head. Then he began to recite, "Blood of the Moon, Blood of the Sun, let your power tear through Heaven and cast an eternal Light upon the Earth. Summon the tides with your union. May you open closed doors and unite all fourteen affinities under your command. Gather your Brothers and Sisters together. The Sun shall rise with the Moon. In Heaven they'll be One."
Clara's breath hitched. The Dread, the master. They weren't just planning to open the portals to the other world. They were summoning the One Magic.
"With the blood of a true Blood Att—" he sliced across his palm and his blood mixed in with Clara and Emir's life essence "—I give life to the One Magic, the magic long gone and dead from this world. And for the last tool to make all this happen..." The master lifted the crown off his head. Eyes wide and hands shaking, he positioned the crown directly above the basin of swirling blood and dark mist. "With the Creator's crown bathed in the blood of the Sun, Moon, and a true Blood Att, the world and beyond shall heed the command of its bearer."
The world had gone slow when the master relinquished his hold on the crown. Clara screamed for it to stop, to stay frozen in its place, but everything was muffled and gray. Even her voice failed to reach her ears.
