Half Heart Hero: Bubble Heart, Kumandra's Last Hope [Rise of Sifa Book 1]

Chapter 8

Shira opened up her eyes and wondered where she was. She must be dreaming, and she notices something strange about this place. She was in a forest of lush green trees and a huge river. She breathed in the air, feeling the warm breeze. It felt so Kumandran as if she could feel Kumandra inside her. She looked and saw a bridge, stretching across a wide river that was connected to a giant stone with a hole through it. She walked to the bridge's entrance and she saw something that surprised her. Heart.

Heart sat in the center of the dragon shaped Kumandra River, right where the dragon's heart would have been. Fed by water from the great river, the Land of Heart was lush and green. Shira stared at the entrance of the dragon bridge before she began to walk into the bridge, curiously to know what was up there.

Everywhere she looked, the land was filled with villages and statues with flowers dangling from the trees. She's like she is in the past where no Druun never existed to begin before they emerged in her timeline.

The Heart clan was beautiful, that is only she found a strange passageway. She began to walk in carefully. She felt her feet step into the puddles of the passageway as she heard droplets trickle down. The air was starting to turn cold and damp as she no longer smelled the warm flowers. She can see traps located in every hidden spot. She looked around the corner and the Chamber of the Heart.

Four great dragon statues held up the ceiling which was open to the sky. The floor was a pond. And in the center of the chamber suspended in midair by its own magic was a glowing dragon gem. Is this a memory? she thought. Shira took a step closer to the gem. For a moment, she saw a memory of a young man trying to comfort the people. Each of them are from different clans.

"Listen to me!" he cried. "We have a choice. We can tear each other apart, or we can come together and build a better world. It's not too late. I still believe we can be Kumandra again."

For a long moment, no one moved. Out of the corner of the eye, a soldier at the back raised his crossbow and fired. With a shift zing, the arrow sliced through the air and struck the man in the leg. He sank to the ground, crying out in pain.

"Ba!" her daughter screamed.

For a second, she forgot about the Gem as she ran to help him. Gritting his teeth, the warrior pulled the arrow from his leg. The other chiefs saw their chance. At once, they all rushed toward the Dragon Gem, clawing past one another to grab it. The Gem flew from hand to hand as they snatched and pummeled each other to gain hold.

"Give me the Gem!"

"Out of the way!"

"The gem belongs to Spine!"

CRASH!

The gem hit the ground, breaking into five pieces.

An arrow cuts through the air, and right past Shira. With a sharp clunk, she turned and saw a dragon being struck in the heart. It falls into the sea of Druun as the world plummets into darkness.

"NOOOOooooo!"

"Shira! Shira, snap out of it!" Reika's voice cried out. Shira's one eye snapped open, gasping frantically. As the memory replayed in her head, her eye looked up and saw Reika and Casey staring at her.

"Are you okay?" Casey asked her. "You started screaming so loud, you almost scared us."

"What just happened?" Manako asked.

Shira was panting frantically, and she calmed down for a while. That gem that Casey gave her looked like the same gem from the memory. "I... I saw it... The people of Kumandra did this. They broke the gem and Sisu was killed."

"Why, that's terrible!" Mikey gasped.

"And that explains why the cracks are on that gem," Pavi said, recalling the small cracks.

"About that," Reika said at first. "Maybe the people of Kumandra didn't trust each other because they never cared about Dragons for the last couple years."

"It's true," Shira said, getting back up. "And it lost its magic after that. Just like you guys when the Krang absorbed your powers."

"Shira, I promise we'll save Kumandra, right after we save Raph," Leo promised.

Manako wondered why the Kumandran people did this to the gem, but she felt that she and the others were going to be in greater danger. Her senses made her react and used the binoculars and looked. Something huge crashed through the buildings and released a power laser of energy.

"Hey guys!" Manako cried. "Stop the tank!"

The tank halted as soon as the group wondered what Manako saw.

"What is it, Manako?" Galaxy asked her.

"There's a giant branch monster coming out of the city!"

Everyone took a look at it themselves. The branch monster has appeared and started to destroy half of the city.

"I don't believe it,'' Donnie gasped. "This is completely impossible."

"It looks like some kind of branch thing," Tomoka stated, leaning close,

"It is a branch thing," Pavi said. "It was used to destroy forests and now it's coming after the gem."

"It's coming after the gem?!" Shira gasped. Meloetta seemed very worried. She then started to panic. "Oh no! This can't be happening."

"Who do you think is controlling it?" Rudolf asked.

"It couldn't be Celebi, can't it?" Tomoka responded. "It was just a kind spirit who helps others. I thought it was good."

"It wasn't evil. The Krang turned the poor fairy into a soulless mindless monster!" Pavi cried. "I believe that Pielope wants the fairy to destroy us because she's after that dragon gem."

"Pavi is right," Reika agreed. "We have to stop that monster."

Shira suddenly realized something. "Maybe me and Manako can save her."

"What?" Leo was shocked.

"I still have my water powers, don't I? I can get into that monster so we can confort what is inside."

"We better do it now!" Manako exclaimed, and the girls began to head off.

"Wait!" Mikey cried, stopping them. "What if it hurts you?"

"I have a feeling that Pielope is controlling Celebi," Shira explained. "If we can get it to snap out of its brainwash state, it can return back to normal."

"Okay," Leo sighed, accepting Shira's mission. "I know it's not about me but for you too. Just get close and try to save Celebi. And whatever you do, don't let Pielope know."

"I promise, Leo."

Before she left, Leo gave her a kiss on the lips. "You know, a greatest ninja has the greatest kunoichi that he ever loved."

Casey grinned. "You guys are braver and stronger than I thought," he said. "Be careful, girls."

The leatherback sea turtle turned to Casey and nodded. Shira and Manako began to put their disguised jackets on and headed right outside to battle the branch monster.