Orange Shadow Magic: Awaken. Book 1

Chapter 25: A Broken Heart

Coral's heart froze in her chest as her mother's words made their way into her inner heart. Her eyes blurred and it seemed like the realm of Exeria had stopped in its everlasting rotation as her world came crashing down around her. Coral felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces like a mirror as the sudden truth dawned upon her. Wasn't her mother supposed to help her with being different? Hot tears ran down her warm cheeks as she viewed the scenario in front of her, however, instead of trying to forgive Mattzew like she had on the beach, she was completely done with forgiving people. Her mother was going to be no exception to her new rule. Her days of giving second chances were over. From now on she would face no more lies, no more disappointments, and especially no more heartache. It was time for her to move on. She had to go, so that no one would be bothered by her presence, and she would never be in the way again. If Malaxy, the person who had been with her from the beginning couldn't see who she really was, then maybe no would, or ever could. Coral knew that it was the right decision to leave this place, for good. Mally was going to have to continue on her own, with Gala and all of their friends to guide her. Her mother had been wrong. She might have been born in Coranne, but she was a complete Exerian. The prophecy Malaxy had told Coral about being different was wrong.

Gala looked across to Coral, her curse preventing her from crying, but her face portraying the enormous amount of grief placed upon her. Gala was facing everything Coral had faced, but a whole lot more. Coral was like Gala's life raft, but this time Gala would have to face the harsh waters alone.

"Coral, you're not a pest to me! You're different. You've always been different." Gala yelled out. "You have to stay with me, we need each other and we've never gone anywhere apart-"

"That's where you're wrong," Coral said coldly and wiped her tears on her short sleeve summer dress, staining it with tears. "No one needs me," Coral said, then bolted out of the castle doors, a knife hidden in her hand.

"Coral please, I need you! I love you!" Gala pleaded and already knew what Coral was about to do long before she ever did it. Coral raised her hand with the knife up to her beautiful and distinct long blonde hair, and cut it off her head.

Mally watched as her youngest sister, Coral Geim, who cared about every soul and never complained one single bit run off into the forest. Slowly but surely, Mally's world was crashing down around her: first with Parker killed, whom she had refused to look at, and now her sister, Coral was gone, and might never return. The only good news was that Malaxy, her treasured mother was back, and Mally could feel more of her heroic-self rising with every weary beat of her heart.

"We need to go after her!" Gala whispered, her already splintered heart cracking further as more of her world shattered around her. Coral, her youngest sister, the one she had sworn an oath to protect; and Gala couldn't even keep her safe from their very own mother. Mattzew gaped after Coral, and couldn't seem to comprehend any of it: how Malaxy was back to life, the death of Parker, who only a few minutes later had been smiling his wide smile, but most of all that his beloved Coral, the new love of his life, was gone.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Gala," King Expella called as he unexpectedly appeared in the throne room, Coral's blue dress cut and covered in blood in one arm, and Coral's locket necklace in the other.

Gala's eyes grew wide as the shock of what King Expella had done came upon her. "Youuuuuu monsterrr! Yyyou killllledd my sisterrrrr?" Gala stuttered, her anger rising slowly by the minute. Even Lily, who had barely known Coral, looked up from cradling Parker in surprise.

"You killed Coral?" Mattzew snapped out of his daze, and King Expella grinned wickedly. Mattzew didn't have time to grieve. He stood up emotionally and with a flick of his hand, Mattzew's signature lightning bolt which he had used to knock out Avery appeared in his hand. 

"You monster! You knew how we felt about each other, you knew that she was the love of my life and you killed her?" Running forward blindly, Mattzew reached out to knock King Expella's head right off his body, but King Expella was quicker, he blasted Mattzew away with a flick of his finger, who slammed against the wall, unconscious.

"Why? Do you even care, Mattzew?" King Expella mocked and raised his eyebrows convincingly. "And I did do it," King Expella whispered terrorizing. "I told you to leave while you could. Maybe if you had left, I wouldn't have had to use....... extreme measures," King Expella warned, and ushered them out with his hand that was holding the locket. "I warn you to leave now!" King Expella demanded, and Gala, too shocked to speak, had to have Avery drag her out. "May we meet again, my daughter," King Expella laughed as Avery glared at him, then shapeshifted into a Pegasus. Mally clenched her fists and lifted her heavy eyes to face King Expella, her step-father, ruler of Exeria, and a shadowlade and fairy.

"You did what?" Mally growled, and watched as her uncontrollable rage lead millions and millions of ghosts to fly from the tile floor and into the clear air, filling the room with fog and thick clouds. The ghost's anger was evident, and they were obviously feeling it from Mally.

"What are our orders, Princess Mally Johnson?" The lead ghost questioned, and Mally looked up at him, her fiery eyes glaring at the ghosts in front of her, no regret whatsoever.

"Kill him!" Mally spat maliciously on the ground, but allowed herself to carry the unconscious Mattzew back towards Pegasus.

"Please, don't make me leave Parker!" Lily cried, but Mally also dragged Lily from Parker's still body, and Pegasus, also known as "Thor," flew off with Mattzew, Gala, Malaxy, and Mally upon it's back.

"He'll pay for what he did to her," Gala scowled as Avery paced the forest floor with Mattzew; Mally, Lily, and Malaxy were nowhere to be seen. Avery saw the silhouette of some figures hidden behind the trees, but she kept her distance, and her mouth shut. Avery knew that they must've been Mally, Lily, and Malaxy, but she didn't want to add more trouble to the mix.

"I loved her. I loved her. I loved her." Mattzew murmured. After Coral's death, he seemed to have lost his mind. Everbody had turmoil of their own, but Avery couldn't be distracted from the pain. She and Coral were more alike than she had first imagined, and Avery and Gala couldn't be friends with Coral gone. So Avery made a plan. Avery knew the only thing her father truly wanted, was her. Avery had to surrender herself for the better good, so that maybe, just maybe, nobody would ever be harmed mentally, physically, or literally by her ever again. She was a weapon of mass destruction, and she knew it, she knew it every single time someone was harmed. Avery knew it in her bones each day as she rose in the morning, and everybody had the live with the consequences of her unpredictable choices. She had hurt some people miserably, and changed their lives, for better or for worse. And Avery had to live with her vengeful decisions until her dying day. Anyhow, Avery knew that if her plan worked, she could get a hand on the magical lockets, and give them back to the two sisters left, so that maybe, just maybe they could win the war.