Through Time and Space: A Love Story

Chapter Thirteen: The Fall of the Abyss

   "You may think you've won, but the fight has only just begun," the ancient voice rumbled. Ash could just barely see a rift in space where the voice seemed to be coming from. The first thing to appear from the rift was a black boot. The figure that spoke slowly emerged from the rift until he stood no more than fifty feet away. The man who stepped out was massive, standing at about fifteen feet tall. His skin was a deep shade of periwinkle and his eyes glowed red. He was dressed in a black leather jacket with silver studded spikes that looked like stars. It was worn over ancient Paladanian armor that Ash had only seen in history books. He also wore brass legs guards over a pair of black jeans. His long, raven hair was flowing in a mysterious breeze that came in with him. His appearance was intimidating. Ash knew there was only one possibility as to who he could be.
   "The Lord of Chaos himself: Aurox," Iris said spitefully. The Lord of Chaos laughed thunderously at the sound of his recognition.
   "How wonderful to see you, too, Iris," he said mockingly. "Or should I say....'sister'?" There was a collective gasp from the Paladins. Sister? Aurox and Iris were related? That didn't seem possible.
   "I sealed you away once before; I will do it again. This time, for good," she threatened. Once again, Aurox laughed loudly.
   "Now now, let's not get too hasty," Aurox taunted. "This battle will not end like it did before. My power has grown over the millennia. I have waited for this day when I would finally have the chance to end your miserable existence." He suddenly threw a ball of black energy at Iris. Her reflexes were just as swift as she swung her blade to shatter it, sending sparks of dark energy everywhere. But the bolt did more damage than Iris had expected. Her blade began to melt from the black magic used by her brother.
   "W-what? Impossible..." she stuttered. The look of fear in her eyes showed that she wasn't expecting her brother to have done so much damage. This caused him to cackle hysterically.
   "You seem frightened, Iris," Aurox said condescendingly. "I warned you that this fight would not have the same outcome as it did 30,000 years ago. And now, I'm going to finish what I started." He raised his hand again to fire off another blast of energy and Iris held her blade up in defense. The Paladins shielded themselves, preparing for the worst. That's when there was a loud crack shot, like a glacier splitting apart. Aurox screamed in pain, which surprised everyone, even Iris. When Ash looked up, there was a smoldering blue hole in his hand that he clutched.
   "Who the hell did that?" Ash asked aloud. Her question was immediately followed by the sound of a hum of magic. The shooter descended onto the arena and Ash's jaw dropped. He had finally appeared: the Exarch! It was Jenos in his true form, holding his legendary weapon that was rumored to have the power to destroy stars.
   "It's about time you showed your pitiful face, Aurox. Your power may have grown, but you are no match for a real god," he said. His distorted voice echoed with authority, causing Aurox to flinch. The Exarch was radiating more power than the two siblings combined, and Aurox knew he didn't stand a chance. Despite this, he refused to back down. He cried out in anger and fired a bold of energy, which Jenos effortlessly knocked out of the way using telekinetic power. "Why would you even bother?" Jenos asked unamused.
   "I refuse to let anyone get in my way! Especially not some stupid god!" Aurox cried out. He tried once again to attack Jenos, this time sending a whole barrage of energy shots. Jenos stopped them all in their paths before disintegrating them completely.
   "If you won't surrender easily, then I'll just crush your every molecule," Jenos snarled. "On second thought: I'll just erase you completely." He tossed his gun to the ground and began channeling energy into his orb of power. At first, Ash assumed he was going to use his ultimate ability, but the way he drew in energy wasn't like anything she was used to. This time, it seemed more like he was absorbing energy from the cosmos themselves. Bands of light spiraled around his orb as it grew bigger and brighter. "Your reign of terror is over." Jenos fired a massive beam of light that evaporated Aurox's body completely.
   With the Lord of Chaos gone, the Paladins were left standing awestruck, their mouths gaping at the sight of Jenos's true power. He picked up his Constellation and placed it over his shoulder. Satisfied with his work, Jenos turned to face the Champions.
   "Shall we return home?" he asked. The Paladins responded by jumping and cheering, their victory over the Abyss making them all gleeful. They boarded the PDF transport ship and Iris took the controls.
   "Mission success, Champions! Time to head home!" she shouted proudly. On the trip back, Ash thought about how Maeve would react to the good news regarding the defeat of the Abyssal Lords and Aurox. She couldn't wait to see the look of excitement on her face. Peace was finally restored to the Realm, and Ash could marry Maeve knowing their future was secure. Much to her surprise, Jenos took a seat next to her once again.
   "This is certainly something to celebrate, isn't it?" he asked.
   "Most definitely is," Ash replied. After a brief pause, she turned to face Jenos. "Thank you.... for everything."
   "I only did what was right," he said nonchalantly. "Someone had to push you in the right direction."
   "I know that, but still..." Ash said fidgeting. "It really means a lot, and I can't thank you enough for doing this. If it weren't for you two, I'd still be in a pretty rough place in my life." They rode in silence after that, watching the stars zip by. Before long, Ash could see the familiar skyline of Crosswind Hold, a sight she found to be comforting.
   "Welcome home, Champions," Iris called out. The bay door opened up onto the airfield behind the Magistrate's castle and everyone disembarked from the ship. Once they had gotten back inside, they made their way into the warfare room to remove their Battlesuits and place them in their respective lockers. Moji and her familiar came running up to Ash excitedly.
   "Come on, Ash, let's go get Maeve!" she said enthusiastically.
   "Not so fast, Moji," Ash said smirking. "I have a better idea." She turned over to Lian. "Hey Lian, do you think you can get the staff together?" Lian was caught off-guard briefly, but she was quick to respond.
   "Certainly," she said. "I'll call them together right away." With that, she left to fulfill Ash's request. After that, Ash turned to the rest of the Champions.
   "You guys are helping out, too," she told them. Without protest, they went to meet up with Lian and her staff. Once they all gathered in the throne room, Ash gave them their instructions. "We're gonna need to get this place decorated again. This time, I'm thinking space themed. We can canvass the whole room and paint over the canvas with stars, planets, and galaxies. Maybe add some lights to project constellations as well. I'll also need the kitchen staff to make up a giant galaxy cake. And, of course, whatever sounds good for a banquet. The rest of you will be in charge of making and setting up decorations. So let's get this show on the road." Everyone dispersed to complete the tasks Ash had given them. While they were all distracted, she decided to sneak out to look for something to wear. Before she could slip away, Lian and Furia confronted her.
   "Planning for the big day already, are we?" Lian asked smugly.
   "What better time to do so?" Ash asked, shrugging. "I think it's only appropriate while we're still young, you know? Maeve's got a kid on the way, so why not get an early start on our family?"
   "You're doing the right thing, Ash," Furia said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think you both really deserve this after everything you've been through."
   "Thanks Sarah," Ash replied. She hugged them both before heading to the nearest bridal boutique in town. She browsed through the wide assortment of dresses, searching for the right ones in her size. She tried several different ones, but to no avail. Then she found it: the perfect dress. It was a dark blue with star-shaped patterns decorating it. The dress was long, perfect for Ash's height, and showed off her curves nicely. The bottom of the dress flared out and had sheer fabric as a second layer. Satisfied with her find, she purchased the dress and hid it inside a bag.
   Upon returning to the castle, she immediately ducked into the dorm halls to avoid being seen. She quickly made her way to her bedroom and opened up the secret hatch in the floor. She stowed the dress away and closed it up, hiding it from plain sight. With her new dress ready, she returned to help the Magistrate staff decorate. Over the next few hours, everyone worked as hard as possible to decorate the throne room. When it was finally ready, Lian gathered the staff together again.
   "First of all, I want to say you all did a fantastic job working together to decorate this room. I am proud of you for being so quick, yet so efficient. Today is a day to celebrate the union of two of our very own! Ash will be getting married!" There was an outburst of applause and cheering, along with several people patting Ash on her back or shoulders. "This is certainly a joyous occasion, so we must get prepared for the ceremony." The staff all left to get dressed up for the wedding after Lian dismissed everyone.  Ash went straight to Moji after the room had cleared.
   "You can go get Maeve now. But don't tell her what's going on," she instructed. Moji pinched her index finger and thumb together and made a horizontal movement over her face; a gesture saying "my lips are sealed". After she took off, Lian and Ying approached her.
   "We're volunteering to do your hair and makeup," Ying said.
   Ash shrugged her shoulders and said "Fine by me. Let's get this over with." Lian and Ying excitedly dragged Ash to her bedroom where they immediately went to work on her hair. Lian started off by using a curling iron to make long, thick locks of curls all the way down her hair. Once she was finished, she turned it over to Ying, who started braiding across the top of her head. She looped the braid around the back, creating a crown of hair. The rest of the curls were brought together in a thick ponytail, giving Ash the appearance of a princess. Lian brought out her eyeshadow palette, lip glosses, and a strange clear liquid in a bottle. Ash looked at it puzzled and Lian took notice.
   "This is skin toner," she said, holding up the bottle. "It'll brighten your skin and make it look clearer. Trust me, this stuff works wonders." Ash just simply shrugged without a word and went along with it. Lian brought out a package of cotton pads and took one from it. She put the toner onto the pad and used it to apply it to her face. Ash kept her eyes closed and let Lian do her work. When she finished, she felt a brush against her her cheeks. Ash assumed she was applying blush to make her look cuter. Not long after, she felt a different kind of brush being swept across her eyelids. Despite her urge to laugh at the ticklish feeling of the brush, she remained motionless. Finally, Lian moved on to her lips. Ash always enjoyed wearing lipstick, so it was pleasant to feel the familiar strokes of a gloss brush.
   "There, I think we're done," Lian said at last. Instinctively, Ash rubbed her lips together to ensure the gloss evenly coated them. "Oh, wait! I forgot one thing." She brought out a mascara brush and applied it to Ash's eyelashes. "And now, you're perfect." Ash turned to face the mirror and was pleased with their work. She had shades of blue and purple eyeshadow that was lightly sprinkled with silver glitter to make it look like a galaxy. Her lips were also a deep blue to match. The toner also made her skin glow, something Lian was right about. The pale pink blush she added brightened it even more, which looked dazzling. Ying started clapping and squealing at the sight of Ash's finished look.
   "You look soooooo cute!" she said, fawning over Ash.
   "Thanks, you two," she said. It looks incredible."
   "All you need now is your dress," Lian said proudly. "Have you found one yet?"
   "Yes I did," Ash replied. She stood up and pushed them to the doorway. "I'm not ruining the surprise, so go get yourselves ready."
   "Alright then, pushy," Lian giggled. "We'll see you at the ceremony." Ash closed and locked the door behind them, then took a deep breath. Her nerves were finally catching up to her as they drew closer to the actual wedding ceremony. She headed over to the secret hatch where she stored her dress and opened it. She was silent for a moment, reflecting on the events of her life. The flashback she had really messed with her, those repressed memories haunting her thoughts. She went from being on the run for her life from the Magistrate to getting married within their own halls as their general. Nothing about her life story was simple or painless. Everything confused her because it didn't make sense. Yet here she was, finally finding true happiness for the first time.
   After a while, she finally grabbed the bag and pulled out the dress. She changed into it and took one last look in the mirror. She couldn't believe that she had gone from being a ruthless killer on the battlefield to a woman in love. How anyone could love a merciless soldier with a nickname like "The War Machine" was beyond her. Maeve was rather strange in her own rights, but Ash accepted her love regardless. She made her happy, and that was what mattered most. She finally opened her door and stepped out to head to the throne room. She was no more than a few feet from her dorm when she was intercepted by a messenger.
   "Lady Ash," the messenger greeted. "There's someone here who would like to see you."