I felt a strange feeling today as I was in bed. It felt as if something had come into my room while I was asleep and toppled over all of the books that I had left on the floor. As I scanned the room for evidence of what I felt, I saw that the books had been rearranged in a way that formed a shape. The shape was familiar but I couldn’t figure out where I had seen it before. It was a circular shape with wavy lines in its center. It seemed to look like something that I had seen in a documentary about ancient civilizations. This pattern resembled an ancient drawing that was made on the wall of a temple in Babylon.

I had originally left the books in an upright position stacked next to each other on the floor. Whatever or whoever had done this paid a lot of attention to detail and made sure that the pattern was accurate. I noticed that the books were stained with a glossy texture that made them shine and reflect the light from the table lamp. “What could have done this?”

My heart quickened as I heard the automated air conditioning unit start up again. Could the intruder still be in my apartment? I quickly turned my head to the bedroom door and noticed that the motion detector lights were still red which indicated that nothing had come into the room since I last activated it last night before going to bed.

I lived alone in a section of the city that was mostly occupied by middleclass citizens who had an average income and status. It had been years since anybody had even tried to break the law in this part of the city so I quickly abandoned the fact that this was done by a human. The reason being was that my dwelling unit was practically impregnable with the latest security systems installed; it even had active alarm lines that were linked to the local police network. There was no way that anything could have gotten into my bedroom without tripping at least two or three motion detectors. This meant that my fears had come true and the creatures that had haunted me from my childhood have found me.

I held my breath for a minute before making a dash to the mobile phone that I had left in my purse on the floor. The glossy substance covered my purse and many parts of the bedroom furniture. As I stopped to catch my breath, I suddenly smelt a sweet fragrance that reminded me of honey or something similar to it. The smell grew stronger as I knelt forward to reach inside my purse to grab the cell phone. I made sure not to touch the substance as I called the local emergency line.

“Hello? I would like to report a break in.” The voice on the line responded abruptly. “Irma, is that you?” I recognized his voice, it was Caleb. With a sigh of relief I told him to drop whatever he was doing and to come straight to my apartment. Within twenty minutes he was at my door and all the feelings of fear and distress had disappeared.

Caleb and I were friends since high school. Although he wasn’t my classmate since he was five years older than I was, I always considered him as my boyfriend because he was my interpretation of what an ideal man should be. We never actually had an intimate relationship since he was always busy but I always felt a sensation that emitted from deep within his soul that told me that he longed to be with me. He used to hang out with me and a group of my friends at the town mall after school on the weekends. He still looked the same, with his athletic stance, broad shoulders and wavy brown hair, everything about him spelt “Adonis”. It made me weak at the knees just to see him again and this was the third time this week.

The first thing that I did when I opened the door for him was to hug him as hard as I could. I buried my head so deep in his chest that I could smell the sweat in his armpits. It didn’t matter to me because everything about him made me feel so dreamy. After a minute or so in the embrace I slowly looked up at him while keeping my head firmly against his chest.

“Are you alright, Irma?” “Yes, I…I’m ok, I guess.” For a while there, I had forgotten why I had called him but as I turned away from Caleb to look back into my room, the sense of fear suddenly overwhelmed me. I couldn’t let whatever it was that entered my apartment to harm Caleb in any way. So I grabbed hold of both of his hands and I yanked him out of my apartment into the hallway. I then proceeded to pull him towards the staircase. I always made it a rule to use the staircase in emergency situations and this was definitely an emergency.

Once we were in his car and on the road, I started to feel a sense of ease and I was able to relax again. Caleb always made me feel secure and safe. He always listened to my opinions and he always respected my feelings. I couldn’t remember a time when we ever disagreed on anything. He was always there to catch me if I fell. I’m surprised that he never popped the question and asked me to marry him.

As a gentleman that he was, Caleb remained silent and cheerful waiting for me to provide him with an answer to what had just happened. I began by telling him of the events that occurred while I was in bed at night. I woke up in the middle of the night to something that sounded like a whisper. I couldn’t see anything as I peered over the covers of my bed into the dark shadows in my room. I made the assumption that it was a dream and closed my eyes. However, there was that ominous feeling again that something was hiding in the room. I made a prayer and I went back to sleep. In the morning I woke up to the creepy feeling that trickled down my spine and caused me to shiver like I had never shivered before. There before me were my books rearranged to form a symbol of something that I didn’t understand. I also told Caleb about the glossy substance and he remained silent.

After an interval of silence Caleb spoke. “I don’t think that it’s safe for you to go back there. I wish you had called me on my personal line because things aren’t as simple as they used to be” I then asked him; “what’s that supposed to mean?” As Caleb circled the poverty stricken section of the city he pulled over in an alleyway and got out of the car. He then opened the door for me and asked me to come with him. I gave him my hand and he pulled me out of the car. We walked down the alleyway for ten minutes until we came to an old abandoned building. He then took my hand and guided me through the trash littered entrance and up the stairway to the second floor. After a careful inspection of the area to ensure that we were alone, Caleb proceeded to unlock a padlock that was hanging on one of the doors. We went inside and Caleb removed his coat. I walked over to one of the broken windows and I was shocked to see my apartment block on the other side of the road. It was a perfect view and I could even see the window to my room. As I stood there looking at my apartment building, Caleb asked me; “do you see them?” I looked again at my bedroom window and this time I could see a number of black figures rummaging around in my room.” Who are those people?” Caleb answered me blandly;” they are government agents.” As I looked towards the base of the building, I could see three black vehicles parked at the entrance and a group of men dressed in black. They all seemed to stand perfectly still as they waited in front of their parked vehicles. “What are they doing? How about my stuff? What’s going on?”

Caleb took my hand again and seated me on the chair next to his. He then began to tell me everything. “You are wanted by the government because you are different. Apparently, there is something about your DNA that has caused them to take interest in you and your parents.” I suddenly pulled away from Caleb and snapped. “But my parents are dead! You were at the funeral! Did they kill them?” Caleb quickly replied,” no. I don’t even think that they’re dead. I have a feeling that the accident that your parents were in was staged and that they were both taken to a secret experimental facility underground.” I snapped at Caleb again and said; ”but why would you keep this information from me, Caleb?” Caleb replied;” I couldn’t tell you anything until the time was right. You see, they were waiting for something like this to happen so that they could find the others that are like you. Irma, listen to me, your people are trying to contact you.” I quickly replied;” what do you mean by my people? Am I an alien?” Caleb responded; “no, you aren’t. You are a pure human and that’s why they want you.”

My head started to spin after hearing what Caleb had to say. As much as I wanted to believe him I couldn’t. This story was too farfetched and I was getting weak because I hadn’t had anything to eat since we left the apartment. “Can we get something to eat? I’m starving.” “What would you like to eat, Irma?” Caleb replied with a sarcastic grin on his face. “I’m sure you know that we can’t be seen in public, right?” “Ok, let’s order out for pizza, my treat Caleb!” “How can it be your treat? You forgot your purse back at the apartment?” “Oh, that’s true; I guess that means that you’ll have to pay, right?”

As we pulled up to the pizza parlor I took a deep breath and inhaled the wholesomely tasty smell of freshly baked pizza dough. My mouth watered as I imagined all of the different kinds of toppings that were possible. Since we couldn’t be seen in public, our only option was to eat in the car. So, I told Caleb what I wanted and he rushed out of the car to make the order. I had to remember not to eat too much or Caleb would lose interest in me. Who was I kidding? He would never leave me for another girl; he loves me too much to do that to me. After a couple of minutes of fiddling with my hair I looked out of the passenger window to see one of the waitresses leaning over the counter to talk to Caleb. She was wearing one of the shortest miniskirts I had ever seen and her cleavage was practically everywhere. There was only one way to remedy this type of situation. I quickly got out of the car, removed my left shoe and through it at the heathen whore. “Get away from my man you dirty bitch!” The shoe went flying through the air and it missed the waitress but it hit the baker. The next thing I noticed was Caleb running towards the car with his hands in the air gesturing for me to get back in the car. We made a quick getaway that time but Caleb forgot the pizza. We ended up eating at a road side diner. I had the special of the day while Caleb had a burger with fries.

“Caleb, if I’m pure human, what are you?” Caleb remained silent as he took another bite out of his burger and then he gazed into my eyes as if he was trying to analyze me. “Apparently, most of the people on the planet have been genetically altered somehow; we aren’t what real humans are supposed to be like.” Caleb said with a sad tone in his voice. All of a sudden, I noticed a piece of bread on the side of Caleb’s lips, so I snatched it with my fingers and placed it in my mouth. “That burger of yours must taste really good” I said with a lazy expression on my face. Caleb continued to talk with a glum hesitation. “Irma don’t you see what I mean?” I stared back into his eyes and then I started to blink erratically. Suddenly I could see what Caleb was talking about. It was like I was watching a real of film which showed all of the ideas that were in his head.

The first vision that I saw was of a huge disk shaped craft that was travelling across the galaxy to reach a planet in another solar system. The craft had thousands of people on board and I could sense their fear of the impending danger that pursued them.

As I blinked my eyes again, I could see another craft which was much larger than the first one. The second craft had a strange aura about it and as I concentrated on it I could see the hideous looking creatures that were in pursuit of the first craft. The creatures were menacing and I could tell that their purpose was to capture the first ship and devour its occupants.

After finishing the meal, I looked out of the diner’s window and I noticed a large grayish disk floating right above the parking lot where Caleb had parked his car. It was about twenty meters above the ground and it moved with a cyclical wobble to it. It didn’t make any sounds but I was curious as to why it was floating there. I felt a brush of air blow past my right ear and then there was a voice that whispered something. I couldn’t tell what the voice was saying but I knew that it came from the disk above.

“Concentrate!” said Caleb. “They’re trying to talk to you”. I looked down at the table and closed my eyes. The voice grew louder and now I could make out what it was saying. “Awaken Irma, the time has come to fight back” The voice belonged to a young girl that spoke with determination. I opened my eyes and when I looked out the window I noticed that the ship had gone. “Caleb, did you hear what she said?” Caleb replied by nodding his head left to right.

The voice was the very same one that had spoken to me while I was asleep at night. It was the voice that had beckoned me to stand up and fight back when people tried to push me down and walk all over me. I knew who it was but I couldn’t say her name. She was a young princess from a faraway world. I knew her story because I saw her in my dreams.

The night was calm as the wind blew past the trees in the dark valley of the of the Kula-Kula people. I could see a large statue that had been erected in the center of the valley. It had huge oval eyes and a large gaping mouth. It looked like a serpent with human arms and legs. This is what the Kula-Kula people worshiped and sacrificed their children for. The king of the Kula-Kula people made it a rule to pay homage to their great deity by sacrificing a child or a beautiful maiden at the statues feet every fortnight.

The people of this valley lived and died under the Kula-Kula creed which divided the people into classes. It was part of their tradition to enslave the unfortunate members of their race so that numerous offerings could be made to their deity. In return, they would expect large rewards in the form of wealth and power. Value was given to certain types of minerals that were mined by the lower classed Kula-Kula people. These minerals would be used as a source of fuel to generate energy for their transport vehicles and to power their homes. The people were technologically advanced but they were shallow and lacked compassion and empathy which made them cruel and heartless to their own kind.

A woman cried out in horror as her child was taken from her arms by the unholy henchmen and given to the high Kula-Kula priest to be sacrificed at the Kula-Kula temple. The woman was of the slave class and did not have any rights as per the Kula-Kula creed. It was her only child, the child that her dead husband had left her before he was killed in the Kula-Kula wars. As her eyes filled with tears she asked the priest to spare her child. The priest looked at her with an arrogant eye and said; “you should be honored that we have chosen your child for sacrificial purposes. Kula-Kula himself would be pleased to know that you gave your only child for his pleasure.” The woman replied abruptly and said”But I did not give my child to that demon. She was taken from my arms by your henchmen.” The priest replied with an astonished look on his face “You dare call Kula-Kula a demon? It is Kula-Kula, that has given us health and happiness and it is he who has permitted our people to prosper and flourish on this planet. You must kneel before his likeness or else we will slaughter you along with your child!” The woman broke free from the clutches of the henchmen that held her and said “I will never kneel before a demon or the likeness of one. It is the Creator who has given you life and it is he who will take it from you someday. You should ask Kula-Kula to kneel before the Creator!” The priest’s eyes widened as he replied “You will die for this profanity!”

“Irma, are you alright?” As I opened my eyes, I saw Caleb looking down at me. We were in a motel room and I was in Caleb’s arms again. The last thing that I remembered was seeing the flying saucer at the diner. “Caleb, how did we get here?” Caleb replied with a concerned tone “You fainted in the diner so I carried you out of there and brought you to this motel.” The room was small but it had everything that a couple would need to get through the night with. It had a fridge that was filled with refreshments and snacks, a 34’’ plasma television and a cozy queen sized bed. As I looked into Caleb’s eyes, I started to see another vision. It was cloudy at first but then the picture cleared up and I was able to see myself in Caleb’s arms. It felt weird to see myself through someone else’s eyes but it was an experience that I would never forget. I knew that Caleb had feelings for me but I had no idea that they were this intense and passionate. There I was in his arms, being affectionately kissed and caressed. I could feel his warm breath all over my body as he unbuttoned my shirt. As I was in his embrace, he proceeded to kiss the area below my neckline. “Was this a vision or was it real?” I blinked my eyes twice and I was back in the real world again. Caleb had fallen asleep while I was in his arms. At this point I truly understood that Caleb loved me and that he was here to protect me.

The visions that I had were so realistic and colorful. They embodied actual thoughts and feelings. This meant that I could read Caleb’s mind and see what he saw in vivid colors. Was this a gift? Could I do this with everybody or was it just Caleb? I started to think back to when I was a child. I could see our old house on 3^rd street. There was that old cat that used to sleep in our yard and “Meow” all night long. I used to know when she was hungry because she would tell me. I remember having long conversations with her. She told me about all of the kittens that she had throughout the years. She also told me about the families that had taken care of her while she was growing up. She was a white cat with grayish splotches all over her body. One day she never showed up and I feared that the worst had happened to her so I quickly searched for her presence in my mind. I recognized her presence as one that was always alert and that responded immediately to my calls. I didn’t have a name for her but that wasn’t important because I could tell who she was the instant that her presence was nearby. I searched and searched but I couldn’t find her. Where could she have gone? I walked down the street to see if I could find her remains, since that was one possible explanation for her not responding to my calls.

As I walked down the street I could hear birds chirping and kids playing in their lawns. I could also feel their presences as active and turbulent organisms that generated large degrees of emotions and feelings. Most of the beings that I was observing were not aware of my presence and went about with their business. All of a sudden I felt a strange feeling that I was being observed myself. I turned around to see what it was but I couldn’t see it. I was all alone but I could still feel the presence of something that had taken great interest in me. I could see myself through its eyes as it closed in on me.

“Irma, wake up, we have to go!” Caleb said with a sign of panic in his voice. I closed my eyes and concentrated and then I could see them in large numbers. They were able to feel me as I observed them approaching the motel. What were we to do? These were the creatures that I had seen in Caleb’s mind. These were the beings that had pursued the space ship across the galaxy to this planet. I could see their teeth and their claws. I could hear the hissing sounds that they made as they approached our room.

“Irma, focus on them and repel them” said the princess. The voice of the young girl started to speak rapidly as she repeated herself. I could hear my heart beat pump harder as I focused on the creatures. There were about twenty of them and I could see them all at once. I thought of the word repel and then I pushed. I concentrated on the action of pushing and they stopped. They all stopped. They were strong but I could somehow hold them in place. At this point I slowly turned my head towards Caleb and I noticed that he had assembled some sort of weapon that resembled a rapier. The blade made a humming sound as Caleb waved it about. “Irma, hold them for me while I take care of them” Caleb said with a firm tone to his voice. I nodded to him and he left the room to deal with the creatures. I focused harder as I felt the creatures trying to break free. They attempted to push back but my hold was stronger. I couldn’t understand why.

I focused on one creature at a time while keeping a strong hold on all of them. I did this so that I could read their minds or at least understand what their intensions were. I started with the closest one which was about ten meters from our room. I could see what it wanted to do to Caleb as he moved towards the creature. It wanted so much to slit Caleb’s throat with its pronounced claws. It concentrated on Caleb’s jugular vein while it struggled to break free. I searched deeper in the creatures mind to try to find answers as to why it and the others were stalking us. In its mind I could see a vision of a huge creature that towered over the rest in size and height. It had enormous wings that covered the horizon and it had a hypnotic gaze that peered on all of its disciples. I was to be brought forth to this creature for unknown reasons but I was to be kept alive during the process. With a powerful scream, the vision ended and Caleb had taken the creatures life by decapitating it. Caleb proceeded to execute the rest of the creatures one by one in the same manner that he did the first. I felt their anguish and fear as Caleb approached them with the humming rapier. “Please let me go, please don’t let him kill me.” The creature’s intensions were sincere and I could feel its tears flow from its eyes. It longed to be with its mate and it did not want to die on this planet. I could feel the creature’s plight as it stopped struggling. I then searched for Caleb in my mind and I found him. “Caleb, don’t kill the creature with tears in its eyes, it is different”. Caleb spared the creature and continued to the slaughter the rest.

After Caleb had finished, he returned to the room and took me by the hand to the creature that had surrendered. I still kept my hold on it for I could still sense something threatening about it. There was a part of its mind that I could not access. It was as if the creature could intentionally block me from entering that section of its brain. As I let go of the creature I could feel its numb body reanimate itself by rapidly shaking in a vibrant shudder. It then started to bow before us in respect. The creature towered over us as it stood up in an erect manner. It was at least ten feet tall and it was humanoid in shape. It then began to speak telepathically as it did before. “You are the Arastethe’” it said. I searched in its mind to find out what the Arastethe’ were and I was speechless. The creature suddenly permitted me to enter the remote part of its mind. I could see immense beings of light that floated over a beautiful landscape of trees and streams. There was so much life and harmony in this vision. The creature spoke again and said “I will fight by your side Arastethe”. I then nodded in acknowledgment to accept its offer of help.

Chapter 2

The sacrifices were increasing at the temple as the binary suns set. The screams of young girls and boys could be heard from a distance as their throats were being cut by the Kula-Kula Priests. “Bring on the children” cried the grand high priest, “Kula-Kula has not had his fill and he demands more!”

A group of people from the city were obliged to watch the rituals and pay homage to Kula-Kula. One of the onlookers was a young girl that watched in dismay and horror. This was the first time that she had ever attended a sacrificial ceremony and she could not believe what she saw. Her guardians held her tight and told her to focus and not to worry. “Those children will become the kings and queens of the afterlife, we must wish them well on their journey to meet Kula-Kula” said the female guardian. “Since we are of the high class, we are not privileged to become sacrifices, however, our turn will come in the afterlife when these children will rule over us and we will give our lives for Kula-Kula. That is how the cycle continues my little one. Kula-Kula has provided us with an abundance of food and shelter in this harsh world that we live in. He is the keeper of balance and order in the universe. You must understand this, my child.”

The girl nodded silently and continued to watch as the last batch of children were led into the arena. The high priest made a howl to the seven moons and said “Kula-Kula is pleased”.

After the ceremony was over the entire group of high classed city dwellers disbursed into the night and returned to their dwelling units. The two guardians brought the little girl to their house and prepared her for the night bathe. “Jalana, can I ask you a question?” The little girl said. “What is it my little Ciara?” “Why can’t we all be kings and queens?” Jalana kissed Ciara’s head and proceeded to undress her. “We are my little one, but everyone has their time. That is how the universe is balanced. We cannot all enjoy the fruits of life and not work for it. There must be a class of people who will do the work for us. We, in turn will work for them in the next life. This is the cycle of life my child and your parents were part of that cycle. They gave their lives for Kula-Kula and they will rule over us in the afterlife. We should never question Kula-Kula’s wisdom.”

Caleb opened the motel room door for Irma as they returned. “We shouldn’t stay here, it’s not safe” said Caleb. “We can ask our new friend for a safer place to go while we figure out what to do next”. Irma focused on the being and began to ask it to suggest a place where they would be able to hide. The creature envisioned an area that wasn’t far from the motel. It was actually an old abandoned mine that was on the outskirts of the city. “How would we be safe in this mine?” asked Irma. The creature replied “There is a being that lives in the mine that will protect us from the other Chitras. We must go to it.” Irma and Caleb got into the car and sped in the direction of the mine. With an amazing burst of speed the Chitra began to run as fast as the car. It leaped on top of the roof and it held on as Caleb flattened the gas pedal. After an hour or so they arrived at the mine.

“Irma, what do you see?” asked Caleb. “It can see us. It knows that we’re here” replied Irma. As Caleb came to a rolling stop he made a gesture to the Chitra on the roof. The Chitra dismounted the car and began to prostrate at the entrance of the mine. “What’s going on, Irma?” asked Caleb. “The Chitra is asking permission to enter the mine. It says that it has come with the Arastethe, the light of freedom” said Irma.

At that moment the ground surrounding the mine began to shake. Stones and rocks started to fall from above the mountain. “AAARRASSSSTETHEEEEHHH come inside” Irma jumped in her seat causing her head to hit the ceiling. “Ouch, that hurt” said Irma. “I could hear it too” said Caleb. They both got out of the car and proceeded towards the mine’s entrance. “Only AAARRRAASSSSTEHEEEEEHHH!!” Irma looked towards Caleb with a worried gaze. “I have to do this Caleb” Irma said. Caleb stood by the car as Irma continued towards the entrance of the mine. The Chitra remained prostrate and did not move an inch.

The entrance was dark and there was a pungent smell of sulfur in the air. Irma closed her eyes and started walking into the darkness. As Irma walked forward with her eyes closed she could see inside the cavern. She could see the rough texture of the cavern’s walls and she could also feel the air getting heavier with humidity. She proceeded down a narrow pathway until she reached a huge lair where the entity was. It was an immense creature with glowing yellow eyes and two large horns on the sides of its head. It was more than forty feet high with a pair of wings that were neatly folded on the sides of its back. Its tail was long and scaly with three sharp protrusions at its tip.

“What are you?” asked Irma. “You should know what I am ARASTETHEEH. You have recovered your abilities but not your memory. Search deep inside your past” the creature said. “There is a part of my past that I cannot see. It is blank.” Irma replied. “It seems that the other ARASTETHEEH have removed that part of your memory to protect you” said the creature.

“What are the Arastetheeh?” said Irma. “They are the bringers of light and freedom. They are the ones that have laid down the foundations of the realms that make up this universe.” said the creature. “Can you help me remember who I am?” asked Irma. The creature knelt down on all fours and pressed its forehead gently against Irma’s. “Open your eyes ARASTEHEEEEEH” said the dragon.

Irma could see a green and beautiful land that was filled with streams and trees. She felt the life forces of the beings that lived in the land. She could see the meadows and fields from above, as if she was floating in the sky. It was a wonderful and peaceful experience. Suddenly, something caught her attention. There was a dark part of the land that did not have any vegetation in it. As Irma got closer to it, it seemed to look more and more like a desert. She could sense life in this area but it was different from the other parts of the land. The creatures in this part of the land were in misery. Irma could feel their pain. What could have caused this despair? As she descended from the sky, she could see a number of green elves cutting wood. Irma landed next to one them and started to speak. “Hello there” said Irma. The elf looked at Irma, stopped what it was doing and started to run. The other elves did the same. “Wait, don’t run” said Irma but the elves fled into a hole in the ground.

“Why would they be afraid of me?” Irma said in wonder. There was a bucket of water next to the pile of wood that the elves were cutting. Irma quickly rushed over to the bucket to get a better look at her reflection in the water. As Irma slowly peered into the bucket to see what she looked like, she was suddenly blinded by a bright flash of light. “Is that what I look like?” Irma said in astonishment. Irma took another look at herself in the bucket and it was confirmed that she was a glowing ball of light. Irma did not want to frighten the elves but she could not get close to them in her current form.

Irma took another look at her reflection in the bucket and said “if only I looked like an elf”. As soon as she uttered those words, she transformed into a beautiful green elf. “Wow, I’m a cute elf” said Irma. Irma spent the next hour looking at her reflection in the bucket. She was so astounded by her new look that she didn’t notice that the elves had come back. “Oh baby, you’re a real hot mama!” said one of the elves. Irma turned around to face the elves. “Hi everyone” said Irma. “You should be careful miss, there’s a dangerous ball of light that’s hunting elves and it’s floating around here. You should take refuge with us. It’s not safe for a pretty elf like you to be wondering around this place alone. Please come with us.” said one of the elves. Irma agreed and she followed them down the hole.

The area that the elves lived in was a complex set of catacombs that were neatly designed to house elves. Irma was taken to the quarters of one of the elder elves. Her name was Mama Elf. “Hello my dear, please come in” said Mama Elf. “Thank you” replied Irma. “Where did you come from? I’m sure you know that this is a dangerous area. I personally know all of the elves in this region but I have never seen you my dear.” said Mama Elf. Irma shrugged and said “I don’t know”. “You must be in shock, my dear. Please have something to drink. You don’t have to worry because you are with Mama Elf now. I will take care of you.” said Mama Elf. Irma smiled and drank the warm drink that Mama Elf had prepared for her. The drink was warm and soothing and it made Irma go to sleep.

“The time has come to fight!” cried out one of the soldier elves. Irma woke up to the sounds of the elves blowing on the war conch. “Don’t worry my dear. I am here with you.” said Mama Elf with a soothing voice. “What is happening Mama Elf?” asked Irma. “Our soldiers are getting ready to raid the fortress of the brown elves. They are evil elves that are bent on killing the green elves. They have killed my daughter Arania and I shall not let them take the life of another defenseless green elf again.” said Mama Elf. “But why would they kill your daughter? They are elves just like we are.” said Irma. “You are right my child, but I cannot let Arania go an avenged.

The green elves stormed the wooden fortress of the brown elves killing all of the browns elves that stood in their way. As they progressed into the fortress they were blocked by a stone barricade, so they gathered around the barricade in an attempt to remove it by force. As the green elves pushed the barricade, a lever was pulled by one of the brown elves causing a large trap door to open underneath the barricade. All of the green elves fell through the large gaping hole in the fortress floor. The green elves were impaled on the long wooden spikes that were meticulously placed at the bottom of the pit.

“This is not right Mama Elf. Many elves are dying because of this. You should not let this continue.” Irma said. “You must understand my dear; they had no right to take my Arania from me when they did. She was my life. She was my morning flower. I taught her everything I know.” Mama Elf started to weep.

Irma attempted to search Mama Elf’s mind to find out the story behind her daughter’s death. Irma patiently looked through the past memories of the old elf until she came to the day that the incident occurred. She could feel the emotions felt by all of the green elves when they found the blood drenched garment of their princess in the forest next to the blade of a brown elf. Irma searched deeper in Mama Elf’s memories until she could see and feel Arania’s presence. “Mama Elf, Arania is alive! I can sense her presence. She is not nearby but she is alive. I am sure of this” Irma said with a confident voice. “You must be mistaken my child. How can you know this? It was her blood on the garment and the blade” replied Mama Elf. “Please let me find her for you so that we can end this war.” Irma said. “I will let ten of my best soldier elves accompany you, my dear” Mama Elf said. “I will not need them Mama Elf. All I ask of you is to stop the killing until I return with your daughter.” Irma said as she held Mama Elf’s hands.

Irma quickly ran out of the catacombs and changed back into a ball of light. She zoomed across the land until she found the fortress of the brown elves. She then entered the fortress and changed into a beautiful brown elf.

“Who are you, and how did you get here?” asked a brown soldier elf. “I’m lost and I need some help. I saw the fighting and I didn’t know where to go so I came to this fortress. Please help me” Irma said with a sincere expression on her face. “I will take you to our King” the soldier said. The soldier began to lead Irma through the lower levels of the fortress until they reached an underground cavern where the King resided. “Brown King, I bring before you a young brown she elf that we found in the courtyard of the fortress. She is lost” the soldier said. “You are very beautiful my little brown elf. I would marry you to my son if he was alive but he was killed by the green elves” the King said with an empty voice.

Irma searched the king’s mind to find out if the prince’s believed death was similar to that of the princess’s. After carefully going over all of the instances in the king’s memory, Irma found what she was looking for. “Mr. Brown King, your son is alive. Please, you must stop this war with the green elves” Irma pleaded. “Where is my son?” asked the king. “I will bring him to you” Irma said with a cheerful excitement in her voice. “I will give you ten of my best men to assist you” the king said. “Thank you Brown King but I will not need them” Irma said politely.

Irma quickly dashed out of the fortress and changed back into the ball of light. She then zoomed across the land to look for the presences of the prince and princess. She could feel both of them and they were together. The feeling led Irma to a mountain top on the other side of the world. As Irma got closer to the mountain she suddenly felt something else. It was a menacing feeling of pure evil. What could it have been? Irma slowed down as she approached a hole in the side of the mountain. As Irma entered the mountain she lit up the pathway with her aura. She then felt the presence of the creature. “ARASSSTETHEEEEEH, why have you come here?” said the creature. Irma replied quickly “You have the prince and princess of the elves and I want them”. “They are the source of my sustenance. I feed off the energy created when their people kill each other. Their souls, I need” replied the creature. “Their souls do not belong to you. I will take them back now” Irma said with a firm voice. “You will die ARASSSTETHEEEEHHH” said the creature. The creature suddenly appeared from behind the shadows of the cavern. It was an extremely large black dragon with razor sharp teeth.

Irma suddenly felt a powerful surge of electricity hit her at an immense speed. She was struck against the cavern’s walls. Irma felt the energy being drained from her body. As she opened her eyes she could see the red glowing eyes of the dragon. The dragon’s mouth had clamped down on her and the light that she emitted gradually began to fade. Irma tried to move but she couldn’t. “Am I going to die?” Irma asked herself. “Yes ARASSTETHEEEEEHH you will die” the dragon replied. “But If I were a dragon, you wouldn’t be able to kill me so easily would you?” said Irma.

The black dragon’s jaw broke as Irma’s body expanded and transformed into a beautiful golden dragon. Her green eyes lit up the cavern as she bit into the black dragon’s neck. The thunderous roar of the black dragon was silenced as Irma increased the pressure of her bite. After a brief period of struggling, the black dragon’s body fell numb and lifeless. “I am sorry black dragon, but your deception has caused many elves to die and I have taken your life to stop the evil that you have spread” with those words said, Irma transformed back into a ball of light and she floated down to where the prince and princess were kept. They were both under a deep trance but Irma knew how to wake them up.

A green elf watchman cried out in terror as he looked up towards the sky “I can see the princess in the clutches of a golden dragon. Send the troops out immediately! We must kill the dragon and save the princess.” Similarly, on the other side of the land the brown elves were alerted of a golden dragon that held their prince captive. Irma made sure to draw the elves to the very same spot that the prince and princess were abducted at. There, she laid them next to each other and then she awoke them with a great dragon roar. “Raja, hold me” said Arania as she looked up at Irma. Irma then took to the sky and disappeared in the clouds. “Arania, are you alright?” said Raja, the prince of the brown elves. “Yes, my love. I am” Arania replied. Just as they embraced and kissed, the brown and green elves arrived on the spot to witness the love between them. After that day the elves united under the banner of love and they made a vow to never kill each other over anything ever again.

“I remember who I am now.” Irma said with a tired voice. “It is good that you do ARASSSTETHEEH. However, you should know that the choice of your people to leave their realm was unwise” said the dragon. “Why is that my dragon friend?” asked Irma. “Because you are weak in this realm, your body is not that of the ARASSSTETHEEEEH. You cannot change as you were once able to” said the dragon. “That will not stop my mission of light and freedom” said Irma with a resolute determination in her voice. “My kind has enslaved the human race for eons. We have deceived them into worshipping us and many of them do it willingly. You will have a difficult time as a human but I will help you my friend. This is your ultimate challenge, may the Creator be with you ARASSTETHEEEH” the dragon said.

“Ciara, have you taken your medication?” Jalana said. “No, I don’t like it. Please don’t make me take it Jalana” Ciara said with a whiney voice. “I will never force you to do anything you do not want to. You are free to make your own decisions in this life. I always wanted that for you” Jalana said. “Can you tell me about my real mother Jalana?” Ciara asked. “Yes, she was a good woman. She was of the slave class and she loved you. You were supposed to be sacrificed when you were nine months old but your mother intervened and they took her life instead. They were about to sacrifice you after they killed her but I asked them not to because I wasn’t able to have a child of my own. I wanted so much to raise you and give you the life that your real mother wanted to give you. I begged them to consider you of the high class and as my child. After I knelt before Kula-Kula the high priest handed you over to me and I took you home right away. I made eye contact with your mother before she died and I promised her that I would protect you until I died. Ciara, please understand that you are very special to me. I want you to know that I am willing to leave my faith in Kula-Kula for you. Both my husband and I love you very much and we understand that it is wrong to sacrifice the slave class. We are powerless in this world where the priests control everything.” Jalana began to cry as she hugged Ciara.

“Irma, are you there?” Caleb called out into the darkness of the cave. “Human, the Chitra have come, we must fight them” said the Chitra. Caleb pulled his rapier and prepared to fight.

To be continued…