The night was serene as the hoots of owls could be heard and the rustle of the fall leaves fell onto the cold ground. The night sky was filled with dark clouds that were shadowed by the light of the full, pale moon. Its light beamed down upon a small town, groans of pain sounding from the houses and carried with the wind. From the small town there was a very large grave with gray and old tombstones spread everywhere. The town had been plagued with famine, diseases, and death itself. The elderly were the first to catch the diseases and die, while the children suffered through the famine, as their weak bodies were unable to sustain any longer as they too fell into the icy, inhuman hands of death. Few could survive everything that was happening while others ended up dieing. They had sent for help, but to their dismays, the messenger did not return. Now they were left to suffer and watch as they each died from either starvation or a disease.
“Mommy?” called out a boy hoarsely from his room as he lay on a small bed, a small towel over his forehead. Sweat dripped from his fevered face and his eyes were half open. His face was as pale as the moon and he looked more than obviously sick. He appeared to be a little over seven years old with brown hair and soft, chestnut eyes that gleamed his weakness at the moment.
A woman that appeared to be no more than twenty nine entered the room and quickly went to his side. “You called, my darling?” she asked, knowing full well he did. She was young yet seemed old and tired. Her face had few wrinkles, as did her hands. She had a sincere look in her chestnut eyes that the boy could immediately see.
“Mommy?” the boy once again repeated hoarsely. “I still don’t feel so good.” His eyes closed and his mouth opened, a cough sounding out. He stopped and began to breathe rigidly. His mother took the now dried towel from his forehead and turned her body to face a bowl filled with water that lay on the dresser beside the little boy’s bed. Placing her hands into the cold water with the towel, she quickly rinsed it and then placed it back on his forehead. Wiping her hands clean on the light brown apron she had on, she sat down on a stool chair that she had left the previous night. She watched as he continued to breath rigidly and sweat continuing to emerge from his pores. She placed her hands in her lap and watched him. The apron she wore was on top of her brown dress that seemed to be quite dirty at the moment. The dress was long and reached down to her ankles with long sleeves that were folded back to her elbows.
Continuing to watch him as he fell into a slumber she soon got up from the stool and left dark room, leaving only the light of a burning candle to light the room. She went out into the kitchen and just as she was about to sit down at the table to think of what to do she heard a knock at the front door. Walking towards the front of her house she did not open the door immediately. “Who’s there?” she asked.
“Miss Claire?” came an inquired, feminine voice from the other side of the dark, wooden door.
“What do you want?” she asked, unsure as to who the voice came from.
“Miss Claire, we mean no harm and are here to help you, your sick little boy, and your entire town,” another feminine voice answered clearly. “That is, if you let us,” she stated lastly. Claire hesitated at first and gave no response before opening the door and letting them enter her home. It was a small group of four individuals that consisted of two young women that appeared both in their early twenties, and two young men that also appeared to be in their early twenties.
“Thank you Miss Clare,” one of the young girls said as she gave a small bow. Her dark blond hair reached her back and rested in her shoulders. Her eyes were a simple green with a hint of hazel. She wore a dark green cloak around her hidden body. The other three wore the same cloaks. The only difference of the cloaks were the colors and, of course, the size.
Claire looked from one being to the other, puzzled as to who they were. She had never seen them before and they seemed quite well dressed. “Pardon my asking, but who are you four?” she asked in a bit of a hesitant voice. If they did come from a kingdom then she did not want to disrespect them and end up causing more trouble to their already poor town.
One of the young men stepped forward, his dark purple bangs slightly covering over his royal blue eyes from a certain angle, and his body cloaked in black. “Allow us to introduce ourselves and give reason as to why we are here,” he began. “I’m Lance and these are my comrades as well as friends.” He pointed to each person as he introduced them. “That is Luna.” He pointed to the young girl that had bowed and thanked Claire for letting them in. “That young man over there is Sphinx.” He pointed to the second young man as he gave a bow, his dark gray hair slightly tilting forward as he did so. His body was cloaked in red and a dark red headband with no symbol whatsoever around his forehead as he looked back up to them with sapphire eyes. “And lastly this young women here to my left is Mist.” She bowed towards her and then straightened, her black, shoulder length hair resting on her shoulders and the back of her neck as her ruby eyes looked at him. Her body was cloaked in red as well. He then turned back to Claire who still held a puzzled look on her face.
“So why are you four hear?” she asked, still hesitant as to who they were.
“As Mist said,” Luna began as she stepped forward, gaining Claire’s attention, “we are here to help you as well as everyone in this town. But first is first and that is taking care of your son who I believe is quite ill. Am I not correct?”
“No, you are quite correct - Luna was it? - that my son has taken a toll for the worst,” she answered, her voice deepening in worry of her own child. Mist smiled and walked over to Claire, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder as she looked up to her from Luna.
“Your son’s going to be okay,” she assured her. “We’re here to help and that means starting with your son. May I please see him?” Claire seemed confused but lead her to his room, nevertheless. The others followed from behind as Claire opened the door to her son’s room and let her enter. Mist walked towards the bed, looking down on the little boy’s pale face. She sat down on the small, wooden stool chair and placed a hand on his right cheek, feeling the little warmth that he held and the absolute coldness that the illness had set into his body.
“Please, what can you do to save him?” the boy’s mother asked.
“We can all assure you that Mist will be able to cure your son,” Sphinx answered her as he watched Mist. Claire looked over to Mist and watched her with anticipation as to what she was going to do. Lance and Luna continued to watch her as well. Mist closed her eyes and placed both her hands on the boy’s chest, concentrating as the candle’s flame began to grow. Claire was amazed as the room became warm and Mist’s body began to glow a vibrant red. The others continued to watch, no amazement in their eyes; only patience.
“What’s happening?” Claire asked, amazed by the light Mist was radiating. Soon her light went to Claire’s con, making his body glow red. His breathing slowed into an easy pace as all the sweat from his body evaporated and color appeared on his face. He slowly opened his eyes as the red glow faded away. Mist stood and walked towards the others, passing Claire as she held a look of astonishment. She ran over to her son as he sat up in his bed, the towel on his forehead falling onto the covers. He looked up to his mother as she embraced him tightly, tears brimming in her eyes. She looked up to the four, eyes full of joy and his son’s were filled with puzzlement. “Thank you, but how did you do that, and what was that light?” she asked.
Mist smiled. “Just like the tears of a phoenix are able to heal wounds, my touch can do the same,” she answered. “I am known as Mist, the Phoenix of Fire. Names follow my comrades as well. Luna, the Shadows of Light. Lance, the Fallen and Shunned Angel of Heaven and Hell. And Sphinx, the Dragon of the Skies. We are all here to help you to recover from this awful plague of death. We’re now ordinary people, but of course you already know that from first sight experience.” She laughed a bit and gestured for one of the others to continue.
“Miss Claire,” Sphinx continued, “we are here to help you and as well all of those who are suffering at this very moment in time. This town is plague with disease and famine, as are other towns like this. The elderly are dieing and so are the children. We are going to stop all of this hell and hopefully bring this world to life.”
Claire looked down to her son and then to them. “How can you four assure such a thing?” she asked, wondering if they were even possible of be able to save everyone.
“We would sooner die than lie about something like that,” Lance answered sincerely. Claire stared at him and then nodded, giving them a smile. The four smiled back and soon departed from her home.
“What now?” Luna asked as they stopped in front of the town’s cemetery. Mist stepped forward and then turned around to face everyone, spreading her arms out as her red cloak went over her shoulders, exposing her dark red shirt and black pants with a black and red sash around her waist. The others stood aside as they watched, waiting for her to do what they had told Claire. Forming a square the other three’s bodies began to glow. Sphinx’s body glowed a silvery blue. Lance’s body glowed a dark purple. And Luna’s body glowed a black and white. As the glow of their bodies radiated they spread throughout the town. The town and land became silent as their powers combined and enchanted the place, bring it to life. The fall leaves grew thick with colorful leaves, the ground became covered with green grass, and the town was brought back to life. The houses became fixed from whatever dents, broken door, windows, or broken roof it once had. Everything was becoming well again. The elderly that were ill became as healthy as they were before the illness took over. Their crop fields became plentiful with vegetables, fruit, and the stream filled with water. The glow diminished back into Mist, Sphinx, Luna, and Lance’s bodies as they all looked around, seeing the plagued town now filled with life.
Mist smiled joyfully to what they did. “Well I say we’ve done a very good job,” she stated. The others agreed.
“Now all we have to do is get the entire world like this and everything will be all right,” Sphinx said as he bent down, feeling the grass between the fingers of his black gloved hands. “Nice and healthy. As it should be.”
Lance smiled at Sphinx and Mist’s happiness as he looked at the rejuvenated town. It was a beautiful sight to see. He turned to Luna and the others. “Shall we go now?” he asked. Snapping out of their happiness they nodded, beginning to walk out of the town as hollers of joy began to sound from it.
“Good to see yet another town filled with life and joy once more,” Luna stated as she entered the darkness of the forest. Stopping she looked back to the others as they stopped in the light of the moon. “Let’s go back to Rune.” They agreed as they watched Luna disappear into the shadows of the night. Sphinx’s eyes began to glow as his body began to change shape, glowing as it became long like a serpent. Mist’s body did the same as her body grew in height within her glowing light. Lance’s body glowed as well as four objects appeared on his back. Once the glow from their bodies dissipated their forms appeared. Sphinx had changed into a long silver dragon like those of in Chinese legends. Mist had changed into a large, fiery phoenix who’s tail feathers seemed to burn with flames. Lance had grown two large angel wings with two below them that were of a smaller size.
“Let’s get going,” Lance said as his wings spread and flapped once, lifting his body into the air as he began to make his way back to Rune. Mist spread her wings open and began to flap as she flew into the air. Sphinx had no wing and didn’t need them to fly either as his dragon body began to lift itself into the sky, following after Mist and Lance as his body wavered like a serpents.
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Luna appeared from the shadows of Rune as she entered through the white hall doors and into the hall that would lead her to the dining room table. From the window that peered towards the outside she watched the other three landed gracefully on the large balcony. A glow came from the outside as their bodies morphed back into their original bodies. They entered inside the dining room and took their seats on the white chairs as they looked at one another. Mist looked from person to person as she began to get irritated from the awkward silence.
“Well, since no one else is going to begin, I will,” she told them as their glanced turned in her direction. As she spoke her voice was strict and to the point. “As we all know the planet is still plagued with this hell and though we have healed few towns there is still so much to be done. We need to find a way to heal the planet quickly before it dies out and then all the people die.”
Lance placed his hands together in front of his face, elbows on the white, marble table. “To heal the entire planet would take power, and though I believe we have it, it might destroy us,” he said in a clear and serious voice.
“He’s right,” agreed Sphinx. “If we were to even try to save the entire planet with our powers we would most likely end up dieing, and we’re not even sure that if we die the planet will actually be completely safe from harm. We need to make sure that before we die that we make sure that in the future there are others who will be able to save it from certain death.”
Luna crossed her arms. “If only it there was a way to actually be able to determine the safety of the planet, but even so, it’s still quite difficult to say if it’ll be safe or not,” she stated, her voice low in reply. “But still,” she said, uncrossing her arms. “We’re all that’s standing from the destruction of the planet or the rejuvenation of the planet. Either way you can see it it’s either we let the planet die and the human race within it go with it, or we die trying. There is no certain way to determine the absolute fate of what will happen once our lives are gone from here. We can only hope it’ll be for the best.”
The others stayed quiet. They knew Luna was right but to take such a high risk would irrational. They searched their minds for a more logical way to save the planet but no matter how much thought they put into it there was no other way. They were the planet’s last hope of survival and if they didn’t act quickly the planet and all those who occupied it would be gone. Though the risk was high and their lives were assured death, there truly was no other way. If the planet were to be saved, what did it matter that they would die? There was only one goal they had to achieve and that was to save the planet without hesitation.
“Then it’s settled,” Mist announced as she stood from her seat, pushing the chair back as her ruby eyes held ambition. “We save the planet no matter what, even at the cost of our own lives. Everyone else agree or disagree?”
“Agreed,” the others spoke in unison as they stood from their seat, pushing their chairs back as they did so. There joy in agreement did not last as a young women wearing a white dress entered the room.
“The council wishes to speak with you four,” she said in a monotone voice. “Please report to the Council Room immediately.” That said she left them and headed towards the entrance to the room and down the hall that lead to the Council Room. They glanced back at one another for a moment before moving to leave the same way the women in the white dress had.
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The wind blew as they prepared themselves. They had gotten approval from the council about their plan to sacrifice their own lives to save the planet from the hands of death. They were now in position throughout the planet as they readied themselves to unleash their powers. “This is the only way,” they said to themselves from their position in unison, and they were correct in saying so. This truly was the only way that they could save the planet. Even the council had said so, and if this was truly their fate then they would accept it without a second thought.
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“This is quite a high risk for you four to actually attempt,” one of the councilmen had said. The council was old and wise, even though they appeared in their twenties and thirties. They were contempt with how life was at the moment for them, but even so, they knew they would not last long if the world continued as so.
“We are fully aware at the consequences that’ll befall us if were to actually attempt this,” Lance said as he stepped forward from the others, “but please hear us out. The world is in pain and is dieing before our very eyes. The people are suffering and dieing as well. If we don’t do something to save the planet then there will be nothing left but a desolate planet. Please at least let us try, even at the cost of our lives.”
“That’s exactly the problem Lance,” another member of the council spoke. He had red hair, black eyes, and wore a long sleeved black shirt with a cross-like symbol in the front that was white. “If you four loose your lives in the process and this attempt fails what will become of the planet then? Who will be there to protect as you four have done?”
“Council,” Luna spoke as she walked forward beside Lance. “We know that what we’re doing is a very high risk to take and most likely we won’t survive, but if it means saving this planet then it doesn’t matter to us. If die then you’ll have to do the best to protect it.”
“She’s right,” Mist agreed as she walked forward. “When it comes down to it you all know we’re all that’s standing from the planet turning into more of a hellhole or coming back to life. We can’t go from town to town and save them all. That would take far too much time and that’s time we don’t have.”
“But what if the planet isn’t restored?” one of the other councilmen inquired, his blue eyes holding doubt in their attempt. “What if the planet isn’t restored and in the consequence of your judgment towards doing this is wrong?”
“That’s exactly it councilmen,” Sphinx said as he began to step forward to where the others were. “What if is all that can really be said. There aren’t any certain answers in life and this is no difference. But the fate of out world rests in our hands and no one else’s. We know what we’re attempting to do is irrational and the consequences are dire beyond what we could expect, but please let us try.”
The council stayed quiet for a moment as they thought about what he and the other three had just said. One of the council men stood, his turquoise hair reaching down his back as his green eyes looked down at the four that stood before the entire council. “Luna, the Shadows of Light. Lance, the Fallen and Shunned Angel of Heaven and Hell. Sphinx, the Dragon of the Skies. And Mist, the Phoenix of Fire.” He paused the they watched him ,wondering as to why he had recited their names and all. “Your appellations were given to you for what stand at as, but if you should die, those appellations will be no more to you or anyone. Your lives, be it true, are all that stand between death and life of this planet. I do not wish to see you four parish from this world, because you are truly of great significance to everyone’s lives. You have helped us all to live and given us hope to the end. Even though you four do tend vex most people. But nonetheless, you four have done great things. If the zenith of your tactics are what you wish to do, then so be it. Let us not be your way.” That said he took his seat.
The others were amazed by what he had said, but they also realized that they had just gotten approval to do as they pleased. They bowed to the council and then stood straight up, “Cleo, Angel, and the rest of the council,” began Lance as he looked at them, “we are grateful to you.”
“Thank you for everything,” Luna said.
“We wish there was another way, but,” Mist stopped and let Sphinx continue.
“But there’s no other way that can be close to assuring the safety of this planet,” Sphinx said.
Angel, the red haired councilman, and Cleo, the turquoise haired councilman, nodded towards them. The rest of the council said nothing and only prayed that they would be all right. “Go on now,” Angel said. “Do what you have to do. We won’t stop you.”
“Thank you,” the four said in unison as they departed from the Council Room. The other councilmen began to murmur doubts of their attempt to save the planet, but Cleo and Angel had faith in them.
“They’re not coming back, are they?” Angel asked in low and melancholy voice as he watched the doors close from where they had had left. He twirled his chair backwards and face in the opposite direction as soon as they left and doors behind them closed.
Cleo sighed as he hunched forward, placing his hands in front of him and his elbows now on the large, marble table he sighed. “Angel, there is little faith on my behalf that we will ever see them again from today,” he answered in a low voice that was a bit melancholy. “I know that what they are doing is of great importance to them, which is why I allowed it and gave approval. But if we were to scrutinize their plan and take it into consideration rationally, there would be no difference. The world is falling apart and everything is dieing. Nothing is forever in life, at least not here. For Mist, Sphinx, Luna, and Lance, we can only have faith and hope that in the end they will be all right.”
Angel leaned back in his chair, his black eyes looking at the dark ceiling. “What if in the end, even their bodies and souls don’t survive?” he inquired.
Cleo leaned back in his chair and looked to the ceiling as well. “It’s as Sphinx said: What if is all that can really be said. There aren’t any certain answers in life and this is no difference,” he recited as his eyes closed for a moment to think before reopening them. “Let us have faith in their actions and hope that they are not completely destroyed. For if that were to happen, I’m afraid they would cease to exist from this world, and they are unable to pass to the next world so they would be utterly gone.”
“Let’s hope they find a way,” Angel said as he felt his heart drop from the thought of them forever disappearing.
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