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Chapter 1 — The Betrayal

“King Jerald, it's your wedding day today….. are you sure you want to do this??” a sweating Rachel asked between breaths.
“I want to taste you for the last time before I marry that irritating Clariss and spend the rest of my miserable life with her. Now keep quiet before the guards notice my absence,” Jerald said while placing kisses on Rachel's neck. His statement got Rachel all excited and she giggled.
The pair were so caught up in so much intense heat that they had no idea they were being watched. Standing in the middle of the barn was princess Clariss, Jerald's wife to be in a wedding dress.
She had gone to the Teras fountain on top of Crystal tower for a quick goodluck wish. She was supposed to go at midnight according to tradition but abstained because she was not the type that believed a simple fountain would bring luck into one's marriage. It was custom for all the young women of Ergad kingdom to go up the crystal tower, place their hands in the Teras fountain and make a good luck wish for the prosperity of their marriage the day before their wedding day but she had earlier declined.
At night she kept tossing on her bed because for the past week she kept having the same dream over and over again. In the dream she was standing over a crying King Jerald who was asking for her mercy. She had initially brushed it off but again she had the same dream last night.
The whole morning she had been thinking about the dream but finally decided to share it with her cousin Miranda. Who convinced her to go up the tower for a quick goodluck before the wedding ceremony proceedings began. She finally agreed and wearing her wedding gown, princess Clarris flew to the tower but stopped halfway when she saw a figure that looked like her husband to be with a lady that looked like her best friend running playfully into the barn. “Jerald!” she stammered.
She landed on one of the stairs and tried to convince herself that it was not her king but curiosity got to her and she flew to the barn. She was meant with a gruesome sight of prince Jerald on top of her best friend Rachel. Her legs became numb and she stared at them with fury in her eyes. Her heart was torn into pieces and she could hear it beating fast.
It was Rachel, her best friend from childhood that felt a shadow in the room and opened her eyes, red green hateful eyes stared back at her, she quickly pushed Jerald off of her and cried out, “Clarris!”
Jerald looked behind and saw his fiancee smiling at him with teary eyes
“Please go on, do not mind me,” Clarris said. Deep inside her head, she was recalling her dream, it was quite different from the scene she was seeing. Jerald was not begging for forgiveness but was staring at her with shame in his eyes.
Jarald wiped the sweat off his forehead and quickly put on his trousers.
“Clariss??!! What are you doing here? You are supposed to be getting ready for the wedding.” an embarrassed Jerald asked without thinking.
Rachel covered her face in shame, she couldn't look her best friend in the eyes.
“How long have you two been screwing?” Clarris asked.
“That's not important,” Jerald replied.
“How long!” Clarris screamed.
“Not sure, years, Jerald replied.
Clarris felt her heart collapse, she took two steps and held on to a box for balance.
“Clarris our relationship was forced upon us by our parents, you and I have nothing in common. Rachel completes me, Just from our abilities, she is water and I'm fire, we are compatible.” You are just a girl….
that….. can fly.” Jerald added.
“Jerald no, please don't say that, Rachel intervined with tears dropping. Clarris it's not like this,”
“Shut up! Jerald go ahead please,” Clarris shouted out.
Jerald only stared at the floor in shame.
“I'm….. just…. a... flying... girl??” Clarris whispered between sobs. The room became quiet and Clarris stared at them with a smile on her face for what seemed to be forever then turned and began walking away. Jerald called out her name but she kept walking. She was filled with so much hate and rage that she couldn't hear her name being called because the sound of her heart beating overpowered the sound of anything. She pulled herself up and flew in the direction of the forest.
Both Prince Jerald and Rachel couldn't go after her because they couldn't fly. And she had taken off at the speed of light. Gerald's ability was to whirled fire and Rachel's was to whirled water. They both run to the castle and Jerald ordered his dark knights to go in the forest and fetch his wife to be. He was distraught and was all over the place. The guests and family members noticed that the bride was nowhere to be seen and they became impatient and began asking questions that king Jerald declined to answer.
The sun went down and the Dark knights returned with no Clarris, “My Lord we have searched the entire forest but there is no sign of her,” the knights reported.
“What do you mean you fools go back in the forest and only return once you find her” Jerald shouted out.
“But my Lord, it's past curfew and the creatures of the forest have come out to feast, we barely escaped.” Darell the leader of the dark Knight and whose ability was to shapeshift cried out.
Prince Gerald whirled a fireball, aided it and stopped it a few inches from Darell's face, “repeat what you have just said,” he ordered him.
“Prince Jerald what's going on! Where is my daughter?” King Charles, Clarris's father asked.
Jerald turned off the fire and faced the king, “We are looking for her, she flew into the forest but do not worry my king, the knights are on it.”Jerald lied.
The king's face turned pale and he felt like his weight was collapsing on him, “how! Why! Would she run in the forest on her wedding day”
Jerald walked over and gave the king a seat, “We had a simple misunderstanding and she ran into the forest,” he lied again.
“Misunderstanding!!! Why didn't you run after her??” the king asked shocked.
“ She flew away but I have sent the knights after her and they have been searching for her the whole day, they will soon find her.” Jerald signalled his Knights to go immediately and they all ran out with fear written all over their faces. The forest was not the place to be in at night, no matter what kind of ability one possessed. The place crawled with blood thirst creatures and demons that looked for bodies and soul to quench their thirst on. And if those did not get you, the Night catcher would, he was the faceless monster that roamed the forest looking for people with abilities and stealing them away. But the knights had no option but to go in again.
“But why didn't you inform us about her disappearance all this time,” King Charles shouted.
“I thought the knights would bring her back,” Jerald stated with shame all over his face.
Deep in the dark forest, princess Clariss finally stopped flying, she was so tired that she felt her legs cripple down her and she fell to the ground. She had no idea which part of the forest she was in because she had been flying the whole day without stop. It was like she was flying towards something rather than running away from something. She and king Jerald had been betrothed since they were toddlers. And their union would strengthen the two kingdoms, Egrad and Arthora.
Her kingdom Arthora had the weapons and army while prince Jerald's kingdom had the resources, land and alot of people with abilities. It was not everyone who was born with the gift of powers, only a few were chosen. And among all the seven kingdoms, Egrad was fruitful with people with strong abilities.
It was an alliance that both their parents had come up with in order to merge the two kingdoms and make them powerful. The two grew up knowing each other and it was Princess Clarris that first fell in love and worshiped Prince Jerald. She had spent all her years learning to love him, accepting his flaws and vise versa.
But that dream now seemed far fetched, seeing him on top of her best friend brought out so much hate and anger. The wasted years was all she could think about, the mockery, how long had they been sleeping together boiled her guts. She had been a fool all these years.
She lay on the ground and cried her heart out, tears kept flowing and the ground she was lying on became soaked up. It was like she was crying a river of tears.

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Chapter 2 — The Deadman's Forest

Rachel kept pacing the room, it was all dark outside and there was no sign of her best friend. Her heart was full of regret. She had no intention of falling for King Jerald or having an affair with him but she failed to resist him and one night with him turned into years of sneaking around behind her best friend's back.
King Jerald walked in and she ran into his arms, “Did they find her?” She asked with teary eyes.
“No, they searched the entire forest but came out empty handed. But do not worry I sent them back in,” Jerald replied.
“Oooh my God we killed her, no one survives the Deadman's forest at night,” Rachel cried out.
Jerald held her face in his huge hands and said, “no sweetheart, we did not drag her into the forest, it was her decision.”
Rachel pushed him away, “our actions forced her to run into The Deadman's forest, our actions!” Rachel shouted out.
“Why didn't she just insult us, scratch you, or start a cat fight, like other women do, why Jerald?? Instead she smiled at us, I can still see that smile.” Rachel cried out.
“This is Clariss, she has always been different, I do not have the answer to that,” Jerald replied.
“What if something happens to her?” Rachel cried.
“Nothing will happen to her, maybe she flew past the forest, or she is in Arthora, even better, maybe is hiding in this very castle,” Jerald assured her.
Rachel sat on her bed and cried, she remembered how Clarris was all excited in the morning about the wedding. Instead of helping her with the final touches, Rachel had excused herself and lied that she was going to get extra beads for the dress but instead made a turn into King Jerald's Chambers were the two sneaked off for a last romance encounter.
That selfish taste of rust would now lead to the death of not just a friend but the princess of an entire kingdom.
They heard a knock on the door, a servant walked in and delivered a message to them, King Charles was asking for King Jerald's presence. Jerald sighed at the mention of that. He had spent the entire afternoon avoiding Clarris's father. He had no answers to give him and most importantly he was too ashamed to look him into the eyes…….
In the Deadman's Forest, Clarris was exhausted from all the crying that seemed to have soaked the ground she was laying on. She tried to get up but felt movement underneath her. Suddenly the ground began to move, it collapsed underneath her and she fell in. Clariss screamed but her scream went unheard.
She kept falling and falling into what seemed like an endless cave. She tried flying up but something was dragging and pulling her down. She tried again but was too weak, the force was too powerful for her. She felt like she was falling for what seemed like forever and was going to plunge to her death. She closed her eyes and prepared for it but to her surprise she landed like a leaf on water.
She opened her eyes and almost laughed. She looked around then felt something under her dress, she grabbed it, took a look at it and her guts turned when she saw something that resembled a human toe. She quickly threw it and got up. She looked around again and noticed that she was surrounded by human remains. This frightened her to the core and she tried to take off but couldn't. Again she tried but couldn't fly. She now started panicking it was like her ability to fly had disappeared. She ran to the sides of the cave and tried to climb but stopped when she heard her name, “Clarrrisssss,” the voice hissed.
She closed her eyes and began to count to ten. It was something that she developed when she was young, Everytime she felt terrified, she would close her eyes and count backwards from one to ten. Her day was definitely turning for the worst.
“Clarrrisss,” the hissing voice called out again. She now began counting louder but she could still hear the voice inside her thoughts.
Above the cave she had fallen into, Darrell and his team of knights were running from the shadow that had been hunting them off one by one. They couldn't see what it was because it was so fast and dark, all they could hear was the screams of their fellow knights being picked off one by one. “Let's go back, retreat!” Darrell shouted out. even though he could shapeshift into anything, there was no way he could leave his men behind. He looked around and everything seemed the same, he was so tired and out of the breath. He had entered the forest with nine men and now they were just the two of them left.
Whatever was picking them off one by one had led them into the thickest part of the forest and now they both couldn't tell which way they had come from. Everything looked the same. “Let's just keep heading in the direction of the path,” the other knight suggested in a terrified voice.
“That's what it wants, it's leading us to our death, why do you think the other routes are closed?” Darrell shouted out
Darrell could smell the stench of blood, he asked his other knight if he could smell it too, “I can smell death,” his counterpart replied but before Darrell could reply a cold breeze swept through and his counterpart disappeared too. Darrell looked behind before the fog could immerse him he shapeshifted into a tiny mouse and was immediately soaked in blood. In his human form he had no idea that he was walking in a pool of blood and now that he was a tiny mouse, he could now understand why he smelled blood earlier. The ground was flowing with blood and the stream of blood began carrying his tiny mouse body. He tried shapeshifting back into human form but he couldn't, just like Clarris his ability to shapeshift had disappeared all of a Sudden.
The river of blood swept him into the cave dark cave. The cave was filled with so much blood that he nearly drowned. He tried swimming but got knocked on a human bone and lost consciousness. On each corner of the cave were nine wooden pikes, each with the beheaded skeleton head of the nine knights he had entered the forest with. The Cave smelt of death and it looked like someone had prepared it for a grand sacrifice.
Clarris had no idea of the transformation that was happening behind her; she had kept her back turned with her hands covering over her ears and she was counting out loud.
“Clarrissss, why do you hide your face from the one you summoned,” the hissing voice said out loud. “look at me my child,”
Clarris turned but found no one except for the fact that the cave had changed in appearance, it was now filled with blood and beheaded skeleton heads. This sent a shiver down her spine.
She ran to the poles and almost vomited at the sight. She looked down and noticed that the blood was not sticking to her gown, she was able to practically walk through it.
“Clarrissss you summoned meeee and I'm here my child.”
“Who are you, I did not summon anyone! show yourself you bloody coward,” Clarris shouted out.
“I'm here child but I'm no cowardsss, you are the cowardss that run away from your cheating lover and best friend in bed,” the voice teased.
Clarris heart began beating fast again at the mention of her best friend and husband to be in bed. The walls of the caves began shaking.
“Calm down Clarrissss, you will bury usss alive,” the voice hissed from her back, she could feel and smell the stench.
She turned and was now able to put a face to the voice, in front of her stood a tiny wrinkled hideous woman in rags. Her skin looked like it was decaying and there was pus and maggots everywhere. Her eyes were as glittery as a snake's, they complemented her hissing voice.
“You stare, you look but you do not ask,” the witch hissed.
Clarris stood still stared at her, she did not show any sign of fear or disgust.
“You summoned me with your tears, Clarrisss and I'm here to dry them,” she hissed.

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Chapter 3 — Cresent Witch

“I did not summon you, give me my powers back, why can't I fly?” Clarris yelled at the witch.
The witch laughed out hard and began circling Clarris, “You woke me up from my millennial old sleep. Seven years you cried, seven years you moaned the Betrayal of your lover and bestfriend. Seven years your tears flooded my tomb,”
“What are you talking about? that's not even possible?? I just got tired from flying, lay on the ground and sobbed for some minutes,” Clarris spoke in a terrified voice. “ and then the ground collapsed beneath me and I found myself in here, now I have lost my ability to fly.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha,” the Witch sneered.
“Clarris ssss you've been crying for seven years, you've been in this forest for seven years. You've been……….long forgotten child.”
Clarris moved a bit back, now fear was consuming her
“Just look around…. ..was this the appearance of the cave when you first found yourself in here?” The witch asked.
Clarris looked around and could clearly see that the cave had drastically changed apart from the blood that she was standing in and that seemed like an illusion and the heads on the spike, the cave had no opening, the entire upper part of the cave was sealed with overgrown shrubs, twigs and branches.
Clarris began Punicking, “No no this is a trick witch, this is your magic at work. I order you to free me now!” she yelled out.
In a swift, the witch snapped her fingers and they were teleported into Crystal castle, Ergad, king Jerald's kingdom. The witch had made sure to teleport in King Jerald's chambers. Clarris smiled but the mini second smile was replaced with disgust when she heard the moaning of a woman, she turned and it was Jerald and Rachel making love.
“You stupid witch, get me out of this past,” Clarris yelled out.
“This not the past my child this is the present, seven years after your disappearance,” the witch said out in mocking voice
“No no you are lying, this is your illusion," Clarris cried out.
The steaming love making of Rachel and King Jerald grew louder, “my king please slow down, remember I'm pregnant,” Rachel said between moans.
Clarris hearts sank in, “please tell me this is an illusion, tell me this is what will happen if I do not go back?”
“Sorry child this is happening now, they just can't see us or hear us.”
“How????? hours ago I was in this castle preparing for my wedding?”
Before the witch could reply, there was a knock on the door and the pair in bed stopped making love and quickly scrambled for their clothes, “Father we can't sleep,” a child's voice cried out.
Jerald stood up and walked through Clarris's body and opened the door, two handsome boys rushed in and gave King Jerald a hug. “Father, there is a monster on the window,” the youngest one cried out.
Jerald lifted the two boys and tossed them on the bed, “The monster will not follow you in this fortress,” he said while tickling both boys. The boys giggled and the oldest went and sat on Rachel's laps.
Clarris could tell that the oldest was seven or six, she looked at the witch, who gave her a wide smile, “Yes dear, Rachel was with child the day you ran into the forest.”
Clarris's tears turned into bitterness, “But how? When?” she cried out.
The witch snapped her figure and they teleported to the day after Clarris ran into the forest.
King Charles was pleading with king Jerald for more knights, “We need to send more knights into Deadman's forest, she might be alive?” king Charles yelled on top of his voice.
“I have just lost the strongest assassins to that dumped Forest, nothing has been found of them. And you expect me to risk more men,” King Jerald replied.
King Charles became furious and slammed on the table, “This is the princess, your wife to be we are talking about, we should risk everyone's life!”
Jerald stared at him quietly, he had not slept the tire night and was tired, he needed to get king Charles off his back, “I can spare a few men but before dark they will return, no more men should die because of your daughter's recklessness. Darrell was the last shapeshifter we had in all the seven kingdoms, he was like a brother to me. Do you know how valuable his ability was to this kingdom?” King Jerald yelled out.
“A few men???” King Charles asked with sorrow in his eyes, Jerald just looked down without saying a word.
King Charles left the room furiously. Clarris tried to hold her father's arm but she couldn't touch anything soluble, her hands passed through king Charles's arm, “Father I'm here, please do not be sad,” she cried out.
“My Child he can not hear you,” the witch reminded her. Clarris looked at Jerald with hate, the useless man could not even go out and look for. It disgusted her to the core. All these years he had been pretending to love her...
Rachel walked into the room, she and Jerald shared a long hug, “she is gone forever isn't she?” she asked.
“Darrell and his men did not survive, how could she?” he replied.
Rachel was consumed with guilt, she felt her stomach turn and could feel everything on her throat. She ran to her Chambers and Jerald followed behind. Clarris and the witch also followed.
Rachel went straight into her bathroom and vomited. She came back holding her tummy. “My king, I think I'm with child.” she said suddenly.
Jerald's sad face turned into happiness and he lifted her off her fit, “her you sure my love, this is great news. I've been dreaming of this day” he said.
Clarris rushed to where Rachel was standing and tried to grab her but to no avail. The witch laughed out hard.
“Very sure, I have been having morning sickness for the past days.” Rachel replied
“Why didn't you inform me of such good news, this is beautiful news?” Jerald asked.
“You were going to marry my best friend,” Rachel replied looking away.
“Clarris's heart began beating fast again and the room began shaking.”
Jerald held on to a terrified Rachel, “what was that,” he asked.
“An earthquake maybe,” Rachel replied In a terrified voice.
“Calm down Clarrisss!” the witch yelled at her.
“You said they can't hear me, how come they can feel me”
“You are more powerful than you think, you are not just a girl that can fly,” the witch hissed
Clarris remembered the terrible words that Jerald had told her, “you are just a girl that can fly”
Hate built up and the castle began shaking vigorously, “I'm going to bury them in this stupid castel” Clarris yelled out.
“Stupid girl, you are not seeing the bigger picture here?”
Clarris looked at the witch with pain in her eyes
“Watch them, don't you want to know what happened,” the witch asked.
Clarris calmed herself down and looked at the happy couple embracing each other.
“We have to get married,” Jerald whispered in Rachel's ears
Rachel moved a bit and stared back at king Jerald, “we can't, what will people think of us, what of Clarris?”
“She is long gone, it's unfortunate but this is destiny,” he knelt down and kissed Rachel's feet. “Clarris and I were not met to be, she was not worthy to rule Ergad by my side but you on the other side are perfect.”
“My king.” Rachel blushed.
“My queen, yes I know she was your friend but we can wait for one month, then announce our marriage.”
Clarris's eyes turned black from the words she had just heard, never did Jerald ever address her by the “My queen” term in all the years they had been in courtship.
Seeing this the witch got all excited, she had intentionally brought Clarris to these points in time to unleash her powers with hate.
“I love you Rachel, please make me the happiest man,” Jerald said with teary eyes.
Rachel was hesitant, she had just lost her Friend, what would people think of her. And they were the only two that were present when Clarris took off. And if they married now people would probably think they killed Clarris off in order to be together.
“No we can't Jerald, she was my best friend, what if she is alive.”
Jerald held on to her tightly, “okay, one year, let's give her one year. But even if she returns I will marry you, give you beautiful sons that we will raise in this castle.”
“One year?”
“Yes my love,” he replied.
“I do not know,” she replied in a confused voice. Jerald got up and gave her a lot of kisses.
Clarris just stared at them then turned to the witch and said, “I want them dead.”
“You can make them suffer for an entity, king Jerald said you were not worthy to be his queen.”
“Shut up! I heard everything, just shut up!” Clarris said while holding her head.
The witch snapped her fingers and they were teleported to one year after Clarris's disappearance. The castle was full of festival celebration, and in a corner Rachel stood in a wedding gown. Upon seeing this Clarris knelt to the floor.
The entire castle was in a happy mood, everyone was excited, it was clear that they had moved on and forgotten about her. “How could they all forget me just like that?” Clarris asked.
A servant walked in with a baby wrapped in her hands, “My lady here you go, he is still crying.” Rachel excitedly took the baby and began breastfeeding him.
“I can't watch this, where is my father? Why did he allow this nonsense to take place?” The witch snapped her fingers and they were in Arthora, seated in front of her was her father drinking himself to death. The marriage alliance with Ergad kingdom meant everything to him. Now he had no daughter nor Ergad.
“Father stop,” Clarris knelt before him, “I'm here father, I'm alive.”
“He can not hear you, and we are running out of time.” The witch reminded her.
“Leave me alone stupid witch!” Clarris shouted out.
“If I go you will forever be stuck in this realm, crying, regretting and moaning your lover.”
“Come with me if you want to avenge the injustices King Jerald unleashed upon you. It was his father's idea to marry you, he had all the powers to break up this alliance but he did not, it was his fault that you ran off into the forest. Why should you allow him to leave happily ever after?”
Clarris's eyes turned black again, what the witch was saying was hundred percent correct. Why should she be moaning for a man that betrayed her. Looking at her father she was consumed with so much hate. He was not a reflection of the powerful king he used to be and it was all thanks to king Jerald. Why should everyone suffer except for King Jerald.
Without realizing it, she snapped her fingers and they all teleported back into the cave. This excited the witch, “yes I knew it was always within you"
Clarris looked at her terrified, “how….. was... I.. able to do that?” Clarris stumered.
“You come from a bloodline of Crescent witches. I'm Creselda your long lost aunt. King Jerald's ancestors killed and buried me in this tomb for eternity. Your tears woke me up my child." The witch said with a grin.
“What.....what... Clarris” stammered
“Powers skipped a lot of generations because your stupid fore Father's cast a spell to hide your real identities. After what had happened to me. You survived Deadman's forest because you are protected by that curse.”
Clarris looked scared and terrified but deep inside she was excited, with such powers, she was now able to exact her revenge. She was no longer the girl that could fly. She had so much hate for King Jerald and Rachel that she did not care if she was making a deal with the devil.
The witch began circling the cave and walls began to move, “Clariss are you ready? You will make them cry for all of the entities, you cried for seven years but they will cry for eternity. King Gerald said you were not worthy, you will show him what worthless means. He will know better not to have made a crescent witch cry… ..

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