The King's Beloved

~ [Music Recommendation: "Scars of Time" by Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Cross OST) - available in Spotify or Youtube] ~ Please listen to it in loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this scene ~

A blinding light welcomed the team as they arrived on the seventh realm. When they opened their eyes, giant waterfalls welcomed them above, and the beach sand on their feet below. There was a lot of greenery and different bodies of water - an ocean behind them, a lake far ahead, waterfalls which were already mentioned, and rivers at the sides. They spun their heads in all directions and noticed that they were in some sort of island, surrounded by many other smaller islands - an archipelago. 

The whole place was so peaceful and beautiful like those places one mostly visited during the summer - the only difference was it being more mystical and magical-looking than normal. There were strange birds flying in the air, unique creatures on the sand, and Rania could have sworn that she saw a mermaid jump from the ocean near them. Her eyes widened for a moment, but she shouldn't be surprised anymore having Luna, a fairy; Ducis, a dragon; and Elliot, basically an alien, standing beside her.

"Wooooooow," Luna gasped in awe of the place. "This realm is … breathtaking!"

"It is," Rania nodded in agreement. "And I think I saw …," she pointed her thumb towards the ocean, "I mean, was that - you know, a mermaid?"

"Oh! There's mermaids here?" Luna exclaimed, her face lit up in excitement. "I need to greet them! I've always wanted to play with mermaids. They sing great, too!"

"I hope we're not forgetting that this is a trial?" Ducis raised his eyebrows towards Luna, an obvious sign of disapproval from her rather excited behaviour. "You always end up playing around when we travel through different realms. I'm starting to think if we really should bring you along or not?"

Luna squinted her eyes, an evident sign of another fight brewing. "As you may know," Luna answered in a high-pitched tone, "I'm the only one who can decipher the words from the doors of the temples, therefore, only I can open it. So I am definitely needed here. How about you? When did you really help, huh?"

"I help when necessary and appropriate," Ducis replied, his voice getting louder. "At least I don't bring troubles".

"Oh really? And I do?" Luna pouted.

"Oh, boy," Rania sighed and pressed on her forehead. "Will there ever be a day that you two won't fight?"

"No!" Luna and Ducis chorused.

While the two were busy bickering, and Rania preoccupied on trying to mediate, Elliot continued to survey the place and walked along the shore. Even he was amazed by its beauty. Having been cooped up in a bedchamber or a forest from his youth, seeing the ocean, feeling the cool breeze touch his skin, it felt ... 'new' to him. Yes, they travelled through different realms already; a forest, a city, a town, a desert, another town, then this - an island filled with bodies of water. It was indeed rather unique and tranquil than normal. And somehow, he enjoyed it.

Well, that was until he stepped on a magic circle. It lit up and glowed deep blue. Noticing it, Rania, Luna, and Ducis, quickly turned their heads towards Elliot's direction. Their eyes widened as they saw him vanish from thin air, along with the glow of the magic circle.

"Elliot!" they chorused and immediately ran towards his direction. However, when they reached it, the magic circle was no more and there were no signs of Elliot. No aura, no spiritual trace, nothing at all. With worry-stricken faces, they looked at each other and agreed to look for him.

Meanwhile, Elliot was transported to a different place. When he opened his eyes, he found himself inside a peculiar looking room. It was dark and empty except for the probably hundreds of mirrors everywhere. Wherever Elliot laid his eyes on, he saw a reflection of himself, looking back at him. He didn't mind them though. Instead, he walked along the path, searching for a way out.

A few moments passed and Elliot stopped when he noticed that he already scanned the whole place but there were no exits anywhere. Elliot remained calm despite the situation. However, there was something about being alone in a dark room that didn't settle right with him. There was this unshakable ominous feeling that he kept on getting.

"Hyaaaaaaaa!!!" a man's scream greeted Elliot from behind.

Elliot looked back as soon as he heard the voice. His eyes widened in disbelief when he saw that the man behind him was … no one else but him!

Another "him" to be exact …

The man held a giant warhammer in his hands and used it to aim at Elliot. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Elliot was able to dodge it right away. Looking back, Elliot saw that the ground where he stood was pulverized in a matter of seconds, and the mirrors near it suffered the same fate. 

Elliot stared at the man and noticed he looked exactly like him which made him think that it was probably a clone of some sort … or a magic that copies images - like those earth dolls Terra could do, or sand golems of Saburra. And since he was inside a room filled with mirrors, then the mirrors probably had magic in them and copied him. But that warhammer … it was so powerful and its spiritual energy was very concentrated. He cast magic in his eyes to analyze the spiritual trace and its flow, but even that, was the exact copy of his! - which in a way, explained the reasoning behind the warhammer being too powerful. 

Truly, if this clone were to set foot outside, it would definitely do a great job pretending to be him. He would be the perfect impostor. Elliot cringed at the mere thought of it.

Elliot's clone turned to him and attacked him again, using the warhammer. On and on, he attacked him. Elliot kept on evading them as he tried to observe the clone before him.

"Why … a clone?" Elliot thought to himself. "Is this the trial? That I need to surpass myself? Hence, the reason for this clone being so powerful? Is this a trial of strength? Do I just need to fight him and prove I'm stronger?"

BAAAAMMM!!!

And yet another smashing sound from the warhammer of the clone. Not even a minute had passed and a big portion of the mirror-filled room already collapsed. The clone kept on attacking Elliot without uttering a single word. He just kept on grunting and shouting.

A few moments passed by and Elliot finished his observation. Since he couldn't think of any other reason for the existence of his clone, he decided to defeat it and see what would happen from there. From his palm, he summoned his Zweihänder and began to fight back.

Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! 

Their weapons clashed against each other. As their weapons met, Elliot's arm trembled a bit by the power of the warhammer.

"That strength … and boost, it's familiar," Elliot thought to himself. "Could it be?" He jumped backwards to put distance between him and the clone. 

Elliot's eyes glowed again as he analyzed further the warhammer that the clone was holding - and his assumption was right! 

"Earth element …," he mumbled to himself. Raising his Zweihänder, he imbued it with his spiritual energy, and whispered, "Zweihänder - fourth form, Verus Mode".

As soon as he chanted those words, the body of the sword got covered in bright light and its shape started changing. Unlike the third form which was a scythe, this time, the sword changed into a giant warhammer! That wasn't all. The two warhammers looked exactly alike! The pole was made with golden metal covered by intricate markings and design. There was a brown leather at its handle to enhance grip. The head of the hammer was made from a very sturdy-looking metal at one end, and earth spikes at the other. At its center, where the pole and the head connected, was a large brown crystal and a piece of metal with carvings on it, holding them together.

Seeing the exact likeness of their warhammer, Elliot was alarmed. 

"The Zweihänder was supposed to be one of a kind …," Elliot pondered, with worry drawn all over his face. "Especially the guardians and their crystals! Yet … why? How can something as powerful as this be easily copied by magic? And what's worse … even the amount of spiritual energy in it is exactly the same! What is the meaning of this?"

While Elliot was preoccupied in his thought, the clone began attacking again. He smashed his warhammer on the ground before him and a long flash of light divided the ground and pulverized everything on its way. The light was aimed at Elliot. Using his air glide skill, he leaped into the air and glided to the blind side of the clone in a blink of an eye. He then lifted his own warhammer and smashed him.

DUUUUGGGSSSH!!!

A pile of smoke and dust filled the air, and the ground where the clone stood also got pulverized. 

But the clone wasn't there.

Elliot looked around, casting magic in his eyes once more to check for spiritual traces.

Little did he know that the clone was behind him, hiding in a mist …

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Hi Beloved Readers!

As part of "Authors & Readers Win-Win Event", I've decided to do a mass release if we reach the below numbers of privilege readers for September! XD

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