Serenay Moon
Episode 50: Endorah
©2002 Kitty Ocean
Kitt shot up, her heart beating in her troth. She looked around and saw some hay lying around her. On her left side, she saw Mika and Moka, softly snoring and making chirping sounds. On her right side she saw Zach and Derak. Kitt looked at her hands. She then put her hands through her hair and released a soft sniff. Kitt felt a hand on her shoulder; it was Zach.
"Hey, what's up?" He asked.
Kitt shook her head. "It's just that... I never killed a man before... the General..."
Zach nodded. "I know, I feel the same. But it was he or we. And if we don't save Chibi Kim, the universe will be doomed."
"How can you be so certain about that?" Kitt softly whispered. "In my old days I've destroyed some mudmonsters, but they were 100% mud! In the past few weeks I've killed a woman, saw a new friend die and because of us, 2 other people died. And now the General. I killed a human being."
Zach knew she was right. "He wouldn't have hesitated to kill us. We are on a mission. And maybe, how weird this may sound, nothing ought to keep us from loosing that sight. Without us, the Guardians and the Universe are doomed."
Kitt stood up. "I never asked for this gig."
Zach followed her. "Me neither. I just feel this is what we should do."
"Then why don't I feel like that too?" She looked in his eyes. "Zach, I'm so sick of killing people, or seeing them die! I want to go home! I even miss my sister!"
Zach held her in his arms. "Soon. I promise, soon we will go home."
At that moment, a girl walked in. She had a cheerful face. "Already up? Look Liam, you should take them as an example for you!"
Liam walked in; he yawned loudly. "Shut up Lyah!" He grumbled. "I only do this because you know Fanen!" Liam replied. "I'm sticking my neck out for that classmate of yours! We could get killed for this!"
Lyah looked at Liam. "Whatever; you are such a coward. Soon the planet will be free of that monstrous BlackHeart!" She then turned at Zach and Kitt. "Wake up your friends; I've got some great information."
While Zach and Kitt woke up Mika, Moka and Derak, they both remembered how they met Liam and Lyah. They were just a few meters near the city-gate when Lyah spotted them. She knew they were the promised rebellions because Fanen send a bird with their descriptions. When she learned they were looking for a way in, she hesitated no second and hid them between her Yumoja. After some heartbeating moments, Lyah reached her home and Zach and his friends could hide in the shed. Hours later Liam came home and when he found out his beloved was hiding Zach and his friends, he got furious! Zach knew why Liam didn't want them to be there. After the battle with the General, news had spread fast and there were even more soldiers in the street than usual! Liam feared for his life, as well as his beloved's life.
Lyah gave Zach and his friends a bowl with some white looking stuff. It looked like gruel with outdated cereal, but Lyah said it was very healthy and all that they could afford. "I hope you kick that wicked Queen for her oversized butt!" Lyah grinned.
Mika played with her food and Moka tried to investigate if it was still alive or not. "You said you had some new information." Zach tried not think of the gruel that lay before him when he got right to the point.
"Oh yeah!" Lyah looked up. "In this village we have an old man who used to be a smith. He's really old, way older than me."
"Get to the point Lyah!" Liam grumbled and ate of the gruel.
Lyah looked at him ticked off, but continued anyway. "Well, I was talking to him yesterday if he knew a way inside the palace without being noticed."
"You took quite a risk Lyah." Kitt replied. "What if he betrays you?"
Lyah shook her head. "I don't think he'll do that. He always talks about the black light that surrounds our Queen."
"The man is blind Lyah!" Liam snapped.
"Why are you always picking on me?!" Lyah snapped back. "ANYWAY, he said he knew a underground passage that was hidden inside the old well. The empty one." Lyah took a spoon filled with gruel. "About half an hour ago, I went to that well to see if it's right. A girl climbing in an old abandoned well in daylight is quite suspicious. And there is a passage there!"
Zach shot up! "Than this is it! That passage must be the way in!"
Derak looked up when he cleaned his bowl. "How can you be certain of that?" He asked. "You heard Liam, the man is blind and very old. His mind can be playing tricks on him."
"The man might be old." Lyah started. "But his mind is still pure. I believe him, and I think this is your only chance."
For a moment Zach and his friends looked at each other, trading each other's opinions without talking. Zach then looked at Lyah. "Where is that well?"
In the darkness of the night, Zach and his friends followed Liam and Lyah. They knew they had to be silent at all cost, if they wanted to stay hidden from all the guards. Sneaking from shadow to shadow, Lyah led the warriors through the streets.
It almost seemed that Kitt tripping would betray them, but in the nick of time they managed to hide.
Finally, after a long walk, Lyah opened the door to an old house. "Mister Trai, I have brought you the people I talked about."
Mister Trai stood up with his stick and walked directly at them. As if he could see, he took Mika's hand. "So pure." He spoke. "I can feel your powers, my child, the powers from the soul. They are your gift." Mika looked at the man with big eyes. "I can feel you are feeling sorry for me child. What is your name?"
"M... Mika..." Mika trembled. How did he know?
"Mika..." The man repeated. "I may be old and blind, but I still can see with my heart. You would like to heal me; using your powers to return my sight..." Mister Trai smiled. "Don't feel sorry for me. The good gods decided I should try to live my life this way. Unlike others, I had the blessing to see once."
Zach burst in. "I'm sorry that I'm being so rude Mister Trai, but we have a mission to complete. Please..."
But Mister Trai didn't let him finish his line. "Fire. You are as passionate as fire. Determent to complete your goal, no matter what." He smiled. "Ah, and an aquatic one. Another element, with an attitude to match."
Kitt felt insulted, but was stopped by Zach. "Let him speak." What did that man know?
The man turned to Moka. "As bright as the stars. You got the gift of the air. And you...." He turned at Derak. "The earth. She is waiting for you. This planet needs to grow into its full glory again."
Mister Trai sighed and walked at a door. He felt a few times until he found the handle. The old man opened the door and showed an old well. "You have been looking for this, haven't you?" Mister Trai stepped aside.
All were rejoiced about the well and walked at it. "Thank you Mister Trai!" Mika bowed politely.
Zach was the last one and Mister Trai took his arm. Zach looked at the old rippled hand. "You've grown boy." Mister Trai said. "You are not the same boy that won a simple tournament."
Zach nodded. "I know. None of us are the same any more."
"Be careful son."
"I will."
"I'm not talking about the danger." Zach looked confused at Mister Trai. "You will lose her if you don't open your eyes." Zach got more confused as Mister Trai continued. "She's like the rain. One day, she might vanish."
"Zach, come on!" Kitt hissed from the well.
Zach looked at Mister Trai. "Thank you." He thanked. "I've got to go now." Zach followed Kitt into the well.
At the bottom, there was a small passage where they all managed to crawl through. The ground was dryer than expected and the passage was longer than imagined. After a long crawl, they reached the spring of the well. There was nothing left besides a small lake. Lyah, Liam, Zach and his friends found themselves in a cave. Small drops dripped from the ceiling into the water. Small rings were formed that grew within seconds.
Liam put on a torch. "This way." He pointed.
Only a few miles away, the Queen opened the lock to the prison once more. "Leave me alone!" She commanded her servants and closed the door with a loud slam. She walked at the crystal ball where she saw a small child. Queen BlackHeart stood before the caged 'bird' and was silent.
Chibi Kim looked at her, with red eyes. "They are here, aren't they?" She smiled softly.
"You tell me." Queen BlackHeart replied. "Aren't you the wise Heart? Don't you know everything?"
"It's not too late." Chibi Kim said. "You can still return."
Queen BlackHeart laughed. "Return?! To that puny life I had?"
"They will stop you." Chibi Kim looked at her. "It's your fate, Child."
Queen BlackHeart bellowed. "Fate?! Don't talk to me about fate! You never allowed me to see the stars, to go to the surface! I gave you everything I had, and you never appreciated it!"
"Think about your daughter." Chibi Kim then commanded. "Is she worth it? Will you...?"
"No!" Queen BlackHeart turned around. "He will not have her! He gave me life, but my daughter shall never be his!"
"He will have her." Chibi Kim talked with a frozen voice. "Only we can protect her." Queen BlackHeart was silent. "It's not too late, my Child. Return to us Endorah."
The cave was dark. The only light came from Liam's torch. "Are you sure this is the right way?" Zach asked.
Liam turned around. "To me, this seems the ONLY way!" Annoyed and irritated he walked on.
"Don't pay attention to him Zach." Lyah mumbled. "He's just cranky."
All stepped into another, this time much larger, passage. When they came out of it, Liam stopped. Little droplets fell into the crystal clear water. "Hey Lyah?" Liam asked.
"What's up?" Lyah asked and stepped next to him. Her mouth fell open.
"Did you knew there was a temple here?" Liam asked again.
Before them, all saw a huge temple, with small waterfalls from each side. It was high above them, but so beautiful. Zach climbed up some rocks.
"Zach!" Kitt yelled. "Why are you...?"
Zach looked back. "I don't know. Something about this place feels familiar. Come on!"
All followed Zach up. After a long climb, they reached the entrance. Lyah and Liam fell down on their knees. "Pure holy ones..." Both whispered. "Forgive us for entering this shrine of goodness." They then stood up and walked at them.
"How do you know this is a place of goodness?" Moka asked.
Lyah pointed towards a sign above the door. "That sign. It's the sign of the gods."
Liam nodded. "The gods protected this place, thus it must be a good place."
Slowly entering, Zach and his friends looked around. "Just look at these runes." Derak noticed. "Can you read them Liam?"
Liam looked at them. "It's an old language. Most words are forgotten, but I still know a few ones."
"Could it be a story?" Kitt asked.
"I don't know." Liam replied. "Some of these lines don't make sense. This word means Heart and the next one means Universe."
Lyah stood on the other side. "Here the same. Words next to each other that don't match. As far as I know, priests and priestess protected this place, but I can't seem to find out what they were protecting. Some crystal I guess."
"What happened to the priests?" Zach asked.
"I think I found them...." Mika answered, staring into another room. When her friends gathered around her, she pointed at pillars of light. Inside the pillars were young women and men, floating asleep.
Kitt looked at the face of a priest. "Why would they be in there? Are they dead?"
"I don't think so." Moka replied. "I don't think they are humans anyway."
Lyah and Liam read the words underneath the pillars of light. "Child of Hope." Liam translated. "Child of Fire. Child of Water."
Lyah walked at a few others. "Child of Earth, Child of Light." She looked at a face of a young maiden. "I think these priests are the embodiment of the elements." She turned around. "Entities; spirits made human."
"There seems to be one missing." Derak noticed.
Lyah walked at him. "What does it say?" Zach asked.
"Endorah." Lyah replied. "That means Child of Darkness."
"You remember it, don't you?" Chibi Kim said to the woman that she had recently called Endorah. "The day we were still one."
"Every day I gave my service to keep you safe!" Endorah BlackHeart bellowed.
Chibi Kim nodded. "And each day I watched the Black Crystal grow. If I could undo it all, I would have never allowed you to be present when we sliced it in two."
"One part made human, one part made crystal." BlackHeart swallowed. "One day he'll find his other half."
"He tricked you; promised you things that couldn't come true." Chibi Kim tried. "He could never offer you happiness!"
Queen BlackHeart looked at Chibi Kim with anger in her eyes. "You could've never given me a man I loved and a child of my own!" Raging with anger she launched an attack at Chibi Kim. "You are trying to trick me! Darkness is my element, darkness is my side! The Child of Darkness is gone! All that is left is Endorah BlackHeart, mighty ruler of the NightWing! I have everything I could have ever wished for!" The attack stopped.
Crawling, Chibi Kim looked up. "I can offer you life..."
Queen BlackHeart turned around and walked out of the dungeon. "You will never succeed! I will stop those Soldiers of yours! I am mightier than they are!"
The slammed the door shut and walked up the stairs. She commanded each servant around. "Prepare the guards, double the soldiers! It is time!"
Zach and his friends walked through the cave. "Oh Zach, that was so informative!" Kitt yapped sarcastically. "What was the meaning of that whole darn temple?!"
"I don't know." Zach replied ticked off. "It just felt familiar."
"I'll never trust your feelings any more." Kitt walked on.
Lyah hushed. "Quiet now. I think we are close." She pushed against the wall and together with Liam she opened a door. "That's why I love old castle's." Lyah grinned. "They have all sorts of secret passages."
Zach peeked inside and saw a kitchen. "I just hope we are in the castle, and not some inn."
"Trust me." Lyah smiled. "Anyway, this is our stop." She walked at Liam. "We are no match for any soldier; we would only cause trouble."
"Thank you so much!" Derak thanked them.
Kitt nodded. "Yeah, it really means a lot to us." Kitt added.
All walked into the empty kitchen and Zach turned to Liam. "I really appreciate what you have done for us." He said.
Liam nodded. "Good luck." He encouraged them.
Lyah and Liam went back through the cave and Zach and his friends walked through the kitchen. "Ready?" Zach asked with his heart beating fast.
His friends nodded. "Let's go home." Moka smiled.
The stairs were cold and dark, but also very empty! Zach and his friends expected to encounter someone with each step, but it stayed awkward silent.
"It's so silent." Zach whispers.
"Silence is a good thing, right?" Mika asked softly.
"The trouble lies within the silence." Moka explained.
Zach opened the door towards the hallway and peeked. He quickly ducked back when he saw some guards crossing, but they remained undetected. Zach put his finger on his lip, knowing this was the time no one should speak any more.
On their toes, all walked through the hallway. Keeping an eye out for guards, they sneaked through the corridors. Each minute they had to hide from a guard. "Tough security here." Moka smirked.
They continued and Zach took the lead again. Derak was the end and a bit behind when suddenly before him a door opened. Not knowing where to hide, he suddenly looked into two green eyes.
"Vena?!" He asked.
"Derak!" Vena happily exclaimed. She walked at him and hugged him firmly. "Oh Derak, I was so worried! I told the General to keep an eye out for you! Did he bring you here?"
"General?" Derak asked, when it suddenly struck him like lightning. "Princess Vena?!?!?!" Sweat poured over his body. "You are the princess?!"
Vena was a bit confused. "Yes, didn't you know that?"
Derak looked around for help, but didn't see anything. "My god, the princess!" He hissed.
"Derak, what is wrong?" Vena stepped back. "You are scaring me! What is going on?" Suddenly her eyes closed and she fell forward. Derak managed to grab her just before she would hit the floor.
Behind Vena stood Mika. "Mika!" Derak asked terrified. "What did you do with her?! Is she...?"
Mika shook her head. "Only asleep."
"Do you know her?" Zach asked curiously.
Derak didn't know what to do. "No.... Yes... I don't know!"
"Don't panic!" Moka tried to calm his friend down. "Keep focusing, you know why we are here."
"Yes, but..." Derak looked at Vena's sweet face. He then lifted her and carried her into the room. Gentile, he lay her into her bed. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered and kissed her on the cheek.
Derak turned around, determent. "Let's go."
All left the room again, wondering why and how Derak knew that girl. Silent, they continued their quests through the corridors.
'So,' Zach thought, 'this is it! Our final battle.' He looked at Kitt. 'Would she be afraid? I can feel it; her heart is beating as fast as mine is. Mister Trai... was he talking about her?'
Slowly, they passed a larger door. So far, everything had gone as planned, when suddenly.....
"Boo!!"
Scared, all screamed their lunges out. "Courage!" Zach hissed.
Courage rolled through the air laughing. "Man, this is priceless!" She giggled. "Oh man, the looks on your faces!"
"Courage, this is not funny!" Moka whispered.
"Stop the whispering." Courage smiled. "Do you even know where you are?"
Slowly the doors before them opened and all saw the Queen with her hand raised towards the door.
"Oh god...." Mika whispered terrified.
"See you in hell." Courage smirked. "I'm going to get my seat! Have a nice death!"
"You...." Queen BlackHeart growled. "How did you get in?"
"Anyone knows a smart remark?" Zach asked.
"Totally blank!" Kitt replied. She looked into the dark black eyes. "Anyone knows the closest exit?"
Queen BlackHeart closed her hand and with a mighty force, Zach and his friends got blasted inside the throne room. "You puny peasants!" She bellowed. "You shall not stop me! This is my home! My planet!"
Zach crawled up. "Guys, get up! We mustn't forget why we are here." He commanded.
"Our death?!" Kitt remarked. Zach just glazed at her and she nodded. "Mika, Moka!" She yelled. "Find her!"
"Alone?!" Moka and Mika asked together.
"Yes, alone!" Kitt bellowed. "We'll stop her, now go!"
Obeying Kitt, Mika and Moka turned around and ran away from the throne room. "What?!" Queen BlackHeart noticed. "You will not get away! Black Kiss!"
"Pineapple Canon!" Derak replied and stopped the attack. Mika and Moka vanished through the corridors. "Well Queenie, it's between you and us."
"You fools." Queen BlackHeart walked at them. "You are just like the Guardians. To be strong, you need to be together. And you are not! Cave of Darkness!!"
Mika and Moka ran through the corridors. "Come on!" Moka hissed. "Where are you Chibi Kim?"
At that moment, a few soldiers passed the hallway. "There they are!" One yelled and ran at them.
"Wrong passage!" Moka yelled and pulled Mika along. He ran into another corridor until he spotted some soldiers there also.
Mika grabbed Moka's hand. "Now it's our turn!" Mika smiled.
Moka didn't knew what she mend until Mika smiled at him. Moka smiled back. "Now, let's give 'em a taste of our powers!"
"Cosmic Tornado!" Mika and Moka yelled at the same time and released their combined attack for the first time.
Together they blasted the soldiers away. Moka cheered happily until he noticed something strange about Mika. Her blue eyes had suddenly became hollow. "Mika, are you okay?" He asked.
Mika pointed towards a door. "She is calling me."
"Black Siren!" Endorah BlackHeart yelled and blasted Zach, Derak and Kitt against the wall. Kitt's tridents fell before her.
"This can't be happening!" Derak swallowed. "We were always so close at defeating her!"
"Well, guess this is her home turf!" Zach jumped up.
Kitt followed him. "I'm not going to give up now! I won't let Ryu's sacrifice die in vain." She hurled her trident around her. "Aqua Dragon Love!"
"Future Fire!"
"Rumbling Voice!"
On the side, Courage sat with a bowl of popcorn. "Do your Ember Rain Zach, your Ember Rain!"
Moka and Mika stood before a closed door. There didn't seem to be any handle nor a lock and Moka looked confused around. "How do we get in?" Mika still stared with hollow eyes and took Moka's hand. "Hey!" Moka yelled surprised, when he and Mika simply walked THROUGH the door!
Inside, Moka looked with his eyes wide open. He was so amazed, seeing all these things. Mika in the meanwhile had been walking towards a glass bubble. "I am here." She looked upwards.
Moka joined her and looked up too. He saw Chibi Kim. "Woah! How are we going to get you out of that bubble?"
Mika suddenly collapsed and her eyes returned to normal. "She is weakening Moka!" Mika screamed. "She must be reunited with her sisters!"
"But how?" Moka asked. "We'll never get her in time there. And how are we going to get her out of the bubble anyway?"
Mika turned around. She then spotted a big purple ball. "There!" She pointed. "Her energy comes from there! She must get it back!" Mika ran at the ball and tried to grab it, but it was protected by some sort of field.
"Mika, look out!" Moka yelled and grabbed her hand. "Don't rush in as a fool." Moka took a bar that was near the energy ball and smashed the pillar underneath it. The energy got released and returned to its natural owner.
With a loud crash, the glass prison broke into shards and Chibi Kim landed on the floor. Exhausted, she tried to get up. Mika walked at her and helped her. "The others...." Chibi Kim whispered. "Where are...?"
At that moment, the ceiling broke and collapsed. While the dust slowly vanished, Mika and Moka spotted Zach, Derak and Kitt between the boulders. Slowly, they tried to get up. A few other boulders came down and Mika didn't hesitate any longer: "Cosmic Shield!"
Zach, Derak and Kitt crawled at their friends. "You found her." Zach gasped.
"Was about time too." Kitt tried to smile.
Queen BlackHeart came down, protecting herself with a black aura. When she spotted Chibi Kim, her dark black eyes became red! "What?! How did they...?" Queen BlackHeart raised her hands. "Cave of Darkness!"
"Cosmic Shield!" Mika yelled, but the force shoved them backwards anyway.
"We can't do this alone!" Moka yelled. "We need the help from the Guardians!"
Zach and Derak looked at Chibi Kim. "Well, if they have as much power as Chibi Kim, we are quite doomed!" Derak replied. "This big palace just keeps on giving her strength!" Derak then noticed Courage, cheering for the evil queen. "And our private clown isn't much help either."
"We have to reunite her with her sisters!" Moka said.
"We won't make it in time!" Kitt saw Queen BlackHeart gathering up another attack. "We can't take her to her sisters!"
"Black Kiss!"
"Cosmic Shield!"
All were pushed against the wall again. "Then, if we can't make it to her sisters, her sisters will have to come here!" Zach stood up. "Chibi Ignis, Little Guardian of Fire, I give you my powers! Lend them, and help me defeat this evil!"
"No she won't!" Queen BlackHeart launched another attack and hit Zach with full strength. Zach blasted hard against the wall and Queen BlackHeart grinned. "That must have hurt."
"Zach!" Kitt yelled and wanted to run at him, when she suddenly saw Zach was looking up. His eyes were hollow. "Zach?"
"Now, now..." Zach said with a double voice. "That wasn't very nice of you."
Queen BlackHeart stepped back. "Ignis...." She growled. She then looked at the other kids. All their eyes were hollow.
"No! No!" Courage yelled. "This is no fun!"
Chibi Kim stood before Mika. Both she and Mika spoke at the same time. "Endorah, this is your last chance." They said.
With the Guardians within them, all the kids were more powerful. Lady Aqua took possession of Kitt, Lady Luna took possession of Moka's body and Lady Gaia was within Derak. A spirit, once almost defeated, got new powers from these young soldiers.
"I shall not stop!" Endorah yelled. "Cave of Darkness!"
Kitt stopped the attack with the help of Lady Aqua. "We are once again one." She send the attack back. "We were foolish to think we could do this alone. They need us and we need them."
The attack hit its owner hard. "I cannot loose! I've already defeated you once! You can't kill me! I'm a Child!" She raised her arms. "Black Siren!"
It never hit Zach and his friends. Mika raised her arm. "Birth of the Spirit!" She yelled with her double voice and released pink/ purple energy.
"Wings of Air!" Moka yelled together with Lady Luna.
"Light of the Earth!" Derak added with a combined voice.
Kitt and Lady Aqua opened their eyes: "Reflection of Water!"
Zach and Lady Ignis were the ones who ended the spell. "Rings of Fire!"
The combined attack went straight to Endorah BlackHeart. It enlightened the whole room, which started to collapse even more. Queen BlackHeart screamed loudly and Zach and his friends began to dissolve in light.
When the light faded, the room was completely collapsed and all that people could see where tuns of boulders and a feathered crown....
Far away, in the Galaxy, 6 little balls of light were heading home. 'Glad to have you back Kim.' Lady Gaia danced around her sister.
'Glad to be back.' Lady Kim answered.
'So, what do you think?' Lady Ignis, the red ball of fire asked.
'I don't know.' Lady Kim replied. 'She's back where she belongs now...' Lady Kim remembered a room filled with pillars of light. The missing one was now filled again... with Endorah BlackHeart. 'One day it will be safe for her to wake up, one day her heart will be pure again.'
'When will that be?' Lady Luna asked.
'The day that HE will be gone.'
Lady Aqua joined them. 'Will Umbra 6 finally be free of the NightWing?' She danced around a white ball of light. 'And are they really the Chosen Ones?'
'Yes, I'm certain now.' Lady Kim replied. 'We have found our Soldiers.'
Inside the white ball of light, Zach, Kitt, Mika, Moka and Derak lay curled up against each other, soft asleep. Finally, they were heading home.....
On Umbra 6, Princess Vena reached the dungeon. When she saw her mother's feathered crown, she grabbed it and held it tightly. "No!" She cried. "Mom!" Tears mixed with the dirt underneath her. "Mom, don't tell me...."
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Be strong, my child. The Queen is dead, long live the Queen...."
Vena swallowed deeply and nodded. She lay his hand against her face. "My mother's dearest friend. Please, guide me. Please, guide me Lord Inferno...."
Lord Inferno grinned deeply. "Don't worry my Queen Vena. I will guide you... to revenge!"
End of episode 50
End of Season 2