Chapter 14

As Crystal and Breeze walked back to the others, Crystal thought about what Aspen was saying. Execution? She thought.

"So, what did Aspen want?" Ash asked.

"Oh nothing." Crystal laughed nervously.

River gave Crystal a stern look.

"What?" Crystal asked her.

River moved on and sat with Bliss and Icy.

Ripple and Ash were discussing battle plans, but Ash burnt the piece of paper.

"What is wrong with you?" Ripple asked.

"We can't just go straight through their defenses." Ash snapped.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Ripple asked.

"Yes, sneak in through the back and save the royals." Ash said.

"But that's so boring." Ripple groaned.

"Do you want to die?" Ash asked.

"Obviously not." Ripple said, crossing her arms.

Ash smirked. "So then we're going to need to sneak in."

"Fine, we'll do it your way." Ripple sighed.

Crystal saw that Bliss and River were really bonding.

"So your parents are an earth and water mage." Bliss asked.

"Yeah." River said happily.

"Well, that's unheard of." Bliss sighed.

"My mother died in a fire though." River sighed.

"I'm sorry." Bliss said.

River grabbed Bliss by the arm and hopped into the lake.

Icy ran behind them laughing and jumped in as well.

"So, what exactly is our plan of attack?" Crystal asked.

"We need to move in at this position here, bit the only problem is-'

"There are guards waiting there for intruders." Ripple interrupted.

"Thank you Ripple for interrupting my plan." Ash said.

"No problem." Ripple said.

"I was being sarcastic." Ash whispered.

"I know." Ripple said quietly.

The two began to argue about whatever they could think of.

"Ok, let's just calm down." Breeze said.

"Breeze, can't you say that we're having a civil conversation?" Ripple asked.

"I just see two mages throwing banter around." Breeze said.

Suddenly, they saw four figures standing behind a tree.

Crystal drew her wand. "Show yourself!"

"Crystal!" The figure said.

Crystal recognized the voice right away. "Dad." She said unenthusiastically.

"We've been looking for you!" Topaz said.

"Who are those three behind you?" Icy asked.

"The soldiers." Topaz smiled.

"You brought three soldiers?" Ash asked.

"Oh of course not, there are some in the lake, the sky, that hill over there."

Crystal turned and saw hundreds of water mages emerge from the lake.

An earth mage jumped down from the hill followed by a nature mage.

Then more earth and nature mages followed.

About a hundred air mages flew down from the sky.

Ash looked around and sighed loudly.

Topaz walked over to him and put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Your orders, Lieutenant Ash?"

Ash's frown turned into a smile. "Lieutenant?"

"You have more battle experience than any of us, and we'll be fighting your people so you'll know their weakness." An air mage said.

"Of course, Commander Sky will be leading, but you can help." Said an earth mage.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ash asked. "For the realms!"

"For the realms!" Everyone cheered.

Ash and Sky lead the troops past the border of the dark realm.

"Charge!" Sky yelled.

The soldiers raised their fists and charged into the dark realm.

"Dark mages came out of their holes in the ground to fight the intruders.

Ash fought viciously no allowing any dark mage to get a single hit on him.

Crystal noticed a fiery glow coming from the south, but she was too afraid to look.

"Fire mages coming from the south!" Topaz called.

"Water mages, move to the south then!" Sky yelled.

The water mages nodded and charged towards the fire mages.

River ran over to Crystal, "Hey sis' I have to go help the water mages."

"Go, and be safe." Crystal said to River.

River nodded and ran after Ripple.

"I hope she'll be alright." Breeze said.

"She'll be fine." Sky said.

Breeze flew down with five other air mages.

"What's the plan?" Breeze asked.

"Go be air support, help anyone who needs it." Sky said.

Breeze nodded and flew off with the others.

"I need to go help our main attack team, if you need help go ask Ash." Sky flew up into the air and disappeared.

Crystal fired a blue jet of light that hit a dark mage.

Mantis came out of nowhere and tackled her to the ground.

Crystal disappeared in a puff of blue smoke and reappeared on top of Mantis.

Mantis made vines drag Crystal off him and pinned her to the ground.

Crystal struggled to free herself.

Mantis looked down at her and smiled. "Looks like you've lost."

"Not yet." Crystal said.

Ash threw a fireball at Mantis.

The vines loosened and Crystal freed herself.

Ash let out a wave of fire that knocked Mantis onto the ground.

Crystal took her wand and transfigured a rock into a sword.

Crystal pointed her finger at Mantis and the sword flew towards him.

Mantis rolled aside and grabbed the sword. He swung it and it flew towards Crystal.

Crystal jumped over it. "That's the best you've got?" Crystal laughed

Mantis pointed towards her.

Crystal felt something hit her on the head.

Icy ran towards her and shot a beam of ice towards her attacker.

Stay away from my friend.

A group of dark mages advanced on her.

Icy screamed and the dark mages were trapped in a sheet of cold ice. Icy then waved her hands and it began to snow.

Ash used the snow to counter some of the fire mages who had broken through the water mages defense.

The snow turned into water and the fire mages were soaked.

They were unable to use their powers, Ash included.

Ash converted to hand to hand combat. He punched through the dark and fire mages like it was nothing.

Crystal saw a fire mage try to grab Icy. She waved her arms and a large rock fell onto the mage.

"Thanks!" Icy said.

Crystal felt an arm wrap around her stomach. She was hoisted into the air.

"I never should've invited you to the ring."

Crystal looked back and saw the Governess.

The Governess bashed Crystal into a rock wall.

Everything went black. The last thing she saw was Icy running towards her.