Chapter 13; 5:30 am Morgan Pond and Reservoir

Bai floated down to eye level with Marci. He could see a lifetimes worth of exhaustion in her face. Bai slowly rolled his hands one over the other, much like how one would show a child how to wash their hands. A golden light began to emitted from them, getting brighter with each pass.

"Marci you lived in a world on top of another world."

Bai stopped moving his hands and held them palms up before her, in his right hand a copy of a modern day city. Tall Skyscrapers and golden little people moved up and down his palm. In his left hand was another golden city, however this one had huts, castles, and strange creatures moved up and down that hand. Marci felt like a child being told a fairy tale by her grandfather.

"We are Draíochta. Our two worlds used to be one. Magic ruled all that was." Marci watched the golden display;

"In the beginning after the great creation, there was two powerful and magical beings; The Mother; Creation. The Father; Death. The Mother first created the animal kingdom; but not the animal kingdom, as you know it today."

Marci began to fell lost in the golden display, gentle colors began to over wash the gold, suddenly it was no longer a golden display.

The Beginning, the time before the Great Divide

Marci suddenly found herself viewing a world not unlike her own, watching yet not a part of it. To her it felt like being in dream. She could see everything, hear everything yet influence none of it.

Familiar animal yet man like creatures walked the land. She could see massive cities sprawling across the land. Made from out of stone, wood, coral, and earth. It was like she was living someone else's memories. She witnessed what felt like a millions of years of peace pass between the Animal Kingdoms.

Then one night the in the desert king, the Animal King of Komodo Dragons daughter had fallen ill. She was a cruel Princess, just like her father. On the day before she fell ill she had exercised her cruelty on the Marsh Kingdom.

Her pleasure could no longer be reached by destroying, terrorizing, and murdering those who lived within the Marsh Kingdom, no, no; now she decided to consume them. Often eating entire families while living a single member to witness the act to spread the terrifying tale. However before releasing that member she would maim to ensuring their suffering effected all aspects of their lives. The Frog King of the Marsh gathered what troops he could to try and hold off the cruel Princess. When confronted the Princess laughed, it was a dark and twisted sound. Many of the Kings Troops felt the cold shiver of fear wash over their hearts. The gentle Frog King stood before his troops facing the towering threat of the Komodo Princess.

Even facing this massive threat, he tried to reason with the Princess. She ignored his pleases, and with a joy of a toddler splashing around in a bathtub she crushed, tore, impaled, and laughed at the Army. The Frog King laid defeated before her, she had staked him to ground. Sprawled out on the ground he was defenseless to her twisted whims. She disappeared into the night, the King assumed she had grown tired and returned home. He was wrong, he could feel the ground vibrate with the Princess' steps returning towards him. In this moment he knew death would take him. Marci could feel the Frog King's pain and heartbreak. The Princess had returned with the King's daughter in hand. Marci could feel the terror and fear radiate from the Frog Princess.

The Princess seemed so small in the hands of her Komodo captor. The King pleaded for his daughter's life, Marci's eyes weld with tears right with the King's. The Komodo Princess reveled in the screams the Frog Princess let out while her skin was peeled from her body. The King watched in horror as his daughter's flesh was peeled from her body and eaten by her tormentor. While sobbing the King cursed the Komodo Princess, telling her that he would get justice for her crimes. After all the King and his daughter where cursed with a poisonous skin after all.

The Komodo Princess now laid dying in her room within her earth built castle, the Komodo King Called to Mother and Father for help. When Mother and Father arrived, the desperate King greeted them. Mother was a beautiful dark skinned woman with golden hair, she was wrapped in a glowing cloak that seemed to radiate heat. Marci though Mother was the Most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her life. Something about her just made Marci believe that everything would be alright. Father was the opposite of Mother, a pale figure hidden in a dark robe. Ghostly white hands, a black hood covered his face. His very presence reminded her of every childhood nightmare he had ever had wrapped into one form.

Chills begin to crawl up and down her spine. That same eerie chill that children feel when they look at the partly open closet door in the blackest portion of the night. Suddenly the Komodo king fell to his knees between the two visitors, but in that moment the darken hood of Father seemed to focus on her. Marci' began to feel light headed, Father's pale thin hand began to raise. It was almost as if he knew she was there.

"Please save her, I have already suffered the loss of her mother. Do not make me suffer losing her too." His plea seemed to pull Father's attention back to the situation at hand. To Marci the Komodo King's pleas seemed to be filled with anger more than concern.

Mother looked to the King, Marci could not only see the sadness on her face but feel the concern flow lovingly from her body.

"While my heart breaks for you, I cannot change the Princess' Fate. For my power is in life not death." Mother's voice was soft, magical and loving.

The King was visibly angered by Mother's reply, pulling away from her gaze he looked to Father;

"I demand you save her. "He shouted while Bolting up from his knee and lunging at Father.

The sudden motion made Marci squeal; Father turned to face her direction almost like he heard her outburst. The King stop violently in front of Father; it was clear some force of was holding him back because Marci could see the frustration on his face.

Father slowly rotated his head back to face the King. The faceless Father moved around the Komodo King and towards sicken Princess. The King still frozen in place could only turn his scaled head and watch. Father's hood titled side to side.

"I see no room in her heart for anything other than her hate. I will not spare her" Father's voice terrifying, each word echoed through Marci's head causing a cold to wash over her.

The King spit towards Father, it passed right through him and splattered on the wall.

"Actions have consequences in this life and the next." Marci's knees turned to jelly as Father spoke.

Again he seemed to be looking in her direction, but no one else in the room found it unusual that he was speaking to someone while clearly looking elsewhere.

Mother looked to the Komodo King; he stumbled, like a child that missed the last step on the stairs. Whatever force that held him clear had released him.

"It's not too late for you dear King to change your ways. The rewards in life and after could extend to your daughter." Marci found comfort in Mother's statement.

Father departed leaving the King to his anger.

"What kind of Deity are you two? To allow your subjects to suffer in such a manner!"

"Your life is yours to live. You make our own choices, you know of the rewards and punishments that await you. It's up to you to decide which you earn" Marci felt the love with in Mother's

The enraged King stepped before Mother, in a blur of speed a scaled hand slapped Mother across her face. Stunned Mother stumbled which allowed the King to Seize her arm. Mother cried when she felt a sharp pain in her arm, the King had bitten her. Her Golden blood filled his mouth; he could feel the power. Mother with just a flick of her hand sent the King flying across his throne room. He hit the floor in a grunt of pain, held down by a force that Marci couldn't see.

"I am not a vengeful creator; I can understand your pain." Mother waved her hand over her wound, it closed and vanished

"I will spare you, but know this; Kingdoms can raise and fall at our whim, and you exist at that same whim" Mother departed, leaving The Komodo King with his thoughts and pain.

But what Mother did not know, was now the King had not only a thirst for Vengeance, but also for her Magical Blood. Two Komodo guards rushed into enter the room. The armor clad guards stumbled down the stairs, their armor clanked against the Halberds they carried

"Sir, we heard sounds of a struggle; but the door wouldn't open." Marci could tell the guards feared how their late entry would be received by the King.

The Komodo King Looked to the guard who had spoken, the King's eyes were glowing wild with fury and lust.

"Call a meeting The Predatory Kings across Pangea" He instructed, the guards bowed in response and raced out the door. Looking to his ailing daughter

"I will rally them and we will rage a war against them for you my Daughter. Then Once we have them, we will be the new Gods of this land"

The King could feel Mother's power flowing through him; those few drops gave him so much knowledge. With more he knew he could save his daughter and rule over all of the Kingdoms. Marci watched time speed passed her eyes, like someone had hit the fast forward button on the remote. The Komodo King must have convinced The Other Predatory Kings march against Mother and Father, for when time slowed she was standing in Mother's and Father's palace while a tiny little humming bird like person was giving a report on the Predator Kings' movements towards the palace. The tiny bird woman wore a strange transparent armor, clearly magical in design. Marci could feel the concern of radiate off Mother once the she heard the complete report.

"Thank you Lady Iris, Father and I will handle this, get your people to safety." Mother stood from her royal chair and drifted to the large round window where Father was standing. Mother wrapped her arms around Father's waist, Marci swore she saw his posture sink a little into Mother.

"Are you worried?" Mother asked of him.

"Of them? No. For you, yes."

"You worry for me?"

"Yes, I could end this conflict right now. I could return them to dust or reduce them ash."

"But you won't?" Mother asked in tone that implied she already knew why.

"No, because you would never forgive me." Mother hugged Father tightly.

"We gave them life, they have so much potential. We can't just remove them from this world every time they upset us." Father turned around while Mother still held him.

"And that's why I won't"

Father seemed to be looking straight at Marci.

Suddenly Marci was outside with the palace to her back. She looked on in awe as

The army of Predators coated the hillside for as far as Marci could see. Only in movies had she seen such a force. Before Marci couldn't fully understand the sheer size of the force in front of her, the scene changed in a fade of black she now stood in the throne room of Mother and Father. Mother still looking ever so radiant looked out her window at the dark shadow that moved across the land.

"They are larger in number than I had realized." Even when concerned Marci couldn't help but feel warm and comfort at the sound of Mother's voice.

"Still believe they are but Children throwing a tantrum? " while Father's voice carried no anger, it still chilled Marci to her bones. His words seemed to drip with power.

Mother looked away from the window towards Father by the fireplace. His hood was still up preventing Marci from seeing his face, but she could see Mother's. With a single look she conveyed a lifetime of love for Father.

"Yes, I do. They have so much potential, we just have to be understanding." She sounded just like a lovely mother to Marci.

"Then what would you have us do my love." Finally, a statement from Father that did not make Marci feel like someone was walking over her grave.

"Like all children, they just need to be taught a lesson My Love. So we shall give them some teachers." Mother strolled over to Father and lovely took his hand.

While Marci still couldn't see Father's face she could feel a cruel smile rippling across his face. In a moment of Blinding Light Marci watch as an energy field of blue light warped out of the castle; with this light time seemed to speed up. While time speed up within the glow, outside the world seemed to slow down. Marci witness the creation of life, the creation of magical beings, the birth of The Draíochta. Fairies, Elves, Dwarfs; Magic birthed to help protect Mother and Father.

End Chapter 13