Chosen Ones

Prologue




Centuries ago, a majestic being emerged from the sun. After being banished from his kingdom, this being, made completely of power, vowed to claim what was rightfully his - the Kingdom of the Sun. It traveled to earth in hopes of establishing a center of power for itself there by absorbing all the energy of the earth.
After arriving, the being - Firebird, created mass destruction. The human civilization had been almost completely wiped out by the power Firebird emitted. He destroyed city after city, decreasing hope for humanity.
A few years after his arrival, the earth was nothing but ashes. From these ashes, Firebird prepared to build his empire by absorbing all the energy from earth. But he didn't get to start right away. A young girl from the Sun Empire picked up the disturbances occurring on earth and went to investigate. She was Firebird's younger sister, Zatana. After discovering what her older brother was up to, she traveled to earth to stop him. The two engaged in a battle of titanic proportions. Although both were almost equally matched, Zatana came to a close victory but was defeated in the end and sealed up in a cave on earth.
Those who witnessed the battle recorded it down in books that only the elders had kept. This tale of the battle was told from generation to generation. As time went on, Firebird slowly sucked away all the earth's energy. Humanity knew that their end was near until a group of humans who refused to give up decided to go on a quest to search for the legendary imprisoned Zatana.
After a long and grueling quest, the humans found Zatana and freed her. Together, with their combined forces, a battle ensued. Firebird had won, Zatana was killed and only three humans of that heroic group remained.
Years passed and these three returned back to the human tribes. Tall tales were told of them and they were treated like heroes. However, the war was not over. Inspired by the stories told of these warriors who bravely battled Firebird, a new group formed in hopes of stopping him, without the aid of Zatana.
This was not to be so. Firebird, by this time, had a established his own palace on earth. He had brought his wife, Octopus Tashak, down from the Sun and they had a son together named Ruby. Together, they continued draining the energy from earth at a faster rate.
The new band of warriors stumbled across a powerful, mysterious stranger named Shukari. Together, they fought against Firebird, Octopus and Ruby and Shukari proved to be useful. It was discovered that he held Zatana's spirit inside him and she had used him to bring herself back to the physical realm. Zatana was resurrected and she and Shukari had a daughter named Scarlet.
Once again, Zatana, teamed up with Scarlet, Shukari and the earth warriors engaged in battle with Firebird. With their combined forces, they managed to destroy Firebird's energy source which he gathered from the earth and he was defeated as a result. Firebird was taken back to the Sun and imprisoned. His wife was held by authorities and forced to undergo mental therapy while his son Ruby was put into schooling alongside Scarlet and the cousins immediately bonded.
At last, peace had been restored on both earth and the Sun. So ended the time of Firebird's domination known as the Thunderstorm era.


Chapter 1

"Thysle Tarria has returned," Zatana mumbled under her breath. The realization hit her hard. She sat up in bed, clutching her chest in fear that her heart would beat it's way out of her ribcage. Zatana's mind returned back to her dream, trying to recall exactly what it was trying to tell her. Perhaps she misunderstood. She couldn't....she didn't want to believe that her brother, Thysle Tarria, had returned to the Sun. But her dream had told her everything. The universal balance of good and evil had been tipped. Zatana was even reluctant to call it a dream. It was more of a realization that occurred to her while she slept.
Zatana glanced around her bedroom. She saw her oriental rug, elegantly carved marble tables, various floral arrangements and golden walls. "Look at this," she told herself. "You are the queen of the sun. You have the power right here to defend your empire. This is not how a queen should behave." She wiped the cold sweat from her brow, relieved that she had the situation under control. Pulling her satin sheets back up towards her chin, she lay back down and breathed a deep sigh of relief.

* * *

The disturbance was so great that not only the queen of the sun had sensed it. Beyond the physical realm, great minds stirred as well. In a palace made entirely of crystallized energy a tall man descended a grand staircase that lead up to his golden throne. The view of billions upon billions of stars served as a backdrop to the scene. Up above was a giant crystal chandelier that bathed the grand hall in its brilliant glow. This was the palace of the spirits and they too realized the situation the universe was in.
The tall man approached a huge gathering of spirits and looked at every one of them. Each represented a physical or mental element present in the physical universe. They were the spirits that affected all life on the physical plane and even beings powerful as them were threatened.
“We have a great burden about us,” the man, a member of a council of spirits representing Existence, said. “I’m sure most of you are already aware of this disturbance. The balance of good and evil has been tipped.” A murmur occurred. The man continued. “The most powerful enemy to the known universe has returned from the eternal damnation he was sealed to ten thousand years ago. This time, however, I fear the present Queen of the Sun doesn’t have what it takes to dispose of him.”
A stir of concern among the gathering occurred. The tall man raised his hands hoping to calm the panic starting to form. “I understand your concern for the physical world for without them, we wouldn’t exist. This is precisely why we must intervene and stop Thysle at all costs.”
“Your Lordship, doesn’t that go against the rules of nature for the spirit world to interfere with the physical world?” one of the spirits asked.
“Not if we are careful not to throw off the balance of life and death,” the tall man replied. “In order for us to help the physical world, only a small group of us will be allowed there at any one time. Also, those spirits in the physical world will have to be housed in mortal bodies so as to not disrupt the life/death balance any further.”
“So what you’re saying, Your Lordship, is that a select few of us will be chosen to assist the burdens in the physical world?”
“Precisely.” The crowd started mumbling amongst each other again, each member wondering if they had been chosen. Again, the tall man raised his hands to silence the noise. “The council of Existence has already determined the best spirits to handle this situation. Because this takes place strictly in the physical world, it would be best for those representing physical elements to help. The first group of spirits we will send consists of the most powerful individuals representing the following physical elements; Fire, Water and Wind. Dakida, Cyushui, and Orika…”

* * *
Morning was a welcome sight for Zatana. She got up and looked at her husband, Shukari, beside her. The light coming through the window highlighted his angelic features. She couldn’t believe that this was her husband. When they first met, he was a man shrouded in a dark coat of shadow. Shukari belonged to a race that also lived on the Sun known as the shadow people. It was a tradition of theirs to be shrouded in mystery. To enforce this, they wore a coat of pure shadow that hid their features. Not only until they were wed did he take off his mask to reveal such a contrast to his previous aura. His hair was golden as the sun with icy, piercing blue eyes. He was her knight in shining armor.
As Zatana headed for the ivory dresser, white silk nightgown trailing her, she glanced at herself in the mirror. Her jet black hair, long and straight reaching down to the ground revealed highlights of dark purple in areas hit directly with the morning light. Her slim fitting nightgown revealed a curved body, the result of physical labor moving around in heavy, elegant dresses on a daily basis. She sat on a wooden stool topped with a red velvet cushion facing the mirror and began braiding her long hair, humming an elated tune.
“Mmmm….” Shukari mumbled as he opened his heavy eyelids. The light outside immediately assaulted his eyes as he groaned even more.
“Good morning, dear,” Zatana said, still doing her hair.
“Mmmm,” Shukari replied.
Zatana chuckled. “You’re the best in the morning.” Seventeen years ago, she wouldn’t have imagined it would turn out like this with Shukari. It was during the war against another enemy named Firebird that the two had met. To her, he was the coldest person she had ever met. The best word she’d use to describe him back then was robotic. He would focus solely on what needed to be done. But as time went on, it was fated that he was to rule the kingdom of the sun alongside her, swearing to protect her against anything and everything.
Even Thysle? The thought just crept back into her mind as she remembered the chilling events that occurred the night before. She turned back to look at her husband who was up and folding the bed sheets.
“Shukari,” Zatana began. He looked up at her in response. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
He approached her, his movements became more sensitive for he was aware something was troubling his wife. “What is it?” he asked.
“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” Shukari was taken aback. “No! It’s nothing like that!” Zatana insisted. He relaxed a little. “It’s just that - well I have this - I had a dream last night.” She paused, deep in thought. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a dream, more like a feeling. It woke me up. I fear our empire is in grave danger.”
“How?” Shukari asked. “I thought Firebird had been completely banished. Isn’t he the biggest threat to this empire?”
“No.” Zatana said cutting him off. “That’s what I mean when I say I haven’t been completely honest with you. I have another brother that goes by the name of Thysle.”
“So our enemy is another of your brothers?!” Shukari exclaimed. “ Just how many do you have?!”
“Just two, but listen!! Thysle is bad news, to the extent that my own parents had to banish him from our kingdom. No doubt he has come to claim what was rightfully his.”
“What do you mean rightfully his?”
“Because Thysle was the oldest of three children, he was supposed to be the heir to the throne,” Zatana explained. “But he was a problem child back when I was young. My parents believed it was just a stage and that he’d mature and get past it. But this wasn’t to be so. He became destructive and even abused me so my parents were forced to do what they didn’t want to do. They cast him away from this universe by thrusting him into a black hole.”
Tears swelled up in Zatana’s eyes as she recalled the events. Shukari put an assuring hand on her shoulder for support. She was determined to finish the story.
“He wouldn’t go down without a fight. It took my father, along with the kingdom’s most powerful soldiers, to be rid of him. He had killed my father, the general and some of the soldiers before being banished. ” She took a deep breath and continued. “So after that, it was just mother, Firebird and I. Firebird then turned into another Thysle, but to a lesser degree. He also became increasingly violent and power hungry. Because he was to be the heir to the throne, my mother became very worried. Firebird was kicked out of the kingdom, never to return. Mother died later of sickness. I call it heartbreak. So I was the only one left to take the throne, and I vowed never to turn out like my brothers did.”
“Yes, and you’re doing a good job,” Shukari added for support.
Zatana wiped away the tears away from her eyes, her face becoming stern as stone. “I promised to be a strong leader, and that’s what I’m going to be. Thysle will not get the better of me. He will not get this kingdom.”
“I think it’s best that we inform the kingdom of this upcoming threat,” Shukari suggested.
Zatana nodded in agreement. “I’ll make an announcement after dinner tonight. I also need to make a visit to the temple. Hopefully the monks will be able to give me some helpful information, and maybe even help us in our battle against Thysle.”
“You’re not taking any chances with this are you?” Shukari asked.
“I can’t afford to take chances with him,” Zatana replied. “You weren’t here last time, Shukari. You don’t know what this man can do. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”



Chapter 2

The first feeling his half unconscious mind registered was a strange substance across his left cheek. A strange sensation he'd never felt before. It seemed to hug his face like a sticky layer, as if his whole head had been pressed into the stuff and it now caked his face. He wished it to be gone, but unexpectedly, it remained there. What is this? He thought to himself. Why does this strange sensation not leave me? He wished it away even harder and felt a movement beside him, nothing like he'd ever felt before. He wanted to see what it was but strangely, he realized he could not see! He panicked. Get a hold of yourself! You are a fire spirit, one of the strongest! Yes, I am a fire spirit and I do not wish to let darkness hinder me. I wish to SEE!!! Light invaded his eyes instantly blinding him. He felt a movement again to his right. It seemed to be attempting to shield him from the light. As his eyes adjusted, he recognized it as a human arm. His human arm.
He gasped and got up, realizing he was lying down to begin with. Physical movement was a very strange thing indeed. In this realm, you actually had to work to achieve a certain result, instead of simply wishing for it. The caked on layer on his face was mud. The pleasures of the physical realm, he thought. Be gone! But still, the mud remained. Keeping in mind his surroundings, he sighed, raised an arm, and wiped it away. I hope I can get used to this.
As he let his eyes explore his surroundings, he spotted something lying on the ground beside to where he found himself. It's glowing orange color stood out from the brown dirt and the dark green grass. It shone brightly but in the center of the orange light, he spotted a dark symbol. Fire. It's the symbol of fire.
He picked it up and held it tightly, his hand absorbing the light started to glow. This is the fire amulet, a voice told him. This is your link to the spirit world. He was shocked. How could he be hearing things when no physical sound was being made? He shook his head. The limitations of a brain. He knew that if he was still a spirit, comprehending this would be far easier. Your spirit is housed in this amulet, which therefore allows you to tap into your powers, which will otherwise be non-existent in this realm. Without it, you are a regular human, Daniel Dakida.
So that's my name, he thought. Daniel Dakida... He turned his attention back to the amulet. "Where do I go from here?"
You have been placed on the sun, the voice told him. Remember your mission. Seek out the Queen and assist her. Yes, Daniel remembered his purpose. "I will not fail the spirit world. As a fire spirit, I will do anything in my power to defend all that is good." Keep in mind that this is no easy mission, child. "The council of Eternity chose the best spirits to handle this situation. I am honored to have this responsibility. You can count on me to get this job done."
"Ahem," a sweet feminine voice sounded behind him. Daniel turned around to be greeted with one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen. It was a girl shorter than him, but not by much. She had small shoulders and fair skin. Her light brown bangs reached around her round face and ended at her chin while the rest of her hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Her crystal eyes gazed at him. The girl was a beautiful sight despite the rags she wore. Daniel didn't recognize them being of any human clothing.
That was when he looked down at himself and realized he was dressed in similar attire. They could have brought me here in something more majestic, seeing as how I'm a spirit and all, he thought. Daniel looked back up at the goddess he spotted and smiled.
"What exactly do you mean by, 'You can count on ME to get this job done'?" the girl asked.
"Well, it's just that I, uh," Daniel stammered, "have an assignment to do.”
"Really?" the girl replied, taking a few steps closer, batting her eyelashes. She's trying to seduce me. This could be one of Thysle's henchmen, he told himself. I mustn’t fall for her....but she's so beautiful..."What is this assignment?" the girl continued, now standing inches in front of him. Daniels mouth became dry. His heart was beating so hard he could hear it in his ears. Cold sweat formed on his forehead as his knees turned into jelly.
Daniel wasn't sure if he should reveal his task to some beautiful stranger. "I'm not sure if I can tell you -"
“If it involves getting into contact with Queen Zatana and helping her fight off the upcoming threat so we can regain the balance of good and evil, then you are NOT alone. The Council of Eternity chose me for this assignment too. So they’re not going to be depending on you to do this job. They’re depending on us.”
Daniel winced. The girl’s aura had suddenly changed from a sweet angel to that of a bitter housewife.
"Who......who are you?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
She turned her head just enough so she could look at him through her narrowed crystal eyes. "It's me. Orika. Daisy Orika."
Daniel could've sworn he leapt three feet in the air. "Wind Spirit! They chose you?? Of all the wind spirits, they chose you?!" Why'd they have to make her mortal form look so fine??
"I could say the same for you," Daisy replied. "I was expecting someone a little older, more experienced."
"Hey!" Daniel retorted, "You're not that old either! Ever look at yourself lately!?"
"No, but you have," Daisy snapped, cutting him off. At a loss of words, Daniel remained silent. Realizing he wasn't going to say anything out of embarrassment, she decided to continue. "We have a job to do, fire spirit. We can't let anything get in our way, including internal affairs."
Daniel nodded in agreement. "I don't know why they haven't sent down any older, more experienced spirits to handle the situation. It only makes sense they would be the best ones to regain the balance of good and evil."
"We can't sit here and think about why they chose us," Daisy said, "We have a job to do and that's to help the Sun Empire."
"You're right. Our first step is to find the Queen. But where could she be? We're smack dab in the middle of a forest!"
"Search the area," Daisy suggested. "That's the only way we can even find out where we are."
"Gotta love that Council of Eternity," Daniel said bitterly. "They could've put us in a more convenient location."

* * *

The dinner bells rang vibrantly through the halls of the Sun Palace. Servants ran about like ants, each with an elegantly presented dish in their hands, toward the dining hall. The hall, the largest in the palace, sported a dark red velvet carpet and reached at least four stories high. The marble ceiling was supported by four giant Greek style carved pillars the size of oak trees and had a large dome right in the center directly above the dance floor. The dance floor was a square shaped section of the floor made of polished oak wood.
In the middle of the dance floor stood Shukari, taking quick glances at his watch. He had on his finest garments. He wore a black, finely pressed tuxedo with a ruby red carnation. Under the tuxedo was a shiny white vest over a fine silk shirt and black bowtie. The lights from the glistening chandelier overhead were reflected off his polished, black leather shoes. Around his wrists he worse cuffs of the finest gold and in his left hand was a silver stopwatch with the emblem of the sun etched on it.
Shukari glanced at the stopwatch again, and the elegantly carved needles indicated it was quarter to seven. Dinner starts at six thirty, he thought to himself. She knows that!! As he continued to glare intensely at the watch, he saw a bright orange basketball from his right peripheral vision bounce noisily over to his left, which indicated one thing.
"Shatani, get over here now!" he said sternly, not taking his eyes off the watch. A young boy with a buzz cut dressed in similar attire grabbed the basketball and ran to Shukari. The king gave the boy a look of disapproval straight in the eye. The boy was energetic, youthful, everything the older King wasn't; at least everything the older King wasn't allowed to be. Not to mention the child was half his size. But despite the differences, he shared many of Shukari's features, including his blond hair and ice blue eyes. This was due to the fact that -
"Shatani, you are my son," Shukari said sternly, "and this is not supposed to be how a young prince behaves during dinner!"
Shatani held the basketball at his side, and looking straight up at his father, said, "Aw, dad, the banquet hasn't even started yet. You know how long mom takes."
Shukari took the basketball out of his son's grip. "That doesn't give you an excuse to shoot hoops in this dining hall!"
"All right dad," Shatani said raising his hands. "I'll go help the servants."
"No," Shukari said, "go get your mother. I want to know what's taking her so long."

* * *

Zatana sat at her dresser facing the golden-framed mirror. Her face was in a tight frown as she leaned her head towards her right shoulder, allowing her dark purple hair to fall over it. She took a lock of her hair in her hands and attempted to braid it. To her right, sat a girl with dark red hair, similar to hers. The girl also had another lock of the Queens hair and was braiding it. The most obvious differences in their attempts were that Zatana's braid job was the ugliest thing she'd ever seen. Meanwhile the girl’s braid was done tightly and neatly.
Zatana frowned even more. Even my own daughter can do a better job with my hair than I can, she thought bitterly.
"Why the frown, mother?" Scarlet asked.
"As if you don't know," Zatana said holding up her braid.
Scarlet giggled. "You're not the stereotypical queen are you mother?" she said undoing her mothers job. "Did you ever learn this when you were younger?"
"I would have if I wasn't too busy saving the earth from your uncle," Zatana replied. "Oh where are the servants!? Really, I just don't appreciate what I have till it's gone."
"They're out helping with the banquet," Scarlet replied. "You told them to this afternoon remember?"
"I did no such thing!" was the immediate words that came to Zatana's head. However recalling the events in the afternoon, she remembered it was over lunch.
"Are you sure Madame?" the head maid asked. "Your dressing does take time to do!"
"I'm sure!" Zatana replied. "Shukari needs more help with the arrangements. Scarlet and I can do just fine by ourselves!"
Scarlet and I can do just fine by ourselves! she mumbled mockingly under her breath. "I need someone to teach me these things."
The door burst open giving the two women a fright. Shatani stood in the doorway, in his oversized tuxedo, making him look small, gasping for breath.
"Must you enter in such an inappropriate manner, child?!" Zatana said clutching her chest.
"Shatani, you little pest!" Scarlet scolded.
"Hey don't yell at me," the boy protested. "You two have dad pretty mad. Dinner was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago! You better get down to the banquet hall, like, right now."

* * *

Upon exploring the surrounding area in which they found themselves, Daniel had discovered a trail in the forest and a sign with directional arrows. It was a dirt trail just beyond a small patch of berry bushes about two meters wide on, which he now stood. It stretched to both the left and right. Daniel was unsure of which way to take but his discovery excited him so much that it made him forget about his dilemma for the moment.
"Daisy!" he called behind himself towards the bushes. Rustle, rustle.... "Hey, are you coming?"
"Ugh, just hold up a second!" came a faint voice, deep in the bushes. Rustle, rustle.. Her head popped out of the bushes with all sorts of dried leaves and twigs clinging to her hair. "What the hell kind of normal person walks into a damn bush?!" she cried as she pulled her limbs of the bush and onto the dirt path. Her left foot got caught on a branch and she fell to the ground with a thud, kicking up dust into the air. Her face became a mask of horror. "AHH!!! This it IT!!" She got up and discovered that her rear and back was covered in a fine layer of dirt. She randomly decided to go left and stormed off straight toward it, away from the sign. "I'm going back to the spirit world and I am going to murder the guy for choosing me to deal with this balance disruption!!"
"Do you even know where you're going?!" Daniel called after her.
"I don't CARE!! Look at me!! I hate this realm and I don't have to take this! I'm going home!"
"You have a duty here!!" Daniel ran towards Daisy. He stood right in front of her, cutting her off. "Remember what you told me? You said that the Council of Eternity chose us to deal with this situation and that they're depending on us to fix this."
"They can choose someone else," Daisy replied, walking around Daniel. Yet, he did not give up. He ran towards her and cut her off again.
"They chose us to do it because we're the best ones for this job. Do you want to decline this honor? This is the opportunity young spirits like us dream of!" She stared at him defiantly in the eyes. He continued. "Look, I know you don't believe I can do this by myself, and you're probably right. I need your help. This isn't going to be an easy task for me and that's why you've also been chosen. Don't tell me you're going to turn your back on your responsibilities and lower yourself in the eyes of the Council of Eternity."
"I hate you, Daniel Dakida," Daisy replied. "I really do." He smiled.
"Good, now let's get back to that sign over there," he said. "It might tell us where the Sun Palace is." He put an assuring arm around Daisy. She shuddered and was about to push him off when she realized she couldn't afford to. This was a mission that required teamwork. Besides, she wanted a little support right now because the physical realm was no walk in the park for her. With his arm around her shoulders, she leaned her head on his chest and they walked back towards the sign, their silhouettes dark against the setting sun.


Chapter 3


“I’m so sorry, honey,” Zatana said putting on an earring as she approached her husband. “It’s just that the servants who are usually around to do my hair were away today so Scarlet had to help.” The mother and daughter team had finally got the Queens hair done. Three massive braids were each made into rings which now stood elegantly on Zatana’s head, fastened with all sorts of jewelry, as her neck ached under all the weight, which had to be balanced on three in high heel shoes. Her waist and shoulders were being pulled down by even more weight of a majestic, but heavy dress. Damn pure golden trimmings, Zatana thought. She sucked her gut in and tried her best to look like she was walking on air as she approached Shukari.
“Why didn’t you see that coming before you told them to help me?” Shukari asked. “Honey you are forty five minutes late for dinner! The guests are starving!”
“Well why didn’t you let them eat something?!” Zatana asked, feeling guilty.
“You know it’s disrespectful to begin something as grand as dinner before the Queen’s arrival,” Shukari reminded her.
Zatana slapped Shukari’s hand lightly and walked by him to greet all the guests who stood enthusiastically clapping with fake smiles plastered on their faces. Zatana noticed it, making her more nervous. A layer of cold sweat began to form on her forehead. God, I’m gonna cry, she thought to herself. She cleared her throat and began with a trembling voice
“I must apologize for the inconvenience I have cause this evening,” She said raising a gloved hand. “It’s just that my daughter and I were held up with something tonight, but I assure you, this is a rare occurrence. Now, let us forget what is in the past and begin the banquet.” Zatana disappeared into the crowd and appeared at her husband’s side wiping off the sweat on her forehead.
“Impressive speech,” Shukari said sarcastically.
“Oh shut up,” Zatana said, hitting him lightly on the chest. “Come on. Let’s get to the Royal Table. Children!!” Scarlet and Shatani followed behind them obediently with two palace guards right behind them.
Round tables were arranged throughout the dining hall that evening as they usually were. Dinner was considered a grand event so every weekend, high class citizens would be invited to the palace for dinner. At the north end of the room, a platform was elevated with a few grand steps leading up from the center and two smaller ones, each guarded by a palace guard on each side. Here, a long table was placed, on which the royalty ate.
Palace guards were placed everywhere in the hall and throughout the palace for the utmost security. Each one of them stood towering over the rest of the citizens, taller in height and more massive in size. They were trained in the most ancient martial arts and practiced battle tactics. In times of war, it was also a common practice to replace soldiers with palace guards.
Zatana sat graciously atop her throne with her chin held high. Shukari looked at his wife in awe. Never in his life did he dream he would ever marry a queen, a beautiful queen to add. The darkness of her black-purple hair contrasted with the pale-blue, gentle eyes. Her well-endowed body looked stunning in any dress. She walked with grace and had a laugh that sounded like a small silver bell. Her every action enhanced her beauty. Despite her duties as a queen, she an excellent mother and raised her children well. Shukari took a quick glance at the fine job she’d done on the children who sat at each end of the table, hands folded on their laps, waiting patiently to receive their food. I could never ask for more, Shukari thought while smiling to himself.
Zatana wanted to breathe a sigh of relief as she sat down, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t show any sign of tiredness to ruin her immaculate image. As the cushion of her throne came into contact with her rear and the backrest to her back, she winced in discomfort. The craftsmen of this chair had obviously no regard for the natural curve of people’s back as the backrest stood straight up, perpendicular from the cushion. Not to mention the cushion was velvet, which sometimes clung onto the dresses she wore. Zatana looked at the dress she had on. Excellent, she said to herself, It’s silk. No sticking tonight! Then she frowned, noticing the color. Stains show badly on white. She had to be careful not to get any food stains on it. As she shifted uncomfortably in her throne, she put some of her weight onto her feet, which was when her attention had been brought back to the shape they were in. After carrying a good kilogram of evening wear on three-inch heels, they were crying bloody murder. With all the jewelry in her hair keeping it up, her neck wasn’t in good shape either and the throne didn’t help.
She sucked her gut in and sat straight up. “A great threat is at hand and as Queen, I must be strong for a great battle lies ahead, ” she mumbled under her breath. “I cannot afford to let myself be defeated by my evening wear at a dinner!”

* * *

Daniel had led Daisy back to the sign that lead them to the path towards the palace. They took that direction and were on their way. Night was falling upon them. Daniel shook his head in amazement. He’s heard a lot of thing about the sun, about how their magic and technology nearly duplicated the natural environment of earth. But experiencing it was something very different. He took a look at the stars that were starting to appear gradually overhead. It was exactly like what he was used to seeing at home. No matter the realm, at least he knew they shared some things in common.
Daniel remembered his mission, shattering the serenity of the scene. He wasn’t sure how powerful Thysle was. The only thing he was sure of was that he and Daisy were the right warriors for the job. He wondered if there were any other chosen spirits to help them. Reaching into his shirt, Daniel pulled out the amulet. My spirit essence is encased in this amulet, he thought. He grasped it tightly in his hand. In this alien world of unfamiliarity, this was the only thing that linked him back to the spirit world, the only thing that reminded him of home.
Daisy walked quietly just a few feet ahead of him. As night gradually took over, the heat left with the light. Strange noises started to emerge from the surrounding woods. She wrapped her arms around herself as she started to feel the chill of the evening air. Her rags weren’t doing a good job of keeping her warm. Daniel walked faster to catch up to her. He put his left arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Daisy grabbed his arm with both hands and was about to attempt to pull it off her. But she felt that whatever it was he was doing, it was working. It was freezing and he was a fire spirit. It only made sense. She sighed outwardly and stopped resisting. “We’re almost there,” he said, his breath visible in the dropping temperature.
He held out his right arm in front of her and a ball of fire burst into life in the palm of his hand. “For now,” he said, “until we get to the palace.” Daisy nodded and they began to walk a little faster.

Chapter 4



They had finished dining and now, it was about time for the dancing to start. And the people were waiting excitedly for the Queens declaration.
However, the King and Queen had decided that there would be no dancing tonight. Thysle would be upon them soon and there was no time to be wasted. It was time they informed their kingdom of the threat.
The king and queen stood to greet the citizens and they applauded. Shukari looked at the many celebrating faces atop shoulders wrapped in all sorts decorative evening wears and frowned. Such happiness tonight. I will most certainly regret what I have to do. He raised his hand to stop the applause, in preparation of their announcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “I regret to announce that tonight there will be no dancing. The banquet must be cut short. I’m afraid for there is a lot of work for us to do. You see Queen Zatana has felt a disturbance in our universe. The balance of good and evil has been tipped; unfortunately, not in our favor. There is a threat headed our way, towards the Kingdom of the Sun.”
“I fear today is the day we have all been dreading. This force of evil must be extremely powerful to tip the balance. I feel its energy signature in the air, even as we speak. And I fear it is the worst scenario possible. My brother Thysle, is coming upon us.” The citizens were startled by panic. Children ran to their mothers for comfort. The past catastrophes of the royal family’s evil prince had been told to children as horror stories to keep their behavior in check. However, hearing the announcement straight from the Queen and seeing her shake in fear as she spoke frightened the children even more. Parents pulled their kids close in fear and mumbled to each other. Raising her voice to the crowd. “Please, this a warning to those of the Sun Empire. We must work together from preventing this catastrophe from getting any worse!”
“We cannot allow fear to control us,” Shukari said sternly. “Thysle is a dangerous person. But he is nothing against the Sun Empire. The last time he was here, he killed a lot of our soldiers and terrorized our citizens. Are we going to allow this to happen again?” The crowd seemed calmed down a little. They looked toward their king as if he was some kind of a savior. “Nobody can help us but ourselves. He terrorized this kingdom but we banished him! And if we did it once, we can do it again!” Shukari expected them to be beaming with energy by now, but everybody in the crowd remained standing, looking at him. He felt a pain in his chest, the pain of hurt and embarrassment. Is this how much the kingdom meant to its people? “We have no time to waste. Preparations must begin now. If you don’t wish to be a part of this, then you are free to leave. But we can use all the help we can get.” Again, there was silence. A few heads turned but to Shukari’s surprise, nobody moved a step. “We’re in this together,” he said.
“Thysle could be upon us in anywhere from three days to a week from now,” Zatana continued. “We must make haste. The first thing we must do is to erect the shield barrier around this kingdom.”
“I want the perimeter gun turrets activated to full force and five soldiers at every unit,” Shukari added.
“The main gates must be shut and barred,” Zatana said. “Under no circumstances are they to be opened. I want the defense systems surrounding the empire walls activated to make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near the city.”
“I would like all military personnel invited tonight to spread the word to your men. I want our infantry assembled in the city courtyard within exactly twelve hours from now. Vehicle pilots are to proceed to the hangars immediately. I want the vehicles ready for activation within the next twenty-four hours.”
“Spread the word,” Zatana ordered.
As the crowd turned to leave, the majestic doors to the dining hall swung open with force, knocking a few people back. In the doorway, stood two of the most peculiar children Zatana had ever seen. One was a blond haired boy and the other a sweet looking brown haired girl. They couldn’t have been too old, perhaps between the ages of sixteen to nineteen and were clad in dirt stained white rags. How dare they come charging in like this –
“Do you think you can stop Thysle with mere physical force?” the boy asked.
“To be able to tip good/evil balance,” the girl said as they cut through the crowd with her eyes still fixed on the queen, “you’ve gotta be pretty damn powerful.”
“Who are you?” Shukari demanded. “You can’t just come charging in here - ”
“We’re your best hope of beating Thysle,” they said simultaneously.
“What makes you say that?” Zatana asked.
“Your highness,” the boy said, “Physical force alone will not be enough to damage him. Your brother has severely grown in power. If you may recall, ten thousand years ago, when he was banished, he wasn’t nearly as powerful to disrupt the good/evil balance. Somehow, he has grown more powerful to the point where the disturbance can even be felt in the spirit world. And that’s why we’re here.”
“What exactly are you suggesting?” Shukari asked.
“We are elemental spirits chosen by the Council of Eternity to aid you in your battle against Thysle. This time around, he is powerful enough to wipe the physical plane out of existence. The spirit realm cannot exist without the physical realm therefore both our worlds are in danger.”
Has he gotten that powerful? Zatana thought to herself. She trembled in fear. Imagine what he can do…She looked hopefully at the children standing before her. Judging by the sheer power they unleashed just to open the huge dining hall doors, she prayed hard that they were truthfully on their side.
“We can’t trust them right away,” Shukari whispered in Zatana who nodded in agreement. No matter how hard she hoped, she couldn’t believe immediately what they were saying. “I suggest we keep them at bay until we can confirm what they’re saying is true.”
“Until we can prove your legitimacy,” Zatana said to the children, “you must remain in the palace under strict observation. I am traveling to the temples tomorrow to get more information from the monks. I want you to come with me. If what you claim is true, they will be able to tell me.”

Chapter 5


Together with Shukari, Daniel and Daisy, Zatana had spent the last twenty-four hours traveling on horseback through various terrains. The sun now hung high in the sky, beating upon them with its harsh rays. The surrounding area bore no lush vegetation, just hot, jagged rocks of all sizes sitting on the dried mud. Crooked branches of once lively trees stuck out of the ground like the wrinkled remains of hands once crying for help.
The traveling party was getting low on water and so were their horses. Shukari’s tired eyes looked around desperately for some sign of water. He could see none. There was no sign of life, not even an insect crawling on the ground or a bird soaring in the sky. He glanced over at his wife. Her eyes were half closed. Little rivers of sweat made their way down the side of her face. Her usual full red lips were now pale and slightly wrinkled.
Zatana looked at Shukari with tired eyes and managed a weak smile. She could tell from the look on his face he was concerned about her. “We’re almost there,” she said. “Just a few more minutes and we’ll arrive.”
He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. It condensed and dripped off. Just a few more minutes and they would be out of the torturous heat and could get some water. Shukari wondered if it had been right to leave the prince and princess behind in the palace. We have the best elite guards and armada on the sun, Shukari tried to convince himself. They’ll be safer back there than journeying with us.
“What’s wrong dear?” Zatana asked her husband. “I told you I’m fine. Or is it something else?”
“It’s the kids,” he replied. “I’m just a little nervous about leaving them back home.”
“They would be in greater danger if they came with us,” Zatana said. She turned her head away to look forward. Her face twisted into a frown of concern. She felt it too. For some reason, she didn’t feel right leaving the Prince and Princess behind.

The monk temple started off as a small speck on the horizon wavering in the desert heat. As they approached closer, they could recognize the gray darkening marble pillars strangled with ivy. Just beyond the row of pillars was one of the sides of the building, which supported massive carvings depicting the history of the Sun Empire.