Chapter 111 - BONUS CHAPTER The Great Apocalypse - Part 1

2000 Years Ago

The Forbidden Forest Kingdom, Aurora Realm

Eri Hoshi, the Great White Sage of Yamato, watched as eight Great Ones, all fair beauties of the Aurora Realm, filed up the stepping stones toward the platform above. Her eyes—bloodshot and red from her lack of sleep for these past months—shifted to the one leading, Yuki Hoshi of Yamato, her eldest daughter whom she had created from the dust particles of snow, using her magic.

Yuki's long, dark hair fluttered elegantly in the gentle breeze as she regally led the other seven Great Ones to their sacrifice.

Behind Yuki was Akari, Eri's second daughter, whom the sage forged from the dust particles of an inferno of fire. Like Yuki, the blond-haired, newly wedded beauty Akari walked up the stone stairs regally, knowing very well that soon she—along with the other seven Great Ones—would be no more. Their physical bodies would be disintegrated once they released their qi cores from within their beings.

As she followed her older sister, Akari thought of Maximus, her husband of three days, the man she loved with all her heart, the man she was willing to sacrifice her life for.

This is for him and his world.

Right at this moment, she knew he was somewhere in the north at the edge of what was left of the Aurora Realm, doing his utter best with his dark power to form a shield to protect this world from its own destruction.

Akari felt Yuki's hand clasped over hers and held it tightly for a moment. She glanced at her sister and noted tears brimming in Yuki's dark-brown eyes. Instantly, her own blue eyes started brewing, and her slender body quivered with the overwhelming emotions that suddenly hit her.

She was never going to see her wonderful sisters again. Nor their endearing mother, Eri. And of course, her beloved husband Maximus and their dog Isaac.

She sucked in a shaky breath to prevent herself from collapsing right there in front of all the other Great Ones and the White Sages.

It's all right, a gentle, soft, ethereal voice echoed in Akari's thoughts. It's all right, Akari. I'll make sure to protect you. I'll protect you all. I promise.

Akari sucked in another deep breath as she nodded.

"I know you will, my love," she said quietly and softly under her breath to their youngest sister, a qi core their mother had forged from the particles of stardust.

Beside her, the bright multicolored orb gave out a warm aura, easing Akari's overwhelming emotion of fear, and calmed her down.

Stardust was an unofficial name the sisters had given to their youngest because that was all she was, an orb of glowing stardust. Despite what she was, Stardust was the strongest of the nine Great Ones. In fact, she was The Great One, holding the most powerful pure qi with infinite abilities and possibilities. Though she had not evolved and gained a physical body, Stardust could understand and communicate with all the Great Ones and their mother via telepathy with her qi alone.

Yuki said, "Come here, my love."

The orb moved in the air and hovered near Yuki. The warm energy radiating from Stardust, as usual, eased Yuki's fear and uncertainty.

She said, "Please protect their souls."

Stardust's voice echoed in Yuki's thoughts. I will protect everyone's soul. Don't worry, Yuki. I will ensure that yours will return to your husband's side. I know he means a lot to you.

Yuki chuckled sadly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Yes, he means a lot to me. Please, do that. Do whatever it takes to return my soul to Philip's side."

Hmm. I will. Stardust's voice echoed, full of conviction and certainty, which pleased Yuki.

Sometimes Yuki wished she couldn't feel fear or uncertainty, like their youngest sister Stardust. Then again, once you've evolved and acquired a physical body, those sorts of emotions came along with it.

Fear. Anger. Shame. Pity. Envy. Sadness. Courage. Joy. Trust. Love.

Love. Yes, she loved her husband. So much so that she was willing to sacrifice herself to protect him and his world. Only, she wished she had more time, both to spend with him and to break that blasted spell that bitch Queen Hilde had put on him to control him.

God, if only she had found out sooner, then he wouldn't have blindly turned into a raging, narcissistic man who was only obsessed with one thing: her.

But it was too late now. There was no time for her to figure out how to release that obsession spell, because the realm was on the verge of being annihilated and her full attention and power was needed here.

Her thoughts drifted to the seven demon lords, her friends who had aided her through thick and thin since they had saved her that fateful night not long ago, when Queen Hilde had ordered a hunter to murder her in the depths of the woods near the border of the McFarland Kingdom.

If the lords hadn't happened to chance upon her, she was sure she would have been very dead. And Philip, who had already started courting her and brought her to his kingdom then, would be none the wiser, believing she had left the palace of her own free will.

Every time she had problems with Philip or Queen Hilde, she had turned to the seven lords, and they, without asking for anything in return, had gladly helped her.

Yuki turned her attention to Stardust.

God, how she wished that Stardust, too, had formed a physical body. She wanted the sister to experience the wonderful feeling of being in love.

She knew the seven demon lords were attracted to Stardust. It was hard not to notice, since every time Stardust tagged along during her visit to the seven demon lords, hiding her core within Yuki's own heart, the lords all acted smitten with her and vied for her attention and affection.

If only they knew that the girl they were attracted to was Stardust, not Yuki. But alas, it was too late now, as Stardust herself was about to perform one of the greatest challenges of all, the gathering of eight pure qi cores to create a never-before made highest tier magic barrier that would not only protect what was left of this world from destruction, but form an ecosystem that would sustain life for hundreds and thousands of years to come. A performance that warranted the end of Stardust's own existence.

Yuki's heart went out to her youngest sister.

Stardust, The Great One with the strongest pure qi.

Yuki reached her hand out and lightly stroked Stardust.

The sister glowed even brighter, like a small sun, which told Yuki she was pleased with the affection. If Stardust had a physical body, she would be grinning and blushing, no doubt.

Once all the Great Ones took up their positions and formed a circle in the eight directions, Lord Aslan McTavish, the king of the Forbidden Forest, one of the most powerful beast shifters of the Aurora Realm, climbed the steps.