The Return of Destiny

      The Enchanted Forest looked dull and sad, even more than usual. The eerie feeling of insecurity that made you move through the trees was gone. All was quiet, as if the allure of the ghosts had disappeared.

     The truth is that the spectres were still there, but too tired to scare people, they chose to rest on dark nights.

     It was the third night without Kadriya in the apartment building Merlin and Sheyn lived in. They were both gathered in the Gelert's room, meditating.

     "How do you think I am?" Merlin asked suddenly.

     The Wocky had a melancholic and weak aspect, which contrasted with the rudeness and determination of his friend.

     – Well, without a doubt. She must be out there, doing what every dark faerie must do to take over the world.

     – Do you think I can defeat the Guardian of Gold?

     – Yes. With all the energy of the people on your side, you can. Do not worry.

     – Be quiet.

     – I'm scared, Sheyn.

     ***

     The Lost Desert had been traversed for three days by a mysterious figure. It was a Uni Halloween that stalked the city from above, with an indecipherable figure mounted on top. The few inhabitants of Sakhmet who got a glimpse of it did not worry, as they thought it was the Steed of the Night.

     But that Neopet was not the Steed. And the figure riding him was not Jazan, but a dark faerie named Kadriya. Dressed in a long black cape that camouflaged her eyes; and with her long–braided hair, it was impossible to recognize her.

     "Meri, I think we will find him tonight," the faerie whispered to Uni.

     – Better, because I'm tired of going around in circles. And I already told you to call me Mercury.

     The faerie ignored the last comment. With his strange eyes, he rested his gaze on the fountain that he had been observing for so long...

     ***

     At the same time, across the Sakhmet River, a huge ship was approaching with the name "Pisces Gladius" painted on its side.

     "You're okay, aren't you?" Osorium asked Fawse without letting go of the wheel.

     – Yes, I have not had any visions again. All I know is that it is in the Desert. And nothing else.

     – Don't worry, maybe you just buy a couple of rings, get a nice tan and go home.

     – It would be nice to think that we are all on vacation, but it is not like that, you know?

     The Ixi was silent, his brother was in a bad mood again. With his attentive gaze, he pursued the rays of the sun that were already shining in the sky.

     ***

     – Here it is.

     Without saying anything else, the faerie jumped down from the Uni and approached the heavy fountain. It was a fountain quite far from the city, apparently a very old one. A little cracked in places, but still pristine white in colour. In addition, it was full of hieroglyphs of those that nobody knows how to interpret.

     "It's dry," Uni said disdainfully. "From there you will get less water than from a rotten berry."

     "I don't need water, my friend," the faerie whispered in her eternal honeyed voice. "I need to get in, but... How could I get into a fountain?" I'm sure it's here, there's no other place that has caught my attention... what do you think?

     Mercury stared at Kadriya without flinching, and slurred his reply:

     – If I were an ordinary Neopet, I would tell you that you are crazy. But I come from the Enchanted Forest, and there these things are not so strange. So, I will choose to tell you that the only way to enter a place is through the entrance. If you tried to enter through another site, you would only hit your head, or failing that, achieve an inelegant appearance.

     "But what is the entrance to a fountain?" Kadriya asked impatiently.

     – It is not obvious? Through water, things flow. So, the input is water. Fill the fountain with some liquid, to start.

     – Thank you, wise Neopet.

     The Uni stared at Kadriya unfriendly as she emptied the contents of her canteen on the worn marble. The faerie admired his now-familiar features without discovering anything else.

     "Water is something that must flow," Mercury muttered before being questioned again. "Do you not know anything?"

     Without responding, Kadriya stirred the water with her hands. Suddenly, it began to be absorbed for no reason. As if the marble had been transformed into a sponge, the liquid was disappearing.

     – Here I go...

     The faerie plunged her face into the water before it completely disappeared. Before Uni's impassive gaze, her body became translucent, to then oscillate between something visible and something invisible. And finally, disappear.

     – Luckily, she paid me in advance. – Mercury commented before spreading his wings and moving away from the source, in the direction of the sun's rays that already covered half the sky.

     ***

     Kadriya fell onto a hard rock floor, feeling pain instantly. And before she got up, fine drops of water rained down on her. The faerie looked up, and found that she was under a sky as blue as she had never seen in her life.

     She got up slowly, and discovered that she was on a kind of marble platform located on the sand. But the city of Sakhmet in the distance had disappeared. She was no longer in the Lost Desert.

     Turning around, she couldn't help but hold her breath. And, behind her was a palace of gigantic dimensions. Entirely of marble, and with dazzling gold domes that glittered in the sunlight. The windows were narrow at the height, and huge near the ground. Through those windows, a single room was glimpsed that seemed to be the entire ground floor of the palace.

     Kadriya walked slowly, admiring every detail, towards an opening that served as the entrance. There was no door.

     As she entered the residence, a sweet smell of roasted almonds invaded her. The room in question was entirely painted in a soft colour and decorated with a curious taste. In the first place, everything was surrounded by plants of all sizes and types. Second, hundreds of gold armour hung from the soaring ceiling. That's right: armour. And third, at the other end of the room (which was far away, by the way), you could make out a polished reddish wooden throne. And sitting on that throne, he was...

     – The Guardian of Gold, Eskein. Kadriya said, hurrying towards the figure of the Hissi.

     The Neopet did not open its mouth until the faerie had approached its seat. It was an extremely beautiful Desert Hissi, clad in a long white robe, and its wings were adorned with hundreds of gold beads. But the most striking thing was his face: a serene and placid countenance, framed by straight black hair that reached to his shoulders. His yellow eyes flashed from behind a golden mask, which hid part of his forehead and the outline of his eyes.

     – My name is Eskein Heart of Gold, and I am the Guardian of the Lost Desert; the treasures, the mysteries and the relics. Congratulations on reaching my home, beautiful faerie. But I am afraid that your presence will not be pleasant to me, since if you are here, it is to rob me, or am I wrong?

     – You're wrong, I'm not going to steal anything from you. I will fight with you, and as a reward, I will take the necklace that Queen Atsibra gave you years ago.

     – My dear, consensual robbery is still theft. Sadly, I am forced to give you the garment you ask for in exchange for a battle. But you must win, of course. And then you can ask me what you want.

     – I, agree.

     – Elaidus, it's all yours.

     The faerie was surprised when the outlines of the Hissi and where they were, began to blur. In less than two seconds, Kadriya found herself standing in a room illuminated by a soft blue light, which came from nowhere. The walls were a beautiful indigo color, and the floor was black and shiny like a cloak of darkness.

     – You will face me, faerie.

     Kadriya looked up from the gleaming floor to spot a royal Draik at the other end of the room. He was quite small, although he was probably a teenager. He was wearing a suit composed of cerulean–colored gemstones; and his piercing green eyes matched his outfit. But in that gaze, there was an expression of defiance impossible to resist.

     "Defeat me if you can then" Kadriya smiled.

      ***

     Meanwhile, the citizens of Sakhmet looked curiously at the pirate–clad Ixi Darigan and the fiery Xweetok pushing their way through the crowd. The truth is that they were quite out of tune.

     "You know where to go, right?" Asked Os in a low voice.

     "If I didn't know where to go, what do you think we're walking for?" Fawse replied annoyed.

     – To see souvenirs? I've always wanted to buy one of those dresses they wear here.

     – They are called robes, and they would look horrible on you.

     – No more than your face.

     Fawse, ignoring his younger brother's comment, spotted a fountain in the distance, which immediately stole his attention.

     ***

     The sea dragged Kadriya to the opposite wall, crashing painfully against it. Totally drenched, the faerie had no idea who she was dealing with.

     Elaidus drew the current back toward him, dissolving it with a flourish of his claws. Meanwhile, the faerie began to join the other end of the room.

     – Come on, get up. I'm getting bored.

     But something had changed. Kadriya's eyes reflected anger. The slim figure sat up with the cape lopsided and the braid undone. He raised one of his pale arms, and slapped the air, generating a current that hit the Draik head-on without actually hurting him.

     "You messed up my hair... you'll be sorry!" The faerie burst out in a high–pitched cry.

     She unfolded both wings, and using them to ascend, she approached Elaidus, throwing masses of cold air at him as a warning. Undeterred, the Neopet stared at the faerie advancing at a speed that made it difficult to track her. Once he got close enough, the Neopet waved his arms, and a gigantic wave took shape behind him.

     Kadriya steadfastly resisted the pressure of the water that wanted to knock her down. With a gaze that glittered like two jewels, she flapped her wings with such force that much of the water was diverted and onto the walls of the room. A few drops splashed onto Elaidus's face, who raised an eyebrow in only admiration.

     ***

     Fawse and Osorium were already approaching the lofty fountain, which seemed to be inviting them for a drink. The only problem was, once they got close enough, they found it was dry.

     "Great, now what?" The Ixi snorted, sitting down next to the marble.

     Without responding, Fawse ran his delicate fingers across the surface of the fountain.

     – There are traces of magic here. She beat us to it... But how...?

     – Are you talking to yourself?

     – No, I'm talking to you, for something I brought you! We have to get in this way, it's the only way, but I can't quite understand how.

     – Why don't you offer some water to the fountain? – Os asked with an amused expression.

     Fawse watched him with a limpid gaze, unable to tell if his brother was serious or just joking.

     ***

     Now it was Elaidus who was drenched. Most of his attacks had rebounded, and the Draik looked like a tsunami survivor.

     Kadriya was ready for the final act. With a spectacular laugh, the kind only heard in old–fashioned movies, she formed a sphere of shadow in the palm of her sinister hand. And before the attentive gaze of the Draik, still as a martyr, the opacity took the form of a gigantic black column, which sprouted from the hand of the dark faerie.

     "This is it... I won!" Kadriya exclaimed before launching the last attack on his opponent.

     The heavy column of energy fell, like a brilliant theatrical performance of the Neopian Battledome. And before the faerie could react, she was swept away again by a current that flowed, blurring the contours.

     Kadriya found herself back in the soft–coloured, almond-scented room. In front of her were the Hissi Eskein and the Draik Elaidus. It was curious that the Draik looked perfectly relaxed and dry, without any injuries to betray his recent losing battle.

     – She beat me, bro. Elaidus whispered, looking down like a child who had done something wrong. And without saying more, he took refuge behind his older brother's back.

     "You won," the Hissi repeated with a deep look. "You have the right to demand one of my treasures, faerie of the Mist."

     – I want... – the faerie murmured, realizing that she was also dry, and without any pain or fatigue– No, I need you to give me the necklace that the faerie queen Atsibra gave you decades ago so that you could take care of it. The necklace with a green stone like envy and a heavy antique gold chain. That jewel belongs to me. Give it to me.

     The Hissi gave him another pristine look from behind his mask. And, slowly, it spread its wings, revealing a treasure behind its plumage.

     To be continued...