The Return of Destiny

      ”This is what you have been looking for, faerie." Eskein murmured, extracting the necklace from the depths of his feathered wing. "I only hope you give this dark artifact a use that goes beyond the blackness of your wings."

     Kadriya snatched the amulet from the Hissi with a glare filled with fury.

     – If my wings look black and opaque, it is because of the faerie who gave you this. I have no merit in the construction of my life, but Fate has taken care of invading my existence. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll step back... and put the necklace to whatever use I like.

     "How dare you talk to my brother like that...?" Elaidus asked through gritted teeth.

     "Leave her," Eskein cut him off, contemplating the faerie that was already moving away. "What that creature does with that power only concerns her and the Neopets that suffer it." We can't do anything about it except watch.

     – But, brother...

     Meanwhile, Kadriya was already leaving the palace. But something was out of tune in the landscape of sun and sand. Were...

     –YOU! – exclaimed the faerie full of a sudden fury.

     From near the marble platform, two Neopets watched her: a pirate Ixi and a fire Xweetok.

     – You will not escape from here, Kadriya! – Fawse uttered – We already defeated you last time, and we will do it again.

     – No...

     – And the whole world will forget your existence!

     – NO!

     With a desperate movement, the faerie donned the necklace that she had fought so hard for. And the jewel reacted to the touch of Kadriya's neck instantly. Before the terrified gaze of Fawse and Os, the young woman rose into the air surrounded by a greenish halo that barely allowed a glimpse of her body and her wings.

     "It's now or never!" Os exclaimed, drawing his sword.

     – Wait, stay away!

     Heeding his brother (...wow, that's strange), the Ixi was content to throw the sword at the faerie like a makeshift spear. But to the amazement of the two Neopets, the weapon disintegrated as soon as it touched the green aura.

     Then an evil laugh emerged from within the greenery. And rising into the air, Kadriya approached the platform passing over the two brothers. And once it got close enough, it disappeared.

     "We have to follow her!" Fawse worried.

     "No, you don't have to." A quiet voice whispered behind him.

     It was Eskein, who along with Elaidus had approached to see the transformation of Kadriya.

     – She's at the fountain now.

     "That is precisely why we have to... we have to...!" Os stammered.

     – It cannot. You are now nothing compared to the vigor and power of that cursed jewel. As for the faerie, she no longer exists.

     "Oh yeah !?" Fawse cried, beginning to get angry. "And what do you suggest we do?" Stay here to keep you company while that madwoman is out, hurting the Neopians? YOU ARE A COWARD!

     – My brother is not a coward! YOU are ignorant! – Elaidus bellowed suddenly– What do you know about us? We are inhabitants of here, of this world. We can go through the door and into your world, but... there we are like ghosts, or shadows. There is nothing we can do in that place, other than watch what happens. Instead, you really can do something, and you would find out if you just let my brother finish speaking.

     A silence followed that outburst.

     – Thank you, Eli. Eskein said, stroking his younger brother's head. Indeed, all is not lost. However, the magic of the jewel that that faerie possesses can only be fought with the magic of another jewel, whose colour is the exact opposite.

     – Ehhh... Blue? – Os suggested.

     "No, silly, the opposite of green is red," Fawse snorted.

     – Well, I was close....

     "Now, Xweetok, can you think of a red gem that has the magic you need to win?" Eskein hissed.

     "The Heart of the Mountain," Fawse answered immediately.

     – Exactly. –the Hissi smiled.

     – Wait...–Osorium interrupted– Wasn’t that thing destroyed years ago, in the days when plots were still going on?

     – Not really, little Ixi – answered the desert Hissi–The stone is still there, in the centre of the Mountain Terror. What is certain is that it has not been touched for a long time.

     – And that stone...–Fawse whispered– Or rather, a fragment of it, could it be what I need?

     – It all depends on how you use it. The Heart of the Mountain is an entity of both life and death. He protected the people from the Boris for decades, but at the same time, he destroyed the Nightbringer.

     – But Kadriya has already escaped, so we have to hurry –interrupted Os again– Besides, my ship cannot reach the Mountain Terror. Besides, it's very cold there. On the other hand, I left my crew totally stranded by the Sakhmet River. And above, the Mountain is very far.

     "Are you done?" Elaidus asked.

     – No. –Osorium asserted– Apart from all that, we have no idea what to do with that famous stone. We are more disoriented than Hoban in the middle of the ocean on a cloudy plot, and you speak to us as if we understand everything! Don't you see that we are dumber than we appear?

     "Oh, you..." Fawse muttered, slapping his forehead with his black hand.

     Eskein was looking at the two of them with his usual smile.

     – I'll answer you, just don't doubt me: First, Kadriya won't start causing damage for a while. Second, the crew of your ship have already been notified by one of my messengers that you will not be returning with them and that they can do whatever they want. Third, I will take care of transporting you to the Mountain Terror and providing you with everything you need to survive. All the lands of Neopia are connected to each other, in case you didn't know. And as for how the stone works, I don't think you're stupid, and neither is your brother. You will be able to handle it.

     – That's what you think... seriously, we are very stupid.

     Fawse was looking at his brother with an expression that would have frightened anyone intelligent enough to perceive it (...I think this Ixi is actually dumber than he thought).

     ***

     "Kadriya, you came back!" Merlin exclaimed; his face lit up with joy.

     "And you have the necklace!" Sheyn added with a wide smile.

     The faerie returned the flawless gesture of happiness to the Gelert, at the same time that he removed the black cloak from his shoulders.

     – Indeed, friends, I have returned and in a better mood than ever. I apologize for being rude to you earlier, but I was actually very, very nervous.

     "But you're fine now, right?" Merlin worried.

     – Yes, dear Merlin, thank you. And rest assured that the blows of the past will be the victories of the future.

     "Ah... well," The Wocky muttered thinking about the slap that the faerie had given him.

     – I imagine you want to know what will happen next, my friends. Believe me, it will be extremely fun.

     And without warning, the figure of Kadriya began to glow, emitting a green light, before the look of astonishment and admiration of the two Neopets.

     – Take my hand, friends... and join me in building a new world.

     ***

     The Mystery Island has always been characterized by one thing: contradiction. From the peace and quiet of the paradisiacal beaches to the gloom of the abandoned town of Geraptiku. From the songs of the faerie Jhuidah to the moans of the condemned ghost Lupe. From the soft golden heat of the main towns to the coldness and dark humidity of the jungle. In short, this island is a place for all tastes.

     A striped Xweetok named Nisha had long been in this place. This Neopet had been in her childhood a neighbour of Fawse and Osorium in the Enchanted Forest, but due to the transfer of her father's work, she had to move to the Island. At first, the abrupt change felt fatal, but she ended up being a local like any other. She had even agreed to give up her ghostly colour, in exchange for a new life.

     The fact is that on a day like any other, Nisha was lying placidly on the warm sand (soft and silky, unlike the rough sand of the Desert), enjoying the sun.

     But suddenly, a cloud that no one had seen before appeared out of nowhere and eclipsed the light. The Neopet stared at it for a few seconds, puzzled. But the curious thing was not the cloud itself, but its colour: green.

     An Island Roof near Nisha smirked:

     – Wow, look, the environmental pollution got here! Well, it was a matter of time...

     "Don't be ridiculous, Oscar, that can't be!" Nisha replied with her usual bad temper.

     – Come on, girl, interpret the signals... Mortogs are raining in Meridell, the NC mall goes out of control, the Neopian Bag falls, It is the end of the world that is coming!

     "You are a dreamer," said the Xweetok, rolling his eyes.

     But the worst thing was that the Techo was not entirely wrong. The green cloud dissolved, revealing what was inside it: a faerie and two Neopets that were barely visible from the ground.

     – Do you see them? – Oscar consulted taking a sip of fruit juice – Those are the members of TNT who are coming to freeze us all.

     Nisha no longer paid attention to her delusional partner. The three figures had begun to descend rapidly, until they landed on the snowy sand (Strange adjective, right?). They turned out to be a dark faerie of enormous beauty, a white Wocky with the face of an enchanted prince, and a Darigan Gelert with the appearance of coming out of a dungeon.

     "Who are you?" Nisha asked, looking both ways. There was no case, I was alone on the beach with that Woofy Techo.

     He got no reply. Just a smile from the faerie of darkness, which caused him to panic immediately.

     Raising her delicate hands in the air, Kadriya flapped her wings and without warning, the necklace began to glow with blinding green light.

     "I am the one who will rule you, my dear," the faerie finally answered.

     Then she clapped her hands and generated a tremor that shook the entire Mystery Island. Terrified, the Xweetok covered her head with her hands. The Techo chose to laugh and exclaim:

     – Let the end of the world come!

     The phrase could not be timelier. Kadriya and his two knights rose again into the air, and flew with astonishing speed until they were in the centre of the island. Once there, the faerie yelled the following words, which were magically amplified:

     – Citizens of the Mystery Island and occasional tourists... You must know that you are making history at this very moment. Be proud, for you are witnessing the resurgence of the most powerful faerie of all, Kadriya! Along with my two gentlemen, Merlin the Wocky and Sheyn the Gelert, of course. The truth is that I have lived most of my life in sad and humid places, but I am ready to change that. I officially declare Mystery Island as the capital of the New World of Neopia. Here I will reside forever and ever. Thank you very much for your attention, and don't worry about a thing, they will come to stop me, yes... but that will only make things more fun. I will be a good queen, and the weight of my terrible story will be enough to write hundreds of black sheets. So, without further ado... Welcome to your new home!

     After the official presentation, the three descended until they were lost in the jungle. Something I haven't mentioned yet is the fact that the Island had been shaking the entire time the speech lasted, slightly, yes, but it was somewhat disturbing...

     ***

     – But how can something like this be happening? She is a faerie, it is your responsibility, Fyora, I have nothing to do with this. Here, the only culprit is you. – Lord Darigan exclaimed, addressing the pinkish faerie in front of him.

     The two were in an emergency meeting in Lord Darigan's Chambers, along with King Skarl and King Hagan (who barely looked at each other). Kadriya had been in possession of the Mystery Island for two hours.

     – The problem, Lord Darigan, is that I cannot be held responsible for this either. I wish I could, but... the existence of this powerful faerie was completely ignored by me. As you know, I have my infinite spells to detect black magic, but... for some reason, this faerie escaped my reach. I suspect that it is because she never set foot in Faerieland, which seems impossible, but... Anyway, the important thing now is not to look for causes, but to stop that creature before her thirst for power spreads through the rest of Neopia. And believe me that will happen if we don't do something about it.

     – And what do you propose? Unify our armies?” Skarl muttered, visibly grumpy.

     "I disagree with that," Hagan said. "The very idea of people from Brightvale and Meridell working together seems far–fetched, but... Faeries and Darigans?" Something like that could never work! Where has it been seen before? My opinion is that we must appeal, as usual, to the valuable Neopia history.

     – There, the know–it–all is talking like a book again. Skarl growled.

     "Please King Hagan, what do you suggest?" Fyora asked pleadingly.

     "Before you answer..." Darigan interrupted. "I want to remind you, Hagan, that you've never been in a war before." And reading about battles is not the same as having lived through them. Also, excuse my ignorance, but... Do you have your own army?

     – My army consists of hundreds of cultured Neopets and...

     – Lots of mommy's little girls. Do, admit it, no one in your kingdom knows how to fight!” Skarl snapped.

     The green Skeith regarded his brother with a grim gaze.

     "Obviously, Skarl, we have different... ahem, opinions about the primordial things in a kingdom." However, I boast that I have several wizards and a few dozen experts in the art of potions, who can do just about anything. That was enough for me. You have... uh, brute force. And a couple of wizards too. Fyora has something very important: the flight factor. And you, Darigan, possess the cunning and weapons for the fiercest warriors. It's a shame the Tyrannian warriors can't help too, but the language issue would make things too difficult...

     "Yes... And?" Darigan asked.

     – And I do not know. You tell me. – Hagan smiled affably.

     –...What?

     – That's right. As you already said, I have never been in a war before. I think I will find your opinion very educational, Lord Darigan. So, tell us your plan, if you have one.

     "Of course, I have a plan," Darigan whispered dismissively. "What we have to do is...

     To be continued…