Guardians of the Amulet: Darkness

Prologue

The Prophecy

At dawn an attack will rise

from the shadow of the seventh planet.

The ruins will create a new queen

who will always be gloomed by Pluto’s shadow.

The Raven’s songs will drive the evil away

to return at the end of her reign.

Her heart sinks with the weight of regret,

for the downfall of the queen was on her account.

As soon as the Earth rises from the shadows of the six,

Cimmerian’s Raven will flee to the planet of Chaos.

At her last breath, she will make a vow

that will seal the fate of the world.

Her descendant, who has a sliver of the Raven’s spirit,

will come together with the angel of France.

They will create the darkest code of the crest;

she will follow the victorious people and the crow.

She will save the world,

and then the queen’s spirit

will be her own once more.

Part I

The Nyx Era

Chapter 1

The Attack

N yx sat up abruptly in bed, petrified by what she just saw.

Clutching her bedding and trying to calm her racing heartbeat, Nyx recollected the words from her nightmare.

She will save the world,

and then the queen’s spirit

will be her own once more.

Nyx was sure she had heard Raven’s prophecy, given to her one line each night until the concluding one tonight.

A ghost had drifted, again and again, into her dreams every night.

Raven, awaken! Avenge me. They have taken me and humiliated me. Avenge our kind, small Raven! Awaken from your slumber! the ghost wailed on and on.

Darkness always knocked her unconscious, but as soon as her vision came back, the ghost was back again for more cries of vengeance.

It was getting worse. One bloodstained ghost had cloned itself into a horde of angry ghosts, all hungry for vengeance.

Raven! Save us! Their cries got louder, and the ghosts pressed closer and closer until some went through her.

She always woke up from these nightmares with a tear-stained face.

After she woke up from receiving the last line of the prophecy, Nyx suddenly caught a glimpse of what it meant. And if she knew anything about prophecies, it was that they always came true.

She silently translated the prophecy in her head.

At dawn an attack will rise

From the shadow of the seventh planet.

The ruins will create a new queen . . .

This means that Queen Pluto will die during an attack, and I will become the new queen, Nyx thought.

Who will always be gloomed by Pluto’s shadow.

Hm, I don’t know about that part. Maybe it means I will always follow Queen Pluto’s legacy. Nyx moved on to the next verse.

The Raven’s songs will drive the evil away . . .

Does it mean that I will drive the enemy away? Nyx felt puzzled.

To return at the end of her reign.

All of my efforts will be in vain as soon as I die, or I will yield possession of the amulet. Nyx pondered this.

Her heart sinks with the weight of regret, for the downfall of the queen was on her account.

Oh dear! It means that I will kill Pluto, Nyx cried out. She covered her mouth in disbelief and a stab of fear.

As soon as the Earth rises from the shadows of the six . . .

Nyx had no idea what this meant.

Cimmerian’s Raven will flee to the planet of Chaos.

Cimmerian’s Raven must be me, Nyx thought. But I will have to . . . become the enemy? This sounded absurd and humiliating.

At her last breath, she will make a vow that will seal the fate of the world.

It could mean that when I die, I will either make a promise or make someone promise me something. And this promise impacts the future, Nyx interpreted.

Her descendant, who has a sliver of Raven’s spirit . . .

My descendant will have a bit of my spirit? This did not make much sense.

Will come together with the angel of France. Nyx had no clue what this sentence meant.

They will create the darkest code of the crest . . .

Who will save the world—once again, no idea, but it might be the produce of that vow, she thought.

And then the queen’s spirit will be her own once more.

This line chilled Nyx to the bone. She paced around the room like a caged animal. The pressure from the prophecy was almost suffocating.

She was a loyal deputy to Queen Pluto. She would never kill her queen or betray her planet. The prophecy was nonsense!

Crash! Nyx perked up at the loud noise outside.

Sprinting to the balcony, she ripped open the French doors, and a frightening scene unfolded before her.

A row of perfectly fabricated war vessels descended from the sky in a perfect silent formation as an army of tall, pale fighters marched downward. Each and every one had bright-red eyes that leered at Nyx.

She didn’t know exactly what was happening, but she realized one thing.

This is not good. Nyx’s blood ran cold. It seemed the prophecy was starting to cast its doom. The evils from Chaos did arrive. This was real, not nightmare anymore. They were here to destroy and to kill, and they wouldn’t leave until they succeeded. Nyx was completely awed.

As they approached, the red-eyed creatures suddenly hit a crystal wall.

Queen Pluto had ascended above them all, casting a protective sphere with a light-purple aura around the planet.

The pale fighters scrambled into a defensive formation, hurling shock waves to crack the protective layer. Numerous lightning bolts formed on its surface as the enemies’ negative energy was neutralised and absorbed.

Nyx zoomed through the protective layer, hoping to help Queen Pluto in some way.

As soon as Nyx was on the other side of the protective layer, the scent of jasmine, Queen Pluto’s aura, reached her.

Suddenly, Nyx felt the excruciating agony of her body trying to rip itself apart.

Then, Nyx felt different: powerful but benumbed.

Her eyes blazed red as she floated up and strangled Queen Pluto with her large, pale talons.

Queen Pluto’s eyes were filled with shock and confusion. Nyx? She gasped for air and could not continue.

I do not answer to that name. I am the Raven, here to avenge my ancestors, whom you wronged all those years ago. The Raven in Nyx’s body muttered in a monotone. She had been turned into a mindless killing machine.

The next moment, Queen Pluto clutched at her neck, where dark-red blood spurted out.

Nyx… why?

Pluto, one of the six mighty queens governing the planets, stopped breathing forever. Her eyes were still open.

Nyx suddenly came back to consciousness. No! she shrieked. Fury raged through her veins. It was all the Raven’s fault! Nyx was not a pawn, and she would not be treated as one.

How dare you ravage my world like this? How dare you!

With a surge of adrenaline, Nyx unleashed pure elemental magic and formed a hexagon trap for the attackers.

With a flick of her hand, pillars of earth tumbled down on one side. With a snap, she seared her enemies with a wall of fire from the second side. A blaze of light pushed downward on the third side. A wave of water poured down on them from the fourth side. Gales of tornados came from the fifth side, and waves of darkness blacked out everything.

Why are you here? Nyx demanded.

Vengeance. You and your queen drove us out of your precious planetary system, and now we will obliterate all of you! The evil fighters cackled and shrieked as one, a sound that made Nyx shudder in disgust. Pure hatred filled her body with such intensity it threatened to tear her insides apart.

No, you won’t. I am the Raven, and I am above such pettiness! For as long as there is breath in my body, I will stop you. Leave at once, Nyx said, calm and collected. She had the powers of the Raven, but it had let go of her mind.

At once, the evil fighters scattered.

Good riddance. Nyx muttered, her voice back to normal pitch and her mind entirely her own again.

The row of war vessels took off in the same silent perfect formation as when they had arrived.

A ringing silence filled the air, rendering Nyx deaf, but the chatter of the crowd soon overtook it.

Nyx caught snippets of words like raven, queen and planet, but to her, all the Cimmerians murmured one word: murderer.

Chapter 2

A New Queen

N yx tilted her head and listened. The sound of incoming calls broke the dead silence in the castle. The images of the five remaining queens popped up on five orbs surrounding her.

Mercury, the queen of Grandiose—the water planet—spoke first. Where’s Pluto?

She’s… Nyx trailed off, half-disbelieving what had happened but feeling it was all too real.

Ah, said Jupiter, the queen of the planet Terrus—a lush brown and green world—after an awkward silence.

How did she die? Mercury’s eyes gleamed with a small trace of suspicion.

It was the fighters from planet Chaos. Nyx lied smoothly.

Really? All right, though I didn’t think that Pluto could be struck down. Jupiter looked suspicious but decided to let the matter go.

Why are you calling at the same time? Nyx asked.

Our worlds have been ravaged and our people killed. We need to do something extraordinary! Moon, the queen of Lumious, the star planet, explained the situation in a very serious tone. Nyx, you are new, and I don’t want to scare you. But if another attack comes, we would not fare well. Six divided planets are not strong enough to launch a successful counterattack.

So what’s the plan? Nyx asked, brushing away her anger at being treated like a child.

There is a ritual. I don’t think you have heard of it, said Mars, queen of Ammaroidal, the fire planet. She paused for a second, as though she was trying to hide her smug look.

And it is… ? Nyx cut in bluntly, trying to wipe the smirk from Queen Mars’s face.

It’s called the binding, Queen Mars said warily.

You’re right. I haven’t heard of it, Nyx responded.

It’s a very dangerous and difficult spell that has never been used before. It is strictly forbidden by the Grand Testament. Uranus, the queen of the wind planet, Champaign, twitched nervously.

So why would we use it? Nyx asked.

It’s our only hope, and it is built on a sound theory. Queen Jupiter looked at Nyx seriously.

Do we have other options? Nyx asked.

No, Mercury said firmly, it is too late to do anything else.

How does the spell work? Nyx asked. Even though she had a sinister feeling about what it was, she needed confirmation. Why did things have to take such a sharp turn for worse all of a sudden? Until today, Nyx had lived a happy and carefree life. She had anything she wanted in terms of friends, possessions and fame. Best of all, she had a life with her beloved mentor, Queen Pluto.

The spell connects the six planets together as one. Jupiter, ever the staunch one, broke the news.

What? Are you all crazy? Nyx was completely bewildered at their acceptance of this strategy.

Nyx, it’s the only way. Whether you agree or not, we will perform the spell. The Cimmerians can choose between their pride and their survival, said Mercury, the diplomat.

You are crazy!

Nyx, it may sound crazy to you. But we believe we are doing the right thing, and I think that you should trust us. Queen Mars stared at her, about to lose her temper.

Why in the world would I agree to this nonsense? Nyx snapped, looking just as frustrated as the irritable fire queen.

Because it’s the wise thing to do. Queen Moon looked at her.

Fine! Nyx rubbed her temples and stared at the five queens. The problem is, I have no clue how to go forward with this spell, Nyx said, looking at them in an almost triumphant fashion.

In the absence of Queen Pluto, we only need your consent to proceed. Jupiter smiled.

Oh… Nyx murmured.

Just repeat after me so that it’s safe to bind your planet, said Queen Mercury as she gave Nyx a no-nonsense look.

Fine, Nyx said. She said each of the following lines after Queen Mercury.

"I, Nyx Amber White, give my consent on behalf of Queen Pluto,

"To bind my planet, Cimmerian, with the other five,

To save it from the impending doom from the seventh planet.

There, Nyx. When you wake up tomorrow, your planet will be transformed forever. With Queen Jupiter’s concluding words, the five queens disappeared.

Nyx thought, Yes, it will change. But will it be for the better or the worse?

Chapter 3

A New World

B oom!

Nyx was jolted awake by a sound as loud as canon fire.

Oh my God, why did I even agree to this? Nyx thought. She scrambled to the window, where her horror was intensified by a hundredfold.

One planet had just crashed into Cimmerian, and four others were right behind it.

Nyx leapt outside and stared at the new world spreading beneath her feet.

What have you done? she yelled at Queen Mercury, who was floating with the other four queens as they dictated the process.

Queen Mercury ignored her and continued the spell.

Nyx sat down and buried her face in