Facing Shadows

Chapter 20

(Ender's POV)

This was it. The final battle between the heir to Anankos' fallen empire, and a group of friends who were trying to save one of their own. My aura started going out of control, as I felt the queen's. It was too strong for me to handle. Even feeling it's aura made me feel like I was being strangled by an invisible foe. And all it was doing was standing in the middle of the throne room, and laughing menacingly. My god... This is some of the most corrupt aura I've ever felt... It's too strong. I can't hold on much longer. I gave up trying to fight it and snarled back at it, letting my Lucario's instinct take me over. I couldn't help it, okay.

"So, you mortals aren't going to bare your sticks at me? I truly thought you would put up a fight. Pathetic... This world and all others do not mean anything to me; all I want is to see them burn and fall apart to my amusement." She sneered. Rai, Nova, Truthy, and all the others weren't going to let this thing destroy the world. Or the universe, but still.

"If we're going to fight, then you'll get a fight. This ends now! I'm not giving up on my allies, and I'm especially not going to give up on the universe! If you lay a finger on my damn family, friends and son, I'll kill you." Truth proclaimed. The others agreed with that statement. And they all were confident that they were going to defeat that thing.

"Yeah! We're not giving up just yet!"
"You may think you're strong, but our family's bonds are stronger."
"We're a community, and nobody gets left behind."
"If you destroy the world, there's no more pizza... And that's a really bad thing."
"So, we're really going to fight against this self-proclaimed goddess? Alright then."
"We didn't come all this way for nothing!"
"I don't wanna die, Bubbles doesn't want to die, all of us don't want to die, so why kill everybody in the universe for your own entertainment?"
"Me and my mama aren't gonna give up!"
"If I had a table right now, I'd flip it in your ugly, scaly, scarred face."

It was another rallying cry, but now it was in the face of the enemy. But, instead of drawing its blade, the ominous aura continued to rise in power. The queen's body started to change. By change, I mean transform.

"You dare say that you can defeat a goddess?! The true ruler of Valla?! How imprudent of you pitiful mortals. I'll tear you all apart! All worlds shall perish before my wrath!"

She was growing scarred and tattered wings out of her body, and she started to turn more and more draconic. We stood back and drew our weapons, not knowing what was going to happen. She was transforming into her true self: a dragon with the strength of a god. She flew up and broke through the ceiling of her own castle, with those huge talons of her's. Then, she fired a shadowy blast, that was almost like a black hole, dragging us all in. Her own empire, the one she was trying to control, was being destroyed by her own hand.

"Hold on! Don't let go!" Truthy yelled. And that's what I did. I braced myself for what was to come.

I saw floating islands, pillars, and temples being sucked into the void, while the queen was flying around, admiring the destruction. Then, it lunged towards us, holding on to the destroyed ruins of the palace. It stared at us with its multiple eyes, some on its head, some on its face.

This is it. I told myself. We're all going to die here.