It felt like my body was being ripped apart, right down to my very cells. I could almost feel each cell being flooded with power then erupting, only to have a new cell replace it instantly and repeat the same process.

The agony was so intense I couldn’t even scream, even though my mouth was gaping open. I think I was still gripping the kindjal with both hands, but I couldn’t quite tell. There was nothing but pain. Continual, piercing torture. I collapsed onto the marble walkway, but even the cold stone on my face didn’t bring any relief.

I tried to tell myself it was okay, but I couldn’t. My mind was a mess. Thoughts of doubt, surprise, and pain flashed in and out of my mind so fast, I couldn’t make sense of it. Distress piled up in me.

On and on, the process went. How long had I been lying on the ground? Long enough that the light — the sun? — was fading when I cracked my eyes open.

Slowly, through the agony, I became aware that some of the cells weren’t being replaced after they exploded. My body was starting to shut down.

No! The one thought broke through my jumbled thoughts. No, I won’t die.

My body was under the control of the torrent of energy that was flooding in. No matter what I thought, it wouldn’t respond. Wouldn’t repair itself.

My mind jumped in panic.

“Shh.” Goddess’s calming voice quieted my chaotic mind. “It’s going to be okay. The more you panic, the more your body will resist. It’ll rip your body apart.”

I couldn’t see her — I couldn’t even open my eyes properly anyway — I couldn’t tell if she was standing over me or if I was hearing her words in my mind. But her words were enough. Her voice was the first clear thing I understood since this pain started. Mentally, I latched onto it, desperate for something to distract myself with.

“Very well,” she said, as if responding to my thoughts even though I couldn’t form a coherent line. “Let me tell you a story. The story of my beginning and end. Concentrate on my story, not the energy.”

A clear picture appeared in my mind, like a movie. The vision overwhelmed me until I was like a ghost in the middle of a set. Below me, a small planet floated in the void of space. It was beautiful, painted in vibrant greens, browns, and blues. Just like Earth, though it obviously wasn’t due to the shapes of the continents.

I could still feel the pain ripping through my body, but the more I focused on the planet, the less I felt the piercing torture.

“This was what my world looked like before it collapsed. My beautiful Vapria,” Goddess said in my mind.

Suddenly I was dropped down to the planet. I could see it happening, but I didn’t feel the horrible gut-wrenching motion. I found myself standing in the same garden courtyard that my body was lying in. Only, instead of a half dead and silent place, it was vibrant and full of color. Exotic plants filled the planter beds, overflowing with flowers as if each plant was vying for attention. The marble of the arched walkway that surrounded the garden seemed to glow slightly. Mist hung lightly in the air, soft and carefree. The way it swirled about was almost … playful. And in the middle, sitting on the side of a gorgeous water feature in a white flowing dress, was Goddess. Instead of the quiet smiles that she gave me, an infectious, happy grin spread across her beautiful face.

“Goddess,” a man called out behind me.

I turned, flinching slightly when the sudden move intensified my pain for that second, and saw a tall middle-aged man in a decorated European suit, a long red cape, and gold circlet on his brow. A very familiar kindjal and scabbard hung from his belt. He walked toward me, his eyes on Goddess. It was like he couldn’t even see me.

I glared and threw my hands out to stop him, but he passed right through my hands and body. My mouth wrinkled uncomfortably. I can’t say it was pleasant knowing that a ghost just passed through my body. Or was I the ghost that went through him? Still, I bore the pain and turned to watch the scene.

The king stopped in front of Goddess and dropped to one knee, his gloved hand over his head. “I have returned. I have completed the task that you gave me.”

She flicked the water off her white fingers and turned her body to face him. “Welcome back, young king. I missed you.”

Without willing it, my body drifted to the side of the garden so that I could see their profiles instead of looking at the king’s back.

The king turned and motioned with his hand. A dozen men and women walked into the garden. Some had their heads up high in pride, while others stared at the ground as if they couldn’t believe where they were. Their clothes were a mix of European and Roman styles, some in obviously expensive clothing and jewels while others were barely more than rags.

The light mist that lingered in the air drifted around them and clung to their bodies, like metal fiber to a magnet.

“Wonderful,” Goddess said happily and stood up. She patted the king’s head as if he was a child as she walked by.

He smiled wide and ducked his head to hide his expression, but I still saw the red flush on his ears.

The group of men and women dropped to their knees as Goddess went closer to them. Even the most arrogant one, a woman in a very fine dress, bowed her head in humble adoration. I didn’t know what Goddess saw as she stared at the people one by one, but in the end she stepped back.

“You are all wonderful. Just what I was looking for.” She brushed her fluttering hair out of her way so she could glance over her shoulder at the king still on his knees behind her. “You did a marvelous job, as always, Valen. But why are you still kneeling there, silly child?”

He smiled helplessly and stood up.

“And you as well, stand up.” Goddess turned back to the people.

One by one, they rose to their feet. When they were all standing, Goddess went on.

“From now on, you will be trained by me to help King Valen keep the peace between my children. Half of you will directly assist King Valen,” she motioned to the man, “while the others will go out and fulfill my will.”

The group of people murmured in amazement, as if they couldn’t believe their ears. Obviously, they had no idea what was going to happen to them before now, they were just following orders. I was starting to notice a trend on how Goddess handled things.

“Whatever your rank or position was before you came here, that doesn’t matter anymore,” Goddess said. “From now on, you will be my Warriors of Mist. Upholders of peace and protectors of my children.”

My eyes widened as I understood that I was watching the start of something great. The start of what I was.

The set froze, as if someone had hit the pause button, and everything turned into a scene in a wax museum.

“Valen, my first king, was the first Warrior of Mist I created,” Goddess’s voice said in my mind. “But obviously he couldn’t be a king and personally walk among my children to manage the peace at the same time. So I had him find more of my children that had a natural affinity to mist, who were good people, to help him. They became my first team of warriors and did great things among my people. More people joined the Warriors of Mist until the ranks grew into the thousands, and there were very powerful warriors over the years, but none accomplished such great feats as these few people. They laid the groundwork that resulted in peace till the end of my world’s time.”

Thick mist rushed in and covered the scene, masking it behind a gray wall.

The pain intensified, ripping at my body and mind. I groaned and collapsed on the ground. I didn’t want to move, but I couldn’t resist curling into a fetal position. Even the act of moving on the smooth marble was agonizing.

Laughter — Goddess’s laughter — echoed in my ears, breaking the pain enough for me to open my eyes.

The mist had thinned back to a light accent that floated around happily in response to Goddess’s laughter. She was seated on the rim of a flowerbed, still in a white dress, the sun reflecting off her floating, silvery hair.

A young man, who couldn’t be more than fourteen, with youthful blond hair and the long, lean body of a growing adolescent was kneeling in front of her. His hands rested on Goddess’s knees while he laid his head in her lap.

“It’s not funny!” he moaned, his voice cracking with emotion.

She raised her hand and laughed behind her fingers yet again. Then she took a breath and grinned at the boy, her silvery eyes narrowing happily. “I know it seems like that to you, but it is so sweet, I can’t help it. I love hearing stories about budding first love.”

He pouted and turned his head, but his ears couldn’t hide the bright red flush behind his short hair. “I’m glad you find this entertaining.” Then he let out a sigh and sat back. “I just … don’t know what to do.” He moaned and grabbed the golden circlet off his head so that he could mess with his hair. “It’s just, I know I love her ten times more than he does.”

Slowly, I stood up, even though each move was excruciating. But I wanted to be able to see what was happening better. They were so familiar with each other. It was different than when Goddess interacted with King Valen. She treated this young man almost like her own child. Was this boy the last king she called her favorite?

Goddess’s brows rose high as she smiled hopelessly. She took the circlet from his hands. “Oh, do you?” She soothed his hair and put it back on.

He nodded adamantly. “Of course I do! She’s the one for me!”

“And how many times have you talked to this love of your life, young king Terra?”

The young man stalled. “Ah, well. Only a couple times …” His voice trailed off. “I’m busy, you know. And she’s shy.” His cheeks colored.

“Since the two of them are engaged, I would assume this girl and that boy have talked more than a couple times. Wouldn’t you?” Goddess asked softly, her tone educating. “How can you be sure that you love her more than he does?”

He sputtered again. “Well, it was an arranged engagement from when they were babies. It doesn’t mean they actually have feelings for each other,” he said as if it was the greatest insult. “She deserves better than that. I’m the king. It wouldn’t be hard at all for me to break that engagement.” He nodded, obviously approving of his train of thought.

The smile melted off Goddess’s face. She tilted her head to the side and stared into the young man’s face. “Tell me, Terra. As king, just because you can do it, does that mean that you should?”

He paused and looked up into Goddess’s face. The confident expression on his face melted in insecurity. “Ah.” He swallowed and looked around, his fists resting on his thighs.

“Have I taught you so poorly?” Goddess asked, her heavy words kind.

He frowned. “I-it’s just that, I want her to be happy.”

Goddess reached out and gently lifted his chin so their eyes met. “Is the decision to break an alliance between two influential families for the greater good, or for her happiness, or to appease the unrest you feel because your first love is taken?”

He paused, thinking. His expression shifted. He obviously knew that he was in the wrong, he just didn’t know how to admit his mistake. “I —”

The blue sky flashed a dark red color.

Instantly, I stiffened in alarm. It was just like the Gate Vale at night. The same light that stained everything the color of blood.

At the same time, Goddess jumped up to her feet, her face strained and shocked. Her wide eyes started to glow silver and she wobbled and bent over, clutching her head. “Wha —!”

King Terra was thrown to the ground by her actions. His circlet clattered to the ground behind him as he sat up in panic. “Goddess?” his voice cracked. “What’s wrong?” He scrambled up and touched her arms like he was scared of hurting her. “Goddess?”

I looked around, trying to see what was going on, but I could only see the palace with the still mist. Tension hung in the air, but there was no obvious problem. But I knew what was happening.

The sky flashed red again.

Goddess moaned in pain and clutched her heady, the long strands of her hair tangling in a mess around her fingers.

“Don’t hurt yourself!” the young man nearly sobbed, tears pooling in his eyes. He carefully touched her hands, trying to pull her nails away from her skin. “What’s wrong? How do I help? Goddess!”

She threw her head back and screamed in agony.

The ground shook hard enough that the young king couldn't hold onto Goddess and fell to his knees. Behind me rose the sound of heavy things falling to the ground and thousands of people screaming. Dust filled the air, smothering the sweet flowery scent.

Painfully, I half turned. From where I was standing, I could see across a manicured field to the large city on the other side. Unlike the last time I saw the city, there was only minimal damage to the pretty buildings. People ran around the streets in panic. There were so many screams that they reached all the way to me.

On the other side of the city, a two-hundred-foot Gate arch rose out of the ground. Then another appeared in the distance. Then another. Then another.

Goddess let out a breathy gasp, drawing my attention just in time to see her collapse to the ground. For the first time, her hair and dress weren’t fluttering around her. They were still, lifeless, on her trembling body.

King Terra shifted to her side and helped her sit up. They stared at the Gate arches in equal terror.

“What … what are those?” he whispered in a scared voice.

Goddess’s eyes were still glowing, panic wrinkling her face. “I don’t know.”

Monsters spilled out of the Gates, instinctively homing in on the people, and the screaming intensified.

A thick cloud mist rushed in and blanketed the scene.

Goddess’s voice echoed in my mind, staving off the pain that threatened to overwhelm me once again. “My sweet King Terra. He never would get to be with his little love. She died fleeing to safety a month later, while her fiance fell trying to save her. My little king was heartbroken, but he was so busy helping me protect my people, he never had the chance to grieve. He never had the chance to become an adult, either.”

*****