"Hang in there, Matteo," Hafen encouraged as he rushed to Matteo's side.
"I don't think I can. I can't move my body," Matteo whispered with a faint breath and coughed up blood. He fell unconscious. His battle suit was torn in multiple places, and blood dripped from the tears.
Hafen's eyes widened. He placed a hand on Matteo's chest. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have made you the bait," he lamented.
Stark knelt beside him with a look of pure terror. "Stay with us, Matteo. Don't die," he begged.
Suddenly, Matteo twitched, and a faint energy emanated from the deep wounds. The gashes on his skin rapidly closed, and the bruising quickly faded. With a shuddering gasp, his eyes fluttered open. He sat up with a groan and stared at his unharmed body.
Hafen and Stark stared in stunned silence, and their minds struggled to comprehend the miracle they had just witnessed.
"Did we defeat Princess Bera," Matteo inquired.
"No, but you're... Alive. How," Hafen weakly stammered with disbelief.
"What do you mean," Matteo questioned and raised a brow in confusion. He looked at his body and patted it. He inquired, "Is it not normal to wake up with no injuries after a fight? This always happens."
Stark's jaw dropped. "Always? Matteo, people are not supposed to heal like that," he exclaimed.
"Really? I guess I'm one of a kind, and I can regenerate," Matteo responded with a slight tilt of his head and a shrug.
Hafen processed this new information. He remembered the wounds Matteo had suffered, wounds that should not have healed. He concluded, "You're different from us, Matteo. From everyone else, but we can't worry about that right now. We have to finish our mission."
Princess Bera, still wailing on the ground, slowly rose to her feet. Wobbling around, she held her smoking eye socket with one hand and glared at them with her remaining crying eye. "You... Will pay," she whimpered as blood seeped out of her mouth.
Stark smirked with a competitive spirit. "She's still standing. Good, because I'm not done with her yet," he remarked. He grabbed the elemental claymore from his back and charged.
Hafen picked up Matteo and helped him stand. "Are you sure you're okay," he asked with a concerned look.
Matteo took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm fine," he insisted. He picked up the elemental rapier and pointed it at their adversary. "Now, let's defeat her," he urged.
Ready to end the fight, Stark, Hafen, and Matteo surrounded her. They advanced with synchronized steps and readied their elemental swords for one last attack.
"It's over, princess," Hafen declared.
Princess Bera, cornered and wounded, snapped her head towards each of them, and tears streamed down her face. With a loud shriek, she called out, "Mommy!" Her high-pitched wail echoed through the forest and beyond.
Hafen immediately dropped to his knees and clutched his head tightly. "Stop," he demanded while blood seeped out of his ears.
Matteo and Stark also winced with alarm and covered their ears. Their hearts dropped as the ground suddenly shook.
Giant footsteps stomped through the forest. In the distance, a colossal figure hurried towards them, kicking down trees and crushing boulders.
The queen of the zombies, with her long silver hair and white dress, emerged from the shadows. She also wore a red regal cloak and a golden crown. Her cold, dead eyes fixed on her injured baby daughter. She scooped up the crying Princess Bera and cradled her in her arms while smiling.
Intimidated, Matteo gulped and trembled.
"Let's get out of her sight," Hafen urged and shoved his brothers away.
Stark pushed back. He frowned and claimed, "No, I'm ready to fight her." He planted his feet and raised the claymore.
"Stark! Don't be a fool! We're no match for her," Hafen warned.
"Hey, you," Stark roared and pointed the claymore at the zombies' queen. "Put that cry-baby down. We have unfinished business," he insisted and defiantly stood. His demand faded into the howl of the wind.
The zombies' queen gently bounced the whimpering Bera. She hummed a lullaby in a strange, melodic language that seemed ancient and otherworldly. Her hands stroked her daughter's hair with a surprising gentleness.
Princess Bera's sobs subsided into small sniffles. She snuggled against her mother's chest. Her remaining eye looked up with pure, unwavering trust.
Her mother stopped her humming. She eerily and slowly turned towards Matteo, Hafen, and Stark. Her expression became not one of anger, but of cold, analytical assessment. She noticed Stark's bunched muscles, Hafen's guarded posture, Matteo's nervous twitch. Then, her gaze dropped to the elemental weapons in their hands. A flicker of recognition crossed her features before it was gone.
"Are you the queen of the zombies," Hafen queried with a stammer.
"Yes, I am widely known as The Covetous Queen," Bera's mother answered with a calm, resonant voice that was both beautiful and terrifying.
Stark spat, "We're not scared of you!"
The Covetous Queen chuckled and revealed, "I may have a different plan for you than a slow, painful death."
"What do you want," Matteo sought to know.
Keeping her gaze on the elemental weapons, The Covetous Queen offered, "You are special. You have the potential to become my children. Join us."
Stark furrowed his brows and interrogated, "Are you crazy? You and your zombies invaded our home."
"I am a little crazy," The Covetous Queen affirmed with a wicked grin. "Kneel and serve me. If you do, your lives will be spared," she proposed and raised a brow.
"We will never serve you," Hafen refused with a defiant look.
"You are evil. You want to turn everyone into zombies," Matteo accused.
"After we're done with that cry-baby, you're next," Stark threatened.
Princess Bera, safe in her mother's arms, peeked over her shoulder and grinned at Stark with a toothy, malicious smirk. She stuck out her tongue. Then, she pointed a chubby, accusing finger at Matteo. "Mommy... He hurt me," she sniffled.
The Covetous Queen's expression turned into disappointment. "How despicable of them. Humans are the ones who are evil," she elaborated.
Just then, Hafen noticed the peculiar eye design on her regal cloak, identical to the cloaked figures. His breath hitched. "The cloaked figures," he whispered.
The Covetous Queen's smile faltered for a moment. As if she read Hafen's mind, she readjusted her cloak. Her eyes narrowed, and the warmth in them changed to a chilling, predatory stillness. "You've encountered my old associates," she asserted while taking a step forward. "I used to be The Exalted One's assistant," she revealed with a proud smile that didn't reach her eyes.
A gust of wind blew past them, carrying a faint anticipation.
"You worked with The Exalted One," Hafen repeated. He tightened the grip on his elemental katana. "Did you kill my parents," he urged to know.
The Covetous Queen paused for a second. She remarked, "Oh, the farmers? That wasn't my doing." Then, she clarified, "But I was the one who gave free passage to your home."
Matteo gasped in shock.
Hafen's knuckles turned white as he gripped the hilt of the katana.
The memory of the black flames, the smell of burning wood, and the sight of his parents' lifeless bodies flooded back into his mind. A wave of rage washed over him, and the lightning on his katana's blade crackled with renewed intensity.
"You," Hafen snarled. His face twisted in a mask of fury.
"You will pay for what you've done," Stark roared, and his expression also contorted with anger.
"You are welcome to try," The Covetous Queen challenged. She chuckled and looked down on them. In an instant, she kicked them nonchalantly.
A gale of wind brought a large dust cloud. Smoke billowed and covered the forest.
Matteo and Hafen flew back, and they crashed through multiple trees in a brutal tumble. They landed in a heap of broken branches and torn leaves. They lay unconscious.
Even so, The Covetous Queen frowned with worry. She still felt resistance in her kick.
The smoke and rubble blew away from her feet.
Stark stood his ground. He held her foot with a strained expression. He screamed as he unleashed his full strength to stop the kick. He slid across the ground, and his shoes were burned. He clenched his teeth and groaned. His groan hardened to a growl as he proclaimed, "I'll be the strongest!" He unexpectedly pushed back, and a flicker of a transformation with his skin occurred.
The Covetous Queen's eyes widened in disbelief as she struggled. Her eyes narrowed back as she recognized Stark's hidden power. "You are pretty strong, boy," she stuttered. She chuckled with disdain and smirked. She freed her leg and kicked with greater force, sending Stark deeper into the forest.
Dust and debris exploded into the air.
Stark flew farther than Hafen and Matteo. He hit trees, and their branches snapped. Soon, he fell out of a tree and tumbled to the ground. He crashed with a loud thud. Severely injured, he coughed up blood and failed to get back up. Blood seeped from his mouth and nose. No longer able to move, he passed out.
The Covetous Queen looked at her daughter with a smile. "You're safe, Bera," she soothed and caressed her hair. A flicker of something unreadable passed through her dead eyes before it vanished. "Your older siblings will soon arrive home," she added.
Princess Bera giggled with joy. "Really," she inquired with excitement.
"Yes, you will finally meet them," The Covetous Queen confirmed. She turned serious and faced Stark, Matteo, and Hafen once more. "But first, Mommy has to punish these naughty children more."
Princess Bera giggled and clapped her hands.
The Covetous Queen menacingly stepped toward the defeated Matteo, Hafen, and Stark. Will they die at the hands of The Covetous Queen? How would they survive such a foe? Who are the new siblings Princess Bera is excited to meet?