Chapter Three: The Forbidden Peak

There's a rumor out that the reason for the storms surrounding the Mountain is Ziero Destroy...but is it really his fault?

After their meeting with the king, Samson and Maqsedeth made their way back to Chopin as quickly as they could. Once they got there, they were met by Trenton, the village chief and his daughter Ebonie, Rob, Molly, Butch, Jason, and Ken. "Hey, you guys," Trenton said, "we all caught the case on TV. Congratulations!"

Samson smiled, "Aw, thanks, guys," he said.

Jason smiled, "We were all worried that you guys would be pulverized when the case began because of who the judge was," he said, "but it looks like you guys had the ultimate weapon, who was the Patriarch, of course. How did you guys manage to do that?"

Maqsedeth shrugged, "Well, he was Samson's friend, of course," he said.

Jason gasped, "The Patriarch is your friend?" he asked Samson, "Wow! How did that happen?"

Samson smiled, "He makes routine visits to the village Fruits and Berries and he just so happened to be in our district at the time I met him," he replied.

Jason gasped, "Wow! I didn't know that!" he said, "I must've been in school that day."

Molly and Butch rushed forward to hug them and Rob put his hand on Maqsedeth's shoulder, "So, where will you guys go, now?" he asked them.

Samson sighed, "I guess back home to prepare for this 'quest' the king wants us to go on for him," he said with distaste.

Rob gasped, "You guys took a quest from him?" he asked, "Do you think you can trust him?"

Maqsedeth sighed, "We'll just have to give it try," he said.

Samson sighed, exasperated and crossed his arms.

Trenton, who overheard them talking, approached their area, "Hey, wait you guys, won't you stay for the remembrance ceremony for Becky?" he asked. "We all got together and put together a ceremony in her honor."

Maqsedeth gasped, "Aw, that's so sweet!" he said, "Of course we'll stay for the ceremony! Right, Samson?"

Samson smiled, "Absolutely! We'll be there," he said, "Thanks!"

Molly and Butch rejoined their dad, Rob, and Ken came forward, "Good luck on your quest," he said, "I remember when the Patriarch said your last quest was a scheme by the king to dispose of you, so I want you guys to be careful and don't forget to be on the lookout for anything suspicious on your quest. But don’t overdo it."

Samson shook his hand, "Sure do, Ken," he said, "thanks." Maqsedeth and Samson departed from the crowd and went into their house.

Samson sighed, "I can't believe you're gonna drag me up to the Treacherous Mountain with you to die," he said to Maqsedeth.

Maqsedeth sighed, "Samson, you worry too much," he said, "You survived the Ghost Town."

Samson rolled his eyes, "Oh, so since I've survived the Ghost Town, I'm supposed to just jump into whatever reckless activity that comes my way?" he asked.

Maqsedeth sighed, "It's not like it's anything new to you," he replied, sarcastically, "You do that all of the time."

Samson crossed his arms, "Yeah, well usually those reckless activities I jump into are activities I got myself into," he retorted, "not ones the king gets me into."

Maqsedeth sighed, "Besides," he said, "haven't you always wondered about those weird storms that surround the Treacherous Mountain all of the time?"

Samson sighed, "Well, yeah, Father," he said, "I have."

Maqsedeth shrugged, "This will be the perfect way to find out," he said.

Samson stared at him for a while and sighed, "Okay, fine," he relented, "I'll go on this quest with you."

Maqsedeth patted him on his back, "You worry too much," he said.

"Yeah, well, you don't worry enough," Samson said.

Maqsedeth led him upstairs, "Come on," he said, "Let's get out of these clothes."

They went up to their rooms and changed their clothes. Samson put on the dark blue shirt and black boots his grandmother gave him for his birthday with white trousers. He strapped the sword his father created to his hip and placed the chain bearing the jewel, known as the Ancient Power of old, in his pocket.

He also carried the golden bow and glass quiver Butch got him and the lamp Queen Martha gave him on their last meeting, which he placed in his pocket. Once he was done, he met with his father and they made their way outside to attend Becky's remembrance ceremony.

When they finally made it to where it was being held, they saw that the village had cleared out a small area by the Rainbow Falls just for the Chopin and Bloch districts. It was under a black pavilion with purple and black ribbons strewn around it, the falls gurgling right beside it. Black cushioned folding chairs were placed underneath the pavilion and at the front of the pavilion, there was a black podium and an altar for burning things. The floor of the area was covered in a purple and black cloth.

Samson's godfather, Aaron, Jason's father, was the speaker. "Mrs. Becky Cleopatra was a very good woman and a very close friend of mine," he said, "She was a beloved mother and grandmother. She was very kind and generous to those in need and in her lifetime she gave a lot of her time and money to charities. But, today we know that she is going to rejoin her late husband who had passed previously and she no longer has to suffer in this life anymore. She has moved to a better place now and we can rejoice and be exceedingly glad at this understanding."

No she hasn’t, Samson thought, annoyed at their ignorance, she’s Erosian. She’s been reincarnated into another life and so has her late husband.

Ebonie, Trenton's daughter, sang a song while Maqsedeth and Samson approached the altar. Once Ebonie finished singing, Aaron lit the altar and gave Samson and Maqsedeth a burial shroud, decorated with roses, birds, and smiley faces.

"At this moment, the family will commemorate a burial shroud burning in Becky's honor," Aaron announced. Maqsedeth and Samson put the burial shroud on the altar and stood watching for a while as the flames consumed it and transformed it into ashes before their eyes. After the ceremony, everyone paid their condolences to Maqsedeth and Samson and gathered at the Parishes' residence for food and socializing.

Meanwhile, Maqsedeth and Samson went to go on their quest for the king of Summer Breeze. They took Rainbow, the winged unicorn Samson received for his birthday, making sure to pack enough food for both Rainbow and them on this trip. They took the long way, which was past the Rainbow Falls and northward through Pinnaclé. They galloped through the whole country Pinnaclé, through the Magical Forest, the Golden Plains, and the towns and kingdoms of Warm Welcome before finally reaching the Treacherous Mountain.

The darkness swallowed them whole and the wind picked up speed, making it harder to approach the Mountain. The only way they were able to approach was with Rainbow's wings flapping slowly as they galloped.

Thunderstorms and hailstorms made their approach even harder and because Rainbow couldn't see where she was going, she began to panic, nearly throwing Samson and Maqsedeth from the saddle on her back.

Since Rainbow didn't want to go any further, Samson and Maqsedeth dismounted her, careful not to let her throw them both, and Samson calmed her by grabbing her horn and petting her gently with his hand, whispering to her that it was going to be okay. He told her to stay there and then he and Maqsedeth went towards the Mountain themselves.

The storms got worse as Samson and Maqsedeth approached and the Thunderstorms and hailstorms eventually transformed into two large cyclones that shot hail and lightning in their direction. Samson shot the hail with arrows, breaking pieces of hail in half. He kept shooting arrows at the hail until the cyclones grew bigger and spun towards them.

Samson and Maqsedeth dodged them and ran towards the Treacherous Mountain as quickly as possible. They were almost there when a piece of ground rocketed towards them, knocking them head-first towards the mouth of the Treacherous Mountain.

Their landing was rough since they landed inside the Mountain on their stomachs, though they were lucky enough to avoid the lava. "Ow, my whole torso hurts," Samson groaned as he tried to sit up, flopping helplessly on the ground, "I can't feel anything. My whole body went numb. Father, how are you doing over there?"

Maqsedeth groaned, "I think I hit an air pocket," he moaned as he rolled over and sat up, "Samson, I don’t know who’s in charge, but I think we’ve angered them."

Samson made one last attempt to sit up, "Oh, you think?" he asked, groaning as he turned over. He lied down on his back and sighed.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Maqsedeth said.

Samson shook his head at him, “So, what do you want to do?” he asked. “We can’t give up now.”

“Well, why not?” Maqsedeth asked.

“You’ve always told me that I mustn’t leave a task unfinished,” Samson replied as he helped his father up.

Maqsedeth dusted himself off and glared at Samson, "Use my words against me, why don't ya?" he griped.

Before they could go anywhere, they were met by Lava Boy, previously known as Travis Chapman, who wouldn't let them go any further. "Hold it," he said, "Where do you think you're going?"

Samson chuckled and raised his eyebrows, "We're going to see Mr. Ziero Destroy," he said, baffled at this sudden blockage.

Lava Boy shook his head, "Not today you're not," he said, firmly, "He's not accepting visitors at this moment, so come back another time."

Samson sighed and Maqsedeth cleared his throat, "We were sent by the king of Summer Breeze," he said, "and we desire an audience with him."

Samson’s eyes grew wide and he looked at Maqsedeth like he was crazy, “Are you insane?! Don’t tell him that!” he said.

Lava Boy's eyes flashed dangerously with fire, "Messengers from the king of Summer Breeze are not welcome here," he said as the lava behind him began to rise steadily, "Be gone, now."

Samson began to get nervous, Great, he thought, Now we’re gonna die before we ever meet with Ziero Destroy. Why did my father tell him we were sent by the king of Summer Breeze? Doesn’t he know that no one likes him?

Maqsedeth tried to reason with him, but he ended up making it worse. "I said 'Be gone'!" Lava Boy cried as the volcano trembled with his fury. The lava behind Lava Boy escalated to an unsafe level and continued to escalate as Lava Boy shot fire balls at Samson and Maqsedeth as they tried to cross the bridge leading to the other side before the lava got any higher.

Just before they made it to the other side, a fire ball struck them on their backside and they plummeted towards the Tunnel of Agony at high speed screaming at the top of their lungs. The Treacherous Mountain rumbled and shook until it finally erupted, engulfing the surrounding areas in a sea of lava.

The Tunnel of Agony was agonizing, as its name implies. All the way through the tunnel, they felt a terrible pain, like they were flowing through acid, while they heard the screams of those who died in the Tunnel when it closed. They also felt something like hands grabbing them by their arms and mouths biting at them, the whole trip through the Tunnel of Agony. Pretty soon, they found themselves deposited at the entrance into the Twilight Eternity on their stomachs. Samson vomited and Maqsedeth rolled over into a tree and banged his head. "Ouch," he said, "Samson, are you okay?"

Samson coughed, "No," he said, hacking, "I think one of those zombies kissed me. Why did you have to tell him that we were sent by the king of Summer Breeze to see Ziero Destroy? What were you thinking?"

Maqsedeth sighed and sat up, "Samson, I'm sorry," he said, "but what choice did we have. He had the option to burn us alive. It was either that or tell him what he wanted to know."

Samson sighed, exasperated, “Father, Lava Boy didn’t try to burn us until you mentioned the king of Summer Breeze,” he stated, “so, again, why tell him that we were sent by the king of Summer Breeze to see Ziero Destroy? You know no one likes him. Hell, I don’t!”

Maqsedeth sighed, “I don’t know, Samson,” he replied. “You know how you can say something in your mind and it sounds right? I saw that whole conversation going differently in my head and it just seemed like the right thing to say at the time.”

Samson sighed and shook his head, "Let’s just get this over with,” he said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out the lamp Queen Martha gave him on their last meeting and he switched it on, painting their entire area in a white light.

Maqsedeth gasped, "Samson, where'd you get that?" he asked.

Samson sighed, "It was a gift from Queen Martha," he said, "She gave it to me to use in the Ghost Town. Here, there also is no light, so I'm using it here, as well."

He turned to his left and spotted a large onyx palace with a large bronze front porch and pillars, and a golden front door. He gasped, "Wow," he said, "that looks like a reverse exact replica of the Patriarch's palace and all of the palaces in the Paradise Hills. I think it's probably where we need to go."

He and Maqsedeth approached the palace but, as soon as they set foot on the lawn, a security alarm went off and it startled Samson so much that he dropped his lamp. The alarm suddenly cut off and Samson bent down to pick up his lamp, but before he could stand up again, he and Maqsedeth were knocked unconscious by an unknown individual.

Once they regained consciousness, they found themselves hanging on a brick wall in a cell with a barred window facing a wall. Great, Samson thought, now we're hanging on a wall like prisoners. Wait, where's the Ancient Power of old, my weapons, and my shirt? We have been totally disarmed and stripped of our shirts and shoes.

Maqsedeth sighed in the dark and Samson looked at him, "Now, look at us," he said. “We’re hanging on a wall like prisoners.”

Maqsedeth sighed, "Are you gonna continue to b***h about this?" he asked. “At least we’re still alive.”

Samson sighed, "If we get out of here I might not," he said.

Someone came to the cell door and unlocked it. Before them stood a guard in a black tunic, trousers, and boots. He was tan with short cropped jet black hair and a mustache. He cleared his throat, "The king will see you, now," he said as he unchained them. He led them to a large room with two obsidian colored plush sofas around an onyx-bronze table. On one of the sofas sat a young boy. He was bronze with purple Japanese shaped eyes and jet black short cropped hair, punk style. He wore a black tunic, black and purple cloak with black trousers and black boots.

When they entered the room, he dismissed the guard. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at a newspaper on the onyx-bronze table and sighed, “Despicable,” he said with disgust, his voice a deep boyish kind. The headline read “Treacherous Mountain erupts, destroying nearby kingdoms and towns”.

He approached them slowly, sword still drawn, "I see you guys had to have been desperate to come here on such a short notice," he said, harshly. "Did you even heed the warning Lava Boy gave you? I don't take too kindly you guys barging in here like this. And what's worse you destroyed two large kingdoms and ten small towns, created 10,000 casualties, and caused over $100,000,000 in damages by just angering Lava Boy. What do you guys have to say for yourself?"

Samson sighed and lowered his head in shame. Maqsedeth cleared his throat, "Mr. Ziero"”

"That's 'your Highness' to you. Only my siblings get to address me by my first name," Ziero snapped.

"Your Highness, we're really sorry," Maqsedeth said, "we didn't mean to cause so much trouble. The king of Summer Breeze sent us to the Treacherous Mountain to find out what's keeping people from approaching it."

He stopped because Ziero had raised his sword and pointed it at his chest, "You said the king of Summer Breeze sent you here?" he asked, enraged. "Didn't Lava Boy tell you that I don't welcome messengers from the king of Summer Breeze?"

Maqsedeth gulped, "Yes, Your Highness," he replied, working to steady his shaky voice, "he did."

"And you still came?" Ziero asked, appalled.

Maqsedeth nodded and Ziero brought the sword closer to Maqsedeth's chest, "Well, since he couldn't dispose of you," he said, hardening his gaze. "I'll just have to do it myself. Now, hold still so I don't make a mess."

Before, Ziero could dispatch Maqsedeth, Samson stepped between them, "Wait, your Highness," he said, "please don't kill him. I mean us. We're not really messengers for the king. We don't even work for him. We just came here on a quest to find out the secret of the Treacherous Mountain. To be honest, I didn't even want to come."

Ziero stared at him for a while, "Don't you dare lie to me, Samson," he said. "I know the king sent you here on a quest, so therefore you are messengers for the king. So, what's it gonna be? You want to die first?"

How did he know my name? Samson thought, shocked. Samson didn't answer and Ziero raised his sword to strike when Zieroasiea came in on them. She looked just like Ziero in the face, she had the same bronze skin and jet black hair, except hers was longer, and they were the same height, which was 5'5". "Hey, Ziero," she called. She looked around, "Am I interrupting anything, important?" she asked.

Ziero lowered his sword and sighed exasperated, "Zieroasiea," he growled, "What is it? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

Zieroasiea gasped, "Sorry," she said with mock sympathy. "I'll come back in a few. But, it's an emergency."

She left and Ziero turned to Samson and Maqsedeth, "We'll finish this discussion tomorrow," he firmly stated. He went to one of his guards, "Lock them back up in the dungeon," he demanded and then he went out to see what Zieroasiea wanted. The guard escorted them back to the dungeon and chained them back to the wall and locked the door.

Maqsedeth looked at Samson in the dark, "Why did you step in between me and Ziero?" he asked him.

Samson sighed, "I couldn't just let him kill you," he said.

Maqsedeth went silent, "Why not?" he asked, after a while, "This whole quest was my fault. I thought that since we had got off to a bad start with the king of Summer Breeze, we should at least try to get on his 'good side' again."

Samson sighed, "You're my father," he said, "And I wasn't gonna just stand there and let him kill you while I watch. I remembered something about what you said about one of your comrades turning against you because of jealousy and that you'll die by his hand. I thought it might be Ziero."

Maqsedeth burst out into a roaring laughter and Samson looked at him, "What's so funny about that?" he asked.

"Ziero was never my comrade," he said, "I know him but he tends to stay to himself, never letting anyone inside that fragile heart of his. He has built a wall around himself to keep out the hurt and pain because he is still coming to terms with who he is."

Samson gasped, "Oh," he said, "Well, I still couldn't let him kill you."

Maqsedeth sighed, "Ziero couldn't harm me or you," he said. "Believe it or not, beneath all of that hostility he has, there's a scared young boy with a kind heart. He knows, deep down inside, that you and I are not really on the king's side. He is just frustrated about losing his memory, because of the king of course, that the mention of him ticked him off. He knows we didn't mean to make a mess. It's just, what else could we tell him? He knows when we're lying, like when you tried to tell him that we didn't work for the king. It didn’t work because here we are, on a quest for him, and it’s the second time for you. Even though your heart isn’t in it, you still work for him. A year ago, the king of Summer Breeze tricked Ziero into fighting in a war even though he knew his brother would drain his power like a tick and cause him to crash onto planet Utopia. Everyone knows what happened to Ziero, everyone but Ziero himself. That's probably why he wanted to take his anger out on anyone associated with the king. He’s still fuming about what he had done."

Samson growled, "And, that's what the king knew! That's why he sent us over here, so he could avoid confronting Ziero because he knew Ziero wanted to kill him. So, instead of him getting killed, we would. I knew it was a set up!” he barked. “He probably did this because he has something to hide and he really doesn’t want us to find out the secret of the Treacherous Mountain. Maybe he’s the secret. Ooh-wee, I swear on my honor that when I get back to Manorá, I will unleash my rage on King Silus one-hundred fold!"

Maqsedeth sighed, "You know what will happen if you do, right?" he asked. "He is the king of Summer Breeze. He has the authority to impose on us the death penalty for harming him."

"No he can’t,” Samson retorted. “He put us in danger, and according to Article II of the Enactments of Manorá, quoted by Juan himself, anything that I do after this can be deemed self-defense.”

Maqsedeth sighed, "Revenge is a very ugly thing," he said, "Life is the best punishment for a guy like King Silus. Juan did say that he was a brat and that he killed his father and stole his way to kinghood. So, let Life beat him up."

Samson sighed, “I never said I was gonna kill him. I just said I’ll unleash my rage on him. I just want to make him feel the way I do now,” he said. "Besides, King Silus has no conscious, so he won’t have a care in the world if we died tonight. That would be one less thing for him to do and the games can just stop now."

They hung in silence for a while before a guard unlocked their cell door, "The king will see you, now," he said as he unchained them, "Mind your manners." He led them back to the room where they saw Ziero before.

When the guard entered with them, he dismissed him and approached them, "You'd better be glad for your friend, Juan coming over last night," he said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I was really ready to dispose of you."

He went to a closet on the other side of the room and brought out their belongings: their weapons, shirts, and shoes. He dropped them on the floor at their feet, "I’m willing to hear you out, okay, so get dressed and be back here in an hour," he said as they grabbed their belongings. He went to one of the guards, "Take them to their temporary room," he said. "Have them back here in an hour." The guard saluted and escorted them to their temporary room.

Their temporary room was onyx and bronze with obsidian furniture: obsidian plush sofas, an obsidian onyx table, obsidian curtains, and an obsidian door. The guard brought them there and shut the door, guarding the entrance.

Samson cut on the light and the bronze chandelier painted the whole room in a golden light, making the bronze floor shine brighter. Samson and Maqsedeth placed the bag of their stuff on one of the sofas and went through it to find their belongings.

Samson found his dark blue shirt and black boots his grandmother gave him for his birthday, the Ancient Power of old, and the golden bow and glass quiver, which was chipped from being dropped on the floor; and Maqsedeth found his white shirt and brown boots.

They got dressed and Samson reequipped himself when he realized that something was missing, "Where's my lamp?" he asked as he searched the bag again.

Maqsedeth shrugged, "Maybe he didn't have it?" he asked.

Samson tried to summon the lamp back to his pocket, but he didn't get anything, "Maybe it's still outside?" he asked.

The guard came back to the door, "The king will see you now," he said as he led them out the room, "And, I believe this is yours. He asked me to give this to you. He found it on the floor when you left."

Maqsedeth passed Samson his lamp and they followed the guard back to where Ziero was. When he saw them, he dismissed the guard, "Have a seat," he said. When, they were seated, he sat forward, "According to Juan, you guys aren't really messengers for the king, you just do what he asks," he said. "So if that's the case then why did you guys come here on such a short notice?"

Maqsedeth sighed, "Your Highness, we came here to find out the secret of the Treacherous Mountain," he said. "Word has it that you're the reason for the storms that surround this mountain, preventing anybody from approaching it."

Ziero's eyes flashed with his fury and he crossed his arms, "I'm guessing the king of Summer Breeze told you that, right?" he asked, enraged.

Samson shook his head, "Actually, your Highness, the king didn't say that when he met with us a while back," he said. "He just sent us over here to find out why it is so difficult for people to approach the Treacherous Mountain. There's a rumor out that the reason for those storms is you. I don't know who started it, though."

Ziero studied them for a while before speaking again, "He didn't tell you who started that rumor?" he asked with a disgusted sigh, "Well, it has to be him because he's the only one I know immature enough to cover up their tracks by framing someone else for their deeds."

Maqsedeth gasped, "Wait, so the real culprit is the king of Summer Breeze?" he asked, taken aback.

Samson gritted his teeth, "I knew it," he muttered.

Ziero raised his eyebrows, "What was that, Samson?" he asked.

Samson looked up startled, "What was what?" he asked.

Ziero sighed, "What did you say?" he asked. "And don't lie to me."

Samson cleared his throat, "Oh, what did I say?" he asked. "I said, 'I knew it'."

Ziero sighed, "Knew what?" he asked.

"Ya'll don't know what ya'll were talking about?" Samson asked, sarcastically. "Well, if ya'll don't know then I don't know."

Ziero growled and glared at him, "Samson, don't play with me," he said, sternly, "You already know not to mess with me. Do you want to make this harder for you and your father?"

Samson sighed, "I knew the king of Summer Breeze was the real reason for the storms surrounding the Treacherous Mountain," he replied.

Ziero raised an eyebrow, "And how did you know that?" he demanded. "Did you just discern that from what I said or did you already know that?"

Samson sighed, "I discerned that from what you said. But, I also had a similar experience earlier," he said. "The king framed me for stealing the Ancient Power of old because he didn't want anyone else to know it was he who really stole it."

Ziero sighed, "What does that have to do with anything?" he asked him.

Samson sighed, "It's the same concept," he said. “The king probably chose to frame you for the storms because you live here and that will make it easier for others to believe. Plus, when we tried to approach the Mountain, the storms got worse. You weren't expecting us, so it couldn't have been your fault."

Ziero fell silent and Maqsedeth looked at the floor, So, I guess when he said the king had something to hide, that’s what he meant, he thought.

Ziero sighed, "So, why did you come here, again?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

Maqsedeth sighed, "Your Highness, we're really sorry to have wasted your time," he said. "We came here to find out the secret of the Treacherous Mountain, but apparently we already knew. Again, we're really sorry."

Ziero sighed and stood up, "I don't want to ever see you guys in my palace again," he said, "unless it's something really important." He went to one of his guards, "Please show them to the door," he said. "The Tunnel of Agony is now open. You have twenty minutes to exit through it, safely." The guard went to lead them out the door when Ziero pulled Samson to the side. Maqsedeth stopped and looked at Samson. “Go on without me,” Samson said to him. “I’ll catch up.”

Maqsedeth left with the guard. Samson turned to face Ziero, who slapped him. “Ow! What was that for?” Samson demanded.

“You know what that was for,” Ziero snapped. He took a deep breath, “Anyway, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, there’s something I need to tell you,” he said.

“Okay, what is it?”

Ziero sighed exasperated and crossed his arms over his chest, “I can’t believe I’m telling you this,” he said, appalled at himself. “You know, as the Chosen Warrior, you don’t have to follow the king’s orders, right?”

“I don’t?” Samson asked, taken aback, “Then why does the king order me around?”

Ziero laughed, “He orders you around because you let him,” he said, harshly.

“That’s not fair! Do you know how many times I’ve told the king I wouldn’t go on any more of his quests?”

“And, yet here you are,” Ziero said, sarcastically, “the king’s most faithful.”

Samson sighed, “What’s your point?” he asked.

“My point is, the king isn’t your boss,” Ziero replied. “As the Chosen Warrior of Xerox, you work for the Living Circle, which means that you’re the second highest command in the planet, making you the king’s boss. Not the other way around.”

Samson was shocked to silence. “What? Cat got your tongue?” Ziero asked him.

“I didn’t know that,” Samson said, baffled.

Ziero nodded and went to his bookshelf. He brought out a small, worn book and handed it to Samson, “I believe this is yours,” he said. “The original Enactments of Manorá coupled with the laws of planet Xerox. Every leader must know them.”

Samson took the book gingerly and blushed. “What’s wrong?” Ziero asked him. “You act like I’ve just handed you a nude photo.”

Samson sighed, “I, um, I can’t read…books,” he stammered.

Ziero sighed, “Unbelievable, no wonder you didn’t know your position in power,” he said, appalled. “The king can just walk all over you!”

“What do you recommend I do?” Samson asked him.

“Find someone you know who can teach you how to read them,” Ziero suggested.

“Thanks,” Samson said as he turned to leave.

“Hey,” Ziero called after him, “take care of my sister for me, okay?”

Samson faced him, confused, “What do you mean?” he asked.

Ziero sighed exasperated, “You think I don’t know that you and your father bought my sister?” he asked. “Do you take me for a fool or something?”

“No, but I thought I just saw your sister,” Samson replied. “Zieroasiea, you called her.”

“Not her, you moron,” Ziero snapped. “I mean Rainbow. Paradise told me you were her owner. I just want to make sure that you’re treating her good.”

Samson was shocked, “What? You are Rainbow’s brother?” he asked.

“She didn’t tell you?” Ziero asked him. He fell silent, considering all the possible reasons for her silence. He sighed, “Right, of course,” he said, shaking his head, “silly me. I’ll let her explain. Now, hurry through the Tunnel of Agony, Samson. You only have ten minutes.”

Samson nodded, “Thanks, Your Highness,” he said as he departed the room and made his way out the front door.

He rejoined Maqsedeth and together they made their way towards the Tunnel of Agony with the light from Samson's lamp, "So, we come all the way to the Twilight Eternity to talk to Ziero, and come close to death twice but for what?" Maqsedeth asked Samson, "To find out something that you already knew?"

Samson sighed, "I'm sorry, Father," he said, "But, now you see why I didn't want to go on this quest. I knew it would be a waste and a set up because I already knew why those storms surrounded the Treacherous Mountain."

Maqsedeth crossed his arms, "Yeah, and you probably assumed this because of your strong dislike of the king,” he retorted.

Samson sighed, "I knew you’d say that,” he said.

Maqsedeth sighed, "Alright, Samson," he said. "Let's go. We need to have a discussion with the king."

They went through the Tunnel of Agony and found themselves back in the Treacherous Mountain. It was a lot hotter than before because it had erupted recently. Oh no, Samson thought, alarmed, what if he burned Rainbow? He rushed towards the exit and found that it was too hot to climb.

Travis approached them from behind, "What are you doing?" he asked, "You can't leave that way. You have to use magic to get out."

Samson sighed, "But, I don't have magic," he said.

"Don't worry, I'll help you," Travis said and he snapped his fingers. In the blink of an eye, they found themselves back outside the Treacherous Mountain. The area around the Mountain used to be grassy, but due to the recent eruption, the area around the Mountain was covered in ashes and rock.

The storms had died down a bit, to just Thunderstorms and hailstorms. Samson and Maqsedeth ran towards the opening but it got even darker and the storms became two large cyclones again. Hail flew at them from every corner and then the ground rose up from beneath them and sent them hurling from the darkness that surrounded the Treacherous Mountain and into the afternoon light.

They landed on their backs in the ruins of a nearby town and Rainbow licked their faces, "Rainbow!" Samson cried, "You’re alive!" He stood and embraced her. He petted her and fed her then he Maqsedeth mounted her and turned to ride her out, witnessing the damage the eruption from the Treacherous Mountain had caused.

Nothing but charred bits of wood and brick littered the ground before them as they rode Rainbow through the ruins of the town. Ashes from the fires covered the ground and Maqsedeth and Samson sighed, "Look at what we did," Maqsedeth said, mournfully "We destroyed two beautiful kingdoms and ten beautiful towns."

Samson growled, "No, we didn't," he said, firmly, "Don't blame yourself for what the king did. It was his fault Lava Boy and Ziero disliked us, so therefore it is his fault." Samson and Maqsedeth flew Rainbow over the wreckage of the kingdoms and towns and back to the kingdom Summer Breeze.

Once they made it back to the kingdom Summer Breeze, Samson tried to convince Maqsedeth to stay at home, but he refused to. "We're both in this together, so we're going into the king's presence together," he said, "We'll do good cop/bad cop. I'll be the good cop and you'll be the bad cop, even though we're not cops."

Samson sighed, "Okay, fine," he said, "You can come along."

They went to the king's palace and demanded an audience with the king. Sheldon escorted them to the king's Sitting Room and once they made it there, they saw the king sitting on the couch reading a newspaper. Sheldon knocked on the door and the king looked up, "Your Majesty," Sheldon said, "you have visitors."

King Silus removed his reading glasses and put his newspaper on the table, "Thank you, Sheldon," he said, "Maqsedeth and Samson take your seats."

Samson shook his head, "No," he said as he approached him, "We need to have a talk."

Maqsedeth sat down on the couch and King Silus stood to face Samson, "I said, 'take your seat'," he said as he crossed his arms. "Now, we could do this the easy way or the hard way."

Samson glared at him, "I prefer the hard way," he said as he unsheathed his sword, "What's it gonna be? Heads or Tails?"

King Silus growled, "You still haven't learned your lesson, huh?" he asked.

Samson shook his head, "No, you haven't learned your lesson," he said. "You still haven't answered my question."

King Silus growled, "Tails," he said.

Samson hardened his gaze, "That could be arranged perfectly," he said and he slashed King Silus on his hip, tripped him with the tip of his sword, and stepped on his chest, "Now tell me: what was the real reason you sent us to the Treacherous Mountain?"

King Silus glared at him, "I gave you guys two days to spend up there," he said, "I didn't expect you to be back so early."

Samson growled, "Don't play games with me," he said, pressing harder on his chest with his foot. "Answer the question!"

King Silus finally gave in, "Alright, alright," he said, "revenge. You guys won your case so easily with the Patriarch's help and I just wanted to teach you guys a lesson."

Samson growled, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't crush you right now," he said.

King Silus glared at him, "I'm your king!" he growled. "I could have you committed, unless you step off me."

Samson looked at him sternly, "I will step off you under one condition," he said.

King Silus gasped, "What is it?" he asked, "I'll do anything. Anything you want, I'll do it."

Samson grinned, "Tell everyone the truth about the Treacherous Mountain and make it safe for people to approach it again," he said, stepping harder on the king’s chest.

King Silus nodded, "Okay," he said, gasping.

Samson stepped off him and the king stood.

King Silus chuckled, "You're crazy," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "'Tell everyone the truth about the Treacherous Mountain and make it safe for people to approach it again'? I will do no such thing."

Maqsedeth raised his eyebrows, "You will do no such thing?" he asked, "Okay. Samson, break his legs."

Samson sheathed his sword and popped his knuckles. Sweat rolled down King Silus's forehead and he gulped, "Alright, alright," he said, "I'll do it! Just let me keep my legs."

Samson grabbed King Silus by the arm and he and Maqsedeth led him out the Sitting Room and they stood with him as he announced to the general public that he was the reason the Treacherous Mountain was very dangerous to approach and not Ziero, and he removed the magical hold he had on the Treacherous Mountain, making it safe to approach again. After Samson and Maqsedeth witnessed the king do all of that, they went back home.

"I think you were a little too hard on the king," Maqsedeth said to Samson.

Samson sighed, "You said good cop/bad cop," he said, "I was the bad cop, so I was just doing what you suggested.”

Maqsedeth sighed, "Did you really say those things about you could end his term just as easily as it started, like Lord Maltrodextrin said you did?" he asked.

Samson nodded, "Yes, Father," he said, "I did. And, I'm not gonna lie to you and say I didn't."

Maqsedeth sighed, "Why did you do the things you did to the king?" he asked.

Samson sighed, "The things he does to other people are wrong,” he replied. "I mean someone has to teach him a lesson and I figured that if no one else does, it's gonna be me."

“Samson, what did Ziero tell you?” Maqsedeth asked.

Samson sighed, “He just told me that as the Chosen Warrior of Xerox, I don’t work for the king of Summer Breeze. I work for the Living Circle, making me the second highest authority in the planet. I’m the king’s boss and I didn’t know it because I can’t read…books,” he replied. He fished the book Ziero had given him out of his pocket. “He said that’s why the king can walk all over me and that the king orders me around because I let him.”

Maqsedeth sighed, “So, this whole time, you were King Silus’s boss? And you didn’t know it?” he asked.

“No, I didn’t and I don’t think the king was gonna tell me, either,” Samson replied. “Probably wanted to retain control.”

There was a knock on the door and Samson went to answer it to discover a young boy who closely resembled Ziero Destroy on his porch. The only difference was his eyes were golden. He looked at Samson intently, “Are you Samson Cleopatra, the Chosen Warrior of Xerox?” he asked him. Even his voice sounded like Ziero’s.

Samson nodded, “Yes, I am,” he replied. “Can I help you with something?”

“I hope so,” the boy sighed. “Come with me. I need to show you something.”

Samson was confused, “Okay,” he said as he closed the door behind them.

“I’m Paradise, by the way,” the boy said. He led Samson to the Sunflower Palace into a large suite. There was a king-sized bed, a large dresser and nightstand, a walk-in closet, a large bathroom, a hot tub and a kitchenette and living room combo. He showed Samson to a box, “Can you deliver these for me?” he asked.

“What are they?” Samson asked.

“They’re the letters I’ve written to my son all these years,” Paradise sighed. “He and I haven’t spoken face-to-face since our little spat and the big accident but he really deserves to have these letters. I’ve been writing him and his mother but the letters addressed to him weren’t being delivered. The king withheld them from him because of his extreme dislike of him.”

“What?” Samson asked, appalled. “That’s outrageous! Did you tell somebody?”

Paradise looked at him and sighed, “I’m telling you,” he replied. “So, do you think you can deliver them?”

Samson sighed, “Yeah, um, how hard can it be?” he said. “Where am I taking them?”

“To the Treacherous Mountain,” Paradise replied.

“Why there?”

“Because that’s where my son is.”

“Wait, Ziero’s your son?”

“No, Ziero’s my brother. Travis is my son.”

“Travis?”

“Travis, the Treacherous Mountain, is my…son.”

Samson stared at Paradise like he had a third eye. “I know,” Paradise sighed, “shocking isn’t it?”

“Very shocking,” Samson replied.

“His mother already knows the situation, but Travis, my dear son, he hates me because he thinks I’ve forgotten him,” Paradise said. “I promised him I would write him every day, and I did. I wrote him every day since my first day working for the king as his Family Physician but the king wouldn’t allow the letters to be delivered. So, can you help me?”

Samson smiled, “Sure, I can help,” he said as he picked up the box. “You can count on me.”

“Thank you,” Paradise sighed, relieved. He went to his drawer and pulled out a Bluetooth headset. He gave it to Samson.

“What’s that for?” Samson asked.

“The Bluetooth headset will be used so that we can communicate with each other and also so that I could, maybe, talk to my son through you,” Paradise replied. “If you don’t mind. I ran out of pen and paper. I just have one more thing I needed to tell him.”

Samson sighed, “Yeah,” he said as he put the box down and put on the Bluetooth headset, “but I’ve heard about these through my friends at the village. Don’t you have to be within 30 feet of the device to use Bluetooth?”

Paradise nodded, somberly, “But, I can’t speak to him directly,” he sighed. “I was hoping you could. I was already headed that way to go visit his mother and my other children but I really wanted to talk to Travis.”

Paradise tapped his wrist phone, “Okay, we’re connected,” he said. “Again, thank you for doing this.”

“Not a problem,” Samson said as he picked up the box of letters and departed the suite with Paradise following behind him. Samson went to the Treacherous Mountain while Paradise stayed somewhere near the area, so that Travis couldn’t see him. What if Travis is inside the Mountain, Samson thought, apprehensively, How will I get inside to deliver this box? And, what if they get singed. To his surprise, Travis was at the foot of the volcano, standing on the volcano rock. He was about to leave when he saw Samson.

“Okay, what do you want, now?” he snapped.

“Delivery for a Mr. Travis Chapman,” Samson replied as he dropped the box of letters at Travis’s feet.

“What’s this about? I was on my way to visit my mother,” he said.

“This will only take a second,” Samson sighed. “Please, take it. It belongs to you, anyway.”

Travis relented, “Fine. Who’s it from?” he asked.

“Why don’t you open it and see?” Samson suggested.

Travis torn open the box and found a bunch of letters inside. Some of them were yellow with age, and they were all addressed to him. “‘To Travis, with love, Daddy Paradise’,” Travis said, reading the envelope of one of the letters. He pulled out a handful, “It’s so many of them!” he exclaimed. “It would take years to read them all. Why give them to me now?”

“Because, after all these years, you deserve to know the truth,” Samson replied, repeating what Paradise was saying through the speaker of the Bluetooth headset. “I know you believe that your father, Paradise abandoned you and your mother, ran off with his new job and forgot all about you but he didn’t. He was thinking of you every single day he wasn’t with you.”

“You don’t know anything about me!” Travis snapped, viciously.

“I know that you still haven’t forgiven Paradise for leaving you and your mother,” Samson replied, using Paradise’s words from the Bluetooth speaker.

“I needed him and he wasn’t there for me,” Travis said, holding back tears.

“And, I also know that you still haven’t forgiven him for transforming you into the Treacherous Mountain,” Samson said with Paradise’s words from the Bluetooth headset.

Travis gasped, “How do you know all this?” he asked, bewildered. “Have you been talking with Paradise?”

Samson didn’t answer and Travis discovered the Bluetooth headset on Samson’s ear. “I knew it,” he snapped. “There’s no way you could’ve known all that on your own. Since, it’s Bluetooth, I know he’s got to be close by so where is he? Why won’t he come out and show himself? Why’d he send you instead?”

Samson sighed, “Because he thought you didn’t want to see him ever again and that you hated him for transforming you into the Treacherous Mountain, for leaving you and your mother for that job with the king, and for technical difficulties with the delivery of the letters addressed to you. He has wrote you every single day Travis. He asked me to deliver to you all of the letters he had written to you, for you, so that you’d know for sure that he wasn’t lying when he said, when he promised, that he would write to you every day,” Samson replied with Paradise’s words from the Bluetooth headset. “He wants to hold you. Is that okay?”

Travis wiped his eyes and sighed, “Where"where is he?” he stammered.

Paradise stepped out from behind the ruins of a nearby house and smiled, “Hello, Travis,” he said.

Travis ran to him and they hugged. “Oh, Travis, I am so so sorry,” Paradise said. “I never meant to hurt you. I just hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me someday.”

Travis sniffed, “Why you never came earlier?” he asked.

“Because you told me you never wanted to see me again, and to do what I do best: leave you alone,” Paradise replied. “I figured you meant it.”

Travis lowered his head in shame, “I know I said those things, Dad,” he said, between sobs, “I’m sorry. I was just angry.”

“You called me “Dad”,” Paradise said, taken aback.

Travis wiped his eyes on Paradise’s scrubs and sighed, “I was on my way to visit Mom,” he said. “Do you want to come?”

Paradise smiled, “I was just on my way there as well,” he said. He picked up the box full of the letters addressed to Travis and he and Travis headed over to see Travis’s mother and Travis’s younger siblings.

Samson smiled and returned to his home in the Chopin district of the village Fruits and Berries. His father was sitting in the kitchen waiting for him. “Hey, so how did it go?” he said when he saw him.

“I helped a family get back together,” he said, blushing as he removed the Bluetooth headset.

Maqsedeth smiled, “Well, that’s good to hear, son,” he said. “Now, help me get dinner started.”

There was a knock on the door and Samson went to go answer it to find Dan on their front porch, “Hey, Sam,” he said, “I just wanted to stop by to see if you were okay. I mean after losing your grandma and all.”

Samson smiled, “Yeah, man,” he replied. “Thanks for stopping by. And, um, Dan I’m really sorry for not trusting you.”

“It’s cool, man,” Dan said, “Don’t even sweat that. Is that meat loaf I smell?”

Samson chuckled, “Yeah, man,” he replied. “My father is getting dinner started. You want to join us?”

Dan nodded, “Oh boy, do I?” he said. “Mr. Maqsedeth’s famous meatloaf! Who could say no to that?”

Author's Note

The Treacherous Mountain is also available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Lulu.com Congratulations, you've completed the book! Please leave a review :)