Chapter 10- Castle of Darkness and the Light of Hope

Everyone went to sleep.  Then the next day, they all got prepared. 

After they were ready, they entered the castle.  When they were inside, they saw a huge room.  The light hanging at the top seemed to shine darkness, but one could still see.  The walls were lined with dark silk cloths.  The castle was made of black crystal. 

“Well, isn’t this gloomy,” said Sento. 

“Okay, let’s make our way to the throne room,” said Yin-Yang. 

“Okay,” agreed everyone, as they started. 

The Castle of Shadows was the exact same as the Castle of Light, except one was light and the other dark.  Therefore, they knew where the throne room was.  When they went into the room, they saw two dark shadows sitting in the two thrones.  Standing off to the side, a bit shocked at who had just entered the room, were Rutile and Sthy. 

“What?  Opal, Ruby?” came a voice from one of the thrones.  Then both of the shadows stood up and came into the light where everyone could see them.  All of the Stones were shocked except for Rutile.  There were Lord Onyx and Lady Sard.

“My Lord, my Lady… but ... what are you doing here?” asked Diamond. 

The Lord and Lady said nothing.  They just looked at Ruby and Opal as if they didn’t understand why they were there. 

“Opal!  Ruby!” said Lady Sard as she ran over to Opal and Ruby, after they had gotten over the shock. 

Both Opal and Ruby backed up.  Then Opal asked, “Why are you here, and with her?” 

“Rutile is your younger sister,” said Lady Sard. 

“Well then, wh… So is she on your side, and does she follow your orders?” asked Ruby. 

“Yes,” said Lord Onyx. 

“Then why was she trying to kill me?” asked Opal. 

“Opal,” said Topaz.  He put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back to where he was. 

“Um, excuse me, but who are you?” asked Lord Onyx.

“He is my friend,” said Opal. 

“Ah, I see, well,” said Lord Onyx. 

“Neither of you have answered our question.  Why are you here?” said Ruby. 

Lady Sard said, as she went over and pulled a curtain back, “We are the Illusionists.” 

Behind the curtain that Lady Sard had opened were ten different enormous dragons.  There was one dragon for every Oracle; each one was just like one of the Oracles.  They were all tangled up in a single chain.  The chain looked just like mist; however the Dragons of Elements couldn’t break it.  Behind the Dragons of Elements was a huge tablet made of the Stone of Life.  It had some ancient markings on it, and it also had the chain around it. 

“What have you done!?” exclaimed Topaz, as he started to go over to the dragons.  Rutile, Sthy, Lady Sard, and Lord Onyx stepped in front of him. 

“Opal, Ruby,” was all Topaz said, as if telling them, ‘it is time.’ 

Everyone nodded.  Then Sento went for Sthy, Ruby went for Lord Onyx, Diamond went for Rutile, and Opal went for Lady Sard to distract them while the others went for the chains. 

“Why are you holding back?” asked Sthy as he and Sento fought. 

“Good question.  You killed Flair, and you tried to kill Opal,” said Sento.  Then he started to push Sthy back to the wall.  Sento quickly put his sword away and took out a Fire Stone and whispered something.  From out of nowhere, flames surrounded Sthy, and he was gone. 

“What?!  No!” screamed Rutile. 

“Haven’t you learned?  Never get distracted in a battle,” said Diamond, and quickly put away her sword, held her diamond necklace, and held her hand out.  From out of the ground came a crystal spirit.  It grabbed Rutile and dragged her down below the castle, and she was gone.  Lord Onyx and Lady Sard didn’t notice.

“Opal, they can’t be cut,” called Topaz.

“Of course not,” said Lady Sard. 

Opal wanted to try something, so she called, “Topaz, switch.”  Topaz looked at her.  Opal dodged and rushed over.  Topaz jumped over Opal and landed just in time to block an attack.  Opal then brought out the Hidden Side of the Star of Life.  She transformed it into a sword with a silver handle and Stone of Life blade.  Opal lifted the sword and slashed it down on the chain.  It was half way through

“What?!  No!” said Lord Onyx as he held his onyx, raised his hand, and pointed it towards Opal. 

“Opal,” called Topaz as Lord Onyx attacked. 

Opal turned around and quickly took out a garnet, then whispered the stone spell that Topaz had taught her, and the attack was reflected back.  It hit Lord Onyx and caused him to go flying back into the wall. 

She turned back to the chain and quickly cut the rest.  The dragons broke free, and tore the chain off the tablet. 

There was a blinding light and suddenly the castle they were standing in was a combination of both the Castle of Light and the Castle of Shadows.  They could tell from the scorch marks of Sento’s fire spell and the red crystal in the floor along with the sapphire necklace.

“Opal, why!?” said Lord Onyx furiously. 

“Why!?  Why did you guys leave us to split the world!” yelled Opal back. 

“You wouldn’t understand.  The reason we did this was to prove that light and dark are meant to be separated, and that goes for the elements as well,” said Lady Sard.

“No.  They’re not.  Without light there is no dark, and without dark there is no light.  As for the elements, they are meant to be together " how they are,” said Opal. 

Suddenly there was a beam of light and the Oracles were there, each standing in front of their dragon. 

“The Oracles,” whispered Ruby. 

“So those are the Oracles,” whispered Sento.

“They never leave the heavens!” said Topaz, then added, “I wonder if my brothers will come?” 

“Thou does not understand what thou almost did,” said Air.  When she did, she said it as cold as the wind in winter.

“How dare you steel and imprison our dragons!” said Fire.  When she did, her hair blazed like a roaring fire.

“You would do anything to separate the world,” said Earth.  When she did, she seemed as angry as the earth when there was an earthquake.

“You wanted it so badly that you left your children, and when they came to find you, you would have them killed,” said Water. When she did, she sounded like a thundering storm over the roaring ocean.  

“Please, forgive us,” pleaded Lady Sard, as she and Lord Onyx put their head to the floor.

“You do not deserve our forgiveness.  Before we came, you were willing to do anything.  As Water said, you were even willing to kill your son and daughter,” said Dark.  When she did, she sounded as cold as the darkest night in winter.

“You were willing to destroy the world just to create the illusion of separation.  Do you not understand that the things you think should be separated cannot exist without one another?”said Light.  When she did, she sounded as though she could shatter through a thousand-foot-thick slab of diamond.

“My sisters are right.  Opal, use the Hidden Side of the Star of Life to bring balance.  You must read what it says on the Tablet of Creation, whilst holding the Star,” said Spirit.  

“No!  You mustn’t!  You will ruin all we have accomplished,” called out Lord Onyx.

“Silence!  you have accomplished nothing but death,” said Space.  When she said that, she sounded like an exploding star. 

“Go, Child of the Stone and Keeper of Peace and Hope,” said Time.

“Yes, go and put an end to this war of illusions,” said Destiny.

Opal walked over to the Tablet of Creation and took out the flat crystal.  She looked through it and read with the Hidden Side of the Star of Life in her hand.  

“Peace and Hope are always a part of Thiethittis.  But when one traps them with the Chain of Illusion and separates the elements and thinks of them as individuals instead of one, that is when Thiethittis will fall apart and eventually be destroyed.  Therefore, untie Peace and Hope.  Let Thiethittis be united once again.  Let those who have suffered be the last, and let those who have love, laughter, and happiness be only the first.  By the power of the Stone of Life, Oracles, Divine Spirits, Dragons of Elements, Mystic Creatures of the Universe, and the Stone of Peace and Hope, let Thiethittis once again be united.” 

When Opal finished, there was a blinding light and the carvings on the Tablet of Creation slowly started to glow with all of the colors of the rainbow.  It flowed into the floor.  Then it spread all throughout Thiethittis. 

“Sento, Child of Earth, you must now go back to your world,” said Time.

“But why?  I do not wish to leave,” said Sento. 

“The reason we brought you here was so that you could save your world.  Now that you know about the ways of our planet, you can save yours,” said Space.

“Very well.  But can I at some point come back?” asked Sento. 

“Without a doubt.  No way on Thiethittis are things going to stay like this,” said Opal with a smile.

“You will return in due time when your world is safe, and ours has gotten into another problem.  Or who knows?  Maybe your world will be the one with the problem.  After all, in the end there is no end, and good-byes are never good-byes,” said Destiny. 

So everyone said their ‘see you laters.’  Then Time and Space sent Sento back to Earth. 

“So,” said Opal, “what of those two?” 

“Well, I guess we could probably give them to the Stone Warriors,” suggested Ruby. 

“We might just want to put them with Sheeshy,” said Diamond. 

“Yeah,” agreed everyone. 

So that which was supposed to happen did happen, and eventually that which is meant to happen will happen.  Peace and hope were returned to Thiethittis, and Earth learned how to listen to the elements.  But one thing you can be sure of is things always change.  So live your life, savor you happiness, endure your suffering, and remember:  in the end there is no end.