Pariza walked through the thick woods with her sisters, playing with her spinning disk as the wind blew her long auburn hair. The toy was made for her by her elder sister, Tia. The disk was made of clay, and Tia had painted a blood moon on one side, while the other side had six stars painted on it. When little Pariza pulled on the strings on either side of the disk, it began to spin. The image that pulsed was of a beautiful crimson moon with silver stars shining on top of it. It always made Pariza giggle, seeing the two images merge into one. Being a young Paragon who was born at the end of the Great War, Pariza hadn’t seen much in her life. They were all created for a purpose that had now been fulfilled. They now spent their days in the lamasery in a small secluded village of Zodel, made for them by the Great Ones.

“Hurry up, Pariza!” exclaimed Yaritza, who was leading the sisterhood towards the tombs of the Great Ones. “We are already late, Pari,” She said with her eyebrows raised and a soft smile on her face.

Pariza scooped her gown and walked towards Yaritza, but at once bit her bottom lip when her foot got into the mud, staining her clothes. Seeing Yaritza come towards her, she quickly placed her spinning disk in her suitcase.

“Now look what you have done,” Yaritza uttered in a disapproving tone. She had sat the entire night sewing the white gown for Pariza. Yaritza knew why the Great Ones had summoned them to the tomb. It was to bless Pariza. She was the youngest Paragon and still hadn’t met the Great Ones. Tonight it was her turn to be acquainted with them.

Yaritza took out a small handkerchief from her pouch and started to wipe off the mud from the helm of the dress Pariza wore.

“What is taking you both so long,” she heard a panicked Clover call from afar.

With her hands working quickly to remove the mud from the dress, Yaritza looked over her shoulder and shouted, “We are coming, Clover!”. Once the dress was somewhat free from dirt, Yaritza sighed and adjusted her hood as she stood up with an approving smile on her face. She held the little girl’s hand and paced towards her sisters, who stood waiting for them both.

There were nine Paragons left after the Great War had ended, with Pariza being the tenth one. The Paragons had fought vehemently alongside men and the Great Ones. The fight wasn’t an easy one, and many Paragons perished, for their duty was not only to defeat Whiro and finish the Crown of Fire but also to protect men and The Great Ones. Their lives in the lamasery were mundane, but they knew they had to stay there for their good, for evil beings were lurking in the shadows to have them and use them to raise Whiro once again. But the Great Ones will never let that happen.

Once they all were near the Sacred Tomb gates, they saw the Edin guards stand outside of it. It wasn’t unusual for Edin guards and warriors to be in Zodel, for they were tasked to protect the remaining Paragons from the evil that seek them.

“Sister Yartiza,” the guard nodded upon seeing them at the gates and opened it. The Paragons had been inside the Sacred Tomb many times, for they drew their power from the land of this place, but for Pariza, it was the first time she had set her foot inside. The guards handed them the lamps one by one.

“Ehhh… Where is Tia?” he asked, seeing one of the Paragons was missing. It was then that Yaritza and the rest of the group realized Tia wasn’t with them as they walked to the Sacred Tomb.

“Damn it, Tia,” Yaritza said under her breath and ran her hand through her hair in nervousness. Enraged with Tia’s disrespect for the Great Ones call, Clover stomped her foot on the ground, which only made the other Paragons chuckle.

“Where is she?” Clover glared at her sisters, who quickly straightened themselves. Clover and Yaritza were both one of the earliest Paragons. At the same time, Yaritza had a gentle personality, while Clover had become battle-hardened after losing so many of her sisters to the Great War. She was protective of each one of them, which sometimes came off as overbearing.

“You know where she is. She has better things to do than us,” said Aine, with her hand on her mouth, trying her best to hold back the laugh that was bursting from her. Melody, another Paragon, nudged Aine with her elbow, seeing how displeased both Yaritza and Clover looked. Clover stepped closer to Aine with a darkened look on her face, making the younger Paragon step back in fright.

“You mock the Great Ones!” scowled Clover right in Aine’s face making her shiver. At one, Layla and Elara came forward and held Clover’s arms.

“Let’s not make a scene at the gates of Sacred Tomb,” Elara whispered. “Look at Pariza. She is scared.” She added, and finally, Clover sighed, stepping back from Aine.

Staring at the ground, with her nostrils flared in anger, she nodded, “Let’s go inside without her. She can join when she is here. I will put a stop to this nuisance once we are done.” Clover declared. They all figured out where Tia was; they all knew it very well. Despite the restrictions set on them at the lamasery, Tia had fallen in love with an Edin warrior. At the start, it was just subtle glances that were between her and Rae, but later it turned into so much more. Sneaking out at night to meet her lover was a thing that Tia did now and then. Though Yaritza or Clover had never caught her, still the sisters knew about her infatuation with the warrior.

Just a few hours before the sisters left the lamasery, Tia had sneaked out of the large window and walked hurriedly towards the forest. Dressed in her white gown, which they wore whenever The Great Ones called them, Tia looked mesmerizing. Her long golden hair swung to and fro as she started to run deep into the woods. When she stopped to catch her breath, she heard someone move near her, and it was on instinct that she quickly turned and threw a punch, missing what turned out to be her lover’s face by scant inches.

“Rae!” she exclaimed, “How many times do I have to tell you to not sneak up on me like that.” Tia was about to move forward towards Rae when he quickly pushed her against the rough tree. His breath was harsh against her ear, which caused her to shiver in anticipation. “You are late.” He whispered in that husky voice of his that always made Tia lose control.

“I came as quickly as …” she didn’t even get a chance to finish her sentence when she felt Rae’s lips on hers. His hands crept up, and his fingers tangled into her golden locks, pulling them tightly.

A gentle moan escaped Tia’s lips, and that was all the encouragement Rae needed. When he broke the kiss, Tia could see his eyes grow darker with desire. She gave him a gentle push and undid the strings of her gown, observing the smile that crept up Rae’s mouth seeing her undress. Rae wasted no time and quickly kissed Tia again, this time plundering her mouth, tasting her as she tried to hold back the moans. They both fell to the ground as they melted into each other’s body and soul.

Tia’s mind neared delirious with the pleasure she felt by the warmth low in her belly. She had her finger twined in her lover’s hair and kept pulling it until she came undone. Rae laid next to her on the forest ground, holding her hand, and panted. He turned towards her and brought her hand to his lips.

“I love you so much, Tia,” he whispered in a jittery tone as if he was afraid of something.

Tia caressed his cheek and shook her head with a smile on her face, “I love you too.”

Rae sighed, staring straight into her eyes, “Stay the night. Don’t leave me tonight.” He yelled, which made Tia nervous. Tia and Rae had been in love with each other for more than a year now. The sisters knew about him, but Yaritza and Clover disapproved of the relationship she had with the Edin warrior. He had never asked her to spend the night with him, knowing all too well that hell will break loose if the word gets out about a Paragon being in love with a man.

She got up and started to wear her white dress quickly, “You know I can’t,” she replied, looking at Rae, who now had a frown on his face.

“Just one night Tia. That’s all I am asking,” he urged, looking at the ground, avoiding Tia’s gaze. Once Tia was dressed, she put on her hood and covered her head. She walked over to Rae and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“We visit the Great Ones tonight. I can’t…” Tia replied and turned away to leave, but Rae caught her hand and jerked her towards himself. He hugged her tightly and nuzzled his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent.

“Let’s run away!” he urged, looking dead straight into her eyes. For a moment, Tia felt nervous, knowing deep in her heart that something was amiss. “What is it, Rae?” she asked, now genuinely concerned, but Rae quickly let her go and started to get dressed. He shrugged and finally turned around, “I hate this game of hiding and seek. I want to be with you. Forever.” He declared. Though Rae was a passionate lover, his clinginess tonight was out of the ordinary. She wanted to ask him the reason but knew she didn’t have the time. She needed to catch up with the group before Yaritza, and Clover noticed her absence.

“I will see you tomorrow night.” She assured him and kissed him goodbye before running into the woods, leaving him behind with a hollow look on his face. For he knew what was about conspire at the Sacred Tomb.

Inside the Scared Tomb, Ahren stared at the oculus on the dome of the building. The Sacred Tomb was not always a tomb; it was the Great Ones’s gathering place; it was called the Oropher Fortress. It served as the castle for Oropher, the King of the Great Ones, and Ahren’s father. Ahren was born in this very castle; he had run through the corridors of this place. He had played with his sister here. The castle used to be his home – and now this was a tomb, a mausoleum of his people. The great castle had been damaged a great deal during the great war. The castle’s large courtyard still had the rubble from the destruction caused by Whiro’s last attack, which took many lives. The fortress that was a symbol of glory for The Great Ones was nothing but a tomb now.

Seeing Ahren lost in his thoughts, Styx, his sister, approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“What do you feel, Ahren?” she asked with her eyes rimmed red. From the corner of his eyes, he looked at the Edin warriors taking their places, which is when he sighed.

“I feel dread, sister. Only dread,” he mouthed and turned around to see Ruslan enter the crypt with King Waaiz, the ruler of Edinretha and son of the great King Rohaan.

“They are coming,” the King announced, and the Ahren and Styx nodded.

The tomb was nothing like anything Pariza had seen before. The tall structure left the child mesmerized. She had only seen castles and manors from the outside but never entered one and now being even inside a deserted castle that was a tomb left her awestruck. She walked holding Yaritza’s hand, while her other hand touched the structure’s stone walls as she stepped inside the crypt where the stone caskets of the fallen Great Ones were kept. Scones on the walls lit the room, and seeing the Great Ones for the first time made Pariza’s heart filled with joy. She heard so much about them from her sisters, and now she finally saw them. When her eyes met Ahren’s, she passed him the warmest smile, making him look away. It was not just Pariza, but all the Paragons felt joy being in the presence of their makers. One by one, they bowed to The Great Ones and took their places on their sides, not knowing that this will become their final resting place tonight.

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