<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <title>03Rebecca-36.html</title> <link href="template.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/> </head> <body> <div id="x03Rebecca-36.html"> <div class="Basic-Text-Frame"> <p id="toc_marker-2-36" class="Level-2">36</p> <p class="First-Paragraph"><span class="Italic">Present time</span></p> <p class="First-Paragraph"><span class="char-style-override-2">L</span>ord Leiko and Lady Felicia galloped through Domus Forest as they headed to Lord Life’s old house to find their son, Prince Alexander, and warn him about the danger he was in due to the influence of the Black Flame. Above all, they had to convince him to immediately go to the Elysian Fields with them in order to seek the help of the God of Medicine, Asclepius.</p> <p class="Main-Text">To their great disappointment, however, when they arrived at the house, they found it empty.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Don’t be afraid, my love,” Leiko said, seeing the anguish on his wife’s face and taking her in his arms. “He must be somewhere around here. Leylah was quite clear about where he was. She is the oracle. She can’t be wrong.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Let us hope we are not too late, though,” Felicia whispered.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Oh, don’t say that. There’s no such thing as being too late,” Leiko replied, caressing her black silky hair. “Besides, no matter what has happened, Asclepius will cure him, won’t he?”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Yes, you are right. Let’s search, then.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">A few minutes later they saw Alexander standing near the fence of the garden, staring off to the south. As they approached him from behind they heard him laugh hysterically and mutter unintelligibly.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“He looks as if he is hypnotised,” Leiko whispered.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Yes,” Felicia said and then grabbed her husband’s hand. “Please, let me speak to him first.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">Hearing his mother’s footsteps behind him, the prince abruptly cut short his diatribe and his face transformed into a mask of irony and hatred. However, he didn’t turn around to look at her.</p> <p class="Main-Text">Lady Felicia stood a few yards away from him. “Alexander, my child... are you all right?”</p> <p class="Main-Text">He didn’t utter a word.</p> <p class="Main-Text">Felicia neared him and gently put her hand on his shoulder. “My dear...”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“What’s wrong?” he snapped.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“We believe that you are infected by the Black Flame and that soon you will be overwhelmed by Evil.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“And what do you know about Evil?” he hissed between his teeth.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Oh, Alex, listen to me, please... The danger you are in is huge and we have to take you to the Elysian Fields immediately so that Asclepius can examine you.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">The prince trembled with rage.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“You are the ones in danger,” he replied in a voice that seemed to come from some well of Hell. “So, get lost... woman!”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“But, my son, we...”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Go!” Alexander howled, swinging round and raising his hand to strike her.</p> <p class="Main-Text">His clenched fist found only air, as Felicia dodged it. She performed a sideways roll, her body spinning like a wheel, and didn’t stop until she was several yards away from him.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“You’re here, too!” Alexander growled upon seeing his father, who held in his hand a rope with a noose at one end.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Yes, my boy... I’m here, too,” Leiko replied calmly and started to spin the rope above his head.</p> <p class="Main-Text">Alexander let out a furious shout, lifted his arms and bent his legs in preparation to fly away. By the time he took off, however, the noose had already slid around his body and was tightening around his waist. Leiko’s steel arms swelled as he pulled his son back down to the ground. The prince managed to land smoothly on his strong legs.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Have you carefully considered what you’ve just done, son of Hercules?” Alexander hissed, shooting a deadly look at his father.</p> <p class="Main-Text">Lord Leiko’s voice was calm again. “I would do anything to prevent your surrender to Evil, my son.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“You constantly speak of Evil, but in reality you have no idea what it is,” Alexander laughed condescendingly. “But now it’s time for you to find out!”</p> <p class="Main-Text">He lunged towards his father just as a second noose slipped around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. Lady Felicia had thrown another lasso over her son and was leaning backwards, pulling the rope with all the force she could muster, preventing him from getting close to Leiko.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Damn you!” Alexander roared with rage as his parents pulled him simultaneously from two sides, grounding him in one spot.</p> <p class="Main-Text">By coordinating their movements, they kept him from attacking either of them or from escaping in any other direction. Together, they guided him carefully to a tree. There they managed to press his back against the trunk and tie him tightly.</p> <p class="Main-Text">The prince was foaming at the mouth like a mad dog, laughing and crying simultaneously, then whispering and howling a cascade of insults and curses in a strange ancient language blended with a multitude of nonsense.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“It’s over,” Felicia panted, her heart still beating hard.</p> <p class="Main-Text">Leiko nodded. “I will stay here to keep an eye on our son. You go immediately to inform the other members of the War Council.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“All right,” Felicia replied. “We will come for you before we depart for the Elysian Fields.”</p> <p class="Central-Standard">* * *</p> <p class="First-Paragraph">A few hours later all the members of the War Council of Utopia were in the Elysian Fields. Upon entering the Chamber Hall of the palace of the Gods, they were surprised to see Zeus and Hera rise from their thrones and descend the stairs of the pedestal. The King of the Gods motioned for them not to kneel and shook hands with each one of them, as if he were not the ruler of the universe, but simply a friend. Likewise, Hera, who appeared truly moved, embraced and kissed all the women in turn.</p> <p class="Main-Text">Rebecca prepared to speak but Zeus silenced her with a wave of his hand. “You don’t need to tell us anything.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“A few hours ago, my husband and I carried out the supervision,” Hera explained. “So we know all about the situation on Earth.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“We also know every detail of the vision that our oracle experienced in Delphi,” Zeus added, turning his gaze to Leylah. “A vision that will provide us all with invaluable information.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Then you also know of my proposal to take them by surprise by attacking Tartarus first,” Rebecca said.</p> <p class="Main-Text">Zeus remained silent for a few moments, looking into her green eyes, which sparkled with determination. Then he raised his head high and laughed loudly. “Yes, princess. We are aware of that plan of yours too, which, of course, once again defies the laws I established during the ancient era of the Clash of the Titans...”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Do you not agree with it?” Rebecca enquired anxiously.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Of course we agree!” Zeus said and laughed again. The eyes of the King of the Gods became wild and looked as if they were ready to hurl thunderbolts. “The Titans are the ones who once more began breaking all the sacred laws, dangerously disrupting the balance between Good and Evil. They have already provoked great destruction on Earth and among humanity and are even planning the same for our worlds. But we are not going to stand by with our hands tied anymore. We will strike back, extinguish the Black Flame and seal them within Tartarus for one more time.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Yes!” the members of the War Council shouted excitedly.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“I know that you have gathered nearly all the military forces of the Land of the White Sun in Utopia, training them for a defensive war,” Zeus continued, “but now I am calling upon you to prepare for a general attack on Tartarus!”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“When will we invade, oh Mighty Zeus?” Amazon Nemesis enquired impatiently.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“The Titans intend to launch their attack on Utopia in three days,” the God replied. “So we will pre-empt that attack two days from now.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“How will our forces get there?” Doctor Afterland asked.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“The invasion will be coordinated across both worlds,” Hera replied. “We, the Gods, along with the heroes, will pass through the Ancient Gates that lead from the Elysian Fields to Tartarus, and which Zeus sealed centuries ago. Meanwhile, you will invade the Kingdom of the Titans from your world - through the Gates God Hephaestus will open for you.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“The God of Fire and Energy will be with us?” Leiko asked with surprise.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Yes, as well as the God of the Underworld, Hades!” Zeus said. “He will guide you through the labyrinths and the vast caverns of Tartarus to the point at which our two armies will unite. Once there we will then strike our main target - the palaces of the vile Titans, themselves.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">The members of the War Council burst into cheers.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“My friends!” Zeus shouted. “Queen Hera and I will also invite all the other Gods - and the heroes as well - to inform them of our new plan, which I believe will please everyone. You may return to your world immediately to prepare your army.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Be aware that from now on we will constantly be in touch with you through our messenger, the wing-footed God Hermes, so that we can perfectly coordinate our actions,” Hera added. “Go now. Be strong and have faith!”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Good will prevail!” Zeus boomed, raising his steel fist high.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Good will prevail!” the members of the War Council repeated in unison.</p> <p class="Main-Text">They all bowed and began walking to the exit except for Leylah, who was left alone with the two Gods, looking at them with eyes ready to overflow with tears. “But I...” the girl stammered.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“But you... what?” Zeus asked.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“I want to ask something else.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Really?” Zeus replied, stroking his beard. “Surely all the issues have now been resolved.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“No... not all of them. We also brought Prince Alexander here, who was infected by the Black Flame and...”</p> <p class="Main-Text">The God lifted his hand and motioned for her to stop. “This has been resolved.”</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Resolved? But... when? How?”</p> <p class="Main-Text">The King of the Elysian Fields smiled at her kindly and nodded his head towards the entrance of the hall.</p> <p class="Main-Text">Leylah felt her heart begin to beat like crazy. Alexander stood there, surrounded by the members of the War Council and hugging his parents. Beside him was an imposing male figure who very much resembled Zeus, although his body radiated like that of Apollo. She knew immediately who he was: the God of Medicine, Asclepius.</p> <p class="Main-Text">The prince cast a glance at her and then said something to the others, who began to leave the hall - all but Asclepius, who headed towards the pedestal of the thrones to speak with Hera and Zeus.</p> <p class="Main-Text">“Thank you... Thank you so much!” the girl whispered to the God of Medicine as he walked past. He simply nodded, smiling kindly.</p> <p class="Main-Text">Then Leylah ran into the arms of her love, who received her with all the warmth she remembered from their first embrace.</p> <div class="Basic-Text-Frame"> <p class="Picture-No-Caption"><img class="image" width="31%" src="images/22700.jpg" alt="22700.jpg"/></p> </div> </div> </div> </body> </html>