Link to download full story: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/844180
Copyright
2018 Albert Oon
Published
by Albert Oon at Smashwords
Smashwords
Edition License Notes: This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment
only. This eBook may not be re-sold or
given away to other people. If you would
like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy
for each recipient. If you’re reading
this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment
only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and
purchase your own copy. Thank you for
respecting the hard work of this author.
Chapter 1 – Apart but not Separated
The land of Operetta is at it’s most dire moment in all of its history. It is under siege by demonic forces that wish to claim it to start the end of the world. The Church and her forces have stopped the spread of evil around the borders of the land but have only managed to rescue a few families and kingdoms since the armies of Hell are stronger in the center of Operetta. While they make up a plan to exorcise the demons from the land, two royal families hold out in the very center of the demonic infestation. They are held up in their castles blessed by the Pope himself. Statues of the saints, angels, the Blessed Mother, and her Child keep away demons around the edges of the castles and the interiors. Their faith and love keep their blessings active and their protectors by their side. They could hold out until help arrives, but there is another problem besides absolute evil outside the gates. There is a boy named Legato and a girl named Arietta from the families that love each other. Because their love is strong, and their ways are pure, God has allowed them to talk to each through song.
Today is another day for them as they live in isolation from the world and each other. They sit by their bedside windows and look in the direction where the other is supposed to be.
Legato
The single life can be good to people
It keeps them concentrated on their happiness
Let’s them worry about one less person
Arietta
Single people don’t need to worry about children
About having to raise their own child
About having to put themselves last
Legato & Arietta
But that’s not the life I want
I don’t care about the costs
The price of love
The agony it causes
It doesn’t matter what other people say
I will fight through all the pain
Just to be with you
You make it all worth it
You complete me
Arietta
I don’t know what I would be without you
My temptations for beauty would overcome me if it weren’t for you
Legato
I wouldn’t be the man I am today if you didn’t exist
I’d overwork myself till I died of exhaustion
Legato and Arietta
But because you’re with me
I’m in love
I’m happy
I have a reason to live
No matter what lies ahead
I will fight through all the pain
Just to be with you
Stay forever with me
Keep me near your heart
No matter how far we are apart
You will always be with me
Our love will never die
You are my hope
My salvation
A burning fire that keeps me alive
I will love you forever and always
A force between them feels like it’s trying to pull them together. This force is pure and appears to be talking to them. They can’t exactly hear what it’s saying, but they understand what they’re supposed to do. Confidence, courage, and strength fill their souls as they quickly move away from their bedside windows. Legato grabs a spare set of knight armor and a single sword. Arietta grabs a rosary and two daggers. After they grab what they need, they sneak out their families’ castle and into the demonic wasteland.
Even though they don’t have a map or directions, they can sense where the other is and they head in their direction. Demonic forces are awakened by the presence of people in their land, so they gather to attack Legato and Arietta. The demons are confident in their numbers and strength while the lovers are sure that they will meet each other soon.
Chapter 2 – Fighting Together Despite Distance
Legato and Arietta are lead by their senses to each other. A bright light that pierces through the dark clouds shines its light on them and gives them the assurance that they will eventually meet each other. From another perspective, it appears that this light is the being that is pulling the two together for a purpose besides their reunification. Two separate crowds of demonic forces go to attack them. Despite the numbers and horrifying appearance of the demons, Legato and Arietta engage them with courage. Both of them manage to put a dent in their forces through their strength but it eventually runs out. They fall to their knees as defeat slowly overcomes them until the light reinvigorates them. Legato and Arietta rise and ready themselves to fight as they sing together.
Legato – Down to my last breath
Arietta – Down to my knees
Legato – Down to the final moment
Arietta – I’ve arrived at my last stand
Legato & Arietta – Or so they think
Legato & Arietta
I will never give in
Never stop fighting
Never give into the pain
Nothing will defeat me
As long as my love is alive
The demonic forces are being routed by the renewed strength of Legato and Arietta. Some flee in terror while new demon soldiers take their place.
Legato – Bring me down
Arietta – I will rise again
Legato – Make me weak
Arietta – I will become stronger
Legato – All of your attacks
Arietta – All of your words
Legato & Arietta – Don’t have any effect on me now!
Legato – You think that you got me now?
Arietta – You think I’ll give in?
Legato & Arietta – You better think again!
Legato & Arietta
I keep on fighting
Keep struggling through a life with an ending
Keep rising and falling
No matter how often I’m beaten
I will keep fighting for my love
I will keep living for you, my love
Nothing will stop me from seeing you
The love that we keep for each other will never fail to keep me going
The love that we have for each other will bring us together again
After throwing wave upon wave at Legato and Arietta, the demons retreat to form another plan. The light from the skies shines brightly upon the two to heal them of their wounds and restore their strength.
They then continue on their journey unaffected by the demonic attack. In the meantime, their families have noticed that they have left. They plan out how to retrieve them and their punishment for them when they get back, but first, they send out a courier to urge the Church to lend forces to them. All the families can do in the meantime is to pray that their children are safe.
Chapter 3 – Cadenza
The demonic forces don’t have many options for dealing with Legato and Arietta. If they face them head on again, they’ll just lose even if they throw their entire army at the two. The light will protect the two until they meet each other. At that point, the demons will might as well give up the land. They then think of a plan to weaken their connection to each other and attack them not with innumerable troops, but with a few manipulators to take them down. Since their strength is in their unity, the demons think to fog up their connection to each other and the light to get them to lose their faith and strength.
A spellcaster places a curse upon Legato and Arietta. The two simultaneously feel farther away from each other and their sense of each other is now blurry. The light in the sky still shines brightly on them, but their eyes have dulled their site of it. In spite of this worrying feeling, they continue on their journey. The light that shines through the darkness still gives them an idea of where to go to see each other despite their dulled senses.
Using the opportunity they’ve made, the demons decide to attack Legato first. The demons think his tendencies to overwork himself should make him an easy target to take out, so they create a scenario that should weaken him. As Legato continues on his journey uneased by the sudden loss in confidence and clarity, he finds a caravan of people under attack by a group of demons. Legato fights off the demons by himself until the caravan starts to defend itself.
One of the people in the caravan says, “We can take care of ourselves now, but another caravan behind us cannot. Save them and don’t worry about us.”
Legato runs off to help the caravan behind them and once they are able to fight back, this caravan instructs Legato to do the same thing the first caravan did to another close by caravan. He does so, and the same thing happens again until he sees that the previous caravans are struggling to defend themselves again. Caught between four separate groups, he tries to help them all, but the demons don’t let up on the caravans as they barely pay any mind to Legato. As a result of his constant struggle, Legato exhausts himself in the center of the four caravans. His legs give way and he kneels while he tries to regain his strength. The demons then combine with the caravans to form four separate bulky demons.
With Legato completely weakened due to the demons’ trick, they think victory is in their hands. Realizing what’s about to happen, he kindles the light within him and it unexpectedly lights up the area around him along with his sword. Legato regains his strength and then some as he stands up to face the four bulky demons. Since he still feels incomplete without Arietta, he sings on his own hoping that she will hear him.
I’m alone in this world
A decrepit wasteland where no joy exists
It’s dead
It’s sad
It’s suffering
It’s Hell
Without hope or love
You might as well give in
You might as well die
Arietta can faintly hear a voice in the distance that sounds like Legato’s, but it’s too hushed. She prays that he’s okay and that he’ll get out of any trouble that he finds himself in. Legato receives strength from Arietta’s prayers that allows him to simultaneously fight the four demons.
But I can still see the light at the end
It’s within my grasp
Ahead of me, I can feel it inside
No matter how dark it gets, I will hold onto hope
The dark will try to get me down
Day by day
Hour by hour
Minute by minute
Second by second
But my source of strength is everlasting
I will continue to fight even if I am alone
I will continue to fight even if it kills me
The four demons have trouble dealing with Legato as he’s somehow made faster now because of the light. He slashes at them and dodges their attacks as if he could read their minds.
So get back up and remember
“You’re never truly alone
Never broken beyond repair
Never too weak to become strong
Never too lost to be found
As long as you are truthful and your ways pure,
Nothing will stand in your way”
Keep struggling
Keep fighting the evil within and outside
Keep going until your last breath
Because only the weak give in
Only the weak submit to evil
Only the weak please themselves before others
I will never give in
I will fight
I will struggle
Until my last breath
That’s what a hero would do
And I’m that hero
The four try to squish Legato by crushing him between them, but he leaps up into the air and cuts off all four of their heads in one slash. Their bodies then turn into dirt and are blown away by the wind. The strength granted to Legato is temporarily taken from him as the battle is done. He knows that the light hasn’t forsaken him and that Arietta had a part in helping him. He could sense her presence in the strength given to him. Even more confident than he was before, he continues his journey to her. On Arietta’s side of events, she is unsure if her prayers had any effect. She isn’t even sure if she truly heard Legato in the distance. Nevertheless, she continues on her journey as well unaware that she is the demons’ next target.
Chapter 4 – Solo
Since the demons’ only attempt to get rid of Legato failed, their only way to stop their demise is by killing Arietta. If she were to die, then Legato, in theory, would give up and die as well. Arietta takes a bit more effort to take out for the demons, but they deal with the discomfort they have to go through in order for their plan to succeed. The area ahead of Arietta is strangely alive with green plants and trees. There are people rebuilding their homes in these areas and Arietta goes to help them.
While helping them, she asks them, “When did this start happening?”
A man responds by saying, “I don’t know. A woman with brown hair came to us and told us that the life was coming back to the wasteland and here we are.”
“Where is this woman?”
“She’s over there resting. She apparently never rested for long while surviving in this wasteland. Poor thing.”
Arietta goes to talk to the woman who is resting in the grass. She’s really dirty and the only thing she’s wearing is a hooded robe.
“Excuse me for interrupting your rest,” Arietta says to the woman.
The woman smiles and says to Arietta, “It’s no problem for me.”
“When did you find the grass growing here?”
“Just today. I was just surviving in the wasteland until I was granted this amazing ability. Watch this.”
The woman touches the ground and grass and flowers begin to grow from it.
“That’s amazing!”
“It’s a miracle isn’t it?”
“How did you get it?”
“I’ll let you in on a secret.” The woman gets closer to Arietta and whispers into her ear, “I got it from the demons.”
“What?” Arietta says as she backs away from the woman.
“It’s okay. You think demons only destroy but look at what I can do with the miracles they have given me. We can make the world beautiful if we just give into them.”
“This isn’t right.”
“How can something that’s wrong create happiness? Look at the people here. Look at how happy and hopeful they are. Tell me you’re going to give in to make people happy.”
“I…I can’t.”
“That’s a shame.”
The woman transforms into a humongous demon made of diamonds. The ground that was green with grass now dies except for where Arietta is standing. Seeing that they were tricked by a powerful demon, the human people drop what they are doing and run away from the area.
“If we can’t do this the easy way, I might as well do this…the other easy way,” the diamond demon says as the grass beneath Arietta constricts her so that she can’t move.
With one punch, the diamond demon sends Arietta several feet away. All of Arietta’s bones feel broken now and Legato feels something in him being viciously torn away. He falls to his knees and prays that Arietta is okay. Arietta tries to pray for help as well but she can’t move her hands to do so or open her mouth, so she thinks her prayers. Seeing the predicament she’s in, the light grants her immense strength and completely heals her wounds. Her knives are now made of pure light and her dress is remade for battle. Still feeling intimidated by her foe, she sings to Legato so that he will grant her extra strength as she fights the humongous diamond demon.
I don’t need your miracles to be blessed
I don’t need your attention to feel loved
Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie
Your words are poison and your ways are revolting
Nothing you offer me is beautiful
Nothing about you is good
I’ve got everything I need with me
Your world is a prison
Not a land of the free
Arietta’s speed and strength outmatch the diamond demon to the point where she dodges the demon’s quick attacks. She even manages to punch it a few feet away. Enraged, the diamond demon makes itself quicker and stronger.
Silence me
Just try it
You can’t be what I am
Or handle what I got
Never will I submit to you
Never will I take the shortcut
My strength and beauty will outlast yours
They say diamonds last forever
But I will last longer than that
Your gifts are nothing
Your reign will end
Never will you do anything worthwhile
Never will I fall
Never, never, never!
Finally, Arietta’s knives of light break through the diamond demon’s skin and break it apart. Arietta then cuts into the chest of the diamond demon and breaks its heart, which makes it shatter. Her battle is over, and Arietta goes back to feeling normal, so she continues on her way. Legato feels better as part of him knows that Arietta is okay, so he does the same. Meanwhile, the demons gather all of their forces for one final attack on the couple. They will meet at the point where Arietta and Legato see each other as this is their final attempt to keep the land they’ve stolen.
Chapter 5 – Finale
Arietta and Legato are only a short distance apart now. The demonic army quickly readies all of its soldiers for one last attempt to keep their land. In the distance, an army from the Church closes in on the area as well accompanied by the families of Arietta and Legato. The demons pay no mind to this army as their true target are almost together. Finally, after traveling a long distance, the lovers see each other. They run the rest of the way and embrace then kiss.
Before they have time to say anything to each other the demonic army descends on them. Thousands upon thousands of demons appear just to destroy these two lovers. The Church’s army arrives just in time to help, but they have thousands of demons to fight through until they reach the center where the couple is at. The army isn’t on top of the couple yet, but they’re fast approaching. Several large demons, including demons made of diamond, acid, and fire are among the troops, which are the demonic army’s best soldiers. Realizing the situation they’re in, Legato and Arietta hold each other’s hands before singing to each other.
Arietta
In these final moments
I stand with you my love
Unafraid of what’s to come
Please hold onto me until it ends
Legato
I’ll protect you to my last breath
Be your guardian angel
As long as you stand with me
I fear nothing
Legato & Arietta
Together we stand against the tide
Together we stand connected by our love
A love that is stronger than death
We will battle evil until our final breath
The light directly shines upon the couple, which creates a shield around them. The demons try to break it while the Church’s army breaks through the demonic army effectively crushing them between the light of the Church and the light of the couple.
Arietta
I always knew that you would find me
Always knew that you were the one giving me strength
I could never be anything without your love
Legato
I always knew you’d help me when things got dark
Your smile, kind ways, and love make you a saint
All of reality would crumble without you
Legato & Arietta
Even when we’re separated
We’re together
The darkness cannot keep us apart
Watch out world because our love will conquer all
We will stay together forever
There isn’t a force in Hell that can separate us
Remember that wherever you are
Love will find you
So that you are never alone
The light from both groups crushes the demons and breathes life into the land. Grass, vegetation, and other plant life rapidly grow back as the demonic threat disappears from the land. This was the light’s plan from the beginning and Legato and Arietta made the freeing of Operetta possible. The couple is married by the Pope and crowned king and queen of Operetta. A mysterious force connected them through song and a mysterious force freed their land, but the thing that truly freed the land was the unstoppable force of love.
The End
No comments:
Post a Comment