The Scavenger started chanting the spell on the Death Lord. However, the Death Lord was strong. He threw powerful blasts towards the children. He ran towards the Scavenger, who was engrossed in chanting the spell.
Suddenly, the walls split up as Daniel concentrated his powers on it. Warriors of all the kings supporting the Scavenger stormed in to fight the Death Lord. The pyramid started to collapse as the Scavenger, the children and the entire good army fought the Death Lord. Trolls, Ogres, Panthers and thousands of good Clans held the Death Lord back. The air was buzzing with tumultuous energy.
Archer glanced at the Scavenger, who was chanting the spell with his eyes closed. “Quickly,” he thought to himself, “Millions of lives depend on you.”
Every second that passed, the Death Lord fought his way, getting closer and closer to the Scavenger.
In a fit of rage, the Death Lord summoned dark energy and threw it on the people around.
The Death Lord almost reached the Scavenger. Time seemed to stop as the children watched helplessly.
Suddenly, the Scavenger opened his eyes.
“You want the Crown,” the Scavenger yelled at the Death Lord. “Here, take it!”
The Scavenger raised his hands, and the Arcane Crown rose. Bolts of white light struck the Death Lord, bringing him down on his knees. The Scavenger extended his hands, and the Crown broke into seven pieces. They shone brightly as they surrounded the Death Lord.
The ground and the skies shook. The Death Lord was trapped in a colourful cage formed by the pieces. The Death Lord shrunk as he started to get sucked into the broken Crown.
As his face disappeared under the Arcane Crown, he yelled, I WILL RETURN!
24
Archer couldn’t believe it. They had won.
The Dark World was free from Death Lord at last. The broken pieces of the Arcane Crown had trapped him. The Dark World and the Earth were safe.
At least for now.
The war was over.
Before disappearing into the pieces of the broken Crown, the Death Lord had yelled three words, “I will return.” These words kept reverberating in Archer’s mind.
The people all around were cheering and celebrating as the evil forces started to crumble to pieces. The people hefted the children and the Scavenger over their shoulders and carried them to a raised platform.
Standing on the platform, the Scavenger addressed them,
“My friends, you fought well! Without you, we could have never won! Thank you! This land is yours, and will always be yours!”
Everyone cheered, their eyes full of tears of happiness. The deaths of thousands of good people at the hands of the Death Lord had been avenged.
The King of Unicorns came forward. “You are the ones who made us victorious. And in your honour, I command the people to build five large statues of those without whom we would have never succeeded.”
The Death Lord’s Palace had turned into a beautiful place, free from any malice. The dark clouds had left, revealing clear skies. The black walls and doors turned golden and silver. It was the most beautiful sight anyone had ever seen.
The Scavenger and the children went inside the palace, to their respective rooms. They were too tired to celebrate their victory. Each one of them collapsed on the sprawling beds.
***
The children felt like they had slept for ages. They went outside their rooms in the Palace to take in some fresh air. Before them lay the battleground. The blood and gore had disappeared. Instead, there stood five glorious, gigantic statues of the five of them. Curiously, they rushed out towards the statues.
On reaching there, they saw that in the middle was the tallest statue – that of the Scavenger. There were Archer and Matt on its right and to its left were James and Daniel. In front of them was a large white stone with bold black letters inscribed on it:
‘The Great Scavenger and the Prophesied Children’ Followed by smaller letters:
‘The people and their descendants of the Dark World will always remember them for bringing peace and will be forever obliged to them.’
There was a small pillar beside each of the statues, with words inscribed on them.
Archer read the one that was beside his statue:
‘Lord Archer: Elemental who controlled the Power of Fire.
The Controller of Fire, The Burning Warrior, The Fire Master and The Dragon Fighter…’
Archer moved to the next one,
‘Lord Matt: Elemental who controlled the Power of Wind.
The Wind Master, The Air Slicer,
The Controller of Winds, The Slasher…’
Next, the Scavenger:
‘Lord Scavenger: Elemental who controlled the Power of Sky.
The Sky Master, The Thunder Warrior,
The Controller of Lightning, The Cloud Slicer…’
For James, it read:
‘Lord James: Elemental who controlled the Power of Water.
The Water Master, The Controller of Seas, The Salty Guy, The Ocean Carver…’
And finally, the one for Daniel:
Lord Daniel: Elemental who controlled the Power of Earth.
The Earth Master, The Quaker, The Wood Laser, The Controller of the Ground…
“Lord suits me!” Archer said, grinning. His friends chuckled.
However, James was in a state of disbelief.
“The Salty Guy! What kind of name is that? Archer, you got such cool names, and what do I get… Salty Guy!”
Archer shrugged. “It suits you.”
“Shut up!”
While they bickered, the Scavenger walked up to them looking thoughtful.
“The people here have decided to make me King of the Dark World. Should I accept?”
“Of course!” James said. “This is a great opportunity. You can make sure that no evil rises, and at the same time, bring peace and harmony to the Dark World. A great idea!”
The others supported him too.
All the citizens of the Dark World announced the Scavenger to be their King. The Scavenger was nervous as he sat on the throne. The people bowed in respect. A colourful ceremony followed.
After the celebrations were over, Archer walked up to the Scavenger and said,
