Legendaries

By Miral Elmanaseer

Moonlight Parker thinks she lives in a normal world, unaware of the magic that runs in her blood. Minu Ginger is the victim of a tragic past, in which a war took both her parents. When Moonlight gets a visit from Minu —her newly assigned unicorn— she’s introduced to a world she’s never imagined.

Harmony is a magical place in the clouds where unicorns, dragons, and magical beings called Petunians live alike, unknown to humankind. Minu is the ruler of Harmony and has now introduced Moonlight to the future she will lead at Manona High, a school of magic in the clouds.

Moonlight is to study the magic in her blood at Manona High, and she learns how to control the powers within her Strixcus —the relic she uses to perform magic. But it all goes downhill when Minu reveals to Moonlight her dark past, and the brother she used to have.

Guller Ginger is the monster who struck a war against the rest of Harmony. He rallied up all Dark Unicorns —the bloody creatures who are the only enemies known to Harmony— in an attempt to take over Harmony, and murder his own sister. When bodies start dropping dead at Manona High, Moonlight can’t take it anymore. The abnormal magic, the dead bodies, and the murderer out to get her and her friends are too much for her. But when Guller reveals his return, hell reigns glory over the surface of the clouds, and it's obvious that he’s coming for Moonlight —the only Maroon Petunian alive other than Guller himself.

The hunt for the Noble Ruby begins, and now Moonlight has to stay and fight. It's a race against time, magic, and Guller himself. Bodies drop dead, betrayal is in the air, and history is bound to repeat itself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9798823021005

Book preview

© 2024 Miral Elmanaseer. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  02/21/2024

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2101-2 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-8230-2100-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024901467

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Prologue

The Dark Lord

1  Manona High Part 1

2  Manona High Part 2

3  Off to Ailat Falls

4  The Harmonial Ball

5  Not-so Happy Holidays

6  Diary of the Noble Ruby

7  An Impeccable Story

8  A Manipulative Double

9  Trapped

10  The Death Deck

11  Operation Save And Escape

12  A Deadly Countdown

13  A Noble Enter and Escape

14  Hotdogs with a side of New Earth

15  An Unexpected Visit

Prologue

Minu City

Minu City.

It was a place where all the Petunians could gather.

Where unicorns roamed the clouds and dragons soared across the skies.

Where all the fantasies and dreams down on Earth are your reality.

This is the most magical point on Earth.

Minu City was created because of the Heart of Harmony. The gem that gave the six elements their powers.

Water, Ice, Fire, Earth, and Harmony.

Alo and Ali —they’re twins—Aure, Ash, Rabiah, and Harmony.

They are the Rarities.

Minu City is the heart of the country up in the clouds known as Harmony, our country here up in the clouds, hidden from the cluelessness of the humans who wouldn’t believe we were real if they saw us. Harmony was where the center of magic came from—the heart of all magic and the beauties that come with it.

Yes, magic.

Harmony adapted ancient magics from when it was born. The five Rarities were what brought it to life. The ancient magics came from the precious gems found in magical realms such as ours, fueling our Strixcus’ with such intense power. Yes, this was a great gift, but behind all the happiness and the magic was a dark history.

You see, unicorns lived in Harmony, sure, but so did dragons, and so did Petunians. Maroon Petunians as well, although the only living one was Impeccable Izzy. With them, all were Dark Unicorns. They were unicorns, the same as us, but they had a different leader. Before Guller, it was Black. He led the Dark Unicorns: red and black beauties. Yes, there are different-looking unicorns, and they may have creamy white skin like I do, or light peach, or even dark red: different eye colors and different hair colors. But the Dark Unicorns were different. They had coal-black skin and flaming red eyes, along with ash-flamed hair. But their appearance wasn’t the problem. Dark Unicorns were crafted to kill. To destroy, manipulate, and wreak havoc wherever they went.

So, we distanced ourselves from them. It seemed like the most reasonable thing, and it worked… for long enough.

But before any of that happened, we were all happy, living up high in the clouds with our neighbors: the dragons, fairies, pixies, dwarfs, elves, pegasi, and mermaids. Yes, Harmony was a place where your dreams and nightmares were also your reality. Horrifying but also beautiful.

Minu City was what I was named after. My parents ruled over it, as it was the heart of Harmony, meaning they also ruled over the rest of Harmony. They did a fantastic job, and we all lived in peace and harmony. They were also the reason Petunians are allowed here today. My brother, Guller, was the first Petunian. I said that many mythical creatures live up here, many humans didn’t know about, but humans also lived here. Guller was the first. You see, each unicorn or dragon was assigned a human to bring up to Harmony to teach them about our amazing world.

They were called Petunians.

Unicorns, dragons, and Petunians all go to one school: Manona High. That’s where we study magic—our magical past, future, and reality. Supernatural beings of all kinds are welcomed, and Manona High was one of the biggest parts of Harmony. One of the most significant, too. But Petunians weren’t the only magical humans that were allowed into Harmony.

Maroon Petunians were, too.

Maroon Petunians are Petunians with impeccable powers, unlike the unicorns and other beings that lived there. Maroon Petunians unlocked dark and rare magics that were never before known to any of our kind. The only Maroon Petunian that was ever known to unicorn or dragonkind was Impeccable Izzy. Her name came from her extraordinary powers.

And… Guller. He was one, too.

Now, the magical beings that live in Harmony don’t just conjure magic out of the palm of their hands like you’ve seen in movies. No, we use Strixcus’.

A Strixcus is a beautiful, deadly, and overly powerful weapon. They are made up of the magical stones in Harmony that supply us with the magic we have. Once a Petunian or a magical being begins attending Manona High, they are given a Strixcus to wear on their finger. They take lessons from the most highly trained Petunians and learn how to master the magical arts of their Strixcus’. It is truly a beautiful thing. But also, deadly. However, the deadly part was mainly kept under control. You see, you could kill someone with the wrong spell from your Strixcus, but they didn’t teach killing spells in Manona High, which is how we keep our citizens safe.

Of course, in Harmony, Minu City isn’t the only place up in the clouds. There are also cities such as Cali Island and Yukimi City, where you can find rulers and many other schools of magic. But for now, Minu City is the most popular and highly ruled out of them all. And then again, Harmony isn’t the only magical realm out there. Many other planets and worlds belong to magic, such as EverLand, home of the Pixies. Or planets of the aliens. There are so many places that humans down on Earth are unaware of. It is pretty sad how little they know about us. But it’s for their good and their safety. Without secrecy, Earth, as we know it, might not exist.

In Harmony, we have millions of diverse cultures and customs, and there is no discrimination against anyone. We also eat many other foods of magical resources that are both beautiful and, amazingly, enchantingly rare. It is absolutely beautiful.

That’s Minu City.

A place where everyone was happy, healthy, and safe.

Well, they were.

That was before my brother became the Dark Lord.

I am Minu Ginger.

And this is my story.

The Dark Lord

All of the dragons from Cali Island were over at my palace.

I am Minu Ginger.

The most magical unicorn in all of Harmony. I am also the soon-to-be Queen of Harmony, ruling once I turn twenty-one —the legal age here.

Today, the Royal Dragons from Cali Island were coming over for a royal meeting, and my brother was helping me set this all up. We had been expecting this; the Royal Dragons come almost once every month, and since things were starting to get out of hand with all of our work, we needed to discuss it before some global catastrophe happened.

My brother Guller and I were busy helping the Royal Staff get everything ready, from the top to the bottom of my palace. I took cleaning my castle seriously, as I had inherited it from my parents. It would be offensive to them if I kept it a complete and utter mess all the time; of course, that wouldn’t leave a good impression on me either. But having my palace also felt like a responsibility —which, of course, it was. But with all the Royal Staff, cleaning wasn’t my job, yet I took it to myself to be the perfect version of myself I could hold. That meant being as tidy as possible and doing all my chores and responsibilities as best as possible. And it wasn’t that hard —on the contrary, it helped me develop a better version of myself. I liked being like that. It wasn’t like I was forcing it upon myself —although, maybe at the start, I was. But now, this is what I wanted. At the start, though, I didn’t want to be the ‘best version of myself.’ Within a day, I realized it was exhausting and too much work. But I put up with it. Because too much work was a good thing. Besides, having too much free time wasn’t good for me —that meant I would have time to think about my past, something I had tried as hard as possible to block out. I was good at keeping it out whenever I didn’t want it, but whenever I let my guard down, it would hurtle itself at me like a boxer punching its opponent straight in the gut. And it hurt bad, too. And it wasn’t some mental pain like the doctors said it was. I could feel it. I could feel the way it hit me right in the stomach, the way my stomach would feel bruised but wouldn’t look bruised. And, trust me, I could tell really quickly if I had a bruise. With my shimmery, pearly white skin, it wasn’t hard at all. But, lucky for me, I was pretty protected, and I didn’t often get hurt.

Well, that’s what I had thought back then.

But the thought is quite different from reality, of course. And I found that out the very, unnecessarily complicated way.

Today, Guller and I were anticipating a business visit from the dragons of Cali Island. We often had meetings every then and there throughout the year, and it helped that Flame was my childhood best friend. We worked together remarkably well, and things were quite fun, but it was also a weighty business. One erroneous move and Harmony could be up in flames. But we loved planning specialties for the future, comprehending new administration dexterities, discovering contemporary aptitudes with enchantment, and how to conceive Minu City and Harmony even further. It’s pretty enjoyable, and we are also optimistic when we’re accomplishing things concurrently, and that’s the reason Harmony is so happy and thriving.

Well, not for long it won’t be.

Flame was coming here to represent Leah Talgerino’s family. They were the Royal family of Cali Island, and they were Petunians. I know, it may seem weird —aren’t I supposed to be the only royal of Harmony?— but here in Harmony, each city has a ruler, and the one in Minu City rules over Harmony. Yet even though Flame ruled Blazing City, he often did many things for Walter —the king of Cali Island. Their daughter was Leah Talgerino, and she had already applied to come to Manona High —the high school everyone near Minu City attends. I had seen her once before, and she was something to marvel at. I was excited for when she would come to Manona High. New people excite me; then again, many things excite me very quickly, so it made some sense. It wasn’t hard to be happy here in Harmony. Everyone’s lives are immaculate. There is no such thing as poverty, debt, being broke, homelessness, or even tax —something I never personally understood.

In Harmony, unicorns had jobs, and so did dragons —one of the reasons for this meeting. Usually, during these meetings, we discuss the careers of these unicorns and dragons. Most of them didn’t have effortless jobs, so it was so substantial that they did it flawlessly. When we are discussing these things, I always think about all the unicorns that take all of these things each day. It was a poundage on your back, but these jobs are meaningful—especially those in Minu City —where it all began.

Of course, there were other cities, but Minu City, Cali Island, Yukimi City, and many others were a little more well-known than other cities because those cities might have been abandoned or didn’t do anything. But there were some cities many people didn’t know about. Each city, province, and island do a specific thing. Cali Island is in charge of the weather because that is where most of the dragons live. Yukimi Island focuses on nature. Ruri City works on relationships. Ailat Falls works on the future, including technology and overpowered items. The province of Sabir works on things like gems and gemstones. The region of Duci works on transportation and development of the Strixcus. Minu City is the heart of Harmony. We work on magic and peace. But even then, unicorns and dragons have different jobs in each place. The job of the unicorn is what I have to manage from time to time; let me tell you, it is exhausting. We grow nature, control the day, night, water, fire, and all the things that happen on Earth, things that the Rarities began for us, leaving us to care for. We make sure our magic is growing, staying healthy and flawless, and teaching all types of magic that can help Harmony. We also ensure only peace, so we have uniforms like peace officers almost everywhere, although it isn’t that much needed. People seem to get along, no matter what, naturally. Even little arguments end within seconds, always ending with a compromise of some sort. We still credit the Peace Police because Dark Unicorns tend to annoy as many unicorns and dragons as possible, and even if they fail, they ensure some havoc is raining over. We live in the clouds, so we like to make floods in India because it’s mostly desert. I don’t think it helps humans, but we celebrate all the happy things that happen on Earth, whether the humans appreciate it or not —which they usually don’t. In Cali Island, and places with many dragons, they spin the globe, making tsunamis, earthquakes, tornados, and thunderstorms. Natural disasters are their specialty, something they enjoy and seem to take very seriously. It isn’t easy —there aren’t any breaks with these kinds of things. It’s going on twenty-four-seven, nonstop. But it proves efficient, and we’re helping humans with overpopulation. Damn, they should thank us for that. If only they knew we exist. But that wouldn’t be a good thing —I heard humans aren’t as harmonic as we are and are often greedy for hegemony and recognition. The dragons also help the sad and call on the angels to take the dead to hell or heaven. There aren’t any Petunians in Harmony, but a small number in Cali Island. Other than that, there are unicorns, dragons, mermaids, fairies, leprechauns, Nessie the Loch Ness monster, yetis, and gnomes.

My brother wasn’t any of those.

He was a human with magical powers.

My mother and my father had found him. No one knew how Guller had gotten here —there had never been humans in Minu City— and they had just seen him one rainy evening behind our house where the trash was. At that time, they didn’t know what to do, and they couldn’t just leave him there, so they took him in. We (the citizens of Minu City, not including me) wanted to dispose of him, but he was my brother! (Well, not at the time, but then again, who would leave a homeless seven-year-old stranded in an alleyway?) We couldn’t do that, so he was a Maroon Petunian. After we found out about this, we allowed Petunians into our world. We realized they meant no harm when Guller entered and was allowed into our magical realm. He showed us he was no harm.

How very wrong we were.

My brother was a Maroon Petunian, meaning he taught Petunians more of their powers and how to yield, control, and master them. But Petunians were normal. They could use Strixcus’s and learn from the power of the gems within. But that wasn’t what Maroon Petunians were. Maroon Petunians had more potent, more advanced powers than the rest of us. My brother was only two years older than me but far more incredible. The only other Maroon Petunian was Impeccable Izzy. She was legendary. I will explain in a moment.

Before I talk about Izzy, I want to tell you how Guller (my brother) became the Dark

Lord.

*

"More and more people are dying because of these floods!" roared King Flame, his nostrils fuming heavy breaths. He was the king of Blaze City. With his dark red scales slowly fading into a gradient orange and stopping at a light yellow at the bottom, he was one of the purest dragons I knew. His wings were one of the most significant I’ve seen, booming out and stretching out with a mile radius around him, and his tail was the sharpest and the deadliest, looking shimmery clear where it ended. My brother stood beside me, stepping somewhat defensively in front of me. He was a normal kid; he had brown hair and glistening hazel eyes, but even with his smooth portfolio, he had powers like no other. His face bore no emotion, and he wore a mask of no sentiment. But I knew beneath my brother’s thoughts must be buzzing; talking was just his natural habit, whether out loud or not. I was sure he wasn’t trying to start something with Flame, but instead, he was instinctively trying to protect me. It’s what siblings do, and I would have done the same for him if someone like Flame was getting this angry at someone as helpless as me. Yes, I’ve known Flame for almost all my life. Yes, he has a little bit of a temper —I was unfortunate enough to watch what happens if you get too far on his nerves— but in all the years I’ve known Flame, and in all the years he’s known me, he has never so much as touched me in a way that caused me harm or even discomfort. And I trusted him with that, to give him some credit. You can’t know someone for so long and not charge them so well. Sometimes, I do some mental strategizing just in case he’s on a mini rampage, but I’ve stopped doing that. When you watch Flame protectively bend over you when there’s any harm around —even the slightest bit— you can’t think he would hurt you. No, that would be ludicrous. Nonsensical, even.

So, I lightly placed my hoof on the small of Guller’s back and tugged at his arm. He looked taken aback but didn’t argue. In the steps he took back, he maintained eye contact with Flame the entire time. And once I saw Flame, I did too. But I added a little bit of a gentle squint in my clear eyes. That worked for many people. But I didn’t drop my gaze, even when he didn’t return it. You see, you just don’t back out on Flame. However, the somewhat tenderness in my eyes seemed to have made Flame even angrier. Jesus, he must be here just for the rant. He does that a lot.

You think you’re helping the Earth, but you’re just killing it! he said as if nothing had happened. Which nothing much really did. I fought hard not to roll my eyes and stick out my tongue like a toddler. Flame could be such a diva when he wanted to be. It was annoying sometimes, especially on days like these, when I had to cancel ten billion of the other plans I had in mind to clear the time for this visit.

Calm down, Flame, I said in a cool yet firm voice. If it’s a halt in work that you want, it’s a halt in work you’ll get. It took quite an effort to get my voice to cooperate, to sound like I did right now: smooth and aware of everything. As if I were a hundred percent sure nothing would happen to me. Or us. Or anyone.

Oh, what I didn’t know.

I kept my tone and features calm because I knew Flame could get like this sometimes. I tossed my pastel rainbow mane out of my face, revealing my glittering teal eyes.

Also, King Flame, I am here to announce something quite joyous.

Everyone’s eyes watched me expectantly, and I held my breath before continuing.

We will exile the Dark Unicorns and dragons tomorrow.

I listened as a soft ‘whoop’ went around the room, and everyone clapped. Even Flame looked cheerful-ish. Well, happy enough. For me, that is. I knew he hated the Dark Unicorns and Dragons just as much as I did. More, maybe. But I doubted that anyone could hate someone that much. I looked around at all the optimistic expressions. Even the Royal Staff looked very joyous. I watched everyone, enjoying the nice moment until my eyes came to an abrupt halt when my eyes met my brothers’. His expression didn’t match the ones all around him. He looked very... Is that anger in his eyes? I couldn’t believe it was.

Guller? I asked. He looked very aggravated, wearing an expression she hadn’t worn in a long time. It looked odd on his face, as if it didn’t belong there. Which it probably didn’t. Despite rough times, Guller was optimistic, not a ruffled one. Flame stopped clapping, and the others did shortly after him. Everyone turned to stare at Guller, who was breathing heavily. His eyes were blazing with a pained and outraged fire. He looked as if I had just slapped him across his face.

You’re killing all of them? Guller almost but nearly shouted at me. I flinched but didn’t move. I was more confused than scared. What was up with Guller? He was among the two people who hated the Dark Unicorns almost as much as Flame and me. Why did he sound so mad all of a sudden?

Well… yeah? My reply was more of a question than an answer, and it didn’t help my confidence. But it also bugged me. Why was Guller infuriated all of a sudden? He had no right to be.

"But… why?" Guller sounded almost desperate. I blinked. I didn’t expect this from Guller. In my momentary silence, Flame took it to himself to step up in my place.

Guller, why the hell aren’t you celebrating? he asked, and for a moment he looked really angry. "Our enemies? Gone! Finito!" Flame enunciated the two last words with extra exaggeration. But he was right. Guller should be celebrating with us, not fuming in a corner, looking a little like an angry toddler who didn’t get what he wanted. He also looked a little constipated.

They don’t have to be our enemies! Guller hissed. I laughed in disbelief.

"What do you mean ‘they don’t have to be our enemies’?" I demanded, not noticing the bitter edge in my voice. I fought not to wince when I mocked him. What he said stung, though. How could he really be asking me for something so insane? It was such a stupid concept that it annoyed me.

We could forgive them. They aren’t half as bad as they were before. And I really think they are sorry, Guller was almost pleading now. My mouth dropped open.

Again, Flame took charge.

Guller, what they did cannot be forgiven. Besides, how do you know they’ve changed?

It was Guller’s turn to be at a loss for words, and his mouth hung open in a tiny o shape.

I… I… I talked to Black. Guller looked ashamed for a moment, but that look passed quickly. I let out a strangled squeak. I took a step back, my breath catching in my throat. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. The walls were closing around me, and a small, slowly advancing waaaa voice filled my ears. For a moment, real fear flashed in Guller’s eyes, and he looked worried as he took a step forward.

Minu, I—

Guller, you know what they did! I yelled. It took me a moment to find my voice, but I did. Guller looked frightened and also a little taken aback. But then he was angry. I didn’t care, though; I was too mad. "Why are you making this so freaking hard!" I took a step toward Guller, who looked terrified and backed away fearfully. I was about to scream even harder, but Flame cut in, holding me back from my waist. He looked calm and under control, as I had just moments ago. But that was before Guller had lashed out and had made himself, along with me, look like idiots.

Their colors and looks are a threat, Guller. We can’t have them in Minu City or all of Harmony. They have already raided Cali Island; I can’t take it anymore. They ought not to be in our beloved country. And as soon-to-be-queen of Harmony, she can’t let her people be in danger. Flame said for him and me both. I weakly smiled at him, thankful for his loyalty. Of course, I would never doubt that Flame wouldn’t have helped me in situations like this or in general. It was what best friends do. But Guller didn’t look happy about any of this. His eyes were blazing with what looked like real hatred —the type I felt for the Dark Unicorns— and he was breathing heavily —actually, spitting would be a better word for it. I had never seen him so worked up.

A real queen wouldn’t dispose of thousands of unicorns and hundreds of thousands of dragons because of their dark powers, growled Guller. I took a breath, feeling just a little calmer than before. And a little braver, despite how scared of Guller I was then.

Guller, you’re my brother, and you would understand this, along with my decisions, I said calmly, "They did too much harm. My parents… they never came back because of him. I already told you what happened, and you weren’t even there when it happened! I don’t understand why you’re taking their side and not mine." So much for being calm. I already had tears in my eyes, and I was breathing heavily. I didn’t know if I was glaring at Guller, but I probably was. Talking about what the Dark Unicorns did is painful for me, and Guller should have known. I have never talked about it to anyone but myself, and if anyone asks me about it, I say it was too long ago and that I do not remember. It was just easier that way. It’s better for me, too. Spending time in my room crying for hours straight, nonstop was something that I could do and something that I tried too hard to prevent. But it wasn’t easy when, even so many years later, people are still asking you about it. It gets overwhelming, and that makes everything worse. So, I block the subject from my head and go numb whenever someone mentions it. But I can’t do that right now. Because Guller is acting like he’s in charge and trying to take actions normal beings would never do. But I would not cry now.

No, because calling meant losing, and that was something I couldn’t afford for a second time. So, I held back my tears and tried to keep a straight face while I talked to everyone. The whole room was quiet, and many unicorns and dragons were quietly watching from the side when Guller let out a roar of frustration.

Everyone jumped, and I stepped back, suddenly afraid of my brother and worried for him both. This wasn’t something that generally happened. I was never scared to be around Guller or simply scared of him at all. It was like with Flame. I never feared him because I trusted him, and I loved him. I knew he would never hurt me. And with Guller, that trust was even more vital. Guller didn’t even have a temper. I always loved him and trusted him no matter what. It came like instinct to me. But now, a sudden feeling of paralyzing fear washed over me. And it scared me. I had never felt so afraid of Guller like this. Never.

And instantly, I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. This wasn’t Guller. The Guller I knew would scoff, roll his eyes, or even spit on the ground at the mention of the Dark Unicorns. And how had he talked to them? Had the guards guarding where the Dark Unicorns were caged up let Guller in? How did any of this happen? Why would Guller have wanted to talk to them, anyway? Too many questions, too little time, and no answers.

Guller, you really shouldn’t… Guller’s screams cut me off.

"I talked to them! So WHAT? They are GOOD, Minu, GOOD. Read my lips? GOOD!"

I took a step back, instinctively falling in place behind Flame. I felt like a baby, clinging onto his arm in fear, but I didn’t care. He made me feel safe, and he must have known that I needed him at this moment because he stepped up in front of Guller, looking angry —the same anger from a few moments ago.

Stop it, Guller. You’re being ridiculous.

"Guller. I’m doing this for the better. Why can’t you believe that? You were there days before they killed our parents —you despise them! I don’t understand why you’re being like this! Just get over it; you don’t even know these unicorns and these dragons," I said, exasperated. My frosty and confident voice cracked at the end, bringing down my confidence. I may look like I knew what I was doing, but inside I was terrified.

What happened to my parents… It was the Dark Unicorns. They changed my life and me in general so much. Now it’s like they’re a phobia I could never get over. I’ll never be the same again. And if something happened to Guller, and it was because of them… I don’t know what I would do.

I’m with Minu on this one, Guller, said Flame.

I grinned at him, and he made a harsh, not-so-loving grin back. Guller looked between us, and the dragons that came with Flame gave an elegant clap of my decisions. Guller looked at all the dragons in astonishment. Betrayal isn’t something he’s used to.

He growled and then said, You all think you’re so smart, killing all these unicorns and dragons of your kind—

"They are NOT of our kind!" I yelled. Now I was angry. And I had a right to be. How dare Guller? What was his problem? Was he a maniac? This was ridiculous! He couldn’t be serious.

Everything was getting out of hand and rapidly faster than I imagined. Why did Guller wake up today and side with the Dark Unicorns?

But before I could say or do anything, Guller roared, then pushed Flame and me out of the way, storming off, out of this room. I stumbled and would have fallen if Flame hadn’t caught me. He awkwardly let me down, blushing, but I didn’t blush because I couldn’t enjoy the moment after what had just happened. Something was telling me that something was up with Guller. I didn’t know what.

Minu, Your Highness, said my handmaiden, Olivia, suddenly coming into the dining room, Guller’s directions tell us he’s going up to the forbidden dungeon.

My stomach lurched, and a wave of dread washed over me. This wasn’t happening, this wasn’t happening. Yet it was. Every unicorn and dragon were watching me, including Flame and Olivia, and even the guards. I could not let my guard down and show everyone how weak I was. I took a breath and stood up tall.

He can’t free those unicorns, I said in the most confident voice I could muster, It’ll just bring us more trouble. Guller hasn’t seen what they can do, what their wish truly is, and how horrible it is.

I turned to Flame, King Flame, I bowed my head to him, my mane ducking low, My dragons and unicorns. I twisted towards the dragons sitting in chairs around Flame and turned to face my unicorns, giving a flick of my horn to create a sparkling pink heart of joy in the air that only lasted a bit. I turned back to Flame, King Flame, your presence has been accounted to and will be honored. Now, dragons, King Flame, you can stay in these castle walls overnight and call it home or return to your dear Blazing City or Cali Island. The decision is yours. I bowed once more, then turned to the door, knowing that I was to stop my brother. I took strides of confidence, but inside, I was filled with so much horror that I could barely breathe. I knew there was no way the guards guarding the forbidden dungeons where the Dark Unicorns and Dragons were wouldn’t let Guller pass, but I wasn’t taking risks. And I seriously had to talk to Guller. What was up with him? I couldn’t let him release that much death into Harmony. Guller hadn’t seen the last invasion of the Dark Unicorns ten thousand years ago. He had been away in Amudi, a province in Harmony, far, far away from Minu city, in the Arctic, and far north. Long story short, what happened was the most terrifying thing ever. I almost died on that day, and I lost far too much. My parents had been fighting, too, and I was with them while they were doing so. I forced myself to rethink the horror as I dashed up the stairway.

The guards were getting less and less by the minute, and everyone was running for their lives. People were fleeing, houses were being burned down, fire, havoc everywhere. It looked like a scene fresh out of a movie. That day, the skies were red. Black was their leader, advancing on my parents very quickly. Guards were being killed every couple of seconds, and our forces were losing. Bad.

Where did the Dark Unicorns come from; you ask? No one knows. They say it is a dark, distant realm that requires deep magic. Later, they called it Guller’s fortress, a hideout, or something of the sort.

More guards were rushing to our aid, but they died in an instant flash of Black’s horn, killing any guards running at them every second. I saw a giant, evil grin form on his face, getting bigger with every kill he did as if he enjoyed it. Killing people seemed to bring him joy, and the more bodies that dropped, the more glee was evident in his features.

Soon, the last two guards in front of my parents were killed in a flash, and once I shrieked in horror, Black laughed a cold, loud laugh and looked at me. I screamed and then shot a small spell at him, to which he laughed.

Amateur. Stand back, young Minu. You will have the blessing of watching your parents die, and when they do, I’ll have your head on my chopping board.

"NO! shrieked my mother, Don’t kill Minu on the chopping board! Let her live! She is just a youngster; she has done you no harm! Don’t cause her such harm, PLEASE, I BEG!"

Begging for my life when hers was practically gone. We do not deserve our parents.

Yet, despite her cries, Black had ignored my mother, savoring the sound of her begging, and had turned to my father. He had raised his horn high up, looking down at my father. My father stood up, and they began fighting with their horns, clashing at one another, and it was horrifying to watch. But I also wasn’t able to look away. It was like driving past a car crash. It would be best if you didn’t look, but you couldn’t look away. Incredibly painful, too. The two unicorns were incredibly fast, and it was all mostly a blur. But I did see when my dad had finally clawed at Black, scratching him all along his face, making a dark red trickle down Black’s face, and the smell of fresh blood soon filled the air. Black had roared in agony, as a river of blood flowed down his face, and finally, he had lunged. He had jumped on top of my dad and stabbed him with his horn.

I remembered the deafening silence before my mother had screamed a blood-curdling, piercing scream worse than ever.

"LOGAN!" she collapsed onto the ground, on her knees, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.

Daddy! I yelled, eyes wide and glistening with fresh tears.

Even in that horror, my screams had come out a mere whisper, my breath completely gone —an effect of the horrifying sight. I was on the ground, too, at least old enough to register death when I saw it, even if it was too painful to have to. I had understood, and I had wished so hard for safety. For all of this to end. I was utterly horrified when Black told his guards to pin my mother to the ground, and then he stabbed her.

My mother, being in her weak, trembling state, practically blind from the sobs that shook her body, had been helpless, and it had all been over within a second. At least this death I didn’t have to watch. A blinding, black jet of dark magic had been blasted from his horn, as big as a whirlwind that stormed around him before running at my mother, and silencing her cries within seconds, until she was no longer moving; just like my father, she lay limp and unmoving, twitching slightly like a dead bug, her eyes still open, yet grey and lifeless, glistening with the shadows of her pain before her death.

It was like a scene fresh out of a horror movie. When your favorite character dies, you stare at the screen thinking: No. Because you loved this character, you suddenly remember all the laughs, happy times, and hugs this character has ever had in this movie, and now it’s all over. This character is gone. And thinking about all of that brings tears to my eyes. That sting. Bad. And you can’t breathe, and you’re considering one thing:

No.

Because that was the only thing going through my mind as I watched my mother helplessly. My little five-year-old brain couldn’t even process the fact that I’d actually lost her, yet the terrifying scene in front of me yelled back at my delusions, and in the middle of the war scene —in the middle of the screams, the bodies dropping, and the clashing of horns— I could hear my heart, which had jumped to my throat, beginning to slowly break like glass, each bit breaking off mirthlessly, leaving only half my heart there, broken, and discarded, cracked almost everywhere, like an old toy you have vague memory of.

And I knew that the exact scenario was going to be what would happen to me. No, not this exactly. My head would be on a board in front of my people, who would be disappointed in their princess. Then, one of the Dark Unicorns who worked for Black would grab an axe and chop off my head.

It was horrifying. That scene forever traumatized me. That scene... That scene is what made me so horrified by the Dark Unicorns. It still brought me nightmares, and sometimes, it made me feel like it was my fault any of it had happened and that I should have tried harder.

My legs trembled as I snapped out of my thoughts, panting on the stairs of the towers, and I had to stop for a moment, trying to grasp at reality. But the story wasn’t over, and my legs dragged themselves up the stairs and the story continued playing in my head.

Take Minu to the palace and prepare the chopping board, Black’s high voice had rung from above.

Yes, My Lord, said one of the closest guards, and he bowed his head. I couldn’t even move my muscles, or fight against him as he grabbed my arms, and dragged me away. My heels scraped weakly against the concrete as I was dragged up the stairs of my palace, and after what seemed like forever, I found myself on the royal balcony, my people filing in beneath me, and a giant, wooden cutting board before me.

Birch wood, I thought numbly as my I was shoved forward onto the chopping board, my head roughly being shoved down. My temples were pressed against the wood with an unbearable force, and my head throbbed. Mom’s favorite type of wood.

In that moment, as I heard the blood rush in my ears over the sound of my heart breaking and my people screaming beneath me, I wished frantically that my mother was here. That her hands were stroking the top of my head as they did when she meant to soothe me. That my dad was here, his iconic goofy grin on his face, assuring me I was okay. But, most of all, I wished that my brother was here. That Guller would wrap his soft, gentle hands arms around me. That Flame would appear by my side, grinning and holding out his talon for me to hold, the same way he had when I had gotten my first needle, and I had been scared. And I wanted it so bad that it ached. It made my body shiver, and soreness washed over me because of how badly I had wished for the things that weren’t here right now and even the things that would never come back, no matter how much it hurt or how much I wanted them. And it hit me.

I was all alone.

Tears stung my eyes as I stared over the railing on the balcony. I could see the horror that reigned over Minu City beneath me, and it was a horrible sight. Beneath me were wide bleachers that were slowly being filled with my people, who were screaming and crying in agony and grief.

Their beady, horrified eyes met mine, and I knew mine were full of pity. And horror.

So, this was how I would die, Mini Me thought. With my people standing beneath me, watching because I failed to save both them and myself.

As soon as my people filled the stands, Black sat in the chairs my parents and I sat in, high in the stands, watching me with glee. And, when the guard reached out for the axe, I heard a thundering roar, and smoke filled all the bleachers and the area where I was about to be killed. Or was I? I found out when I saw a shadow in the form of dragons.

Behind the smoke clouded the orange skies was a shadow I knew and recognized.

One that I had trusted and just wished for.

One that I loved.

Wings outstretched, talons clashing forward, fiery faces full of fury. They came down and started breathing fire at the Dark Unicorns.

Black and the Dark Unicorns roared in fury, and immediately, screams echoed out beneath me as the people began to run. As the guard that holding the axe to kill me was staring at the dragons, probably wondering what in the name of clouds to do, I ran off the chopping board and bolted down the stairs to where the dragons were. I kept tripping, and I ended up rolling down the stairs, but that didn’t matter as I shoved my way out of my palace, staggering drunkenly, and the moment I was outside the palace, I stopped short, my eyes wide, and my jaw dropped.

Blazex —Flame’s grandfather— was flying high in the air, his mighty wings outstretched, his talons out, and his moth opened as he began to blow flames from it. I watched as he blew fire into the void in front of him, but instead of hitting my people, the fire gathered up into a giant ball in front of him, floating in the air before him, shadowing over me and my palace.

When the fireball was complete up, so big, it overshadowed Blazex himself, Blazex grabbed it with his talons, then threw it viciously down at the Dark Unicorns. I fought not to cover my ears as a malicious roar echoed over the entire city, and all around me, my eyes shutting tight as I felt the clouds rumble beneath me, and dust being blown around me as I fell to my knees. I couldn’t stop myself from covering my ears, as they were already beginning to ring, and my sobs began to choke me, as I waited, wishing for it all to be over.

When I woke up, Blazex had found me, and when I cried, I had been assured the Dark Unicorns had been banished and were gone. Rotting in the dungeons —banished by the extraordinary powers of the mighty dragons.

We had an enormous celebration and a massive funeral in honor of my parents, where kings and queens from all over Harmony came. Guller had even stood by my side, squeezing my hand when the casket that had my parents’ bodies came forth.

Weeks passed, and Blazex began to grow weak. We took him to a hospital, and they couldn’t find anything wrong with him. Flame, Guller, Blazex, and I had all gone out to celebrate the sunset —sunsets were Blazex’s favorite. Blazex died days later, too old, and not as powerful. That fireball had been too much, and there was, indeed, something wrong with him. Doctors had been rushed in, and they had done all they could, but it was official: Blazex was dying. While he lay in my father’s bed, soon to die, he looked at me and whispered, "Minu, you were like my daughter, and your parents were like my siblings. Before I leave you, promise me, Minu, swear with all life that you’ll never let those unicorns out. His voice started to crack, and he whispered, —you are the defender of Harmony. He put a Strixcus into my hand, his own hand trembling —teach this to others, he coughed softly, the color beginning to leave his face by the second, and I watched as he took one last dying breath. I love you, my daughter. Remember me."

With that, his breath hitched in his throat, his heart faltered, and his eyes finally fluttered shut as the color left his face, and he lay there, unmoving, and utterly dead.

With my eyes filled with tears, I kissed his talon and ran up to my room, immediately searching ever last book I owned, to find out what a Strixcus was. After that, I had hidden away in my closet for days, weeks even. Flame’s dad died from the pressure, and we both lost our families in less than two weeks. I was there for him, and he was there for me, and I think it was that hard time that grew our bond to how strong it is now. And that’s how Manona High came to be. Because of the back story, Manona High was the only pride and joy I had left, the only thing that connected me to having a family. I knew one day I would get a Petunian to work with, and I looked forward to it.

Because it was the only thing I could call mine.

Finally, I flashed back to the present.

"GULLER!" I screamed, now running down to the dungeon underground in the palace. I was breathing quickly, and the tears that stung my eyes were blotting my vision, but I kept going because I knew if I stopped, I would have lost. The lights were very dim in the dungeons, and the place smelled strange, thanks to the lack of bathrooms in a dungeon cell. I walked down the jails and looked through the cells, searching for the Dark Unicorns, Black, and looking far into the dungeon’s halls for Guller.

Drunk, sick, thieving, and killer unicorns and dragons, staring at me in a sickened way, as though they wanted to kill me, or they might just want revenge for me locking them up in a cage with no toilets and food every sixteen hours.

Then it hit me.

I was just in the dungeons where they locked up thieves, killers, evil, and murdering dragons, and unicorns. We had put Black and Dark Unicorns in the top right tower of the palace. We put the Dark Unicorns in a locked-up building full of enchantments, all alone, at the top of the tower, high above the castle.

I screamed in fury and flew up all the stairs at the highest speed, bolting with an infuriating speed, up to the right top tower of the palace, and stood at the door, where I heard muffled voices.

The top tower was at the top of the palace, shaped like a dome, with one giant cage. I gasped and halted when I saw two guards lying unconscious at the door, their bodies sprawled out in a discarded and unmoving position on the cold cobblestone floor. They weren’t dead, but someone must have hit them with a spell.

I couldn’t believe Guller could do something like this, and that just fueled me more as I reached for the door, but I found myself hesitating.

I didn’t want to go in there and have to see their black, rocky skin, their black and red streaked hair, and their horrible, mismatched eyes. Usually, I loved people with different colored eyes (beautiful and unique), but the Dark Unicorns had one eye just coal black, the other a glowing, bloody red. Some of them wore masks that looked like a torture method and would cover up their entire faces, and all you would see were those glowing black and red eyes behind the bars of the mask.

"So, you don’t work for Minu?" growled a weak, harsh voice.

I gasped. Black. His voice, unheard of for many years by me, still had its familiar ring. A dark scowl tugged at my lips, and my heart hammered in my chest.

Why didn’t we execute them earlier, you ask? Well, we couldn’t. The war had caused so much damage in the past years that the Heart of Harmony had a crack and killing them all would only worsen it —too much death was the initial cause of the crack, anyway. The Heart of Harmony is a jewel hidden deep in the caverns of the clouds. There is dirt under the clouds; we are a floating island made of rock and soil, just in the clouds. And it controls the magic of Harmony City. But I can’t say anything about it. I made an oath. And, if I break that oath, something horrible would happen to me. I don’t know what. But Blazex had warned me about it.

Maybe that was one of the reasons. I looked back at Guller and Black. I usually never go to the top tower but spend my time debating with Flame and worrying about Harmony, Minu City, and my people. We would have trained guards, who are extraordinarily strong, come up to the top right tower —we have two, the top left tower was for star watching, with many telescopes— and feed the Dark Unicorn every six hours —unicorns have very different diets than humans do. We don’t eat much and lose our appetites very quickly due to onions.

I quickly blinked my tears away and strained to hear what plans my brother was making with our enemies, and I was frozen, utterly