I stood there, facing my enemy. The one I was destined to defeat. “Come out of the shadows and fight like a real woman,” I called out mockingly. Then from the shadows that filled the room like dark pillars colliding with one another, a figure emerged. It seemed almost as if the figure was shadow itself, simply detaching itself from its brethren. “Ah, Skylar. I thought you wouldn’t show your face again after last time we fought. You didn’t come out so well, I remember.” The scar in my side flared briefly, a memory of our last encounter. “You didn’t fare so well against me either, I recall,” I said, imitating her speech with the short words, always so separate. “Enough Skylar. Why have you come?” I drew my sword, and said, “You know well enough why.” In response, my foe drew her own sword. The Sword of Shadows. I raised my blade to strike, when suddenly in between us a small person darted through, raising her hands. “Wait!” She called, and I recognized her. “Keiba, move!” I waved my hand, expecting her to listen but she stood there, holding up her hands. “Skylar this isn’t the way. The prophecy meant something else.” She turned to the person across the room. The Lady of Darkness. “I know why you're doing this. You're scared because of the prophecy you're worried it means Skylar will destroy you, but that's not what it means! The prophecy said, And the light will banish the darkness, but it didn’t means you! It meant your inner darkness! The light will banish the dark by bringing you into light!” Keiba looked at me, her large eyes wide and sincere. “Skylar, your sword was never meant to cause harm. It was meant to be used to heal.” She turned back to the Lady, walking towards her slowly. “You don’t have to be afraid, I know the person you used to be, and we can help you get back to that person. Remember her? The little girl who discovered she had a wonderful gift? Remember how she played with it, in awe of its beauty? Remember how she was consumed by it, and the shadows took her over? We can restore the balance inside of you. Don’t you remember? When you could play happily in the light. Remember Leila?” By this time Keiba had reached the Lady, and was extending out her arms. “Let us heal you, and we can be friends again, Leila.” Then Keiba wrapped her arms around Leila and hugged her. For a moment, the Lady appeared less shadow and more, human. More like what Leila must have looked like. Then it was gone. The Lady was back, and she yelled, “NO! I will not let go!” and shadow blasted out of her. I fell back, hit heavily in my chest, the sword flying out of my hand. I landed on the ground and rolled, taking the impact. I pushed myself up and looked for Keiba. And then I saw her. She was knocked into a wall, and she laid there, not moving. Suddenly I was attacked by a rage I had never known. I grabbed my sword and ran at the Lady, who was screaming madly. I swung at her with the sword, and she fired another bolt of shadow at me. I blocked it with my own sword, the force pushing me backwards. I swung again, desperate to hit her, to make contact. She was grabbing at her head and yelling. I never heard what she yelled. I charged at her with my sword and slammed into her. There was a burst of light, and the Lady flew aside and landed on the floor with a thump. I breathed thickly, feeling the fiery anger drain from me, along with my energy. I fell to my knees, and dropped the sword. I heard someone moaning, and suddenly I remembered the Lady. I looked over at where she had landed and saw her pushing herself up. “Keiba?” I heard her faintly whisper. She rolled Keiba over and I pulled myself to my feet. Then I looked at Keiba. Her face had turned an ashen gray, and she looked so far from the lively Keiba I knew. Then I looked at the Lady. I watched as she realized that this was Keiba, the only person who had never been afraid of her power. The only person who had seen the beauty Leila had seen. I watched as the Lady realized what she had done, and as she watched Keiba’s shuddering, halting breath cease. I watched the Lady when Keiba did not take another breath. The Lady whispered, “no.” Then she screamed it. Wracking sobs burst out of her as she cried over the body of her best friend. The best friend she’d killed. Her tears where thick and black, like tar. The tears leaked out of her and pooled at her feet. Then the darkness began to move. At first it just rippled. Then it was roaring, and the darkness crashed over the room, engulfing us. Then in the blinding darkness, I saw a pillar of light. It was my sword, and I didn't just see it, I felt it. I felt the light pulling me out of the darkness, and toward it. I strained, taking a step, the darkness raging around me like a hurricane. I made it to the pillar and reached in, grasping the sword. The light gleamed brighter, and the darkness was being pulled toward it, then into it. rest in credits
There was a blinding light, then nothing. I was floating away. I opened my eyes and found myself in a world of soft light. I looked around and saw another person. A young woman, not much older than myself. She was sobbing. I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulder. “It was me. I did it all. I caused all this. And now Keiba’s dead. And I killed her.” And then I realized. “You’re Leila, aren’t you?” She nodded, and more tears rolled down her face. But these weren’t the thick black tears from earlier. These were tears of regret, of pain no creature of darkness could feel. “Leila, you didn’t kill Keiba. The darkness did. The Lady did. You’re not the Lady. Keiba knew that, and I know it now.” She shook her head, and tears scattered, rippling the light. “But the worst part is, I could have saved her. The darkness that hit her choked her heart. I could have pulled it out. Keiba could still be alive.” I put my arms around her, and held the person who used to be my worst enemy while she cried. As I stared at the tears, I had an idea. “Leila, can you take us back to the real world? Where Keiba is?” She nodded, and I nodded back. Then I was falling again, spiraling down back to my body. I breathed in sharply, and pushed myself up from where I must have fallen. The sword was lying a few feet away, and I picked it up hesitantly, waiting for something to happen. Nothing happened when my hand touched it, so I picked it up. I walked over to where Leila and Keiba where lying, and I crouched down beside them. “The sword was created to cut away darkness, right?” Leila nodded her tear-streaked face. “And Keiba’s heart isn’t beating because of the darkness around it, isn’t it?” Once again, she nodded. “Then couldn’t I use the sword to cut out the darkness around Keiba's heart, and she should be fine, right?” Leila looked up at me, her eyes wide as she realized what I had planned. “Yes, that could work!” She looked me in the eyes, her own eyes no longer inky black, but dark blue with little gold and silver flecks. “You have to safe her!” I nodded, and knelt over Keiba’s unmoving form. I held the sword over Keiba’s heart, and plunged it in. The darkness burst out like a fountain, spurting out before the sword suck it up. I felt myself being pulled away again, but I kept myself planted in my mind. The darkness finished draining from Keiba and into the sword, and I pulled it from the chest, and watched my friend, holding my breath. Just when I was about to give up hope that it was going to work, Keiba took a shuddering breath. Then another. And another. And she didn’t stop. She opened her eyes, and sat up looking around. Both me and Leila hugged her so tight she might have stopped breathing again if we hadn’t let go. I studied her, and noticed the color had returned to her face. “You had me scared there Keiba.” She laughed a little, and looked at Leila. “Leila? Is it really you?” She asked, her voice soft. “It’s really me Keiba,” she said, nodding her head as her voice cracked a little. “Come on, we still have to help the rest of the people trapped in the dark." I helped Leila and Keiba to their feet, and we walked through the castle to the courtyard. “Can you do it Leila?” I asked. She nodded, and looked at Keiba for support, who smiled reassuringly. Then Leila raised her hands and closed her eyes, concentrating. Then the darkness that had hovered over the universe for a thousand years lifted. The suns that had been extinguished flared to life. Once again, there was light in the realm of shadows. Then I felt a feeling tugging at me, just like the one that had called me here. I smiled at Keiba, and she nodded at me. She knew. I felt myself floating away again, and I returned home. thank you to my sister, who helped me write this story every step of the way. I couldn't do this without her. She is the real Keiba. I chose number 1 for my theme. The relationship between opposites. In this story, It is the bond between Keiba and Leila, between light and dark that force the evil out of Leila. I chose the characters names while thinking about this. Keiba is Hawaiian for sunrise. Leila means "night beauty" in Arabic. They were always meant to be a balance for
