It was also known among the realm that fifteen eons ago, King D’Mѐtѐr planned to form an alliance with the Tengu clan. The Faerie King felt a crossed breed with the Tengu would produce the best offspring to help his campaign for realm dominance. The Faeries had magic, the Tengu had brawn, and they both could fly. An arrangement was made so that Orcäl, the Tengu King, would marry a royal heir of the Faerie kingdom. The problem arose when King D’Mѐtѐr could not deliver any offspring of his own. He enlisted the help of his brother, Odëign, who had a beautiful daughter. All talks of the alliance fell apart once it was discovered that she ran off and eloped with the king of Phëläniciä.

Alëxios scolded the Tengu Chief in an even-toned voice that thoroughly filled every space inside the cave. “ General Torahgän, in light of all that is at stake, bringing up ancient history is not the best measure to persuade me to side with you. For we are standing in the very place where the 2^nd Epoch of Judgement was sentenced to your clan. Your impetuous king allowed the Faeries to deceive your kin multiple times, which caused ruin to your entire clan. Contrary to your thoughts, I am not so simple-minded to believe an alliance would result in triumph.”

General Torahgän shrugged his shoulders in disbelief. “Surely you can take mercy upon our misfortune. The Tengu clan are not prone to double-cross anyone under allegiance with us.”

Byakko had grown weary of the dialogue. He knew Alëxios was far more diplomatic than he. There was only one way he could think of to halt the proceeding, so he stood up on his four hindquarters which allowed him to tower 20 feet over the Tengu Chief. Alëxios nodded his head for Byakko to stand down. Without visible defiance, he obeyed the Phëläniciän king.     

Alëxios walked directly over to General Torahgän. His aura unleashed a ferocious intensity that made his presence petrifying. The asphalt became hot, and the smell of sulfur engulfed the cave. A thick fog rolled in. Suddenly, they stood together in pitch-black darkness. All that could be seen were cold emerald-colored eyes, which pierced through the Tengu Chief’s core.

Alëxios said sternly, “Do not mistake me for a fool. We both know you only sought me after you were spurned by King D’Mѐtѐr. You were willing to sell your pride to side with him, even after he framed your king for attempting to steal and kill the Moon’s children. Had the Ultimate Creator not intervened with judgment, I imagine you would be at war with the Faeries in this very moment.”

General Torahgän faltered to his knees in fury. He knew Alëxios was right. King Orcäl was duped into teaming with the Faeries on a quest to steal the Moon’s children and absorb their mighty power. The Moon was enraged and threatened to destroy the whole realm in retaliation. During the trial, King D’Mѐtѐr painted a picture that placed the blame solely on the Tengu clan. For the 2^nd Epoch of Judgement, Chrëst sentenced the Tengu clan to a fiery death beneath the sea. Those who were allowed to survive served as reminders of the dreadful event. Their wings were scorched, and they could no longer take flight. Though they still had strength as warriors to rely on, they were at a disadvantage being land-bound.

Alëxios steadied his wrath enough to allow his terrifying aura to recede. He gripped General Torahgän by the shoulders to lift him in the air with ease. “General Torahgän, as my comrade stated earlier, it would behoove you to know your place. The Tengu clan’s insatiable appetite for dominance led to the destruction of your kingdom. No doubt, King D’Mѐtѐr’s insanity will be stopped. The Phëläniciäns do not need to form an alliance of any sort to do so. I am a God of War, and my army will crush him in due time.” He slammed General Torahgän on the cave floor and walked away.

~Ch.6, Somewhere Beyond the Stars and Sea~

Malaykah bit the inside of her cheek, not knowing if she should address her thoughts. She turned away to look out the window in continued silence. When she looked back at him, there was a pleading in his eyes that she could not ignore. She slid down in the bed and spoke softly, “In the human realm I encountered many men who told me they wanted me. I found out the hard way that opening my heart and legs was not in my best interest. Women are often sold the idea that true romance involves a soulmate who would intuitively know our needs. I believe I’ve found that with you. Everything from the way it feels when we touch, to how you defend and protect me is amazing. I still can’t help but to be a little nervous.”

Alëxios empathetically slid next to her, ensuring that their physical contact was minimal. “My dear, I understand wholeheartedly what you mean. You do not need a lover who can read your thoughts to know you. You need me to listen when you speak. In this realm you are my equal. You are a Goddess, with divinity as your birthright. Once you become queen, your word will be upheld as divine law by myself and the entire kingdom. Tell me whatever lays heavily on your heart so that we can find the remedy for it, together.”

She stiffened her body, then blurted out, “What about the 399 women in your harem? I met some of them. Many from different races, all exotic beauties, each believed that you saved them for the sake of love.”

 Alëxios shot back up in the bed and placed his hands over his face in shame. He had intended to mention them to her, with an explanation of events. “I know it appears that I am a lust-driven pervert in this moment. However, that is not the case. I found them all in undesirable situations and wanted to help them.”

Malaykah pulled the bedsheet to her neck, also feeling embarrassed. “How many did you actually love? I know it shouldn’t matter, especially not at this point. I just kind of need to know.”

He looked at her with sincerity in his eyes. “I have only been romantically involved with less than half of them. In truth, I had been searching for you all along. It grieves me that it took ages for us to connect, but I am not sorry for my actions thus far.”

Malaykah sat up to lean her head on his shoulder. “I’m not asking you to apologize. We both have pasts. Our future depends on both of us being truthful to each other at all times. I was not seeing anyone when we met, nor was I able to sustain a successful relationship after. I need to know that I am who you want, like for certain,” she said

Alëxios hopped up to bend near the bed. “Malaykah, I swear on my life and kingdom there is only you. I promise to love and protect you until my last breath in the living realm, and well into the borderlands of the Gods,” he replied.

~Ch. 12, Somewhere Beyond the Stars and Sea~

Alëxios awakened to find himself laying on his back in a field of tall wheat. He stammered to his feet without hesitation. The area was unrecognizable at first. He walked for miles before the scenery changed at all. The sky was crimson red with enormous black crows shuffling about.

He came upon a beautiful katana wedged into the ground. The sword was shiny-silver, embellished with Chinese ornaments woven into the black leather handle. It became clear to him that the sword was meant for him to claim. With little effort, he pulled the sword out of the patch of soil. The crows cried loudly as they cut through the air.

Suddenly, the crows were no longer audible. He turned around to see the figure of a giant warrior dressed in ancient samurai armor. Before Alëxios had a chance to speak, the warrior attacked with his own sword. With quick reflexes he was able to counter, and did not shy away from the threat. The sound of metal clashing was muted. All that could be heard was one heartbeat rhythmically pounding through each blow.

The battle waged endlessly, until Alëxios bested the warrior with a leg sweep. The warrior recovered to his feet with the intent to attack again, but was stunned when Alëxios bowed in reverence to him. “Father, it is a great honor to meet you here in the borderlands of the Gods.”

~Ch. 11, Somewhere Beyond the Stars and Sea~

“If I heal him in time, we can rule Phëläniciä together. If I marry him before I heal him and he dies; I will be the sole ruler of Phëläniciä.  If I don’t heal him in time or marry him; he will die, and Phëläniciä will no longer have their King or a ruler. I have to get this right, or all hell will break loose,” she thought as she headed for the conservatory library.

Inside, she found the book she’d read with Titanëa. She flipped to the page that showed his mother eating the poisonous berries. Her memory recalled reading about demigods, and the likes thereof. She was never much of a conspiracy theorist, but her mind began to unravel: “Only the Gods are immortal. To mix with any other being automatically removed that possibility. I doubt Phëläniciäns would harvest any crops known to be deadly to their kind. Princess Sashaël hid in these lands, and found the berries here. The lethal ingredients could only be deadly to Faeries.”

She sifted through more books to learn the berries were called cӧscëas. They looked similar to raspberries, but were known to have deadly effects on three different races (ogres, banshees, and faeries). While she wrote her notes, she recalled the time her son Roy had the gash on his elbow. “His wound is infected. There must be a way to extract the poison and cleanse the infection.”

~Ch. 10, Somewhere Beyond the Stars and Sea~

Malaykah was ushered by her appointed ladies to tidy up and change into a sequin turquoise gown, before they escorted her to the grand balcony in front of the castle. She stood with Lady Rüvym, their entourages, and several other dignitaries. They watched from above as the Phëläniciän troops paraded into the courtyard, apparently returning from a victorious battle with the Tengu clan. Malaykah anxiously scanned the crowd in search of Alëxios, but he could not be found.

Without warning, she felt a muscular forearm grip around her neck and pull her body backward. She knew she was pressed up against a strong man, but before she could protest he held her tighter in position. She relaxed herself when she heard the rhythm of his heartbeat. He possessively held her in place, but moved his arm enough so that she could look up at him. Alëxios gently kissed her on the forehead, and she smiled.

The surge of erotic energy they experienced on the beach was in full effect. Alëxios and Malaykah were engulfed and intoxicated in an exchange of their Godly powers. This flow extracted every ounce of lust, desire, and pleasure that had been building since the beginning of time. It was almost too much to take in all at once. After several intense minutes passed, he had no choice but to release her.

Lady Rüvym observed their sensual interaction, which caused a stir in her core. The wild gaze of savaged hunger in her grandson’s eyes, as he watched Malaykah’s heaving bosom through her gown reminded the elder of her romantic tryst with Lord Chiyou. To know a God intimately could quite possibly consume a lower being, as it nearly did with her. However, the Goddess Malaykah had the suitable ability to manage such a feat. Lady Rüvym decided to interrupt their fiery trance, as they both appeared ready to devour each other at any moment.

~Ch. 10, Somewhere Beyond the Stars and Sea~

Malaykah tried to  regain composure, but still felt very hostile. “Alejandro, you’d best cool it.” She removed her sandal again and held it firmly in the air. “I advise you zip your lips, and keep your head on your body before you lose it,” she retorted.

Dro became infuriated that everyone was against him without understanding his side of the argument. It did not matter to anyone that Shannon purposefully made him jealous by flirting with one of his friends in his presence. They did not know she agreed to go with the friend to the movies, without inviting him. All everyone saw was that he lost his temper in the heat of the moment. All they cared about was that he’d hit her and tried to choke her into silence. This caused him snap. He abruptly shoved Roy out of the way and knocked the cellphone out of J’aime’s hand. He stood in front of Malaykah with the devil in his eyes.

“That’s a whole lot a tough talk for a little bitch like you. I see where Shannon gets the idea to run her mouth so freely. I dare you to come at me,” he said in a smug tone.

Malaykah’s mind went blank for a moment. The absence of fear is what struck her. She looked at her family and J’aime, who all seemed to be frozen in the moment. Her thoughts drifted to Alëxios, and pondered what it meant to be a God of War. Without thinking, she kneed Dro in the groin as hard as she could. When he dropped to his knees, she head-butted him so hard that it caused a loud ringing in her ears.

She watched him fall on his face before she closed her eyes. She opened them to feel a stream of warm liquid drift down her forehead. Her family rushed over to her in panic. She could hear the children screaming at each other and J’aime call for help. A thick drop of blood clung to her eyelash as Roy laid her down on her back. The moon was a fluorescent blue color for some reason. She closed her eyes again to make sense of it all.

~Ch. 7, Somewhere Beyond the Stars and Sea~