"Amber! Amber wait!" Luchinda yelled from the heavy wooden door of Petra Marbh. But Amber couldn't be stopped. Her feet pounded the green earth as she darted into the forest to find True. Tears streamed down her face, causing her to find navigating through the trees difficult.

"Amber?"

True saw her running frantically towards him. She headed straight into his arms and shook in his embrace. "What is it? Amber, what happened?"

"They t-took M-Mum..." she informed him through hyperventilating breaths. As soon as those words left her, he grabbed her tighter to him and glanced over her trembling head to see Luchinda approaching.

"You said she'd be safe! You said they'll both be safe in your care!" he bellowed towards the mousey Fiosolim.

"True, please, you must understand..."

Feeling his anger build up inside him, he quickly decided to send Amber to James for the time being.

"How am I to understand? You have told us nothing but lies since we got back!"

"I have never lied to you, True..." Luchinda contradicted him desperately, her emotions constricting her chest. "I..." She really wanted to explain, to tell them the entirety of her visions, to justify all that she had done; but this was not the time, and it was killing her.

"Where did they take her?" True growled out his question. Luchinda shook her head and her shoulders heaved in despair. "Enough! Luchinda!" True grabbed her by the shoulders. "No more secrets! Tell me where she is!"

"I..."

"Luchinda!"

Feeling that she had no choice but to give him an answer, she racked her brains for information that was safe for her to share.

"Lux Palace! They've taken her to Lux palace! Noir-Astra has killed the King and Queen and has taken their place."

True let go of her and took a step back, shock plagued his eyes.

"What does this mean, Sister?" James spoke out amongst the rest of the light defenders.

"It means we're lost!" Dìl-Forti cut in. "If Noir-Astra has power over Lux Palace, he can do anything he wishes. He has power over the Emerald Army and over the law!"

"Yes, you are correct, Dìl-Forti, he does have power now, but so do we!" Luchinda looked around all the confused faces that stared at her. "We have Illuminare-Trabem on our side, and he has more power than the darkness will ever have!"

"Yet he allows Astrid to be taken!" True snapped at her in frustration. "He also allowed her to be an outcast all her life!"

"No! True! Please, you mustn't say that!"

"I'm going to get her back!" True said, then turned away from her.

"I'll go with you, Brother!" Malek declared bravely and made his way to his side.

Five of the Emerald fighters, all but Dìl-Forti, melded their light orbs back into their hands and stepped forward in perfect synchronisation.

Dìl-Forti looked at Luchinda, as if waiting for a cue. The look of anxiety in her eyes made him feel like his hesitation was justified.

"We'll all go and help you fetch her back." Òrum Sprèintis announced in his usual authoritative voice and the others nodded their heads in agreement - those under the name of Sprèintis, Biabus-Lus, Draoicis-Lus and Slànacus.

"Then arm yourselves. We must travel together, protected!" True instructed. "Keep to your family groups, stay under your family symbols."

"Wait! Before we go," Luchinda interrupted quickly. "I have a new symbol to protect us all with. One given to me by Illuminare-Trabem himself, it is stronger than separate symbols."

Both Amber and Malek looked towards True, whose brow slammed down into a stern line.

"I don't know if you can really trust her, True..." Malek said warily. What he witnessed after he had blacked out earlier that day, when he awoke beside the forest edge, played over and over in his mind. "She allowed the protection spell over Night Forest to break."

"True... Please... Don't turn your back on me now!" Luchinda pleaded, taking a few steps towards him.

He chose to ignore her.

"Cover yourselves with your family symbols, we must leave now!" he directed the whole group and they all complied. This included Luchinda who drew the new symbol she had on her chest with her light orb, and Dìl-Forti also followed suit after seeing Luchinda do so.

True then walked towards Amber, and drew both the Biabus-Lus and Slànacus symbols onto her chest with his light filled index finger. He decided to double up his birth family and adoptive family symbols. This gave him peace of mind that Amber would be as safe as she can be within what they had to do next.

He took a hold of her shoulders and looked deeply into her blue eyes. "Listen, Amber, walk alongside your grandfather, don't ever leave his side! "

"Dad..."

"No matter what!" True added sternly. "Promise me, Amber."

Amber nodded soberly and squeezed James' hand.

"Good girl." True smiled, then began to lead the light defenders towards the edge of Night Forest.

As soon as they all left the cover of the trees. The light defenders were not met by an army of shadows like they expected. Instead, their eyes were drawn to the sky. A storm brewed amongst the battling dark grey clouds and written amongst them, in shining white letters were the words -  Inim-bàs.

Amber saw the panic seep into James' eyes as she glanced back and forth from the sky to his face.

"What is that, Grandfather? What does it mean?"

James could not answer, fear clamped his jaw shut.

"Inim-bàs, means "enemy death" in the ancient tongue," Celeste piped up. "That writing in the sky is an invitation, unavoidable by law for all Natanstrelleans; to meet at Lux Palace's grounds for a..." Celeste's words got lost in a nervous cough when she saw the fierce glare that Naomi threw at her in warning.

"Enemy death? Are they going to kill Mum?" Amber asked, horrified.

"You had to go and open that mouth of yours, Celeste!" Naomi chastised her sister.

"Naomi, be reasonable, we don't have time for this now," Vicora intervened, to keep the peace between her sisters.

"Don't worry, Amber. Remember, we must trust the light, we have Illuminare-Trabem on our side," Naomi said gently and glanced over her shoulder towards Luchinda.

True and the Lasmani fighters opened up the outer wall towards the Eastern village, Eartem. This was the village that stood between the Central City and Lux Palace.

As they entered Eartem, they saw many Natanstrelleans walking along its streets. People from all four corners of Natanstrelle, who had been in hiding for so long.

None of them took heed of the light defenders, not even those who were their family members. All that occupied their thoughts was the darkness that had very obviously taken over the once shining bright palace.

Blackened walls surrounded the open Palace gates and smoke coiled in wisps from the infected brickwork.

Before the light defenders got to the gates, True gathered those fighting by his side, around him.

"We must split up. Mum and James stay close to the gate, keep Amber safe. Everyone else, team up, we must try and find Astrid before it's too late!"

"True!" Luchinda called to the red-haired man, but again was ignored. She watched the group disappear in various directions amongst the crowd. They made it through the gates undetected by the looming shadows.

"What must be done, Luchinda?" Dìl-Forti asked her.

"Why do you ask me this, Dìl-Forti?" Luchinda asked impatiently. "Why did you not follow True like the others?"

"I was taught to always trust the words of a seer. If True is blinded by worry and cannot listen to you, then I think I must listen for him. What should I do?"

"There's nothing that we can do, apart from wait," Luchinda answered, then made her way to the gates.

Dìl-Forti nodded his head then followed closely behind her.

True and the other light defenders didn't get too far within their search for Astrid before a loud blaring noise filled the air around them; this resounding sound stopped them in their tracks. It was a horn sounded by the Emerald Captain himself, for the King and Queen were to be announced before the crowd.

"Natanstrelleans! Bow down to your King and Queen!" The Captain's voice echoed through the atmosphere. All that stood around them bowed and called out the King's name in perfect unison.

"Rise!" Pugnum projected using King Lux' vocal chords, then recited the words he saw the King say within the predictions the Trabem Pool showed him. "You are gathered here to witness the end of our troubles, the end of our curse!" He then stretched out his left hand and Astrid was dragged onto the platform by two possessed Emerald recruits.

"ASTRID!" True's shout resonated from the crowd. The many people around him barely had time to react before he charged towards the platform. He fought through the shadows that tried to grab a hold of him.

"True?" Astrid's voice came out in a broken whimper.

"Seize him!" yelled the Emerald Captain, to his recruits. True managed to hold his own for a while but soon it got too much. The other light defenders were also overwhelmed by the number of shadows and possessed Emerald recruits that came against them when they sprung to fight.

After a number of swings, blocks, ducks and punches, True was suddenly overpowered. They restrained him and took him to the Captain, who forced the light orb from his hands and threw it to the ground with a loud thunk!

"True?" Astrid cried out weakly, looking around in all directions.

"Astrid, my Astrid! I'm here!"

"What have they done to her?" Amber fought against those who held her back at the gates. She stretched to glimpse at her mother through the crowd. "Her eyes, there's something wrong with her eyes!" she screamed. James then pulled her to him, he turned her away in a desperate attempt to save her from seeing anything else that would unsettle her.

He watched with horrified eyes as two free Emerald recruits tied his injured daughter to the pyre that stood waiting for her on the platform. He fought against every fibre of his being, to stop himself from running up there; he had to keep his granddaughter safe.

Amber felt a sudden shaking against her, as James tried his hardest to silence his sobs. She pulled away from him, heard her father's struggling cries and saw a fire being lit at her mother's feet.

"No. No!" She pushed with all her might against her family members. Who tried their hardest to keep their promise to True.

"MUM!" her yells echoed unnaturally loud into the dark sky.

The vibrations of that powerful sound shook the ground underneath all that stood within Lux Palace's grounds. The sudden jerk of movement made James and Ferrae lose their grip on her and she ran through the crowd towards the burning pyre.

A bright violet light radiated from her eyes and curled around her like ribbons made up of countless purple stars. It cast all shadows from her. Nothing and nobody could touch her.

That power then washed over all that stood around her. It covered the pyre that held her mother and untied her bonds. Astrid was then lifted into the air, a safe distance from the flames that were lit to destroy her.

The crowds witnessed the shadows shake violently and disappear with shrieks of terror; leaving only clouds of violet dust in their stead.

"No!" Noir-Astra hissed through Pugnum's hidden clenched teeth.

Luchinda caught up with her great niece, the violet magic recognised her good intentions and allowed her to whisper in the young redhead's ear.

"Amber, The true prophecy is; a child born with the Royal seal, when the sky scorches with a crimson glow. Blessed by the moon. Her eyes of violet will overcome the darkness and push it back into the shadow! My dear niece, this is speaking about you." Amber's eyes stretched wide as those words resonated inside her heart; they fanned the flames of courage within her core.

Illuminare-Trabem then showed Amber what she must do. She climbed up the steps of the platform and stood before Noir-Astra. No fear reached her mind as she looked into his porcelain face.

A desperate laugh escaped Pugnum's chest.
"We have a brave one do we?" he sneered through a grin cracked within his crumbling mask. "What is a little girl going to do?"

Amber didn't say a word in response. She reached her hands towards the black chasms within his eye sockets and crushed the porcelain mask between her fingers. His screams of agony filled the air as he fell to his knees. Bright violet beams took over his entire being, inky black smoke from within Pugnum retreated in a flurry of panic and disappeared into the air. All darkness that rested upon Jeremai, the Emerald Captain and the Army disappeared also.

Noir-Astra was gone.

Loud resounding cheers erupted from the crowd as a thick sense of relief enveloped all that witnessed the end of the darkness. Once the Emerald Army's minds were theirs again they too joined in. Jeremai did not join in with the celebrations, he managed to flee the scene. Nobody saw when or where he went.

Luchinda watched Josella move through the crowd. She too did not join in with the celebrations. Her heart was broken. She stood looking at her son who lay on the wooden platform. The many injuries that Noir-Astra inflicted on him when being ripped from his body caused him to shake violently in agonising pain. He was dying.

All she wanted to do was take him into her arms and soothe him. But seeing Astrid, True and Amber huddled together, comforting each other after such trauma, made her hesitate.

"Go to him, Josella, he doesn't have long."

Josella snapped her focus to Luchinda who stood at her right shoulder. Tears fell from her eyes and her lip trembled as she climbed onto the platform and took her boy into her arms.

"M-mum?" Pugnum began to talk through laboured breaths. "I-I'm sorry, h-hatred b-blinded m-me..."

"No, my Joey. Noir-Astra blinded you."

"M-mum p-please, f-forgive me!" Pugnum cried out to her.

"I forgive you, Joey, of course I do, you are my son and I love you. Please, be at peace now," Josella said to her son, with a voice that shook with grief.

Pugnum's injuries then squeezed out his very last breath.

Josella hugged her arms tighter around him and sobbed into his lifeless shell. She rocked back and forth as if trying to rock her baby into a peaceful sleep.