After a year, Callisto had finally learned many spells. The once so-heavy grimoire now he could carry with one hand. His biceps and rectus abdominis had grown a lot faster than by just working out or going to the gym.
"I think it's finally time for you to be blessed as a guardian since you have learned so much faster than the average person," Matthew said proudly.
"I wouldn't be able to do this without your guidance, brother. I'm so thankful that you always encourage me when I feel like giving up," Callisto replied.
"Come to the hall later; we'll have the ceremony for the newly qualified guardians. Don't be late because you're one of them," Matthew said, rushing outside the library.
"Yes! I made it!" Callisto exclaimed in excitement, knowing that his efforts and all those days of vigorous training had been worth it. "I am finally a guardian!"
Matthew, on the other hand, rushed to the assembly hall for the sudden call of his comrades. It seemed like something or someone uninvited had tried to break through the barriers that protect their land.
"This must not be any ordinary demons," Liam said, hearing the news from their wardens. "Our lookouts reported that it has the aura of the god of darkness."
Both the guardians and the trainees were confused after hearing this news. They knew that nobody could defeat the god of darkness except for the god of light, and their god has been busy recently to attend to this matter.
"We have to gather everyone and fight for whatever it takes to protect our homeland!" Elena shouted, showing her badass personality that was designed for battle.
Elena knew that the destruction of their land came closer every moment and second they wasted, and she wasn't someone who could just sit there and do nothing, so she suggested to their leader to gather both guardians and potential trainees alike for their plan.
"Finally!" Estrella exclaimed as she eventually opened the door towards the hidden paradise. She laughed out loud like a demon as she entered the place.
The plants, flowers, trees, animals, birds, and everything she passed through were turned into gray stones and statues, or worse, into ashes like they never existed before. Estrella continued walking until she saw the golden castle.
After fooling the elders to unseal her powers, she turned everyone into stones, even Maya, who didn't know that she was just being used by the woman she considered her friend. Estrella remembered how she begged her, kneeled, and licked her feet just for mercy, but that was pointless.
Estrella had made everyone kneel before her, except for that tough guy named Dawin, whom she turned into a turtle because he wouldn't obey her orders despite how much pain she inflicted on him. She laughed, knowing that no matter how ethical he was, his principles couldn't save him.
"Be ready! She's coming to us!" Elena shouted as loud as she could, leading the guardians to attack the intruder.
Callisto was still reading another book when Stalin came rushing inside the library. He wondered why she looked like somebody had chased after her.
"Callisto, come outside! Estrella has come back!" Stalin informed as she approached Callisto.
"What?" Callisto exclaimed in surprise. It had already been a year since then, and he didn't expect that cruel goddess would come back.
"Hurry up, Elena is gathering everyone to defend the castle. We must help them!" Stalin exclaimed as she hurriedly turned and left the library.
Callisto followed his girlfriend outside. The sky had turned dark, as if somebody was controlling the storm. He knew that Estrella had become stronger than before.
Elena led a group of guardians who were experts in close combat to attack Estrella, but they all turned into stones before they could even touch the woman. Only one of them had made it back and reported what happened.
"What?" Liam exclaimed in surprise, hearing that even Elena was caught by the enemy.
"Let's change our plan; we can't attack that demon using close combat. Prepare the hunters!" Matthew shouted.
The hunters raised their bows, loaded the arrows, and attacked the cruel goddess from a distance as Matthew told them to release. But those arrows also turned into ashes before they could reach the enemy.
"Impossible!" Matthew remarked, seeing that the enemy was unscratched after the rain of arrows, and she was getting closer to the entrance of the castle.
"We have no other choice but to hear her pleas," Liam said. "Perhaps we can negotiate with her and ask what she wants from us. I don't think she came here just to cause all these troubles."
"Wait!" Stalin shouted as she rushed towards them; Callisto was following her. "That's too dangerous; nobody could even get near her."
"Then what shall we do?" Matthew asked, getting pressured by the situation.
"We're the reason why she came here; allow us to settle this," Callisto replied, his tone firm, knowing that he couldn't run away from this.
"Are you sure?" Matthew asked worriedly.
Callisto and Stalin nodded. Despite knowing how strong the goddess had become, they had their resolve to try until they couldn't try anymore to give justice to the deaths of their loved ones.
"Let them go now!" Liam shouted.
Matthew hugged Callisto and Stalin for the last time before letting them go. He told them to take care, that he was glad to have met a kind of people like them who were brave enough to face their nightmares.
"It was because of your guardian, brother," Callisto replied, knowing that he wouldn't become this brave without the help of his mentor. "Now then!"
Callisto and Stalin jumped to the entrance of the castle to face Estrella. Seeing them, the goddess stopped and chuckled as she saw them as mere pawns who could do nothing against a queen, without knowing that pawns who worked together might win.
"My dear friends, nice to meet you again," Estrella said. "I'm glad you had the courage to face me. Want to play some games like how we used to?"
"Were kids anymore who used to run away from you!" Callisto shouted at her.
"Then let's see what you've got." Estrella was enraged with the way Callisto had acted, as he didn't show any respect to her. She decided to make him kneel on his knees and beg her to spare his life.
Looking at Callisto, Estrella remembered the man she used to love. They had similar physical features, and that enraged her even more. She changed her mind; instead of making him beg for his life, she wanted to take his heart and slice it into thousands of pieces like how Sebastian did to her.
Estrella chanted a spell, and a group of tall and huge roots appeared around her. They were ten times stronger and bigger than before, showing her real power. Without hesitation, she urged one of them to catch Callisto.
Seeing the root going towards her boyfriend, Stalin moved swiftly like fine lightning and used her daggers to slice through it. Estrella screamed in pain as if the root was connected to her body.
"Good job, Stalin!" Callisto said. "Thanks for saving me!"
"No problem," Stalin replied. "You can focus on range attack; I'll make you an opening."
Seeing how Stalin fight, Matthew could conclude that she had become stronger and more cunning than her mentor. He was proud seeing her and Callisto fought together against a demon who used to chase them.
"Your trainees are good, aren't they?" Liam asked, as he noticed the proud smile on his twin's face. "You must be very proud by what they have become."
"I am proud by their growth, but their fight isn't over yet. We don't know how powerful their enemy, and I doubt that they can defeat her even if they work together," Matthew said, closely observing the fight.
At first, Callisto and Stalin could easily attack and defend each other, but Estrella was so enraged that she released several attacks at once, making Stalin and Callisto barely dodge them all.
"Do you think I'd allow you to celebrate your little victory?" Estrella asked with devilish laughter. "You'd rather wish me to show mercy on you."
Callisto and Stalin couldn't remove their eyes on Estrella as they couldn't predict when she would attack. The table had turned exactly upside down, throwing all their hopes and courage away.
Estrella laughed out loud, as Stalin and Callisto didn't notice the roots behind him. It was about to pierce them from the back with their pointed edges when Matthew and Liam came to save them.
"Are humans really this unfair?" Estrella asked. "Why do people always love to intervene with other people's business when they have nothing to do with it?"
"Because humans are social animal, and they are here for each other without asking anything in return, unlike demons who always have a condition before helping others," Matthew tried to explain.
"I used be one, but I'd never regret how I become. People didn't even regret for turning me like this," Estrella replied.
"Why did you allow the world to change you?" Matthew asked.
Estrella couldn't answer that question. Why did she even allow the world to change her? But it was done already, and she couldn't turn back the time and change her decisions, all she could do now was to stand firm on them.
"Shut up!" Estrella shouted. "You knew nothing about how I feel. You knew nothing about how to people treated me!"
"Yes, you're right, I know nothing about how you feel, but I understand exactly how you feel, so why won't you try to understand those people instead?" Matthew suggested.
Estrella held her head and an expression of agony appeared on her face. She didn't want to talk about this because it only gave her more pain remembering the past. She gave Matthew a glaring gaze, and released a lots of roots towards him.
Matthew didn't dodge and Stalin wasn't able to save him either. He vomited blood as the roots pierce his chest to his back. It was a sad sight, and everyone was surprised.
"What did you do to my brother?" Liam couldn't stop the burst of his emotions, seeing her one and only brother die from the hands of a monster.
Liam attacked Estrella, but before his sword could reach her, his face gradually turned into stone; Estrella pushed his shoulder with her index finger, and he completely turned into a statue.
Despite the intense situation, Callisto and Stalin remained calm as they tried to think of a plan to defend the castle and everyone inside it. They had been there for a year, and they almost knew everyone there.
"Now, it's your turn," Estrella looked at them with a deadly stare. She was annoyed that these two children were quite wise that they had escape her a lot of times, but this time, she thought, she'd never allow them to escape again.
Callisto and Stalin were so sad for what happened to their mentors. They were the reasons they became stronger and they wanted to avenge their deaths.
Estrella slowly walked towards Callisto, who was retreating in return until he reached the walls of the castle and there was no more space where he could hide. He thought it would be his last; when he remembered the teachings of his mentor, he wouldn't let it go to waste.
"Why did you stop?" Estrella asked and laughed. "Are you already tired of your little games?"
Before Estrella could touch him, Callisto chanted a spell so strong that the words themselves pushed Estrella back to the end of the concrete passageway, a thousand steps away from the entrance of the castle.
"Amazing!" Stalin praised Callisto, and everyone wondered how the young lad performed such a powerful spell. "How did you learn such a powerful spell?"
"Hard work. It took me a very long time to master that spell because I know that I might be able to use it against the enemy someday. I accidentally discovered it while reading those grimoires," Callisto replied.
"Thanks for your hard work; you've delayed the destruction of the castle for a little while. We have to go back and ask for everyone's help; I know the guardians won't hesitate to help us," Stalin said.
"You go back and tell them that we need to work together in defeating the enemy and they have to cooperate if they don't want to their home to vanish," Callisto replied. "I'll hold Estrella for a little while."
"Okay. Good luck, and please take care, because I don't want to lose you." Stalin kissed Callisto before rushing back inside the castle. Even though her boyfriend was strong, she couldn't stop herself from worrying about his safety.
Callisto faced Estrella alone, like a hero in a shining armor, he did his best to save everyone from certain death. He used everything he had, try every spell he learned, every ounce of muscle in his body, and every intellect he gained by reading those grimoires.
"You piece of shit!" Estrella cursed under her breathe, knowing that she couldn't get near Callisto because everytime she got close, his spells drove her back. "I have to find a new way to attack that annoying boy without him noticing it."
Estrella conjured an invisible smoke that once inhaled could freeze a person and turn him into ash like he never existed before. She released it and directed it to Callisto who was now sweating and breathing heavily.
Callisto sensed that something odd entered his nostrils, and he felt like the world was spinning around, and he couldn't breathe before everything turned black. He could hear Estrella's laughter getting closer to him.
In the last minutes of his life, Callisto remembered how everything started, from the moment he woke up and continued to the kitchen and saw the smiles on his family's faces; he wished he could see them smile again even just for his last moments on Earth.
"Callisto!" Stalin screamed out loud, seeing her boyfriend lying on the ground, not moving anymore, and his body had all turned gray. She ran towards him and shook him. "Callisto, please wake up! Don't leave me like this!"
Tears were rolling down Stalin's face as she didn't expect it would be the last time she would see Callisto. She'd never forgive anyone who hurt him, so she used her swift movements as if she wasn't in her right mind, attacking Estrella.
At first, Stalin could easily dodge and cut all those roots, but her movements gradually slowed down when she also breathed the same poison Estrella used to kill Callisto. Estrella caught her in the throat, and the moment her hands touched her neck, she turned into ashes.