E54 朗读版｜Back to life again

Chapter 20 

The world went dark. For a moment, the only sound was the hissing of the Druun as they swept through the empty fields and buildings, searching for more souls to consume.

But then . . .

Deep within the Gem, there was a tiny flicker of light. Then it became a glow. The glow grew brighter and brighter and brighter . . .

BOOM! White light exploded from the Dragon Gem. The ring of light radiated out, spreading to every corner of the lands. When it touched the Druun, they vanished instantly. In a single second, all the darkness was destroyed.

A deep silence followed. For the few people left alive to see it, the stillness was absolute. The world seemed to empty of any flicker of life. Even the wind had died.

Then, like a dragon awakening, thunder rumbled across the sky. Dark clouds gathered. And from them, a steady rain began to fall.

It fell on the broken buildings of Fang and on the silent, frozen villages of Spine. It fell on the windswept deserts of Tail and on the cramped marketplace in Talon. It filled dry, empty riverbeds all through Kumandra.

All over the lands, rain fell on the stone statues of the Druun’s victims. As it did, the stone began to melt.

And the people came back to life.

Raya came to life with a gasp, filling her lungs with a deep breath of air. A tingling warmth returned to her limbs.

She looked around, blinking in astonishment. She was alive. Truly and gloriously alive!

Raya felt a hand on her shoulder. With a start, she realized it belonged to Namaari. She watched as rain poured down on her former foe, turning her from stone to flesh.

Namaari awoke with a gasp. She met Raya’s eyes, and they shared a look of understanding. Raya put her hand on Namaari’s. Whatever had happened in the past, they were allies now. Next to them, Boun, Tong, Noi, and the Ongis were coming back, too.

“It worked! It worked!” Boun cried, trying to jump up and down on his frozen feet. He stumbled over them, tumbling to the ground. He wiggled his toes joyfully as the rain washed the last of the stone away.

Baby Noi squealed with delight as Tong swung her up into the air, laughing. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, the Ongis clambered up onto him, too.

Raya and her friends helped each other climb out of rubble.

Above, they found more wreckage. Huge sections of the palace had collapsed. The ground was a web of cracks. The Druun had destroyed so much.