The chosen one? But how?. The room erupted with whispers and mumblings. Many of them have heard of the prophecy,but no one believed it.
It was foretold many centuries ago,at some point it began to seem false,contradictory, blasphemous and delusive.
Many believed that it was taken way too long to manifest,there was nothing like a chosen one.
But seeing Aries has now proven that the prophecy had indeed come to pass and right in front of everyone who ever doubted the authenticity of it.
Xylara was silent,how could she have missed this tiny,little detail. The only prophecy she knew about was that the child was destined to destroy her and that good for nothing Malakai.
It's true that she found Aries at the temple of tamra, but she thought the temple was just like any other temple out there, nothing special.Avra must be bluffing.
"So you want me to believe that -that this girl is connected to a mythical dragon?. Don't tell me you are amongst those who believe that there's some kind of dragon out there ". She snorted.
"It's not a myth, this girl right here just proves that it was never a myth after all ". Avra said pointing towards Aries.
"Ha! You really expect me to believe that?". Xylara asked.
" I expect you to consider the possibility that this child's power is not just the product of her gift but also of her connection to the divine. And if we proceed without understanding the full extent of her abilities, we risk unleashing a power that could potentially destroy us all ".
Dane who only observed across the room all the while began to yell,he noticed that the two women seemed to be arguing, but about what exactly?. A moment ago,his Joy knew no bounds when Xylara walked into the room with the gifted child she promised him.
" What is going on there Avra, what's the commotion all about?".
Avra turned to face the king." I'm sorry to say this your majesty but the child is not ready, neither are we".
Dane grimaced,not ready? What does that even mean?
" What do you mean by that Avra, Xylara what's going on?".
Xylara was now nervous not because she feared the king or anyone else in that room, but because she might lose the alyris pendant after being this close to having it.
"Your majesty, it's all just a silly misunderstanding".
Dane's voice boomed,his patience worn thin.
" A silly misunderstanding? You dare to trivialize this?. He turned to Avra.
" Speak Avra, what is the meaning of this interruption?".
" Your majesty,am afraid Xylara has failed to disclose a crucial detail about the girl,her white hair is a sign of her connection to kamaita. It's a warning that her powers are far greater than we anticipated ".
Xylara's composure began to crumble." I can explain your majesty-".
Dane's hand shot up, silencing her. " Enough!. You have bungled this Xylara, your assurance have proven false. Avra please tell me you can contain the girl's power at least".
Avra hesitated." I- I can try your majesty but we could be at risk, you, most especially ".
But Dane dismissed the warning and urged her to begin the ritual.
As Avra was about to begin the binding ritual,a young girl amongst the crowd, let out an ear deafening scream, halting the occasion. She fell to the ground,her iris disappearing into the back of her head. Another girl,a sorceress, rushed to her side and held her up immediately.
"Aliya, Aliya, speak, don't hold it back, tell us what you see, open your mouth and speak!". It appeared the girl was having some kind of vision, but was finding it difficult to
speak due to the intensity, she felt really overwhelmed.
Avra came upon the scene demanding to know what was going on.
"I think she's seeing something but can't convey it to us".
Avra's eyes narrowed,if the vision got her like that,then they needed to know what she was seeing by all means.
"I think it's too much for her,help her Soma, use your powers to connect with her mind,we must know what she's seeing".
Soma placed her hand on Aliya's shoulder, closing her eyes in full concentration. After a moment,her eyes snapped open and she gasped. " By the gods... it's indeed kamaita ". She saw Aries true form,her power unleashed. The vision was fragmented but she saw destruction on a catastrophic scale. Fear gripped everyone in the room,if Aries was truly the chosen one,then they had no reason or whatsoever to be in the same room as she is or even breathe same air she breathes.
" We surely have to stop now ". She added,fear evident in her voice.
Avra's face turned pale." We can't proceed with the ritual". She muttered to herself, how was she going to convince Dane,that man was way too stubborn and inconsiderate of anyone,no matter who you are.
"What's going on over there, why are you disrupting the ritual?". His voice came from across the room. Avra turned to look at him .
" We can't continue with this ritual your majesty. Aliya's vision has revealed the true extent of the girl's powers, I-I will not be able to contain it".
Dane cackled." I will not be swayed by the whims of a mere child's vision ". He said standing to his feet. Avra threw her hands up in the air out of frustration, what other proof does he need to draw the line.
" With all due respect, your majesty,we cannot ignore this warning,we must reconsider our approach ". She said standing firm.
Surprisingly,Dane became mute for a while, contemplating what to do or say next.
" So what do you propose we do now?".
That question came as a shock to Avra but she was grateful that he was beginning to be reasonable now.
She paused, choosing her words carefully.
"Erm... We need to reasses our approach. I propose we use volúspá,it a spell that can help us gain more insight,then-then we can go ahead and try the shâktí dhara ritual instead of binding, I believe it will give us more access, but we need time to prepare for it ".
" Very well Avra ". Dane began after taking forever to recollect his thoughts.
" I grant you the permission to do what needs to be done, but remember, time is of the essence,we cannot delay for much longer ".
Avra smiled a smile of relief." Thank you your majesty, I'll begin to prepare the spells immediately ". As she turned to leave, Aliya's voice whispered weakly. " Beware... kamaita ".
" Soma, please take her inside and monitor her carefully, in case she receives another vision,report to me at once ". Avra commanded.
Soma nodded and gently helped Aliya to her feet, leading her away from the scene. Avra watched them go before she turned towards two young sorceress, standing at the far end of the room.
" Mina,Dania, ready a room and keep her there". She said pointing at Aries who was still very much unconscious. A guard came forward and lifted Aries off the bed, while Mina and Dania led the way.
"And you!". Dane thundered suddenly,he was referring to Xylara. " We need to talk, leave us!". Everyone scurried out of the throne room one after the other. Avra was last to leave.
Aries was laid on a soft, comfortable bed. Mina began to hum a gentle melody, she noticed that Aries was uncomfortable and distressed. The air around her began to glow,her breathing slow and steady.
Dania watched with a concerned expression. " What's going on,why is she so important to the king?".
Mina's humming stopped, she turned to look at Dania.
" I'm sure you weren't deaf when she was declared the chosen one a while ago, that aside, swear you can't feel the energy inside of her, it's incredible, I've never felt anything like it before. And just as we know it, the king wants her powers for himself, only that he's going to kill us all before he realizes what he's doing".
Dania shrugged, and so what if she was the chosen, still not enough reason to get everyone hooked and crazy.
Meanwhile in the throne room,Dane's voice was low and menacing. " You promised nothing would go wrong this time, what happened?".
Xylara's voice trembled." I-I don't know, your majesty,I take full responsibility for my shortcoming".
" You are supposed to the expert,am beginning to question your usefulness,am starting to wonder if you are truly deserving of that pendant ".
Xylara fell on her knees immediately, pleading.
"I'm sorry your majesty, forgive me,I don't know what came over me ".
" You are sorry?. Sorry isn't enough, you've failed me. I gave you a simple task, prepare the girl for the ritual and bring her to me, but because of your incompetence we now have problems on our hands ".
" I'll do anything to make it right, I'll help Avra in any way I can, but that will only be possible if you give me another chance".
He considered her words,if she were to assist Avra,then the ritual will be done in no time.
" Fine! I'm only giving you this chance to prove yourself,be warned ".
" I understand your majesty ". Xylara nodded frantically, still on her knees. His eyes lingered on her for a moment,then he turned away.
" Now get out of my sight! ".
As soon as she walked out of the room, she dropped the act and spit on the ground out of disgust,her anger was boiling. She dusted her dress, wiped her face and fixed her hair.
It was only a mistake,why was everyone treating it like a big deal,if only she had the alyris pendant in her possession right now,it would've been a different story by now .
She guessed she had to continue to stoop as low as possible and be shamless only for the sake of the pendant.
Her journey back to Neridia would have to be postponed until the successful completion of the ritual, she was thoughtful enough to put Malakai and his soldiers under a deep slumber,so she had less to worry about him and his troubles.
Mina sat beside Aries,her hand gently hovering over her body. Dania stood close to the window, maintaining a good distance.
" She's still not waking up". She said, she was genuinely concerned. " Whatever that witch did to her, its got her in a deep sleep, what kind of spell did she use?".
Dania looked at Aries then back to Mina." Why are you so worried about her,its not like she's any different from us, maybe a little, but not that big of a deal".
Mina gazed up at her, she wanted to laugh out loud.
" Oh, don't be silly, I know you can feel the immense power and energy around her, surely, she's nothing like us".
As they spoke, Aries opened her eyes and gazed up at the two strangers before her.
"Where... what is this place,who are you people?". She whispered and struggled to sit up. She got no response from the girls. She looked around the room,it was completely different from the one she once occupied. Was this the place Xylara spoke about, but where was she? How long had she been asleep.She tried to stretch out but her body ached on all sides. And these girls,who are they? Are they witches too? And why were they staring like that?.
" What's going on". She demanded, grabbing Mina's hand but instead of getting answers, she found herself inside the memories of the girl.
" You did it again, you witch! Come here! ". A man was violently pulling a little girl along with him, while landing heavy slaps on her small, fragile body, the little girl was crying profusely, pleading for mercy and repeatedly saying it was a mistake.
" Lonan stop! You are hurting her".A woman tried to intervene, using her body as a shield to protect the girl.
Aries pulled back her hand. Mina only stared at her a little more confused than before, she wondered why Aries reacted that way.
" Please tell me what this place is". She said slowly this time.
"Luznoth,Aldor l'thia". Dania said briefly and unenthusiastically.
Mina moved over to where she stood.
" Dania,I think we should leave, the more we stay here, the more questions will be thrown at us and I don't want to get into any kind of trouble". Dania nodded affirmatively. They both left the room afterwards. True to what they said, Aries had more questions, she needed more clarification on what was going on.
" Aldor l'thia". She said slowly and began to wonder what was going to happen next.