BY THE WAY...
Lein: Pronounced "LAYN"
Juunou: Pronounced "JOO-noh"
Kylya: Pronounced "KYE-Lee-ah"
"Sisters, I bring bad news. My daughter, the precog, has predicted a disaster that threatens all of Neopia."
Fyora was somberly addressing every faerie in Faerieland. Everything was dead silent as she paused to let her words sink in. Even Jhudora said nothing as she clasped her young daughter's hand.
"An evil force will search neopia, looking for an innocent target to possess. One who is shy and innocent. One who knows not of evil or hatred." The force will infect this person through their feelings of vulnerability and loneliness. On the night of a Dark Moon, the infection shall then spread from the soul into the body, giving them godlike powers. It will shatter the bones and rot the flesh, causing great pain that will drive them slowly mad. Once the infection has completely taken over the host's body, they shall become a demon monster. Many lives will be lost."
At these words, murmurs rose among the crowd. Someone finally spoke up.
"Is there no way to alter our fate?"
Fyora shook her head, as she caressed her young daughter's lilac hair.
"We cannot alter our fate, but we can rise to meet it. We shall send the daughters of the three most powerful faeries in faerieland. Jhudora, bring Lein up here."
Jhudora scowled as she brought her sad-faced daughter to the platform. She could be heard mumbling about the queen "sentencing my daughter to death." Lein had changed since coming back from her adventures in neopia. Three weeks after the end of her adventure, after she had discovered her uncanny ability to look into the souls of people, she suffered a great trauma after looking into some unknown person's mind. Nobody could even imagine what she had seen.
"Lein, you shall go because I sense a great power in you. An unfathomable power." Said Fyora.
"'unfathomable?' Oh, please. Lein's as harmless as a cup of borovan!" Scoffed Jhudora.
"Just because your daughter chooses not to use magic does not mean she can't. She just needs prompting; a situation in which a loved one is in terrible danger."
"Whatever."
Lein nodded solemnly to the queen before sitting down in a chair behind her.
"Jhudora" Fyora said, "You are dissmissed."
Jhudora sauntered off the platform.
Next, Fyora looked straight at Illusen and her cheerful-looking brown-and-green haired daughter.
"Juunou and Illusen, please come to the front."
Illusen walked behind her daughter nervously. However, her daughter marched confidently up to the platform, proud to be chosen for such an important job.
"Juunou, you shall go because of your well-developed moral principals. You have a good head on your shoulders, and a superb sense of right and wrong."
Juunou marched to her seat and sat down. She waved happily to her cousin, who shyly and sadly waved back to her without a word.
Last, Fyora turned to her own daughter and began to speak.
"You, Kylya, will go because you possess great wisdom and understanding. You shall lead and guide your two companions. I want you to take especially good care of Lein, she has suffered too much for a child already.
Kylya nodded and sat in the last chair. She was a pretty little girl of nine, with short hair, and always smiling.
The task at hand completed, Fyora turned to face the crowd.
"Tonight, these three youths shall determine the fate of neopia, as Kylya's prophecy has foretold. I dismiss you all, so that I may confer with our chosen ones."
Every faerie left, silently wishing the children good luck.
The three children sat in a tiny room of the castle, two of them talking. Lein just sat there, looking at her clasped hands in her lap.
"Why is she so quiet?" asked Juunou.
"Something really bad happened, you can see it in her face." Said Kylya.
"I bet it was her Mum. Momma always told me what a bad person she used to be."
"But she quit being evil after Lein was born. Almost like Lein melted the evil."
"Her power is the ability to look into your mind, remember? She must have seen all the terrible things her mother did when she was evil."
"Ah." Said Kylya. "I see."
Lein was scribbling on a Post-it note. She handed it to Kylya.
Kylya read the note out loud. "Y'know, just because I can't talk doesn't mean I can't hear you."
She patted Lein's back. "I'm sorry, cousin. I didn't know it bothered you. I'll stop talking about it."
For the first time in a year, Lein smiled.
Fyora entering the room interrupted the surprise.
"Children, you cannot get the experience required to defeat the evil by staying here in Faerieland. You must travel the land, to see with eyes unblinded."
"What does that mean?" asked Juunou.
"I cannot give you any more information that that." Said Fyora with a rueful, somewhat sympathetic smile. "You must figure that out on your own."
She turned to Lein. "Lein, you must awaken your power. Without it, Neopia may be doomed." Lein gave a wan nod.
Next, she spoke to Juunou. "Juunou, you must overcome the obstacle keeping you from true happines and love, whatever it may be." Juunou's smile darkened for a minute, but she nodded, too.
Last, she turned to Kylya. "Kylya, you must learn to control the sadness that you try to hide and ignore." Kylya's smile faltered just a little, for a moment, but she, too nodded.
"No one must watch you leave. You cannot even say goodbye to your loved ones. It may bring bad luck upon you. I bid you all good luck, and farewell."
The children were silent as they walked to the gate of Faerieland, a pang of sadness in the air.
Not one of them even looked back as they took their last steps out of Faerieland.
End Chapter one.