Chapter 2: A Date with Destiny
Candace's raggedy red hair whipped across her face as she sat with her
feet over the side of the rescue craft. She watched as the trees below zipped
by, partly wondering if she should put her feet inside so she wouldn't fall
out, and partly wanting to see the scenery.
She shivered a little. It was cold that morning. There was still
frost on the trees from the night before.
"Candace, look there! At the horizon!"
Candace looked to where Xosizi had pointed. She saw what looked like
a large village, with a random smattering of buildings made from mud, straw,
wood and animal skins.
"That's Kilisyth, the governing village for this region!"
"It looks like a bad attempt at a mud pie!" Candace replied.
Xosizi shrugged, "Maybe it is," he said, "Look beyond it, at the top
of that hill!"
Candace turned and looked where he was pointing. At the top of a
particularly high hill was a large tent that looked a lot like an old Sioux
tipi.
"What? The big tent?" she asked.
"That's it! Once we drop Pexwrith off at the hospital, we're going to
hike up to that tent, and that is where you will be initiated."
Candace's stomach did a somersault upon realizing how close she was to
undergoing the Alion initiation ceremonies. From what she'd heard, it wasn't
painful or freaky or anything, but she still had some reservations.
Soon they had landed, dropped off Pexwrith, and were headed up the
hillside. It was a bit less rocky than the trail had been, which was good,
since this path went uphill. Candace didn't care for anything that made the
hike harder. After about an hour they reached the hilltop and the big tent.
"This tent is huge!" Candace exclaimed as she walked up to it's door.
It was. It wasn't quite as big as a circus tent, but two basketball
courts could easily have fit inside.
"This is a small one, actually," Xosizi said nonchalantly, "the one's
in the cities are much bigger, because so many more children go through them."
The two stood outside the door for a bit.
"Well... what now?" Candace asked.
"Let's go inside," Xosizi suggested.
"Makes sense to me," Candace replied. She walked forward, pulled back
the huge tent flap enough for her and Xosizi to step through, then... stepped
through.
Unlike most tents, this one had been partitioned into different rooms.
The one Candace and Xosizi walked into was small and dimly lit by sunlight
filtering through the flap. Behind a small desk, Candace saw an Alion
sitting and reading a piece of what looked like old-style parchment. Candace
noticed that this one looked different than the other ones she had seen. It
didn't have the weird spitter-tube nose, and it only had two mandibles, rather
than three or four. It also had a long... mane, Candace decided. Whatever it
had wasn't hair, but it looked like a sort of reptilian/amphibian equivalent
of hair. The creature was a different color as well. Most of the Alions had
been some shade of dark turqoise, but this one was a deep red, and it's
mane/hair/frill whatever it was was golden yellow. The creature also seemed
slightly thinner and more elegant than the others. It looked up at Candace
and Xosizi as they walked in.
"Hask, Xosizi! Olykth hyat ethik!" it called. Candace was startled
to note that this weird Alion also had an unusually high voice.
"It has been a VERY long time since I've been here, Jizee."
"Keeth yakt?"
"This is Candace of Earth, third planet of the Sol system. We rescued
her from a Tkpxzv war craft the other day. She's tagged along ever since.
She's still young, and since we are unable to return her to Earth, I have
brought her here to be initiated."
"Aaakkk... Trag," the Alion reached under its desk and grabbed
something that was clearly a helmet. It had a large box attached to the top
and a button on the front. The Alion walked over to Candace and held the
helmet out for her.
"Candace...?" it asked her.
"Uhh..." Candace replied. She reached out and took the helmet. She
looked to Xosizi.
"Does Jizee want me to put this on?" she asked.
"Trag," Xosizi replied.
"Should I?" Candace asked.
"It'll make your life a lot easier."
"What do you mean?"
"Put it on and you'll find out... but take the headset off first,
that'll get in the way."
Candace eyed Xosizi and the helmet suspiciously, deciding whether or
not to trust them. After a moment's hesitation, she pulled off her headset,
and jammed the helmet onto her head.
It immediately felt like her head was blowing up like a balloon. She
panicked as she felt her head expand at an alarming rate. She started to
scream until she grabbed her face and realized that it wasn't actually getting
bigger. She stood there for a moment in confusion until the feeling stopped.
Then she quickly pulled the helmet off and handed it back to Jizee.
"Yixithwath higith, akk Candace?" Xosizi asked amusedly.
Candace blinked. Suddenly the helmet didn't seem that weird to her.
No, what had just happened was much weirder.
Candace had understood everything Xosizi had said to her.
It got even weirder when she heard herself reply to him.
"Trag, jixith yixihwath," Candace replied, confused.
Xosizi grinned, "That was a language fluency helmet. It instantly
stuffs the knowledge of the Alion language into its wearer's head. We won't
be needing those headphones any more."
"Wish I'd had one of those in Spanish class..." Candace groaned... in
Alion.
"Candace of Earth, allow me to introduce myself. I am Jizee, the
Secretary of the Initates. I make sure the name and information of each
initiate is recorded, and, in the case of foreigners, I ensure that they know
the Alion tongue," Jizee explained.
"Okay..." Candace responded, "Not to be rude or anything, but you
look way different than the other Alions that I've seen."
"Jizee's a girl. That's why she looks different," Xosizi said flatly.
"Oh. How come I didn't see any earlier?"
Xosizi shrugged, "I don't know. You just happened to run into a long
train of males, I guess. There were some in the army back on Trisaria, but
you probably weren't close enough to see them."
"Hm. Well, when does this thing start?" Candace asked.
"In a few moments," Jizee answered, "Follow me."
Candace's stomach started doing somesaults as she and Xosizi followed
Jizee into the next room. This room was larger. It had no furniture, just
the cold ground. Candace was surprised to see a Candasaurus sitting in the
room as she entered. It looked up as they walked in.
"Is it starting, Jizee?" the Candasaur asked excitedly.
"Soon, kid, soon," she assured.
"That's what you said-holy guacamole! Is that who I think it is?"
Candace didn't need to be told that the Candasaur was referring to
her.
"Yes, it's me, Candace, in the flesh," Candace replied.
"Cool! What're you doing-? Oh, that's right, the battle..."
"News spreads fast, it looks like..." Candace muttered.
"So you've decided to join the Alions then?"
"Yep."
"I see..."
Jizee cut in, "Candace, this is your co-initiate, who also happens to
have the same name you do."
"Your name is Candace too?" Candace asked the Candasaur.
"It's a very common Candasaur name," Candace replied.
"Get to know it each other. Co-initiates usually become battle
brothers, or in your case battle-SISTERS after they finish initiation. You're
about on the same level as warriors, so you'll be fighting alongside one
another after you leave," Xosizi said.
"Trag," Jizee agreed, "Now if you'll excuse me and Xosizi, we have
some red tape to clear before the initiation starts. As soon as that's done,
the ceremony will start, okay?"
"Okay!" Candace the Candasaur responded.
"Well... okay!" Candace replied, snapping her fingers as she did. She
giggled a bit after she said it, knowing that she was the only person in to
room who would get that joke.
Jizee and Xosizi left the room, and Candace sat down next to Candace.
That's gonna get really weird to write.
"So, Candace, how'd you wind up on Tizilidai?" Candace of Earth asked.
"A couple months after I was born, on Trisaria, by the way, Tizilidai
was attacked by the Tkpxzv. The Alions defeated the Tkpxzv and chased them
back out of the system. Back then, the Tkpxzv hadn't discovered us yet, but
Mom and Dad knew that it was only a matter of time before the Candasaurs were
discovered, and, since they had no military, they knew that when that
happened, Trisaria would either be destroyed or enslaved. So they moved here
because they knew the Alions could protect them," Candace the Candasaur
replied.
"So... you've basically grown up like an Alion?"
"Well... yeah, pretty much. Mom and Dad taught me to be a Candasaur,
but even they were kind of different. The fact that they came here is a
testament to that."
"Huh... hey, do you know anything about what happens at this
initiation? I've heard a lot of conflicting stories..."
"Nope. That's half the fun! I have no idea what horrors await me
when this thing starts."
Candace of Earth gulped. That wasn't what she'd wanted to hear.
"Enough about me," Candace the Candasaur said, "Let's hear something
about you. Are you really a 'thunder goddess'?"
"Psh... nah, I just got stuck by lightning while I was holding the
cord to a time machine."
Candace the Candasaur laughed. "I've always wondered about that
story. I believed it might have happened, but I wondered if it hadn't just
been someone, well, getting struck by lightning."
Candace of Earth smirked, "Kind of got blown out of proportion, huh?"
"WAY out of proportion, no offense."
"None taken."
"So... who are you really?"
"I'd like to tell you that I'm the great and mighty ruler of Earth, or
that I'm some kind of fabulous celebrity... and there would be some truth to
that actually... I am the queen of Mars, and I was awfully popular on
Trisaria..."
Candace the Candasaur's eyes narrowed. "You're a queen?"
"Technically... yes. But, I have to be honest. I'm just some random
Earth girl who happens to have seen a lot of crazy things... mostly because of
Phineas and Ferb."
"Who're they?"
"My little brothers, they're like, geniuses. They do all these wild
things every day and drive me nuts, things like building a portal to Mars, or
taking a time machine back to dinosaur times-"
"Are they the two little people from the story?"
"Yep. That's them."
"So they're the REAL stars of the show, then."
Candace was a little burned by the comment, "Well, yeah, but they've
needed MY help a lot of times. I mean, I've done some pretty cool things
too."
Candace the Candasaur wasn't convinced. She just gave Candace an
unbelieving stare.
Candace of Earth sighed, "All right, so I'm NOT the star of the show.
Big deal. I'm-"
"It's okay if you're a normal person, Candace. No one thinks any less
of you for it."
"I HAVE done some cool things though."
"But you weren't the instigator, you were just along for the ride."
"Yes," Candace groaned irritably.
"You seem like the kind of person who's self-esteem depends on what
other people think of you."
"Well... okay, yeah... it's true..." Candace said miserably.
"You're a very proud person, Candace, do you recognize that?"
"Can we talk about something else?"
"No, there's something you need to know..."
"What if I don't want to know it?"
"You want to know it, trust me."
"Well, what is it?"
"There's an old Alion proverb that goes something like this: A hero is
carried upon the shoulders of her brothers, but a true hero stands on her own
feet."
"So... I need my own train of cool experiences, not ones from my
brothers?"
"Not exactly..."
"Young ones! Welcome to your initiation!"
Candace and Candace looked toward the front of the room. An old Alion
had come in through the divider. He was green.
"Think about the difference between the two," Candace the Candasaur
whispered quickly.
"I think this is the first green Alion I've seen," Candace whispered
back.
Candace the Candasaur face palmed as the green Alion began to speak.
"Before we start, let me learn the names of our brave new warriors!"
he pointed at Candace, "You are a race I have never seen before! What is your
name?"
"Candace," Candace of Earth replied.
The green guy scratched his chin a bit, as if thinking. Suddenly, his
stalk eyes brightened with recognition.
"The Red and White Thunder Goddess of the Candasaurs!" he exclaimed,
"I heard that you had appeared, but I didn't expect to see you here!"
"Xosizi brought me."
"Ah... I see. I remember when he came through here, all those years
ago... he was my friend and co-initiate. One of the greatest Alions who ever
lived, in my opinion."
Candace didn't reply. She just waited for the Alion to say something
else.
"Well, Candace, welcome!" He turned to the Candasaur, "And who are
you?"
"My name happens to be Candace as well. My parents moved here long
ago for protection from the Tkpxzv."
"I see, so you're one of the 'Candasaur warriors' that came to
Tizilidai."
"Yep."
"Glad to meet you. So, before we begin, you may have heard some...
RUMORS about the initiation."
The Candaces nodded in agreement.
"Let me assure you, nothing bad will happen to you during initiation."
"Whew!" Candace of Earth said with relief.
"Aww..." Candace of Tizilidai whined.
"To begin, I will teach you some Alion folklore, after which you will
have some choices to make about your future..."
"Like what?" Candace the Candasaur asked.
"Specifically, you will tell us what weapon you would like to
specialize in, which occupation you would like to fill, who you would like to
train you and what kind of spirit you believe you are."
"And what's after that?" Candace of Earth inquired.
"Your prophecies. You will tell the heavens what you would like to
do, and then the heavens will give you any further information you need about
your choices, and also help you learn how to fulfill your destiny. Remember
that all have a mission to accomplish in this life, and that what you do here
will determine who you are in the eternal worlds."
"We all have a picture to draw..." Candace of Earth muttered.
"What?" Candace of Tizilidai asked.
"Any other questions?" asked the green Alion.
Silence.
"All right, then! Let's learn some folklore, shall we?"
The green Alion (who the Candaces learned was one of the Tribal
Elders), spoke for hours, telling them stories of great Alion heroes and the
lessons they taught. He spoke of conquerors and cowards, legends and facts,
weaving them all into the rich tapestry that was the Alion warrior culture.
To recount everything he said could be a book in and of itself, but two
stories seemed to stand above the rest. One was about an Alion explorer who
sounded like the Alion equivalent of a caveman. He was the first Alion to
think of more than simply killing and eating. He flew over a mountain, simply
to see what was on the other side (the Alions had wings, recall), and
discovered another band of his people. After that his curiosity led him to
learn new things like how to make fire, or how to build shelters and even to
invent a language. He was considered the founder of all Alion civilization.
His courage, creativity and wonder had brought a warrior's wisdom to his
people, who otherwise would have been mere animals. He was what made the
Alions warriors instead of predators.
The other story was about a city rather than a specific Alion. At one
time, all of Tizilidai was ruled by a collection of oppressive theocracies.
There was, however, one free city, ruled by a just and fair council of Elders
who adhered to the old warrior traditions. The city was the only substantial
group of Alions left who had not abandoned their old heritage for false faith
and fanaticism. Not that they weren't religious, heaven forbid, but they were
the last who followed the true religion, and who allowed others to believe and
be who they chose.
This city was harassed on all sides by the rest of the planet. The
wicked leaders of these false theocracies knew that they had merely to
overcome this city to enslave all the world and bring it under their control.
The great warriors of this city, however, through their fervent labor,
rock-solid determination, and undying love of liberty, managed to repulse
their enemies. They then took the fight to their enemies, meeting their lies
and tyranny with the Sword of Justice, and cleansing their evil from the
world. It was because of the firmness and sheer will of these few warriors in
defending their liberty and destroying evil that Tizilidai was a free world
with a warrior culture today, rather than a cruel (and false) theocracy.
These legends and others showed the great virtues of the warrior:
Will, wisdom, justice, courage, strength, liberty and faith. These values had
to be internalized for them (Candace and Candace) to become true warriors.
The Elder spoke for so long that they had had to stop a various points
to get up and stretch, as well as eat. By the time he had finally finished,
it was dark, and electric lights now lit the tent (the Elder told them that they
had used torches in the past, until one of them had burned the tent down.)
"And that, brave youths, is the heritage of the Alions, my heritage,
and your heritage. Treasure these stories in your heart, and remember what
they say," the Elder concluded.
Normally Candace would have hated enduring the kind of thing she just had...
but she had gotten sucked into it, much like when she had read
those Sherlock Holmes books earlier in the Summer. So, in spite of how tired
she was, she had enjoyed the many stories of the Alions.
Candace of Tizilidai had heard parts of these stories already, but the
fact that she'd waited most of her life to hear their full versions had
ensured that the Elder had her rapt interest, though she'd nodded off a few
times in the last hours.
"Those are some great stories," Candace the Candasaur observed.
"And really, really long," Candace of Earth groaned.
"Don't forget them," the Elder warned, "Now, let us move to the next
room, where you will make the choices I spoke of earlier."
He turned and walked through the divider, beckoning to the two
initiates as he went. Candace and Candasaurus followed him.
The next room was large, round, and had a high ceiling with an opening
at the top. In the center was a fire ring, and all around sat about twenty
old Alions, as well as Xosizi, the secretary, and couple of Candasaurs.
"Candace, how was the folklore?" the Candasaurs asked.
Candace of Earth almost replied before she realized that they were
speaking to Candace the Candasaurus.
"Long... but I learned a lot," she replied.
"Who're they?" Candace of Earth asked Candace of Tizilidai.
"My parents."
"Oh."
"Candace! Can you still feel your legs?" Candace of Earth heard
Xosizi call.
Candace grinned, "They fell asleep after the first three hours."
"Told you the initiation was horrible. Come sit down!"
"Again?"
"Trag."
Candace's legs really were tired of sitting, but she did as she was
told. Candace the Candasaur also went and sat with her parents. As they sat
down, meat was passed around the circle. Dinner.
There was all sorts of random conversation as everyone began eating.
Candace looked around, wondering why there were so many Alions there.
"Xosizi," she asked, after gulping down some meat, "Who are all these
guys?"
"The Tribal Council. After dinner you're going to stand in front of
them and tell them what you want to be, what weapon you want to use, what
spirit you think you are-"
"So this is that choosing part the green dude was talking about."
"Trag."
"Cool."
"Any idea what weapon you want? I think the other things have more or
less been determined, though you can express other preferences if you wish...
except you'd better pick me as your trainer," Xosizi growled.
Candace smiled as she thought, "Um... well... I'm pretty good with a
gun..."
"Trag, and for that reason I believe you should choose a hand-to-hand
weapon."
"I should pick a weapon I'm WORSE with?"
"Trag. You can already fight at a distance. Now you need to learn to
fight in close quarters, though you can at least hold your own there as well."
"Maybe I should use a knife..." Candace said, recalling the fight the
previous night.
"Perhaps... just think about what you would like. You could even
craft a unique weapon for yourself, if you want."
The two continued talking until dinner ended. When it did, an Alion
Elder walked to the center of the ring and announced that it was time for the
Choosing. He called Candace the Candasaur up first. She left her parents and
walked over to the Elder.
"Young Candasaurus," the Elder began, tonight you will make some
choices that will affect your destiny, "Are you prepared to make these
decisions?"
"Trag," the Candasaur affirmed.
"Good. First, what occupation do you want?"
"Explorer," she said simply.
"You wish to Captain a lone ship and scout the universe?"
"Trag."
"Mmmm... good choice. A most enjoyable, if lonely, career. You will
learn much as an Explorer."
"I should hope so."
"Next... who would you like as your trainer?"
"Hikxat, from Yirank village to the south."
"Okay, he will be notified. Which weapon do you choose?"
"Combination energy/grenade cannon."
"Interesting... and last... what spirit do you feel you are?"
"Star spirit."
"All right then. When you receive your prophecy, these things will be
considered by the heavens, and modified if necessary for you to fulfill your
destiny. Remember that they know more than we."
"Sure."
"Thank you, you may sit down."
Candace the Candasaur sat down. Candace of Earth's stomach bubbled
unpleasantly. She was next.
"Candace of Earth, come forth!"
Candace stood and walked to the Elder. She looked about nervously at
all the eyes staring at her.
The Elder spoke, getting her attention, "Are you prepared to make the
decisions your co-initiate just did?"
"Um... I think so," Candace said nervously.
"Good. What do you want for your occupation?"
Candace didn't answer right away. Xosizi looked at her curiously, his
face saying, "Musician! Just spit it out!"
Candace liked the idea of being a musician, but a part of her, for
some strange reason, wanted something else. Maybe it was because she wanted
to turn over a new leaf, maybe it was destiny, like they were saying, maybe
she'd just been impressed by Xosizi's story, but...
"Warrior," she heard herself say.
The entire circle gasped. Xosizi's mandibles dropped as his eyes
widened with shock. The only person who didn't seem stunned by her response
was the Elder, who was chuckling softly.
"My good people," he laughed, "She's confused, she doesn't mean what
you think she does! She's very new here, she probably thinks that's everyone's
job, which it sort of is, I guess."
Everyone sighed in relief... except Xosizi. He gave Candace a hard
stare. He was the only one who knew that Candace understood what she had just
said.
"My dear, you will be trained as a warrior. All Alions are. We mean
your SECONDARY occupation, what would you like that to be?"
Candace gulped, gritted her teeth, then spoke, "I knew what I was
saying. I want to be a warrior. A Guard of Death and Life."
This time the Elder got it. His eyes bugged and HE gasped.
"Child, are you sure? You know not what you ask!"
Candace nodded, "I know I don't know what I'm getting myself into,
but, honestly, nothing else it left for me. Defeating the Tkpxzv is my only
hope of returning to Earth and seeing my family again."
"Five years of hell, child, and then a life of nothing but bloodshed!
Is that really what you want?"
Candace thought a moment. Five years was a long time.
"Trag," she affirmed again. She glanced over at Xosizi. He looked
surprised and sad, but also proud and approving.
"I take it you will want Xosizi as your trainer, then?" the Elder
asked.
"Trag."
"He is one of the greatest Guards of Death and Life there ever were.
You will be a great warrior, maybe one of the greatest, if you listen to him,"
the Alion put a claw on her shoulder, "And maybe, if you endure, you WILL see
your family and your home again."
He removed his hand from her shoulder, "As a Guard of Death and Life,
you'll be excellent with pretty much any weapon you get your hands on,
nevertheless, which one would you like to specialize in?"
"Alion Standard Rifle," Candace replied.
Xosizi cocked his head at her. She'd ignored his council.. but it was
making the whole process more interesting.
"Pardon my asking, but... why such a common weapon?"
"I'm a good shot, but if I'd been better, I would have hit that Scare
Cannon my brother made sooner, and probably saved Candasaurus city. He might
have still been alive, too."
"I see... and what sort of Spirit do you believe you are?"
Xosizi stared at Candace, seemingly wondering if she would choose
Fire, or if she would again deviate.
She thought a bit, "Fire," she finally said.
"All right then. Like I said earlier, these choices will be given to
the heavens and they will modify them as needed. They know more than we do."
"Yeah."
"Thank you Candace. Xosizi, you have a most interesting trainee
here... take good care of her. She might be almost as good as you, one day."
Xosizi grinned at the compliment, "Maybe..." he replied.
The Elder smiled and turned to the circle. "Initiates! Now you move
on to the prophecy! There you will learn about your destinies! Head through
that flap there, and you will begin!" He was pointing to Candace's left.
The initiates walked over to the flap. Candace the Candasaur's
parents followed her, and Xosizi followed Candace of Earth. The Secretary
followed as well. All went through to begin the next ceremony.
It turned out that the next room was not a room at all, but led
outside. An ancient-looking Alion stood, staring at Tizilidai's full moon,
and at the stars. He was standing on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the
town and the valley. Candace could see mountains outlined in black by the
moonlight.
Candace took in the dark yet glorious view before her. A cool, gentle
breeze played with her hair.
There was silence for nearly a minute. The ancient Alion didn't
acknowledge them. Candace sighed peacefully. She felt good up here.
Something about the area seemed comforting and familiar.
"Vodkrath, the initiates are here," the secretary said quietly.
He turned about calmly. He said nothing, but pointed at Candace the
Candasaur first. The secretary motioned for her to step forward. The
Candasaurus approached the old Alion warily, stopping in front of him.
At first the old Alion just stared into her eyes, then he wrapped his
arm around her and led her to the cliff.
"Look into the sky," he said softly. He had a slight rasp in his
voice.
"Okay..." Candace the Candasaur replied.
"What do you see?"
"Stars... and the moon."
"Long has your heart longed to see them, Candace, and now tonight, you
must rejoice, for the heavens have planted this desire in your heart, and they
will grant it unto you. Your home shall be among the stars, your friends,
those who you meet, your enemies, those who oppress the weak and enslave
others. Your home will strengthen you, your friends will support you, and your
foes shall be as dust before the wind's blast, for you are a spirit of the
wind, and not of the stars, despite your destiny. As the wind, you will be a
wanderer. Like the wind, you will be strong. You will travel the universe, a
vagabond, a legend, and most of all, a hero, for you will save all this
galaxy from the greatest evil it has ever known. Not the Tkpxzv, though you
will fight against them as well, but an evil far greater, and a race far
crueller."
Candace of Earth could see the wonder in the Candasaur's eyes as she
received this message. The heavens apparently had granted her her dreams.
"Trust yourself always, and don't be a fool. You must be wise, or you
will die. The universe is dangerous, and your foes are powerful, but if you
do all you can, the heavens will grant you the skill, courage and strength to
overcome all things."
He stopped and became quiet, bowing his head. He didn't say anything
for nearly a minute. Candace the Candasaur seemed to figure that he was done,
and began to walk away. As she did, the Alion grabbed her arm.
"Candace, not you, but Candace Flynn, will need you."
Candace of Earth looked up in surprise. Candace the Candasaur looked
back at the Alion.
"Xosizi is her father, and YOU are her mother. Candace will be your daughter,
though she has biological parents. She will need you as much as she will need Xosizi.
Stand with her against all things, and treat her as your friend, not your subject."
Now Xosizi was alerted too. This had to be weird for him.
"Teach her the ways of the Musician, for she must know them as well
as the ways of the Alions to fulfill her destiny."
"Who is Candace Flynn, exactly?" Candace the Candasaur asked, "I know
a Candace of Earth, but..."
"It's me," Candace of Earth said quietly, "My last name is Flynn."
Candace looked surprised, "Really? Weird..."
"Listen carefully to her prophecy as well, for you need to be familiar
with it to help her," the Alion continued, "Follow your conscience, Candace,
be just and kind all your days, and the heavens will always be with you,
wherever you are in the great, starry sky. Wanderer, Mother, and Hero, the
heavens grant you these great blessings, and seal them upon you as long as you
follow the righteous desires of your heart. Godspeed."
And that was it. Candace returned to the group.
"Candace Flynn, come forward," the Alion commanded.
"Are you a priest or something?" Candace asked as she walked forward.
"I guess I never introduced myself, did I? I am a priest, yes. I
prophesy destinies, according to the words of the heavens."
"Great. Just wanted to clear that up."
"Several weeks ago, Candace, you saw a wraith in a dream. She scared
you, didn't she?"
"How do you know that?" Candace asked in shock.
"And you have great reason to fear, for you are a fairly ordinary
person fighting one of the greatest spirits the heavens have ever created."
"What?"
"He lives, Candace. And he is hunting you. He will do everything in
his power to destroy you and to destroy the people you care about. He has
already snatched your family from your grasp, he has enslaved the people you
were sent to protect, and driven you to the last bastion of hope this part of
the galaxy has. He hates you. His wrath knows no bounds. And in four days,
according to the time of world upon which you now stand, he will be upon you."
"Who are you talking about, Phineas?"
"With him come hosts in number like the stars of the heavens. Blood,
fire, death and destruction will they visit upon this world. The strong race
that has withstood them for so long will fall before them, and before your
brother, for their hearts will melt and their courage will turn to water
because of your brother and the armies he commands."
EVERYONE was paying attention now. Alions from the fire ring were
poking their heads out to listen.
"Your family put their faith in you, you saved them, but then lost
yourself. Trisaria put its faith in you, and you failed them. Your brother
has defeated you, and he has vanquished you time and again."
Candace was scared now. Everyone was scared. Even Xosizi looked
nervous.
"Even before he became your enemy, you could not defeat him. You have
lived in his shadow all of his life."
Candace shifted uncomfortably. The Alion turned to her, grabbed her
shoulders and pulled her, nose to nose, with him.
"This is your last stand, Candace Flynn," he said gravely, "If you
fall here, there is no where left for you to retreat. What's more, this world
will fall, and its inhabitants will all die, for none of them will bow to
slavery. If you are lucky, you will die with them, if you are not, your
brother will capture you, and you will live out your days in slavery and
misery, and he will stand victorious over all this galactic arm. Except him,
you won't see your family again, you won't see Earth again, you won't see the
Candasaurs again, and the Alions will all be rotting in Tizilidai's dirt."
"Well... w-what am I supposed to d-d-do?" Candace asked shakily.
"Defeat him, Candace."
"Who?"
"Phineas. Defeat him. For all you have to fear, you have one thing
to hope in."
"What's that?"
"That there is only one person in this universe that could ever defeat
your brother, and I don't mean Ferb, either. The one person who can beat him
is you. He knows that. He recognizes that you are the one thing standing
between him and absolute power-the only thing that CAN stand between him and
absolute power."
"I d-don't know if I-"
"You love him. It makes you hesitant to fight him. This is
commendable. However, if you truly love him, you must defeat him."
"What?"
"Brush aside your fears, Candace, and become the wraith from your
dream. Phineas knows that a powerful being lurks within you. You must learn this
too, else he will destroy all that you love, including himself. Not with a physical
destruction, but a destruction of the wonderful spirit that he possesses."
"Okay..."
"Millions depend on you Candace, but one person depends on you more
than anyone else, and that person is Phineas. He needs you now more than
ever. You must save him, and you can only do that by throwing down his power
and his pride, and by ruining the justification for his hate. You must prove
to him that you are the great older sister he thought you were. Show him that
your courage, your might, your will and ultimately, your love, are stronger
than his fear, his power, his will and his hate. Only then will he be humbled
and repent. Only by this, will you be able to save him."
Everyone was silent. This prophecy was as terrifying as it was
powerful.
"This prophecy is not for your entire life, Candace. Only for this
experience, but the things you learn here, and the things you do, will affect
you always, for good or ill. You will be trained by both Xosizi and Candace,
your fellow initiate. Xosizi will teach you to be a warrior as well as he can
in the short time you have. Candace will teach you to be a musician, for you must
know that trade as well to succeed."
Candace listened carefully, realizing this was a matter of life and
death.
"Here on Tizilidai, when all hope has died, use the weapon Candace
gives you while standing on this cliff. If you succeed, then advance against
Phineas, and save your people from him. There on Trisaria, when all hope has
died, use the weapon that the heavens give you. If you succeed, then take the
fight to Phineas. There near Sirius, when all hope has died, use the weapon
that Xosizi gives you. If you succeed, you may do what you wish. But there,
in the jaws of hell, when all of Phineas' hope has died... use the weapon that
you possess, independent and mightier than all the others. Only then,
Candace, will you be able to draw your picture, and only then can you save
Phineas."
Candace stared at the Alion, trying to remember everything he'd said.
"Some last remarks. Your weapon of specialty will be the steel
swordspear, not the rifle. Your skill in that weapon is sufficient, and also
much less vital for your mission. You also are a lightning spirit, not a fire
spirit. If you succeed you will find out why. Also, in your darkest, and,
more specifically, your LONLIEST hour, remember what Candace said to you just
before you began learning folklore. Your life depends on those critical
words. And last of all, fear not, but be brave, in spite of everything, for
the heavens are with you, and you can indeed win, if you will let yourself.
And if you succeed, you will save these worlds, see you family again, and even
better, you will reunite them, and heal them. Your destiny is great either
way, either you will fail utterly, or you will succeed wonderfully. Be
strong, Candace, and never give up. Farewell."