"You do not, I assume, know why you are, correct?" The Oracle spoke with an odd clairty to her voice, a strange sharpness- Nox couldn't pointit out, but she knew it was there.
She looked back to Spook, who was leaning back on the bench, arms folded, looking uneasy. She knew what he was like in small spaces, and she could tell he was worrying about what he had said those years ago. "No, mistress. I don't." The Oracle nodded.
"Good. So Spook here has done his job well." He looked up slightly. "You've been safe, haven't you, Nox? Protected?"
"Yes, mistress," she repeated. "I have." She swallowed, but her mouth was exceptionally dry.
Nox didn't know what scared her so much. She didn't know why it felt like a stone was lodged in her throat. Why she could barely talk.
"And have you come into your powers yet?"
It was Spook who spoke for her. "Yes, she has. Just now, when we were in Ashera's tomb. A group of attack fish attacked us. She burnt them all," he said softly.
"You do look a bit pale. Would you like some tea?" Nox was about to decline- she never had been able to drink tea and not spit it out in seconds when she saw Spook's pointed glare.
She cleared her throat and replied, "Yes, mistress. That would be great."
The Oracle left then, and seconds later she was back with three mugs filled nearly to the top with the repulsive liquid. Nox bit her lip and tried not to vomit as she took a sip, but it was slightly bitter and a bit sweet, so she actually enjoyed the taste. It felt wonderful going down her dry throat. "Are you alright, Spook? You look a bit... stressed," The Oracle asked.
"Fine. It's just... small spaces. I tend to get a bit tense in them," Spook answered as he took a sip and seemed to relax slightly. Only a bit, Nox noticed.
"So, you're probably wondering why you're here," she said in a light tone. "Nox, fifteen years ago, you were found just outside of Underfall. No one knew who you were, or why you were there. Lying next to you was an eight year old boy who was nearly dead." Nox looked over at Spook. She thought he had come healthy. That explained the countless scars on his face and hands that he always seemed to be covering. "The darklings were about to kill you two when a pair came forward and vowed to raise you like darkling children. Their names were Ugot and Crowslip. They acted as your parents as you grew older. You asked questions that were never answered. Correct?" Nox took yet another slip and nodded.
The Oracle took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "What you don't know is that, across Ashera's tomb, is another city, called Acropolis. It is a city of light. You passed through it to get here. That same night that Crowslip and Ugot claimed you two... two children washed up on the shore. One was an infant girl and an older boy... dead. The boy was cremnated, the girl raised by a family.
"And here, in Aveyond... a young boy was raised."
Nox closed her eyes tight and then opened them again. "What does this have to do with us?"
The Oracle sighed. "Do you know of the druids?"
"No, mistress. I don't." Nox couldn't help but feel impatient. All she wanted to know was why she was there.
"Hundreds of years ago, my children were here with me. To mortals, they were gods. They represented everything. There were many of them. And then, the children of the gods, were called druids. The druids had shrines, all across the world. But then... Ahriman, a demon, rose to power, and sent daevas after druids. Their souls were stolen. Eventuallym they were reclaimed... but once a soul is taken, the damage is done. One can live, but they are never fully alive again. Without their lessers, the gods faded.
"The world cannot be by itself. I can't directly interfere with anything- it's impossible. So my children ruled again. This time, they were nymphs. There were six of them, and each one represented a characteristic of a human soul. Every person had a blessing from all of them. Hope, wisdom, compassion, love, luck, and wickedness. And for years, it worked. But one rebelled, and they toppled. Aia was on the verge of disaster with the nymphs not right. Blessings were sloppy, and certain traits came out stronger. So again... they failed."
THe Oracle absentmindedly drummed her fingers on the table. Nox tried to take it all in. She still didn't figure out how she was involved.
"The priestesses and I met for a long while to try to figure out how to resolve this. And then we came to conclusion- three siblings, one representing kindness, one wickedness, and the other neutral. The first two would be sent into the world along with a protector to watch over them until they were ready, where they would be brought back. The third was to be raised in Aveyond, so we could watch him. And then when the time came, they would be conjoined... and the world would be brought peace."
Nox spoke quietly. "So which one am I? Wickedness or kindness? And where is the neutral one?"
The Oracle frowned and looked down. "See, there was... a slight failure. The neutral one was... different. He was plagued by halucinations. He tried hard to be what we wanted him to be, but he couldn't. And then he refused to eat, refused to sleep, refused to drink. So we... we had to let him die. There was nothing else we could do."
Nox glanced over at Spook. He was staring at the lavish ceiling, and she saw a bead of sweat on his forehead. She had no idea how long they'd been there. Hours, probably. "Who am I?" she asked again.
Her face brightened a bit, but only slightly. "You, my dear, are wickedness. But I suspect the priestess who placed and named you messed up slightly. She was bwing persued, and... we found her dead the next morning. I feel that you are supposed to be kindness, but we will never know. Your counterpart, though, is sweet. Very sweet."
"Who is she?"
"Uma. She's a very nice girl."
Nox swore she stopped breathing at the news. Uma, who had glared at her. She'd have to spend eternity combined with Uma!