I probably shouldn't have been so quick to volunteer for this. When they said "cleansing ritual" they really just meant "vigorous washing". I'm pushed and pulled in a deep tub as several women fuss over me. Usually I would love a day at the spa, but not when they scrub me top to bottom with rough brushes. My skin is all red by the time they're done scrubbing me down.
I run my fingers through my soft brown hair as I wait in a bathrobe for my outfit to arrive. The one good thing out of this madness is that my hair is as smooth as silk, and it smells pretty good too. Actually, I smell pretty good in general. I stop sniffing my hair just as a young girl walks in with the clothes I'm supposed to change into. I ruffle my wings slightly in embarrassment, and I'm glad she didn't see me.
The little girl leads me to a smaller room down the hall. I admire her chestnut colored wings as I follow her. I wonder what clan she's from. The air is cooler in this room and I shiver. She closes the door behind her without saying a word. I feel like a freak or something because the women washing me didn't say anything to me either, but I did notice them staring at my wings a few times. I look at myself in the full length mirror on the wall opposite the door. I let my wings slowly extend out from my back, and look at them carefully. They're the same size and everything as before, but, instead of the cream feathers they used to have, they're a shimmering gold.
I stroke a soft wing before pulling them both back. An angel's wings actually fold very close to their body, and it's hard to even see them unless they're standing sideways. I turn sideways to see how they look from that angle. Still gold, and still not normal. I sigh and begin to untie my bathrobe to change. I pause to look at my tattoo in the mirror too. Instead of the eagle that's been there all my life, I see what elder Marlene called a phoenix. Quickly, I turn away from the mirror and sit on the floor with my head down. I haven't gotten used to the idea of being like the Great Mother yet.
"Isn't there anything left of me?" I whisper to myself.
"Of course, child."
I snap my head up, but there's no one in the room. "W-who's there?" I say, even though I can see there's no one else in the room.
"A friend," the voice answers. I'm getting a little wary of strange voices since the last one turned out to be the enemy of Elarium.
"Show yourself!" I demand. I feel exposed in just a bathrobe, but maybe if I sound confident, I'll be confident.
An odd smoke like substance begins to swirl up from the floor to form a spectral figure in front of me. I stand up to look at it face to face. The figure is female, and an angel like me. I start to feel a little better knowing she's not a shadow.
"Who are you?" I ask the figure.
"I have many names, but most call me the Great Mother," the figure replies.
I look at the ghostly figure in shock. This is the Great Mother Matrisus? She has long flowing hair that almost reaches the floor, and wears a shimmering dress. Her face is soft and kind, but also appears worried. She's not the way I imagined.
"Why are you...um...well..." I don't know how to phrase the question, so I gesture to her smoky looking body with my hands instead.
"Like a ghost?" she finishes for me.
"Um, yeah."
"After my battle with Kirkland I had to use my power to revive my companions," she explains. "In order to do so I had to give up my physical form, and only my conscious remains in Elarium. Sometimes I can manifest myself like this, but never for too long."
"That's right," I say as I remember the legend. "Wait, who's Kirkland?"
The Great Mother looks down. "Arthur Kirkland. The shadow that tried to consume Elarium all those years ago, and the same one that is threatening the land today."
"So the shadow figure I saw today was him?" I ask.
She nods. "Yes. That is why I chose a new group of champions to complete the same quest as I, to stop him once again."
"Why did you pick me?" I blurt out. "I...I don't know if I can do this."
"My dear Elizabeta," she says kindly. She reaches out a ghostly hand and places it on my cheek. "I cannot answer all of your questions now, but I can tell you this. You were born to play this role, but you are still a distinct and unique individual. You must have faith in your abilities, and the abilities of your companions. I will guide you when I can, but if you ever need help, look here." She moves her hand from my cheek and places it over my heart. I look down to see where she's indicating because I can't actually feel her hand.
"What do you mean?" I ask as I look up. The smoke that's forming her figure is slowing starting to dissipate.
"You will know...in time..." The Great Mother's voice fades out as the last of the smoke disappears.
I stare at the spot she once stood for a few moments before continuing to change. My life is never going to be the same, I think to myself as I slip out of the bathrobe. I dress as quickly as I can, then check in the mirror to make sure I look decent. They gave me a new tunic that's a lot sturdier than the one I was wearing. In fact, all of my new clothes, from the pants to the belt to the boots, feel sturdy and highly durable. I'm not sure if that's a good sign of what's to come or not.
I open the door to my room and peek out into the hall. Both rooms are still inside the large building where I met the other champions, but I have no idea where I am. The hallway is empty, so I swing the door open completely, and step out of the room. My eyes are immediately drawn to the large tapestry at the end of the hall. I walk toward it to get a closer look, and realize it's a depiction of the battle against the shadows. Against Kirkland.
My eyes focus on the one angel in the middle of the image. She has long hair and golden wings. That must be the Great Mother, even though the weaved figure doesn't look exactly like the real goddess. I look at the other figures and see two bears, two wolves, and an eagle all fighting shadows along side her. I wonder what it must have been like for them.
"I see you're ready to proceed."
I jump almost three feet into the air. "You scared me!" I say to the person behind me. It turns out to be elder Marlene with a slightly amused look on her face.
"Come with me dear. The other champions are getting their supplies."
I follow her as we walk silently through the large stone halls of the building. There are different tapestries and murals on the walls with images of various places in Elarium. Torches have been secured to the walls in between each image, and flicker as we walk past.
"What is this building exactly?" I ask.
"It was made in preparation of this day," she answers without turning around. "It houses anything the champions could possibly need for their quest. It's been long foretold that you would embark on this journey."
"Oh," I say to her last statement. I guess that's classified elder information because I never knew this was supposed to happen.
Elder Marlene stops at a large set of wooden double doors. "The others are already inside." She gestures with a hand for me to enter.
I push open the doors, and all eyes fall on me.
"Oh! Elizabeta!" Kiku exclaims in surprise.
"It's about time you showed up!" the one with the white hair yells. I think his name is Gilbert. "Pack up some gear!"
I walk to the nearest table that has only a large leather bag on it. I assume the others already grabbed theirs. I look around to see what kind of stuff they have for us to take on our trip. One section of the room is mostly food, and the Vargas twins are digging around in it. Another section is mostly clothes and different fabrics. The third is various random items that don't fit in the other two categories like pots, torches, medicine, and soap. Gilbert and Kiku are sorting through stuff there.
I'm about to join them when I see the tall blonde Bear, Ludwig, working on something at a table. He's busily writing something on a piece of yellowed parchment paper next to a candle. This makes me curious, so I go over to see what he's up to. I crane my neck around his broad shoulders to read what he's writing. It's a very organized list of supplies broken down into groups of six. Each group is labeled with the name of someone in our group.
"That's a pretty good system," I tell Ludwig. "We should use it. Everyone is just grabbing stuff left and right."
He gives me a sideways glance. "Do you think so?"
"Yes! It's efficient and practical. Just what we need on a journey like this."
He nods in agreement. "If only my brother thought so. He thinks my lists are a waste of time." A small, sad smile tugs at his lips.
I pick up the list and make my way to the center of the room. "Okay everyone, listen up! Ludwig's come up with a plan for what we should pack, so everyone empty your bags."
Everyone turns to look at me. Kiku and Feliciano begins unpacking their bags, but the other two look at me stubbornly.
"Why should we listen to you?" Lovino asks rather nastily. "Do you think you can boss us around now that you're supposed to be the Great Mother?"
"No," I say in shock. "I just thought Ludwig had a good idea. It makes sense to pack efficiently, and only what we really need."
"I-I agree with Elizabeta," Kiku says nervously. "It would be better-"
"Stay out of it pipsqueak," Gilbert growls.
Soon the room is full of yelling, accusations, and pointing fingers. I look around in dismay. This is the group I'm supposed to lead to save Elarium? They can't even cooperate long enough to pack.
"Everyone quiet!" I shout over the noise. It becomes silent as several angry eyes focus on me. "Look, I know this is weird for everyone, and none of you asked to be here. But the fate of everything we know hangs in the balance here. We need to do this, and if we're going to stand a chance at being successful we need to make sure we bring the right things."
"But-"
I harden my gaze and glare at Lovino. He closes his mouth without another word. "Please, just listen to what Ludwig has, and who knows? Maybe it'll make sense to you too." I give everyone one more pointed look. "Or we can do this the hard way."
No one opposes the idea anymore, so I hand Ludwig his paper back so he can explain.
"Well, the general idea is that we only take what we need," he explains. "I calculated how much food we'll need, and we can easily find more on the way. I've also made a list of supplies we'll definitely need to bring. Then I took all of that and split it into groups of six, with each group representing one of us. Some of us are carrying heavier things because we're stronger than others. That way we can maximize our rate of movement and not have anyone fall behind."
Everyone stares at the tall Bear.
"That's...actually pretty smart," Lovino mumbles. "Stupid Bear bastard...making me look like an idiot..."
"Wow West. Are your plans always this good?" Gilbert asks as he takes the paper out of Ludwig's hand.
I smile at my victory. Maybe this group can get along together after all.
The six of us pack everything according to Ludwig's plan. Ludwig, Gilbert, and Lovino are carrying small tents because they're the strongest in the group. The others, including me, are carrying more of the cooking equipment and extra clothes.
Elder Methuselah peeks his head inside around the time we're finishing up. "Ready to move on?" he asks in his frail voice.
He leads us to another part of the building, and stops at a small wooden door. It pushes open easily, and reveals a large room full of scrolls and books of all kinds.
"This is the record room. Here you may find some helpful reference materials," Methuselah explains as he walks back out into the hall. He closes the door softly behind him.
All of us simultaneously look at Ludwig. He stares back at us before becoming flustered.
"W-why are you all staring me?"
"Well, we're waiting to hear your plan for this," I explain. "Obviously you're the best one for this kind of thing."
He nods thoughtfully. After a few moments of deep though, he walks to a shelf full of scrolls and begins digging around. "We'll need several maps. One of Elarium, one of the Bears' land, one of the Wolves' land, and one of the Eagles' land."
Lovino and Kiku begin to search for the requested items.
"We also need rolls of blank paper," Ludwig instructs Feliciano. The energetic Wolf bounces away to find some. "Here," Ludwig says as he hands me a scroll. "I thought you might want this."
"What is it?" I ask curiously. I unfurl a section of it to get a better look.
"It's a copy of the prophecy," he explains. "It might be useful."
"Thank you," I say as I look up from the scroll. Ludwig is a pretty thoughtful guy. I slip the scroll into my brown leather pack.
Lovino, Kiku, and Feliciano all return, with scrolls clutched in their hands, at the same time. We find space for them in Kiku's pack. Elder Gavin appears in the doorway as soon as we're finished in the record room. How do they know just when to appear? He leads us to another section of the building we haven't been in yet. We stop at a set of large double doors that have iron trim, and big iron rings on the front.
"This is the armory," Gavin tells us as he pulls the heavy doors open. "You can stock up on all sorts of weapons here. Enjoy."
"Enjoy?" I murmur to myself. Men and their weapons.
He wasn't kidding about the "all sorts of weapons" part. There's practically anything I could imagine stocked on the shelves and walls of the room. Swords, rapiers, and cutlasses fill a large shelf to the left. The far wall is covered in all sorts of maces, axes, spears, javelins, and war hammers. Small weapons, close combat weapons, and throwing weapons are on a small shelf on the right, and next to that is a shelf full of archery equipment. There are also several tables in the center of the room that contain other odd weapons, or extra weapons that don't fit on their respective shelves.
The Wolf twins head straight for the swords, and the other brothers go for the large selection of axes. I shudder when I think about what they could do with those weapons. We've all been trained in handling weapons since we were young, but it's never been something I was particularly fond of.
"I think I'm going to look at bows," Kiku tells me.
I watch him walk away before looking around for anything I want to carry. I've never been good with large or heavy weapons, so I avoid those. I browse through the shelf with smaller weapons on them, and realize they have a lot of stuff I've never seen before. There are small blades or poisonous darts I can hide in my feathers that can be flung at enemies with one powerful stroke of my wings. At least, that's what the instructions on a small piece of paper say I should do with them. I don't think I'll use those.
I move on to a large collection of small knives next to some throwing stars. I pick up a couple and judge their weight. I'm actually pretty good with a knife, and can wield or throw one with skill. I find a sleek pair of throwing knives that I like, and look around for something to aim for. Gilbert is standing next to a large wooden shield that would make an excellent target. I pull my arm back, and throw the knife across the room. It imbeds itself, blade first, into the shield, only a hair's breadth from Gilbert's nose.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" he yells as I come to retrieve the knife. "Are you trying to hit me?"
"Obviously not since I hit the shield," I reply. I pry the knife out of the wood and give it a good look. Not a scratch. "If I was aiming for you, I would've hit you."
"I guess you're right," Gilbert mumbles. He fixes his striking red eyes on me. "You're actually pretty good."
"Thanks," I say with a smile. "I think I'll hold onto these." I slip a knife into each of my boots.
Gilbert watches me walk back to the knives with an odd expression on his face. I don't dwell on it because another knife catches my eye. This one has a sheath with it, and I carefully pull it out. It's a beautiful silver knife with a blade as long as my hand. I grip the handle comfortably, and give the air a few good slashes. Satisfied, I sheath the blade and strap it to my belt.
Nothing else appeals to me, so I wait for everyone else to finish selecting their weapons. Feliciano and Lovino have both settled on a steel sword each, which is a common weapon for a Wolf, and Lovino also has a set of knives strapped to his thighs. Gilbert and Ludwig have decided to carry axes, which is a traditional weapon for Bears. Ludwig has a large, double edged axe, that takes two hands to wield, strapped under his pack. Gilbert has two, single edged axes sheathed around his waist.
The last one to get weapons is Kiku. He has a sleek, dark wood bow, and quiver full of arrows, attached to either side of his pack. I know he's an amazing shot, so I feel confident with his choice. He's currently looking at some of the odd weapons on the tables. Something catches his eye because he moves to a different table and picks something up. We watch him unsheathe a slender katana, and hold it up to the candle light coming from a few large chandeliers.
"Wow Kiku...do you know how to use that?" I ask him.
"Yes, I think so," he answers with a nod. "I've never seen one so well crafted before." He slides the beautiful sword back in its sheath, and ties it around his waist.
"All ready?" elder Selene asks from the doorway. No one noticed her enter.
"As ready as we'll ever be," I say on behalf of the group.
"This is for you as well," the elder says as she hands me an odd looking spear.
I recognize the strange designs from the Great Mother's spear, but this one is much shorter. Otherwise it has the same wooden shaft, bone spearhead, and odd carvings.
"What is this? It looks like the spear I had." I look at Selene for clarification.
"It is the spear," she says with a small grin. "It extends at the will of the Great Mother. Perhaps you'll be able to bring out its final form as well."
I look down at the short spear in my hands, and scrunch my eyebrows together. How am I supposed to do that? A memory flashes across my mind of making the spear extend by holding it out and sliding one hand down the shaft. I look around in surprise. Is the Great Mother helping me like she said she would?
There can be nothing to lose from trying, so I hold the spear a little ways away from me. I can feel energy pulsing through the weapon. I slide my hand down the shaft, and the spear lengthens as if by magic.
"How did you do that Elizabeta?" Feliciano asks me with wide, excited eyes.
"I don't know," I admit. "I just kind of...did." I slide my hand back the other way, and the spear shrinks in size. Now it's back to the perfect size to strap on the top of my pack.
The other three elders appear from around the corner, and join elder Selene. They carry different color cloaks, which they hand out to us. The Bears get burnt red cloaks, the Wolves get forest green cloaks, and Kiku gets dark cerulean cloak. Mine appears gray at first, but is actually a dull silver color. We pull our wings in tighter as we put our cloaks on over our packs.
"Your journey will not be easy," elder Methuselah cautions. "You must remain vigilant!" He coughs a few times after giving his warning.
"The shadow will not rest until you defeat it. You must not let it win," elder Selene says sternly.
"Be strong. Remember your lineage, and your training," elder Gavin advises.
"And above all," elder Marlene adds, "have faith in each other and the goddesses. They will watch over you as you watch over one another." She looks at each of us in turn. "Good luck my dears. We will hope and pray for your safety."
We salute the elders in thanks, and in turn they return the gesture.
"MarryAnn will show you out," Selene says. She gestures to a young girl that I recognize as the girl that brought me my clothes. The girl bows. "Good luck to you all," the elder says kindly.
The six of us turn away from the four elders, and follow the girl through the large building, unsure of what we're about to set out to do.