Chapter Four: A Call to Destiny
Late that night, Tecna was woken abruptly by yet another mental message. Her eyes shot open as she turned to see her younger sister sprawled beside her on the huge bed. Then, the sound began again, causing Tecna to grumble irritably.
"Not again." She mumbled under her breath before getting off the bed entirely and slipping out into the hallway. The sound continued, getting louder and louder in her mind.
"I wish this would just go away!" Tecna tried not to shout over the noise, lest she wake up her sister, or even Timmy. He had to be concerned about her, and she was not ready to tell him the truth if she couldn't tell Elyssa, "All I want is to be left alone with my family! I don't want anything to call to me! I don't want to be anyone special because I have powers, they've already caused me enough trouble!" After this, she froze outside of the window. Instead of fighting the message she was being given, she realized it was futile to resist. The mental sound would only continue to harass her until she decoded its meaning.
"Wait," She paused as she began to listen closely to the sound, and it started to dull into a voice.
"Electricity… key… freedom." It hummed, repeating the three word within the high frequency sound.
"What does that mean?" Tecna tried to ask, hoping to get a response, "Wait…, electricity? My powers, what about them?"
"Sound… light… fire… nature… waves." The message changed, still encrypted in the hum of the mental sound. The five words continue to repeat themselves as Tecna tried to decipher the meaning. Then it hit her.
"Those are the powers of the fairies lost to the Enchanted Forest in Magix. I remember my father's story." Once Tecna had figured out what the message was telling her, she became more and more intrigued, and began to ponder the possibilities of what would happen.
"I don't belong here." She confessed out loud, "A loyal position is no place for someone with magic powers, especially those so intricately linked to emotions. Zenith's people won't rely on someone whose emotions can corrupt their judgment. And then… if my powers are connected to my emotions… I could accidentally hurt someone again. I don't want that either. Perhaps this message is saying there is something greater for me out there. A place where my powers can't hurt anyone, and I can use them more." It was at that moment that Tecna did want to follow this literal call to adventure if there was more to her life than this.
"Come… come!" The voice was now like a cry, and by now Tecna had wondered outside to the palace courtyard. The cry pierced into Tecna's mind as she too cried out in unison with it. It was an unbearable pain that was the beginning of a great attack on Zenith.
The ground began to shake underneath her feet, and instantly awoke the other occupants of the castle. Elyssa burst through the doors of Tecna's bedroom balcony to be slammed back with deafening sound waves. Tecna ran out to the city to watch as a blazing fire emerged from the outskirts of the kingdom. The lights of the holographic projector screens of Zenith's billboards and store fronts burst and exploded from too much wattage. And on the opposite end of the city, a great flood was rising.
"Sound, fire, light, waves." Tecna pondered with a horrified gasp, "What about nature? I have to evacuate my people." So, she sent a signal flare of her magic up into the sky so that even the citizens in the furthest reaches of Zenith city could be warned. Numerous families began rushing from their homes as Tecna used Timmy's Wind Rider to patrol the streets in order to ensure everyone's safety.
Elyssa, Timmy, Digit and Chicko, meanwhile, had safely made it out of the castle. They were well aware that Zenith was in trouble and did their best to make sure everyone in the kingdom was accounted for. One everyone they could find was safely out of the city, Timmy and Elyssa had begun handing out supplies to the citizens. Long moments had passed, and Timmy began to worry about where his beloved was.
"Tecna, has anyone seen Tecna?" He asked, voice nearly breathless at the possibility of Tecna going missing.
"I'm right here, Timmy!" Tecna called out seconds later as she drove up on his Wind Rider with the people she had gathered following close behind, "And don't worry, I didn't get a dent on your Wind Rider." She jumped off and instantly ran to him, only for Timmy to embrace her tightly in his arms.
"I couldn't care less about the Wind Rider," He told her, suddenly reminded of how he'd lost it on Elyssa for damaging his original one when they first met, "I just care that you're safe." Then, he kissed her quickly before he, Tecna and Elyssa continued tending to the people of Zenith.
"Is everyone accounted for?" Tecna asked Timmy and Elyssa as she took note of passing families as they received their supplies.
"Yes, Tecna, everyone's accounted for and nobody's been harmed." Timmy assured her.
"Good."
"So, what exactly happened here?" Elyssa interjected, "Last thing I remember, we had fallen asleep and the next thing I know, the whole palace is shaking and Zenith is being destroyed by some kind of magic attack."
"Elyssa, I… need to confess something." Tecna said with a deep, guilt ridden sigh, "The reason I'm no afraid to mess everything up, the reason I've been so distant…, the reason I had a headache earlier tonight is… I've been receiving mental messages that only I can hear."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Elyssa asked in utter astonishment, "You know I would always listen, always."
"I didn't want you or Timmy to worry." Tecna admitted, "Especially Timmy, you know how he gets."
"Tecna, when we stopped the electric storm, we made a promise that you'll never be alone again."
"I know. And I know this sounds completely illogical." Tecna said, "A sound at a frequency that only I can hear in my brain that only I have the ability to decode. And what I heard… I think the trapped fairies of Magix' Enchanted Forest are trying to reach out to me."
"Magix' Enchanted Forest, the same forest Dad told us about when we were younger?" Elyssa queried.
"Yes," the queen of Zenith answered softly, "I have a feeling they need me. I don't know how, but my electricity powers could be the key to their freedom. Just trust me, Elyssa, something within me is telling me this, and I believe it no matter how entirely illogical it may seem."
"Tecna, your powers are the embodiment of why you were not meant to follow the path of logic alone." Elyssa assured her, "And so, I will trust you with this endeavor." Then, the two sisters shared in a tight hug, but it was suddenly interrupted by a blinding light. The light emerged from a distance and came closer to the crowd of people. It grew brighter as it got closer, and the citizens of Zenith gasped in awe as it slowly approached Tecna and Elyssa.
"The Council of Elders." Timmy breathed, knowing all too well what the light represented. Just as Timmy had predicted, the light died down to reveal the owl, the mermaid, the centaur and Arcadia, the first fairy of the Magical Dimension.
"We have waited a long time for this moment," The owl was the first to speak, "but only Time can determine when we are ready."
"We hope you are prepared for the journey you wish to take, Queen Tecna." The mermaid added.
"What do the trapped fairies want with Tecna, what is it about her powers that make her the one they're calling to?" Elyssa inquired.
"Ever since the fairies of all the realms gathered for the visit of the royal family of Zenith in Magix, the day the curse consumed the Enchanted Forest and sealed them there, a prophecy was foretold. A fairy of Zenith is to save the Magic Dimension, bringing peace and understanding, unity to all the realms. And that would free the fairies and allow them to return to their homes. But if this act is not achieved in time, the Magical Dimension will be no more." Arcadia explained.
"What do you mean?" Tecna asked with complete horror.
"That will only be reveal when Time says so." The centaur told her, "but when one cannot see the future, they can only do what is needed in that moment. The tiniest act will propel you forward. This piece of advice will serve you well on your journey."
"Well, I say what is needed this very moment is for me to go to Magix and figure out where these mental messages are coming from." Tecna declared, "Timmy, I'm going to need your Wind Rider!"
"No way," Timmy protested with unmeasurable concern in his voice, "I'm not letting you go into the Magical Dimension alone; I'm coming with you!"
"So am I!" Elyssa agreed.
"Elyssa, I have my magic, that's what is needed." Tecna insisted, "The powers that be want nothing from you, only me."
"Remember that I crossed an electrical storm to find you, climbed Databridge Mountain, survived almost being turned into metal and helped save you and Zenith from Avalon, and I did that with no magic of my own. So, I'm coming, case closed." Elyssa insisted.
"Fine." Tecna grumbled before letting out a deep sigh.
"And there's no way I'm letting you go out into the Magical Dimension without me." Timmy repeated his statement from earlier, "And besides, you'll need the Owl to get there, and I'm driving."
"And we will maintain your citizen's care in your absence." Arcadia assured them, "For this is a mission of great urgency."
"No one is to return to their homes until at least one of us gets back." Elyssa pressed.
"Yes, Princess Elyssa." The owl promised her.
"I must address my people, so that they are aware of what is going to happen." Tecna said, "They must be ensured of their safety and security." And so, she and Timmy departed, leaving Elyssa and Digit, who had been silent in awe of everything that had just occurred, with the Council of Elders.
"Princess Elyssa." Arcadia spoke, "I fear for your sister. We've had been concerned that Tecna's magic was too great to be restrained within Zenith. But now we must hope that they are enough for the Magical Dimension."
"Nothing is going to hurt her." At that moment, Elyssa made a vow to herself that she would protect her older sister, no matter the cost.