"Are you sure this is it?"
Kyte nodded. "I think so. Mother said they're how you travel to the temple's most sacred spots."
"How do they work?"
"Uh, well..."
After following the path to the first spirit for a short while, Krystal and Kyte had found what appeared to be a dead end. After a moment of confusion and examination, the young princess had noticed and pointed out a circular, glowing altar in the center of the floor, identifying it as a gateway to the shrine.
"Have you used one before?" Krystal asked, bending down to study the yellow altar.
"N... no. Not really. I mean, Mother told us about them, but she didn't let us use them."
"Hmm." Krystal hesitantly put a hand on the shimmering platform. As her hand touched the glowing glass, she could feel an odd, powerful energy emanating from its core, causing her skin to tingle and her hair to stand on end.
"I suppose we could just try standing on it." She said. "It's likely not any more complicated than that."
Straightening up, she slowly stepped out onto the platform, foot over foot, bathing her blue fur with the gentle, yellow light. Standing with both feet on the glass, she waited for a moment to see if it would work. However, nothing seemed to happen immediately.
She frowned, looking down at her young companion. "I'm not sure what..."
"Oh, Krystal!" Kyte suddenly exclaimed. "Look!"
Krystal's eyes shot down to see small, yellow balls of light seeping from the platform like drops of water. Pulsing and swirling, they rose up around Krystal and shrouded her from view. When the lights eventually dissolved, the blue vixen had vanished from the spot she had stood.
"Wow," Kyte whispered. "That's so cool."
She glanced around the empty room, as though she expected her new friend to be hiding somewhere out of sight, before she set her eyes back onto the mystical device.
"Well, I guess it's my turn." She said to herself.
The princess waddled up to the platform, and with a small hop, jumped onto its glowing face. Stepping to the same spot that Krystal had stood, she turned and began to wait, to see if it would work for her the same way.
As before, nothing seemed to happen at first. However, when a moment passed, Kyte noticed the same drops of light begin to seep up from the transporter's depths. As the balls of shimmering beauty began to swirl around her the same way they had swirled around Krystal, Kyte began to feel a tad apprehensive.
What if this hurts? She wondered. What if it takes me to the wrong place? What if we can't get back?
Despite her fears, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, outspread her wings, and waited for the altar to activate.
And sure enough, the shimmering lights began to consume her, covering her like a blanket, and then seeping their way into her skin. From every spot that the lights touched, Kyte could feel a pleasant warmth, and an odd tingling sensation. The tingling began to intensify, almost to the point of pain, and Kyte began to hear a high pitched hum ringing in her ears.
And then, suddenly, it was gone. Kyte opened her eyes to see Krystal, looking at her with concern plastered on her face. Kyte tried to speak, and step forward, but instead stumbled off the altar and fell onto her face.
"Kyte?" Krystal asked urgently, and ran forward to help her young friend. At first, she was afraid that Kyte was crying, but as she helped her back up to her feet, she realized that the princess was giggling furiously.
"That," she laughed, "felt really weird."
Krystal smiled and laughed as well. "Yes. It did, didn't it?"
She waited for a moment until her young friend could regain control of herself. "Are you ready?" She asked.
Kyte nodded, still a large grin on her beak. "Yeah, I guess."
Krystal helped the young princess up onto her shoulder, before turning around and taking a look at where they had been taken.
Stretching out in front of them was another long hallway, lit by burning braziers, and supported by beautifully carved columns. Different from the other halls that they had traveled were the pictures and drawings painted and etched into the walls, depicting figures and creatures that Krystal didn't recognize, though she enjoyed observing them for a moment. Casting her eyes away from the drawings, she looked down to the end of the long hall to see a tall, thin doorway, that appeared to be closed off by a metal grate.
Probably another puzzle. She thought, starting to walk towards it. I doubt it will be too complicated, we'll be able to figure…
"Krystal! Look out!"
Before she could react, Krystal suddenly felt a burst of heat wash across her as an orange light filled her vision. Stumbling backwards in surprise, she fell back onto her rear, causing Kyte to fly off her shoulder and fall to the ground beside her.
Krystal blinked once, twice, and three times before her eyes adjusted to the glaring light, and she could see what it was.
A burning pillar of flame was spewing out of a small hole in the wall, and blocking their path. Krystal opened her mouth, about to let out a confused series of curses, when the stream of fire began to disappear, slowly drawing back into the wall.
"What… what was…"
Krystal suddenly heard her young friend let out a pained groan.
"Kyte?" She asked, turning around and seeing the CloudRunner lying on the ground, gently stroking the side of her head. "Oh no, are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I am. I hit my head, but I'm fine."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't…"
"No," She interrupted. "I should've warned you. I knew about those traps before, I just forgot about them."
Kyte pointed to the floor, to a small, round stone that jutted up slightly higher than the others making up the stone floor.
"They're fire traps." She explained. "You see them a lot in the palace, so you have to watch your step."
Krystal bent down to observe the trap. Now that she was looking at it closely, she could see a red emblem in the form of a burning ball of flame. She gently put her hand on the center, and putting a bit of pressure down, she pushed the stone into the floor. With a hiss and a roar, the pillar of flame shot out from the wall again, blocking their path until Krystal removed her hand, and it slowly withdrew once again.
"Alright," She said. "I'm glad I know what to look for now."
She stood up and motioned to the princess. "Let's get going."
"Okay." She said, and the two started down the long hall again, now carefully watching every step.
It didn't take long for the two to reach the end of the hall, and though they were both still wary of traps, they each breathed a sigh of relief as they came to the closed gate.
"Alright," Krystal said. "Let's figure out how to open this gate, and then we can take this 'test.'"
"Right."
The vixen and the princess studied the gate for a moment, before Kyte pointed out a lever on the wall just next to it. Krystal nodded, grasped the lever, and pulled it experimentally. However, rather than reveal another puzzle like they were expecting, both of them were surprised when the gate rose up into the ceiling.
"Wow." Kyte said, peering in. "I thought it would be harder than that."
Krystal frowned. "Maybe the Krazoa figured that whoever would be here would have solved enough puzzles already. Or…"
"What?"
"Well, maybe the spirit's test is much more difficult than anything else they could have imagined."
Kyte smiled. "Don't worry. I'm sure we can do it."
"I hope so."
The two stepped into the spirit's shrine, both scanning the huge room for the spirit itself. Other than a group of large urns pushed to the side, and a large statue of a masked Krazoa near the back, the shrine seemed oddly empty. Neither Krystal nor Kyte could see any means of activating the spirit's test.
"Is there a specific way to summon the spirit?" Krystal asked.
"Uh, I don't know. The EarthWalker didn't say anything about it, did he?"
"Well, how then do you suppose…"
Her words were cut short as her ears suddenly perked up, and she began scanning the shrine intently.
"Krystal?" Kyte asked. "What is it?"
"Did you hear that?"
"What?"
"A voice, I think."
She stepped forward. "Hello?" She called. "Is the spirit of the Krazoa present?"
Indeed.
Both Krystal and Kyte jumped in shock when they heard the strange and sudden voice reverberate through the hall. Their eyes drew towards the center of the shrine, where a shimmering, purple mist was gathering. The mist slowly condensed into the image of a robed, masked figure, who cast a purple light around where it stood.
I can see you have a pure heart. It said in a voice that seemed to be heard by the soul, rather than the body or mind. Why do you request my assistance?
Kyte seemed completely awestruck, with her beak hanging open as she tried to drink in every detail of the otherworldly being. Krystal meanwhile stepped forward, bowing respectfully.
"We've come because we were told that you and your brethren could help the people of this world stop the war that is plaguing them."
The spirit seemed to think for a moment, before it slowly shook its head. We cannot.
"What?" Kyte asked, stepping up in front of the spirit. "Why? The EarthWalker said you could!"
Ah, the young princess of the CloudRunners. I can see that your mother's love for your home has been passed to you. His head turned to gaze at Krystal. We are spirits of peace, not war, and we cannot control the free will of other beings. If they wish for peace, they must find it themselves.
Kyte looked positively downtrodden, as she lowered her head in mourning.
"There must be something you can do?" Krystal pleaded.
There is.
Kyte's head shot up. "What?"
You see, though it is the responsibility of you and your people to stop the war, we can help repair what has been broken.
"What do you mean?"
The SharpClaws' lust for power has caused much more damage to this world than anyone realizes. Through their shortsighted actions, the very ground upon which you stand is breaking apart, and very soon, they will have no world to rule. Every being who lives upon its soil will perish.
"You mean, this war is going to destroy the planet?"
The spirit nodded solemnly.
"Krystal," Kyte pleaded. "We have to stop this! We can't let that happen to my home!"
Do not despair. The spirit said. As I said, my brethren and I have the power to prevent this tragedy. However, it is your responsibility, otherworlder, to prevent it from happening once more.
Krystal nodded. "I will do whatever I need to."
Good. Take my test, prove you are worthy to be my vessel, and I will guide you further.
"What do I need to do?"
The spirit slowly floated high up into the air, before drifting to the far side of the room, above the statue bearing his likeness.
This will be a Test of Perception. You are only tasked with crossing my shrine, and touching the feet of this statue. Then, I will be yours. Do you understand?
She nodded. "I do."
You may stop whenever you wish, but I warn that you will only have a single chance to complete it.
"Don't worry!" Kyte said. "I'm sure Krystal can do it."
Krystal smiled and nodded at her young friend, before looking back up at the spirit. "I'm ready."
Then begin.
Krystal breathed a sigh, before taking a step forward. However, the second her foot touched the floor, her world suddenly exploded.
Every sense in her body turned against her. Her vision was warping, pounding, flipping around. Up was down, up was everywhere. She was on the walls, the ceiling, floating in the air, being crushed underneath the planet.
Every step was an explosion in her ears, and a thousand knives being pierced through her sandals. The fire in the braziers was casting its burning hatred, directly into her bones, and cooking her flesh. Had she fallen? Had she stood up? Was gravity even working anymore? She couldn't tell.
She could smell everything in the room, everything in the palace, everything outside of her body. Did she have a body? Yes. Her own blood was dripping through her veins, coursing with a steady beat. She could smell every drop. If it stopped, she would hear it, taste it.
Everything attacked her all at once. The walls, the light, the floor, the fire, her fur, the stone, the air, her clothes, her skin. Everything burned. Everything blinded. She was numb. She was everywhere and nowhere. She couldn't think.
Krystal!
What was she? Why did she exist? She was numb. Nothing was real; her body had been lying to her all her life.
Krystal, please! I know you can do it! Just walk forward!
Walk? What was it to walk? Could one truly expect to move themselves in the infinite depths of space and time? She could feel it. She could feel everything at once. She was overwhelmed. It wasn't possible. It was over. She couldn't exist anymore. It was never going to…
KRYSTAL!
It stopped. All at once, Krystal found herself at the foot of the statue, leaning against the cool stone with both hands. Realizing she needed air, she took in a deep breath, and let it out in confusion.
What happened? She thought in a daze. Where am I?
Slowly and unsteadily, she stood back up, rubbing her eyes and trying to regain her composure. Little by little, recent memories began to pop back up. The palace, the EarthWalkers, the spirit, the test.
The test, she thought. I… passed it?
"You did it!" A voice called from behind. Krystal turned to see Kyte dashing to the vixen and wrapping her wings around her leg in a hug. "I knew you could!"
Krystal, through her mental haze, smiled and looked down at her young friend in gratitude. "I… I did, didn't I?"
Well done. The spirit said. You have proven that you can pass forward through trials, even when your senses betray you, and cause you pain. You are indeed worthy to bear me.
Krystal sighed and shook her head, still trying to regain her full cognition after the otherworldly experience, before looking up at the spirit. "And where do I take you once I do?"
There is a sacred shrine, at the very peak of the palace, in honor of the great Krazoa God. There you will release me, as well as my brethren, if you pass their tests as well. And I have little doubt that you will, otherworlder.
"I understand."
Good. Now come.
Krystal stepped towards the spirit, while Kyte quickly put a bit of distance between the two, while still keeping her eyes glued on them. The spirit slowly floated down to the same level as Krystal, until the two were face-to-face.
As smoothly as the sunset, the spirit began to lose its tangible form, until it was nothing more than a ball of purple mist. The mist began to swirl around Krystal, faster and faster, until it penetrated her chest, seeping into her body and lifting her high into the air. Krystal outspread her arms as she felt the spirit's presence flowing into every inch of her, and as it slowly carried her back to solid ground, she felt a strength, and a rejuvenation that she hadn't felt for a long while.
It is done. The spirit whispered in her body. Now you must take me to the shrine, and release me.
Krystal nodded, before turning to Kyte. "Are you ready?"
Kyte didn't respond, and she was staring at Krystal with an awed look on her face.
"Kyte? What is it?"
"Your eyes are purple!"
"What?" She asked, touching the skin beneath her eye socket. And sure enough, though she couldn't see it, the entirety of her eyes, from the pupils to the whites, were glowing the same luminous shade of purple that had enshrouded the spirit.
"That's amazing." Kyte whispered.
Krystal laughed. "Well, hopefully it isn't permanent. I'm rather attached to my own shade."
As the duo once again began their journey through the palace, Krystal found that bearing the spirit in her body seemed to have more benefits than she first realized. Any trace of fatigue, or general tiredness she had felt had all but disappeared, and she noticed that the cut on her arm, given to her by the Jugrath Birds, had completely healed; fur and all.
But more than that, she found herself to have been stimulated mentally as well. Journeying through the palace, she found that she had a much better sense of direction through its halls, as well as a keener eye for traps and puzzles. If she didn't know the stakes that had been placed on her, she would have been sad to have to give the spirit up.
But she did understand the stakes. She knew what was riding on her success, and she was going to do whatever it took to stop the destruction that was looming over Dinosaur Planet. She wouldn't let the same thing happen to Kyte's home as had happened to her own.
Kyte, she thought. That was something else that had been bothering her. Though she was finding it difficult to remember exactly what she had experienced during the test, she did remember hearing something. At first, she had believed it to be her own subconsciousness, urging her onward, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized this could not be true. As she thought about it, she realized there was only one explanation.
"So Kyte," She said as the two continued to walk through the halls, drawing closer to the sacred shrine. "What were you doing as I was taking my test?"
"Oh, uh…" She stuttered. "I was... just watching. I wanted to help, because it… uh, looked like you were in trouble. But, I knew you could do it, so I just watched."
"Oh really?" She said with a smile. "Is that all you did?"
"Well, yeah. What… what else could I do?"
"Because, when I was in the middle of the test, and I was almost tempted to give up, I heard something."
Kyte looked surprised, much more surprised than she probably should have looked. "Really? What?"
"A voice. A voice that urged me onward, and encouraged me. Your voice in fact."
"Oh, uh… that's weird."
"Indeed. I doubt I would have heard you if you had only been trying to speak to me. You must have done something else to communicate with me."
Kyte didn't respond, but her downcast eyes and the anxious worry on the forefront of her mind all but proved Krystal's suspicions.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a gift similar to my own."
"That's… that's silly…"
"Kyte," Krystal smiled softly. "You don't have to pretend anymore. I can feel your apprehension."
"I… what do you…" Kyte sighed, before deciding to come clean. "I'm sorry. I guess I should have told you."
"It's alright. I can understand being timid about it. Having a power like that can give people strange ideas about who you are."
"It's not just that. I…" She sighed. "Remember when I told you I don't think my brothers loved me?"
Krystal nodded.
"Well, this is why. I always could tell what they were thinking and how they were feeling and… it scared them. I was inside their heads, even when I tried not to be and I… I didn't want to be… but I couldn't stop it."
She sighed, and her eyes fell towards the ground. "They think I'm a freak."
"Kyte." Krystal stated, stopping and bending down to put her hands on the princess' shoulders. "You are not a freak. I know it can be hard to hold a power like this, but trust me when I say it is going to be a blessing in your life. You just have to learn how to use it."
Kyte looked as though she was deep in thought for just a moment, before turning back to Krystal and opening her beak. "C-can…"
She stopped and her eyes fell again, as though she had decided not to say what was on her mind.
"Kyte? What is it? You can tell me."
"I just, um…"
"Trust me."
The girl's eyes turned back up until they were looking into Krystal's. "Can you… t-teach, um…"
Krystal smiled, understanding what the girl was trying to ask. "Of course. I'll tell you everything I know."
"Thank you." Kyte whispered, before wrapping her wings around the vixen in an embrace. Krystal gladly returned the hug, and the two knelt happily for a moment on the cool stone.
That is, until they were interrupted by a sudden voice behind them.
"How touching…"
Krystal jumped in surprise and spun around. Her face switched from one of shock, to that of horror upon seeing the voice's owner.
"You…" was all she had time to say, before a blast of red energy enveloped her. She fell to the ground, unmoving, seemingly lifeless.
"Krystal!" Kyte cried. But before she could do anything, the same blast of red energy struck her, and she fell to the floor beside Krystal.
The last thing she heard as her mind slipped into darkness, was the cold, high voice whispering this;
"You're not supposed to be here yet. I've waited too long for you to ruin this…"
Everything went dark.
