1.1 Chapter 4 - The Faerie Oracle
Keiichi stirred in his sleep, now caught between complete consciousness and slumber. All around him he heard hushed chattering. It was like a horde of bees, all their words coming together to make one collective buzz. This annoyed Keiichi greatly and he opened his eyes quite suddenly to see what all this was. When he opened his eyes he didn't find the normal things his eyes were used to seeing when awaking: Keiichi's room and the sliding door and possibly the shadows of people passing by his room. First of all he wasn't in his bed, he was lying in, of all things, a cloud. Only he wasn't in the air, in fact he was firmly rooted to the ground, but still lying there on the pearly white mass of cloud. Nothing else familiar was there either, but instead a sea of emerald hills and mossy rocks, in the distance a range of beautiful mountains, completely grassy like the surrounding topography. The absolute green made him squint and it wasn't for about a minute after waking up that he realized all the buzz of conversation had stopped. He looked about him to find many women dressed similarly to Sirona, Belldandy, Skuld, and Urd. There were also men, who were shorter than the lanky women. They wore tattered pants and shirts that looked like they may be made of the same moss that covered all the rocks.
They were all staring at Keiichi as if he had awoken from a very long coma, which, Keiichi thought, could very well be true. He was aware of where he must be, as Sirona's visit came to mind, but that didn't help very much in getting used to it. He propped himself up, finally realizing how comfortable the bed cloud really was. Resisting the urge to lay back down, he stood up and the cloud disappeared behind him. He was completely surrounded by these strange, winged people as they continued to gawk at him. He saw they were parting in one area and Belldandy, Skuld, Urd, and Megumi came running toward him. Belldandy and Megumi immediately tackled him in a huge hug as Urd and Skuld smiled greatly at the three.
"Wh-what happened?" Keiichi asked.
"Well, when I came through the portal I fell onto this cloud thing and Sirona was there," Megumi explained. "You came out a few seconds after me but missed the cloud. It was funny until you didn't wake up. Sirona said we better take you to the village so that's what we did. You've been out for a few hours now."
Belldandy was now crying. Keiichi took his hand and brushed a stray hair out of her face. She smiled at him. Keiichi barely noticed that she was also different from what he was used to, but she still looked as beautiful as ever.
"Oh Keiichi," she began, tears silently streaming down her face. "I'm so glad you're hear but." but she didn't finish.
A wild-looking, tall, and burly (at least compared to the other diminutive males) man with silver wings and pants and mossy shirt to match had come into the circle. He also had a silvery beard and a mess of shiny hair that came past his shoulders. The crowd was hushed once again. Belldandy and Megumi got up and joined Urd and Skuld near the rest of the crowd. This left Keiichi and the large male Faerie alone in the circle.
"Welcome Keiichi," the man said in a jovial voice that didn't quite seem to fit him. "I am Belfar, the Faerie King."
Keiichi merely nodded, not knowing what to say.
"You and your sister Megumi have been called here to help the Fae against the Elves," Belfar continued, his voice booming.
"Who c-called me here?" Keiichi stuttered.
"The Faerie Oracle," he answered.
"How can Megumi and me help? We're not from here," Keiichi was slowly regaining himself. This Belfar was surprisingly easy to talk to.
"I think it might be time for you to see the Faerie Oracle. We have all been waiting for you to wake up so you and Megumi can finally know," Belfar explicated.
Keiichi nodded again. Belfar began to walk away and Keiichi followed. Megumi, Urd, Skuld, and Belldandy joined him and the procession walked through the open space the other Faeries had left. They walked, passing many rocks and hills that Keiichi now noticed had holes that went below the ground and were most likely homes. They continued forward but the walk ended up being rather short. They came to one of the bigger mounds and stopped. This mound was slightly taller than Keiichi and had quite a circumference.
Belfar tapped the mound three times and an opening appeared. He walked in and the others followed silently. Inside was a large fire in the middle, which illuminated much of the room, which seemed bare. Out of the shadows came a wizened old female Faerie wearing a faded indigo dress with tattered wings to match. She was hunched over, supporting herself on a large wooden scepter that had a circle with brilliant purple crystal in the center.
"I've been expecting you," she said in a soft voice.
She motioned for Keiichi and Megumi to come toward the fire. Belfar, Skuld, Belldandy, and Urd retreated to the shadows. Megumi and Keiichi sat themselves in front of the large fire while the old Faerie remained standing, well as close as she could get to standing at least.
"I am the Faerie Oracle Malaya," she said, looking at them both intensely. "I have sent for you from your world."
"Why?" Megumi piped up. Keiichi was surprised she would, after seeing how scared she was when Sirona had appeared. But, then again, she had been awake a lot longer than he had, so she might already be used to everything.
Malaya considered her for a moment. "There is something in the both of you that I feel. Something great. All this.it is your destiny."
"How can it be our destiny?" Keiichi asked, he himself gaining some courage. "We're not even from here."
"It makes no difference where you were born," Malay said harshly. "At one time your world and our world were one. It was the humans' fault that it didn't remain that way. They became less and less aware of what was just beyond their physical sight and soon it became what it is today."
"I still don't understand how we're involved," Keiichi said.
"It is your destiny," Malaya said matter-of-factly.
Keiichi was becoming slightly frustrated. "What do you mean?"
"It will all unfold in time," Malaya said. "You will know the answers when you need to."
Keiichi was almost angry, but the fumes wafting from the fire were soothing and soon he had no anger, just contentment.
"What now?" Megumi asked, looking much more aware then Keiichi felt.
"Now you and your brother, along with Belldandy, Skuld, and Urd, will go and visit with the Kings of the other Fae species and get them on the side of the Faeries before the Elves get to them," Malaya explained.
Belfar stepped forward. "You will leave tomorrow. It will be a long journey and a dangerous one," he informed, looking much older in the firelight.
Belldandy, Skuld, and Urd stepped into the light as well. They nodded and Keiichi and Megumi followed suit. Suddenly Keiichi didn't feel scared or confused. He felt like he had a purpose, and he would fulfill that purpose. He would fulfill his destiny, no matter if he had absolutely no idea how to go about it. All he knew was he was on an adventure and in his heart, he knew that he was always meant to go on it.
Keiichi stirred in his sleep, now caught between complete consciousness and slumber. All around him he heard hushed chattering. It was like a horde of bees, all their words coming together to make one collective buzz. This annoyed Keiichi greatly and he opened his eyes quite suddenly to see what all this was. When he opened his eyes he didn't find the normal things his eyes were used to seeing when awaking: Keiichi's room and the sliding door and possibly the shadows of people passing by his room. First of all he wasn't in his bed, he was lying in, of all things, a cloud. Only he wasn't in the air, in fact he was firmly rooted to the ground, but still lying there on the pearly white mass of cloud. Nothing else familiar was there either, but instead a sea of emerald hills and mossy rocks, in the distance a range of beautiful mountains, completely grassy like the surrounding topography. The absolute green made him squint and it wasn't for about a minute after waking up that he realized all the buzz of conversation had stopped. He looked about him to find many women dressed similarly to Sirona, Belldandy, Skuld, and Urd. There were also men, who were shorter than the lanky women. They wore tattered pants and shirts that looked like they may be made of the same moss that covered all the rocks.
They were all staring at Keiichi as if he had awoken from a very long coma, which, Keiichi thought, could very well be true. He was aware of where he must be, as Sirona's visit came to mind, but that didn't help very much in getting used to it. He propped himself up, finally realizing how comfortable the bed cloud really was. Resisting the urge to lay back down, he stood up and the cloud disappeared behind him. He was completely surrounded by these strange, winged people as they continued to gawk at him. He saw they were parting in one area and Belldandy, Skuld, Urd, and Megumi came running toward him. Belldandy and Megumi immediately tackled him in a huge hug as Urd and Skuld smiled greatly at the three.
"Wh-what happened?" Keiichi asked.
"Well, when I came through the portal I fell onto this cloud thing and Sirona was there," Megumi explained. "You came out a few seconds after me but missed the cloud. It was funny until you didn't wake up. Sirona said we better take you to the village so that's what we did. You've been out for a few hours now."
Belldandy was now crying. Keiichi took his hand and brushed a stray hair out of her face. She smiled at him. Keiichi barely noticed that she was also different from what he was used to, but she still looked as beautiful as ever.
"Oh Keiichi," she began, tears silently streaming down her face. "I'm so glad you're hear but." but she didn't finish.
A wild-looking, tall, and burly (at least compared to the other diminutive males) man with silver wings and pants and mossy shirt to match had come into the circle. He also had a silvery beard and a mess of shiny hair that came past his shoulders. The crowd was hushed once again. Belldandy and Megumi got up and joined Urd and Skuld near the rest of the crowd. This left Keiichi and the large male Faerie alone in the circle.
"Welcome Keiichi," the man said in a jovial voice that didn't quite seem to fit him. "I am Belfar, the Faerie King."
Keiichi merely nodded, not knowing what to say.
"You and your sister Megumi have been called here to help the Fae against the Elves," Belfar continued, his voice booming.
"Who c-called me here?" Keiichi stuttered.
"The Faerie Oracle," he answered.
"How can Megumi and me help? We're not from here," Keiichi was slowly regaining himself. This Belfar was surprisingly easy to talk to.
"I think it might be time for you to see the Faerie Oracle. We have all been waiting for you to wake up so you and Megumi can finally know," Belfar explicated.
Keiichi nodded again. Belfar began to walk away and Keiichi followed. Megumi, Urd, Skuld, and Belldandy joined him and the procession walked through the open space the other Faeries had left. They walked, passing many rocks and hills that Keiichi now noticed had holes that went below the ground and were most likely homes. They continued forward but the walk ended up being rather short. They came to one of the bigger mounds and stopped. This mound was slightly taller than Keiichi and had quite a circumference.
Belfar tapped the mound three times and an opening appeared. He walked in and the others followed silently. Inside was a large fire in the middle, which illuminated much of the room, which seemed bare. Out of the shadows came a wizened old female Faerie wearing a faded indigo dress with tattered wings to match. She was hunched over, supporting herself on a large wooden scepter that had a circle with brilliant purple crystal in the center.
"I've been expecting you," she said in a soft voice.
She motioned for Keiichi and Megumi to come toward the fire. Belfar, Skuld, Belldandy, and Urd retreated to the shadows. Megumi and Keiichi sat themselves in front of the large fire while the old Faerie remained standing, well as close as she could get to standing at least.
"I am the Faerie Oracle Malaya," she said, looking at them both intensely. "I have sent for you from your world."
"Why?" Megumi piped up. Keiichi was surprised she would, after seeing how scared she was when Sirona had appeared. But, then again, she had been awake a lot longer than he had, so she might already be used to everything.
Malaya considered her for a moment. "There is something in the both of you that I feel. Something great. All this.it is your destiny."
"How can it be our destiny?" Keiichi asked, he himself gaining some courage. "We're not even from here."
"It makes no difference where you were born," Malay said harshly. "At one time your world and our world were one. It was the humans' fault that it didn't remain that way. They became less and less aware of what was just beyond their physical sight and soon it became what it is today."
"I still don't understand how we're involved," Keiichi said.
"It is your destiny," Malaya said matter-of-factly.
Keiichi was becoming slightly frustrated. "What do you mean?"
"It will all unfold in time," Malaya said. "You will know the answers when you need to."
Keiichi was almost angry, but the fumes wafting from the fire were soothing and soon he had no anger, just contentment.
"What now?" Megumi asked, looking much more aware then Keiichi felt.
"Now you and your brother, along with Belldandy, Skuld, and Urd, will go and visit with the Kings of the other Fae species and get them on the side of the Faeries before the Elves get to them," Malaya explained.
Belfar stepped forward. "You will leave tomorrow. It will be a long journey and a dangerous one," he informed, looking much older in the firelight.
Belldandy, Skuld, and Urd stepped into the light as well. They nodded and Keiichi and Megumi followed suit. Suddenly Keiichi didn't feel scared or confused. He felt like he had a purpose, and he would fulfill that purpose. He would fulfill his destiny, no matter if he had absolutely no idea how to go about it. All he knew was he was on an adventure and in his heart, he knew that he was always meant to go on it.