Elements' Mourning

Spirit trembled, then broke out into wracking sobs. Auraria knelt and put comforting arms around the her. Fyora watched the the broken hearted Lupe for a moment then she turned and gazed out across the great expanse of water.

"Here me, oh dark souled one," she murmured, placing a hand over her heart. "I judged you wrongly from the first. I have acted on what I believed would do the world good. Instead, I have done evil. Cast an innocent Neopet into a fate he should not have had to bear." The Faerie Queen sank to her knees. "ScinanDarkShine, forgive me." Tears started in the Queen's eyes and ran in silver streams down her creamy, flawless, cheeks.

Fuhnah came forward, her own eyes bright with tears. And raised her hands, in a cup shape in front of her. "Fire acknowledges you, dark mage, and fire weeps for you."

"So does earth," Lyana said holding out her own hands.

"And air," added Psellia, wiping her eyes.

"And water," Nereid called through tears.

Auraria looked at the sky, she unwound one of her arms from Spirit and raised it. "I, as light, acknowledge you and I weep for you. ScinanDarkShine," she lowered her hand, "darkness weeps for you too." She scrunched her eyes shut, pursing her lips, trying with all her might to prevent the sobs from escaping her.

Spirit pressed her face into the faerie's chest, crying silently now. Tears coming in increasing waves of salty bitterness. Auraria looked down at the Lupe, she laid a hand on Spirit's head. "Come," she murmured. "Let us take you home." The faerie stood with Spirit in her arms. Spreaing her newly given wings, she rose into the air. The other faeries followed in silence as they flew back toward Mystery Island.

Hryre, her pets, Aisa, and her family, were gathered outside the house by the time they landed. Auraria walked forward and let Spirit down. "Spirit! What? - " a flabbergasted Aisa stared at her Lupe's faerie guard. "Wh – what the blazes is going on?"

"Wh – where?" Hryre, looked slightly lost, "where's Scinan?"

The faeries looked away, unable to meet the owner's eyes and Spirit broke out in a fresh wave of tears. Fyora came forward, "ruinstar, that explanation lies with me. It is a long and sad tale, and the fault for his absence is mine." She paused for a moment, looking at her lavender slippered feet. "He must have been a wonderful friend to you."

Hryre went pale. "Must have been?" She shook slightly, the past tense Fyora had used hitting her like a physical blow. Aisa put a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Y – you mean," Maestitia asked in horror, "Sci's gone?"

"I'm afraid so," Fyora looked up with tears in her eyes. "I know I sound so heartless and uncaring. Ruinstar I am so sorry, it's all my fault, all mine. I didn't mean for it to happen, I swear it's not what I thought would happen!" The regal faerie completely broke down, choking and sobbing out the entire story.

Hryre felt faint, she sat down abruptly. Somehow, it all seemed unreal. He had been fine just a few hours ago, Scinan had been there, healthy and laughing. But now Fyora spoke of the powers of darkness, of the true elementals, the ones who held the pure elements within their bodies. The Faerie Queen spoke of a Neopia that was between existence and destruction. She spoke of how the confined power within Scinan had been what destroyed it and that that same power was what had mended everything.

Her pets came to her, Ealdor sat down next to his owner and wrapped his large red wings around her. Leoht and Maestitia hugged Hryre too. Aisa knelt, "Hry, I'm so sorry about this."

Hryre looked up, "why should you be? It's not your fault, I guess... this is the way it was meant to be. Even though it hurts so much, I should be happy for Sci, because he wanted me to be happy."

Spirit couldn't take anymore, she broke away and ran. Auraria watched for a moment then rose into the air to follow. The yellow lupe sat underneath a high berm of sand that had been carved out years and years of crashing waves. Spirit's ears twitched at the sound of light footsteps. Auraria's feet came into her line of vision and the light faerie sat down next to the Lupe. Seeming completely uncaring about getting wet, grimy, sand on her gold satin gown.

"I never thought a sunset could look so beautiful." The faerie murmured. The dying rays of the sun casting fiery shades on her long blond hair and reflecting in her eyes. "It's so easy to take such things for granted. Then, before you know what happened, it's gone. I don't think I'll ever take such subtle beauties of this world for granted again."

"A single blade of grass, a gentle breeze, a drop of rain, or cloud in the sky." Spirit whispered, "no one can ever know what a beautiful gift our world is."

"But we know don't we?" Auraria said, smiling, "and we'll protect it."

"Yes," Spirit agreed, "we will protect it. For Sci, I'll protect it."

Auraria was silent for a moment, then she opened her mouth and sang softly.

"Air, water, earth, and fire,

Grieve for one cursed twice.

The one who rose when time was dire,

And for life paid the greatest price."

Tears leaked from Spirit's eyes. "I did it Auraria, it was my song magic. It's my fault Sci's gone." She bowed her head, tears dripping onto the sand. "I did it, it's my fault."

Auraria wrapped her arms around the Lupe, trying to comfort her. "Oh Spirit no, it's not your fault. Scinan knew what he was doing. He knew that either way a life had to be lost. He didn't want to lose you. He protected you to the very end." She raised her head to look out at the ocean. "I wonder what will happen, now that the darkness is gone."

Spirit tore free of the faerie's arms. "No!" She shrieked, "he's not gone!

"Spirit, ScinanDarkShine is dead. You have to accept that."

"No! I won't accept it, I can't!" She dropped her head, voice dying to a grief filled whimper. "I can't accept it after we decided to always keep moving onward. I can't accept that he went onward to a place that I couldn't follow, that I was too scared to follow."

"I'm sorry Spirit," Auraria murmured, "but not even the greatest powers in this world would let you follow him this time. This time he has to go onward alone." Auraria paused, then drew in a deep breath. "If there is anyone you must fault for this Spirit, fault me."

"You?" Spirit asked, confused.

Auraria raised her left had and displayed the scar that ran diagonally across her palm. "You remember the verses don't you Spirit? 'A stone made by the blood of light, a betrayer of its kin.' The yellow gem embedded in the collar of Scinan's chains was the core of the binding spell that restrained him. That stone... was created by me."

"You?" Spirit said again, now confused and horrified.

Auraria lowered her hand. "I was not always a light faerie. To tell you the truth Spirit, I was born Jcanith MourningStar of the Dark Faerie Citadel. I am, was, the youngest daughter of Kyealla, known to Neopia as the Darkest Faerie." Spirit's mouth fell open in complete shock. "My mother's wishes were that I take over her rule of the Citadel and Jenumarra, the regent, was not very happy about that. She did not wish to give up her power as ruler, so she banished my sister and turned me into a gray faerie."

Auraria inspected her hands. "I stayed a gray faerie for a very long time. That's when Fyora and the Faerie Council found me. They promised they would give me a new name and a place in the Faerie Council if I swore to do this one task. I agreed, but when I discovered what the task was, I faltered. Even if I had lost all my powers I was still Jcanith MourningStar, in my heart I was still a dark faerie. What Fyora was asking me to do went against my code of honor as a dark faerie. But like I said, I had been a gray faerie for a long time, the Citadel had abandoned me. In the end I gave in and used my blood to bind Scinan's chains. That day I became a light faerie, I became Auraria BrightStar, but even now, even after our ordeal, I still bear the heart and mind of Jcanith MourningStar. I am still a traitor to my fellow dark faeries. Even though I look like a light faerie, I am still nothing more than a gray faerie who had once been a dark one."

"You – you're right," Spirit murmured, "you feel like darkness within a skin of light."

Auraria looked sharply at Spirit. "How would you know that?"

"Ah Aura, I'm surprised at you, I thought you would have figured it out by now." Said a voice behind them. Auraria and Spirit whirled around, it was him, he stood there, grinning like nothing had happened. "I had more faith in you Aura." ScinanDarkShine laughed, a sound that Spirit had thought she would never hear again.