Sofia smiles, breathing in the fresh autumn breeze. The air had a more crisp smell to it, likely from all the leaves that had been shaken off their branches. Gardeners move frantically on the lawns of the castle to rake as much of the leaves as they could, with many tending to the wilting flowers. Sofia loved autumn, not just because it meant her birthday was coming up, but also because of the beauty that came with the seasons change. The leaves, once full green, was transmuting into an array of colors, oranges, browns, reds, and yellows. It was like a rainbow had splashed on their trees.
It was incredibly rare to this moment of peace. Normally, she would spend it with her family, related and otherwise. It still surprised Sofia how much her family has grown. She remembers as a little girl it being just her and her mom for the longest time. Then her mother married her father, King Roland, and Sofia was given a new brother and sister, and their family grew from there. She went from being a commoner to a princess, to a story-teller, and now the protector of the EverRealm. How things can change so fast...
Cupping her amulet in her hand, Sofia smiles at its now pink tone. "Pretty amazing, huh?" The amulet's stone glistens under the bright sun as if agreeing. Of course, Sofia knew that her amulet can not communicate with her, however, it was nice to at least pretend that it could, given how much her life has changed thanks to the Amulet of Avalor. If it had not been for it, Sofia would not have ever accomplished anything that was before her now.
It scared her to think of how her life would have been if her dad had given her that ruby necklace instead. She would have never been able to talk to Clover, never gotten close to Amber or James. She would not have freed Elena from her prison. She may not have had Cedric as her friend...
"Are you alright, my dear?"
Speaking of Cedric. Sofia smiles turning around to face her friend, "Morning, Cedric." She notices the weaved basket tangling off his arm, "Are going out to gather supplies?"
"Hmm," He cocks his head and then looks at his basket, he chuckles a light blush to his cheeks, "Yes, I am. There are these rare flowers that only bloom in autumn around the area, and I learned recently that they are marvelous for potion brewing. Would you care to join me, Sofia?"
"I'd love too!" However, Sofia's enchantlet starts to beep, a call from Chrysta. "Hold on to that thought, Cedric." She answers the call, "Hi, Chrysta, is everything okay?"
Her mentor sighs aloud, "I have some news for you, Sofia. Is Cedric with you?"
"Yes, he's right here."
Cedric leans in and glares half-heartedly at the sassy fairy. He and Chrysta never much saw eye to eye, especially when it came to Sofia's wellbeing. Cedric did not like Sofia going on insane adventures that could likely get her killed, and Chrysta did not like the fact that Sofia associated herself with someone who had betrayed her and her family and had also been plotting to do so for a very long time.
"Good, listen, Sofia, I need you to bring him with you to the Mystic Isles. Orion is calling in every Protector throughout the EverRealm."
Sofia and Cedric's exchange worried looks. "What for, Chrysta?"
"Does Grimtrix ring any bells?"
Both partners freeze at the name, their eyes explode wide open. Cedric was the first to speak, his voice tight as he spoke through his teeth, "We'll be right there."
Persephone waited inside her room, as per Orion's request. She found herself respecting the wind walker just a little. He reminded her of her father, though he spoke more often than either of her parents. Outside, Persephone could hear several voices speaking quietly amongst one another from beyond her door.
Soon it opens, and a young woman with long and curly autumn-colored hair and bright blue eyes walks in with Chrysta, the fairy, beside her.
Persephone watches them both as Chrysta explains the situation:
"This is the girl I was telling you about, Sof."
"Grimtrix is after her because of her heart?"
"Yeah," the fairy shrugs, "I won't get into the gruesome details, but let's just say he's deadset on getting his immortality. We don't know how long exactly we have, but from the information the others had gathered, Orion thinks we have about two weeks to get Persephone home for her renewal."
This is that word again, 'renewal'. A renewing cycle, much like the actual phoenix bird, but so much different. Persephone does not know much about this cycle, but she can remember a time when her parents were discussing a special trip for Persephone's 1600th birthday. It was a special occasion, one of which, Persephone had been excited for. She knew that in Phoenix Shifters, the age of 1600 is the age of adulthood, not unlike 16 for humans, where human adolescence is bestowed with more freedom. Persephone would become a full-fledged adult, with brand new wings and the power to transform herself into a flaming bird just like her mother.
But no one had ever said anything about a renewing cycle.
Chrysta continues, "Grimtrix has an accomplice now, someone named Malchior. From what we've learned he's an ancient dragon trapped inside someone's spellbook. We think he knows more about Persephone than anyone else."
Sofia nods before looking at Persephone and offering the Phoenix Shifter a friendly smile while outstretching her hand, "Hello, I'm Sofia."
Persephone only glares, raising her wings a little to show dominance. Chrysta grabs Sofia's shoulder and pulls away, "I wouldn't do that, Sof. Persephone is a tough nut to crack. She bit Grimtrix's shoulder and nearly killed Simon."
Sofia's eyes explode wide open, "She what! Is Simon alright?"
"Yeah, Simon's fine, nothing that a little R&R can't fix, but you have to understand, this girl has been with us for months and the only person she sort of trusts is Orion, and even that's a little strained."
Persephone huffs and draws her wings closer, running her fingers through her feathers, noting the smoothness of her skin where the bald spots were. She whimpers at this, her precious wings, were getting worse. She remembers her mother's gorgeous wings, vibrant and full of feathers. Does this mean she will never get them?
"So Grimtrix is after her because of her heart?" The newcomer asks, casting a sympathetic look at Persephone. Persephone responds by raising her wing to hide, her feathers ruffle, with more falling out. "She's losing a lot of feathers..." The woman notes aloud. "Is that normal?"
"I think so," the fairy shrugs, "We're still trying to figure everything out with this girl. No one has seen a Phoenix Shifter in decades. Everyone thought they went extinct forever ago, all for the same reason Grimtrix is after her."
Persephone hated that name. She wishes they would stop reminding her of him, of her loss. She wants to bury her head in the ground and never hear a word again from them. Why were they talking as if she wasn't here?
"That's terrible." The girl says, "She's the last one."
"As far as we know, Sofia. Look, I'm not going to go out and say this is going to be easy. We don't know what's going on or what to do next. Orion is worried and so is everyone else. We can't let her die, not by whatever is killing her now, or by Grimtrix-"
She had enough. Persephone launched herself up, flaring her wings, "Shut up!" She screams, "I won't hear anymore!" Without waiting for a reply, she marches out, pushing past the two stunned girls, and heads outside for fresh air.
Sofia was the first to snap out of her shock, shaking her head and looking towards Chrysta. Her friend continues to stare at the door in which Persephone had left, gawking. "Chrysta, are you alright?"
Chrysta snaps out of her shock and turns to Sofia while pointing at the door, "That's the first time Persephone has ever talked."
Sofia's eyes widen, "She never spoke before."
"Never. I never thought I'd say this, but she's quieter than Simon the Silent."
Sofia looks to the door in worry, "We need to check on her." Chrysta winces, "Normally, I would agree with you, Sofia, but the last time someone tried to comfort Persephone she attacked him. And yesterday she tore out Grimtrix's shoulder with her bare teeth. If you're wanting to help her, you're going to need to be as cautious as possible. I know you're a tough girl, Sofia, that's why I thought you would be good for the job, but please be careful around her."
"I'll be fine," Sofia assures her and rushes out to find Persephone.
Angry tears sting Persephone's eyes, making them turn red with irritation. She feverishly wipes them, trying to hold strong, but feels as though the whole world is crashing down upon her. Her life, her family, her home; gone. She was dying and there was no way for her to survive. She hates how inevitable her situation is. That monster was right, her life is an hourglass glued to the table.
She sits down under an old oak tree, it's leaves falling like her feathers. Many of those leaves had already shifted their colors, going from green to yellow, orange, red, and brown. Thos colors reminded her of her parents' wings. Her mother brilliant and large, and her father a little smaller and had more of an orange and brown hue to them. She whimpers, drawing her knees to her chest, wrapping her wings around herself when a cold breeze flew by.
What was the point?
Now that she thought about it, what was the point in her survival? She was going to be alone regardless. People will die and if not now, then later. Even if she somehow survived this whole ordeal, she is still going to be alone. Humans, Wind-Walkers, Sorcerers, and the rest will pass on like her parents, leaving Persephone alone forever.
Her face burns, several tears slip out and fall to the ground. She squeezes herself close, sobbing quietly in her arms, desperately wishing she had her mother to comfort her. What would Persephone give to be in her mother's arms right now; to have her mother coo gently at her and stroke her hair as she often did when Persephone was a child. She wishes, her father was here too; wishes he would hug her and wrap his wings around them both, cuddling her close and assuring her that everything will be okay.
She hears someone approach, "Are you alright?" It was the red-haired sorcerer, the one who had saved her last night. Persephone peeks out at him, he stands close by, watching her worriedly. Persephone whimpers, feeling pathetic and weak, she raises her wings to cover herself, hiding her shame.
Simon does not move, instead, he steps closer. "It's alright," he starts, hand outstretched to comfort her. He quickly thinks better of it after the memory of her attack replays in his head. Letting his hand drop, he speaks a little louder, "Persephone, please don't cry."
She shakes her head and whispers, "Leave." That was the first time she has ever spoken to him, and the second time she's spoken in months. Simon blinks in surprise. He had not expected her to actually speak to him. He had come to believe that Persephone was mute, or maybe she didn't know their language.
He shakes his head, "No, I won't leave you alone. Please, tell me what's wrong."
"Leave." She whimpers again, curling tighter into herself. Simon bites his lip, his heart clenching at the brokenness of her voice. "Is that what you want?" He asks tenderly, "Do you really want me to leave you alone?"
She doesn't answer. Slowly, Simon sits himself down beside her, he sees that the bald patches in her wings have gotten bigger. The poor thing was losing more and more feathers, and soon she will have none left.
They sit in silence, with Simon watching Persephone and Persephone staying hidden behind her wings. Slowly, after several long minutes, she begins to fold her wings back half-way, the movements are slow and cautious, as if afraid that her actions will someone put her in danger. She glances at him, her tear-stained face, breaking Simon's heart. And the worse part was he could not say anything to make it better. He was not a social person and often enjoyed his privacy. Still, he would not go back on his promise to do good. He wanted to help Persephone, he wanted to show her that everything will be alright.
"I wish I can assure you that everything will be alright," he starts, looking at her soft face. He never noticed this before, but her eyes were a dark forest color that went on for miles and miles. Realizing he was staring, Simon snaps out of his thoughts and returns to what he was saying, his pale cheeks now sporting a light blush. "I-I can't promise you that everything will be alright. I can promise that you're not alone in this, Persephone. No matter what, everyone here, including myself, will do what we can to help you, but only if you let us." At this, he offers her his hand and smiles weakly. Persephone watches him, not saying a word.
'Follow me.'
Persephone's heart jumps at the whisper in the cool wind. She looks towards the skies above and sees the bands of lights again stretching out and moving forward in one direction.
'Hurry.'
"Persephone, what is it?" Simon asks, watching her watch the skies above. She blinks and looks back at him, cocking her head in confusion. Could he not see it? Persephone points to the sky, at the ribbons of colors that stretch onward far beyond what she could see.
Simon follows her hand but sees nothing out of the ordinary. His perplexed expression causes Persephone to furrow her thin brows. He cannot see it? "Lights." She says finally, and waves to the skies. "Colorful lights."
Simon looks at the skies again, and again he does not see it. "What lights, I don't see anything."
'Follow me.' Persephone winces as the voice rings deep inside her head, throwing a lasso around her heart and pulling her down the direction of where the lights were heading. She bites her lip, fighting the urge to follow the trail, last time she nearly got killed by Grimtrix. Who knows what kind of traps he has laid. She remembers how this human beside her risked his life and freed her before that monster could carve out her heart. She glances at Simon again, noting he was still staring at the sky, trying to see what only she can see. Her eyes travel down to his shoulders, where her claws had pierced his skin. Had he healed?
She lays her hand on his shoulder, her palm over the puncture wounds, "Sorry." She whispers, meaning it as well. Thinking back to it, she did overreact. After all, he is human and her kind is so rare, how was he supposed to know it had been an insult. In reality, Persephone had been wanting to bite someone, to hurt someone the same way Grimtrix had hurt her and took her rage out on Simon. It was not fair to him considering he had only wanted to help her, and even still was acting like a good friend to her, despite her actions.
Simon loos at Persephone and smiles, laying his hand atop of hers, "It's alright. I understand why you did it, Persephone. I apologize for putting you in such an uncomfortable position."
She shakes her head, "Heal." And then she rises to kneel in front of him. Carefully, she pulls his jacket open and gestures to his undershirt and vest. Simon blinks in surprise. Had she said to heal. So now they were using one word to communicate.
"Heal," Persephone repeats and plucks open the top button of his shirt. Simon's face floods with an apple blush. He chuckles, and gently pushes her away, "No, it's quite alright. You don't need to heal me, I'm fine."
But Persephone shakes her head and points to the areas she had hurt, "Heal." She looks at him determinedly.
Simon winces, sensing that she was not going to let up. "Ah, well, if-if you insist, but this is not necessarily appropriate Persephone."
She only blinks and cocks her head to the side.
Simon unbuttons the rest of his shirt and sheds off his jack and vest, pulling his shirt open, he shows her the scars she gave him. Persephone whimpers at the damage she had caused. She reaches out and caresses the area on his shoulders, the wounds had dried up into large scabs, the size of coins. There were five altogether, each from her own digits. Persephone cups her hands together and clenches her eyes shut. She thinks of her family, her parents' death, her situation as the last of her kind. Soon, tears fall from her eyes into her palms, wetting them.
When Simon saw Persephone start to cry, his first instinct was to comfort her, as he reaches out, however, she stops and slaps her hands on both shoulders. Simon gasps as the feeling of warmth rush through him, soothing the aches he had before disappearing altogether along with the wounds. The punctures and slashes she gave him had all been erased. "Wow... I didn't know you could do that."
Persephone smiles a little and glances down at his chest. She blinks noticing another scar, not something she had made though. It was an oddly shaped, slightly pink and scar nestled in his chest. She blinks at him and traces her fingers over it.
Simon yelps and immediately pushes himself away, not use to anyone touching his person like this. Persephone's hands were very warm and her caressing sent strangely pleasant shivers down his spine. He tries not to focus on it though, to overcome by how uncomfortably bare he is now. His jack and vest discarded on the ground, with his shirt unbuttoned and wide open.
Oh dear, anyone who walked by would think something scandalous was going on. No doubt, if Orion got word, he would immediately scold Simon for such a thing.
Persephone chirps, gesturing to the scar on his chest, "Hurt?" She asks, her head cocked to the side.
Simon frantically pulls his shirt closed, "T-that happened a while ago, you don't need to worry about it." He didn't want to talk about it either. The memory of his grandfather, possessing him, using him to hurt Sofia and Cedric again. It had been a terrible day but made even worse when his grandfather had revealed to have placed a dark mark on him, showcasing that Simon might not ever be rid of his past.
Cedric had somehow managed to remove the mark painfully, but the area scarred over.
Persephone could sense the human was troubled by his scar, and so seized him by his wrist to pull him forward, off-balancing the young man and therefor making him let go of his shirt. She wipes her wet cheek, transferring her healing tears to her fingers and then rubbing them on the scar.
Simon gasps at the warm feeling. Unlike the terrible painful burn that came when Cedric had removed Sylvester's mark, this was much more pleasant, and when it faded away so did his scar. Persephone purrs at her work and smiles at Simon, "Healed." She says, grabs his jacket and vest, handing them back to him.
Simon gulps, staring down at where the scar had been. She had healed him, his scars were all gone, not a blemish was on his skin. He felt almost like a new man. Looking back at Persephone, he smiles and takes his clothes back, "T-Thank you."
She gives him a genuinely beautiful smile that lights up her whole face. Seeing an expression that wasn't feral and threatening, made Simon smile more. She was very pretty when she wasn't trying to kill him. He fixes his shirt and pulls on his vest and jacket, just in time for Sofia to arrive.
Persephone's mood quickly changed and she immediately scowls at the princess, her feathers ruffling a little. She had no real reason to dislike the woman, but there was something magically intimidating about her that put Persephone on edge. It was not dark magic, but it was powerful magic none the less, and that was something Persephone didn't like.
"Princess Sofia, how wonderful to see you again," Simon greets, taking his friend's hand and kissing her knuckles, "I suppose you brought Cedric with you as well?"
Sofia giggles a little and nods, "Yeah, you know us, we're a pair, like two peas in a pod." She smiles apologetically at the Phoenix Shifter, "I wanted to apologize to you, Persephone. We shouldn't have talked like you weren't there. It was very inconsiderate of us and I hope you understand that we didn't mean to upset you."
Persephone scowls some more, before turning away, opening her wings as a shield from the princess.
Simon looks turns to the Enchancian, "Princess Sofia, Persephone informed me that she is seeing lights in the skies, but when I looked I didn't see anything."
"Lights in the skies?" Sofia looks up and sees no such thing. But Persephone was seeing them, what do they mean? "Did she tell you anything?"
"No," he shakes his head, "Just that she was seeing colorful lights. I'm wondering if that has to do with her renewal cycle."
"It might," Sofia says and slowly approaches Persephone. The Phoenix Shifter hears her footsteps and looks to shoot the princess a nasty glare. Sofia raises her hands in defense, "I just want to talk, Persephone. Please, will you explain to me what you see?"
Persephone watches the skies again and notices how they continue onward to a distant land far beyond her vision: "Home." She knows it leads home. She can feel it in her bones, the tugging of her heart, the butterflies fluttering erratically in her belly. "Home." She repeats, and flaps her wings some, lifting herself a foot from the ground. She wants so badly to follow the trail back to her homeland, to the very place she had been born in. She wishes to travel it, but knowing that a predator is waiting for her, Grimtrix, she hesitates.
'Follow me.' The voice whispers once more, 'Hurry.' She whimpers fighting herself and forcing her wings to stop moving, dropping back to the ground. When her feet touch the grass, she feels both safe and scared. A terrible ache crashes through her, like a lighting strike, causing Persephone to crumble.
There are twin cries, "Persephone!"
Spots danced across her vision. Her wings start to burn again, and she feels exhausted and terrified.
There are hands everywhere, touching her arms, pulling her gently to sit up. One hand pets her cheek, and she hears the woman's voice talk to her softly, "It's going to be okay. Simon, get Orion and a medic."
"I'll be back!"
The young lady continues to pet Persephone's head, shushing her even as the Phoenix Shifter whimpers like a wounded pup. Persephone closes her eyes and imagines it is her mother who is petting her, trying to calm her down. Instinctively, she leans into the touch, and whines again. "Mama... Don't leave me again."
"I won't leave you, I promise." It's not her mother's voice, Persephone knows this, but the knowledge that someone has promised to stay makes her descend into unconsciousness a little easier.
The medic gently dabs Persephone's face with a damp rag, trying to cool down her fever. Sofia and the others stand around, watching her wither in dreamless sleep, whining and whimpering in distress.
"It's getting worse," Orion states, turning to Sofia and Cedric, "You said that the lights Persephone sees lead to her home?"
"That's what she essentially said," Sofia shrugs, "She didn't give much detail, but I believe that's what she was trying to tell me."
"The girl isn't a talker," Chrysta says, crossing her arms, "She's quieter than Simon, which is a sight I never thought I'd see."
"She spoke to me a little bit," Simon recounts, "We had a more-or-less discussion regarding those lights. She's the only one who can see them."
"But if she is the only one who can see them, then how does Grimtrix know where she's heading?"
No one would say it, but they all knew it had to be the book, Grimtrix had. What was the book, why did it speak, and more importantly what other information did it hold within its pages. All these questions would have to wait, as time was not on their side.
"We'll need to investigate further," Orion says, he looks at Cedric and Sofia, "You have dealt with Grimtrix in the past. If what he says is true, then we don't have much time. Persephone's condition is getting worse. We need to act fast or we're going to lose her." He turns to Cedric and Sofia, "I would like for you two to help, Persephone, since you're both familiar with Grimtrix. Simon," the redhead looks up, "If you don't mind, please assist the other Protectors in researching more about the book Grimtrix had in his possession."
Simon's eyes widen in surprise before he quickly nods, "I'll do my best, Orion."
Orion turns to Sofia, "I'm sorry to throw this at you on such short notice, Sofia, but I'm going to need you and Cedric to prepare for travel very soon. Possible within the next few hours. We don't know how long Persephone has."
Cedric gulps, finally speaking up, "Hours! No offense, Orion, I understand that we're in a dire situation, but hours! It will take hours for us to inform the royal family of our departure, not to mention having someone take over my duties as the Royal Sorcerer and-ouch!"
Sofia glares at him pulling away from her elbow. Cedric whines, rubbing his arm.
"Don't worry, Cedric, I'll let Mom and Dad know, and I'm sure Calista and Cordelia can look after things for a while, they'll be fine." Sofia felt bad for assuming though, so they will need to hurry and ask, or maybe find someone else they trust to manage Cedric's responsibilities.
Cedric doesn't look all that convinced, pursing his lips into a pale white line. Sofia reaches and takes his hand giving it a squeeze, "We'll figure something out, we always do."
He smiles in return, squeezing her hand back, "Yes we do, my dear."