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CHAPTER 13: SECRETS OF A SEKUKO
6 days until…
"Thank you for flying with us. We hope you have a pleasant stay in Magix, and once again, we thank you for flying Fulgur Spaceflight."
The intercom turned off, and Daewon climbed off of his seat on the commercial spacecraft. There was barely any legroom, and he winced as he tried to stretch. As he exited the spacecraft and headed into the spaceport, he thought about what he was going to say to his parents. He still hadn't had the heart to call them. But once he landed on their doorstep, he was going to have to tell them why he'd been kicked out of Fulgur Palace.
Honestly, Daewon didn't even know if his parents were home. They were the co-founders of Iceman, a rock band that they'd formed shortly after his birth. Although Melody was, essentially, the birthplace of classical music, rock, pop, and jazz was starting to develop, particularly amongst the lower classes and the warlocks in society. Even Lady Musa Xing, a noblewoman and a fairy, was a famous pop singer across all the realms. Her parents, one of whom had been the crown prince before he'd abdicated, had been key leaders in the musical revolution thirty or so years ago. The Lins were quite fond of their rock music, and were always touring the realms, seldom home to look after their son.
Needless to say, Daewon's parents had been quite shocked when he'd expressed an interest in operatic singing, a desire to revert back to the traditional ways. When he was ten, he'd been enrolled in MOA as a fifth-year. It was then that he'd met Galatea – and the deceptively charming, seductively attractive, Aria Cadenza.
Part of the reason why Daewon had bonded so closely with Aria was because they both had parents who were seldom at home. Although Aria had barely spoken about her parents, Daewon knew that she'd been abandoned by them – they'd both spent summers at MOA together while everyone else had gone home. And he could sense it in the loneliness she carried in herself – the deep, hidden, painful loneliness that she could never seem to escape from.
He could understand why Aria's abandonment had been so painful for her. His parents weren't neglectful like hers – they wrote to him quite often, and did occasionally come home for breaks. But he still knew what it was like to have to face the world himself, with no one to guide him or to tell him what to do.
But that still didn't give her the right to be such an arrogant, narcissistic snob, he thought. She still didn't need to manipulate everything and everyone, just to get attention. She didn't need to bully Galatea and hurt her. She – she didn't need to kill her.
But had Aria actually meant to kill her? According to Maire, Aria hadn't been acting of her free will – she'd been possessed by some wacko sorceress or something. The same sorceress, in fact, whom Darcy had claimed she was conspiring with.
He kicked his shoe hard against the wall, relishing the pain as he walked towards the gate. The whole thing was just beyond frustrating, and it made him utterly furious. Before, he'd had leeway to feel mad at Aria for as long as he'd wanted, to villainize her as much as he'd wanted. But now, he just felt… confused. And angry – with himself. Why did everything have to change? Why can't I just hate her? She even took Sharzad away from me! Just… why?
But he was beginning to realize that he'd never truly hated her. He just… couldn't. They'd had too much together before everything had gone wrong. Before she'd started beating up on Galatea and forcing him to resort to underhanded tactics. Even though the wound from Sharzad's death was still raw, he knew no one's love had ever been as profound as Aria's.
Even if I could erase everything that had happened two days ago, it wouldn't do anything, he thought. I'd still be just as confused as I am now.
He gave his passport to the guard, showing him the Magix student visa. His visa, Maire had assured him, would be valid in Magix until he graduated school. The guard nodded, stamping his passport, and letting him forward.
He hadn't exactly booked his flight home yet. The Fulgur Palace had paid for his flight to Magix, mainly because Darius just wanted him out and didn't care if he had to deplete money from the treasury to do it. But to get home, he'd have to call his parents and explain the situation to them. Daewon was in no rush to do that.
Besides, he had another important thing to do. He had to talk to the High Priestess of Thirteen Realms. He only knew her vaguely, from the few times he'd visited Sharzad at Alfea, but he knew that she was a good source of guidance. Maybe she could give him advice on what to do, moving forward.
A bus pulled up on the corner, and Daewon got in. Two minutes later, he was at the door of the Temple of the Thirteen Realms.
He entered the building cautiously, looking inside. There was no person in sight. He closed the door and walked down the hall. He head a distressed male voice echoing across the walls.
"Priestess, please help me," the voice sobbed. "Tell me what I need to do for penance, for the crimes I committed against the two children I was supposed to keep safe. Tell me what I should do to be forgiven."
That's Arishtat's voice, Daewon realized in shock. But… what the heck is he doing here? He reached the corner, and peered around.
High Priestess Saraswati was standing over him, her eyes stern. Arishtat was bowing under her, crying tears of guilt. She lightly tapped his head. "Look up, young man," she ordered. The man looked up at her. Through the darkness, Daewon could make out the priestess's aged face. Her expression softened as she looked down at him.
"I know you seek a solution that will immediately relieve you of the guilt you carry in your heart," she said. "But I cannot help you. In order to start feeling better, you are going to have to forgive yourself. You are going to have to accept that each of us is inherently flawed, that we all make mistakes. Most importantly, you will have to accept yourself."
He feels horrible, Daewon realized. About how he didn't protect Sharzad and me. He stared at the kneeling man. He was about to turn around and walk away uncomfortably, when the High Priestess lifted her head, her eyes narrowed.
"It seems that we have a listener in our midst," she said. "Daewon Lin, please come out and reveal yourself. Now," she added coolly, her tone absolute.
Daewon had no choice. He walked forward, feeling very much like a scolded child. Arishtat turned around, his eyes wide, and immediately crawled up to Daewon, sobbing.
"Forgive me, sir!" he cried. "Words cannot express my guilt. I will live with this pain for the rest of my life."
"It's okay, man," Daewon said, staring at him. He'd never seen anyone so miserable. "I forgive you."
"You are kind," Arishtat sniffed. "The princess, she is dead because of me. I will never forgive myself."
"Don't think I'll forgive me, either," Daewon said shamefully. He lowered his head. "I'm the one who got her started on the stupid mission. I'm the one who made her chase after Aria." And completely failed, he thought, thinking of how messed up everything was now.
High Priestess Saraswati cleared her throat. "Through your pain, you have both formed a kinship. That is a good thing. It appears that you both can hold on to each other, and stick together. Please remember that no matter how dismal everything gets, you are not alone."
Daewon looked down at Arishtat, and smiled. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll get through this." He kneeled down, and, much to his own surprise, gave Arishtat a hug.
He could feel the older man holding him tightly, his breath coming out in gasps as they held each other. He felt Arishtat's rough black hair rub against his cheek, his well-muscled arms, and the heaviness of his breath. He's in shape, though. I could use a workout. He pulled back, and they both grinned at each other.
"I managed to get an apartment around the block," Arishtat said. "I have enough savings to pay the first month's rent, though I will need a job. Do you wish to stay with me?"
It only took Daewon a second to process the offer, and how relieved he was to not have to tell his parents anything. "Sure," he grinned. "That'd be awesome."
"You both do that," Priestess Saraswati said. "But first, I will need you to remain here so that we can discuss our plan to search for Aria. I believe you both are involved in the search to look for her. Is that correct?"
"I will help search for her," Arishtat said immediately. He looked at Daewon. "What about you?"
Daewon hesitated. He wasn't sure how he felt about Aria, and was still reeling from the loss of Sharzad. But if Arishtat was going to do it as well, this might be a chance to get closer to him. Somehow, he felt a strong desire to attach himself to Arishtat – to make sure that they stuck together, at all costs. Besides, it seemed like the right thing to do. "Sure," he said finally. "Count me in."
Sharzad woke up to hear voices echoing down the chamber of ice. Curiously, she arose, yawning and stretching softly. The narwhal woke, and she stroked him once before standing up and heading towards the icy corridor.
She was barely two steps away when she heard cawing behind her. The narwhal stared at her, his voice betraying alarm.
"What happened?" she asked. "Are you hurt?"
The narwhal shook his head. With a sinking feeling, Sharzad knew that the narwhal was telling her to stay with him, to not investigate what was going on.
"I can't stay here forever," she responded. "I have to go and see what's out there. I promise you, narwhal, that I will return."
They were speaking in the Common Tongue. Sharzad backed up in surprise; she hadn't expected them to be using a language that had been invented by the UR. They're not even part of the UR anymore… She heard a woman's voice, fierce and strong.
"I propose an attack a week from now," she said. "We will bring the queen down to her knees and force her off her throne."
Curiosity piqued in Sharzad. What attack? Was it to bring down the evil queen of Glacia?
"We will unite all of the warriors together in one attack," the woman continued. "For decades we've been stockpiling our resources and planning little attacks here and there. No more. We will march on the Glacian Castle."
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" a man's dry voice answered.
"Well," the woman said, "we'll find out its location, and then strike" –
"Not a good idea," the man interrupted. "We don't have enough forces for a siege of this scale. The queen's army will decimate us all and throw our supporters in prison, and have us executed. What will we be able to do then?"
"Inspire the rest of the country to riot!" the woman snarled. "Even if we don't reach Glacia, we'll be able to make a significant impact on Isolde's reign of terror!"
"Not going to happen." A third voice, deeper and older than the others, rang through the air. "I am with Chief Amaruq on this one. If we launch such an attack, the queen will use that as an opportunity to finish off us all. This is not the correct time."
"My father died because of Isolde, Chief Nuniq," the woman snarled. "I am not going to let her get away with this. I want us to attack!"
"I understand, Chief Sedna," Nuniq said calmly. "And as general of the Spring Soldiers, I will not let that happen. First of all, people are not going to want to risk their lives for an attack if they don't have a reasonable enough belief that they will prevail. What we need is a spark – a spark for a revolution. Only then will Nunangat see spring once more."
Sharzad craned her head to get a closer look. She saw the two men, one significantly older than the other. Three other men stood to the side, not partaking in the conversation. And then she saw Sedna. The woman was unequivocally furious, her eyes flashing as she glared at the two men.
I should like to meet her, thought Sharzad, holding onto the ice. Suddenly, her hands slipped and her foot gave way; she yelled as she slipped out of the corridor onto the floor.
"Who's that?" she heard Amaruq shout.
Sharzad struggled to sit up. As she sat, she stared up with wide eyes at the three angry adults around her. The three other men, who had been standing to the side, now ran forward to stand with each of the three chieftains, respectively – one man for each leader. Sedna towered over Sharzad, her gaze furious.
"Have you been spying on us?" she demanded.
"N-no," Sharzad stuttered. What could she possibly say to these people that would convince them otherwise?
"She looks foreign, indeed," Nuniq said, frowning at her. "She doesn't even look Nunangatan or Glacian."
"How is that possible?" Amaruq demanded. "No one can cross through the Gate."
Sharzad stared up at the three chieftains. I have to convince them I'm not against them. She opened her mouth, but then the man next to Sedna suddenly said, "She must be allied with the queen and that girl!"
"What?" Sedna whipped her head towards him. "What do you mean, Amaqjuaq?"
"That other girl was a foreigner as well," the man said. "Only the queen has powers to bring in foreigners. She must be working for her, and allied in their plan to destroy our revolution!"
Sedna's eyes narrowed in rage. "We will not let this happen again." She turned her gaze towards Sharzad, who backed away in fear, her arms trembling. What is going on?
"Men," Sedna commanded, turning to the men who stood next to their chieftains, "tie her. Help me bring her to the Adlivun Tribe, where we can have swift justice dealt with!"
The men immediately darted forward. Sharzad gasped and summoned a lightning-bolt, which she hurled at Amaqjuaq. But the warrior deflected it with one blow, and in a split second, it rebounded on her. She fell back slightly, managing to stay standing, but gasping at the impact of the spell.
She closed her eyes, trying to transform. Please, Enchantix, please come to me! But nothing happened. Either she was too weak, or she was just recuperating from the attack. She realized that she'd lost valuable seconds in trying to transform, and tried to escape, but she was far too late.
She gasped as the three men converged on her, grabbing her roughly by the back. Sealskin rope snaked around her wrists, and Sedna glared down at her, a triumphant leer on her face. In one rough motion, she forced Sharzad to her feet.
"No one hurts my people," she snarled. "We already had one vagrant attack my tribe; I will not let us be hurt by another. If you even attempt to run away, I shall kill you."
Sharzad had no doubt that Sedna would follow through with her threat. Eyes wide with fear, she let herself be pulled by Amaqjuaq. They walked on silently, with nothing but the narwhal's caw reverberating through the walls.
Aria woke up with a start, breathing heavily. She'd just awoken from a dreamless sleep, but her anxiety was still fresh in her heart, and she felt as nervous as ever. Almost as if she'd had a premonition of something ill to come.
The memories of yesterday were still fresh in her heart. She remembered telling Angéle about how bitter she still was with the world, how angry she was. And she remembered the wounded look in Angéle's eyes as she'd said it, how she'd drawn away.
Does she hate me? Aria stared at the wall. What if she doesn't want to talk to me anymore? What if… what if what I'm doing is wrong?
For the first time, doubt began to creep into her mind. If continuing with her revenge meant that she'd lose Angéle, was it really worth it? What if she didn't want revenge anymore?
But I can't, she thought. I even told her myself. Isolde will give me no choice. And… I can't stop this. I can't give up on something that'll bring me peace.
But still the guilt penetrated through her, until she decided that if she stayed there, doing nothing, she'd go mad. I have to speak to her and tell her… tell her that I'm not as hateful as she thinks. She got up, grabbing a palace robe and heading towards Angéle's door.
As she was about to knock, someone behind her cleared her throat. Aria jumped as Isolde emerged, wearing her fairy outfit.
"Not so fast," she sneered, walking towards her. Aria backed away slowly, into the wall. She winced as Isolde walked up to her, cupping her face in her hands.
"Seems like we need to take a little trip together," she smirked. "You and me. Someone needs to be reminded of who's her guardian."
Aria stared at Isolde. She drew back in fear, squeezing her eyes shut. Isolde smiled maniacally.
"It seems like someone is shirking her responsibilities," she said sweetly. "I know exactly what you're thinking, Aria."
Aria stared at Isolde, her eyes wide. She knows Angéle and I spoke about her yesterday. Isolde smiled indulgently, though her eyes were as hard as steel.
"You're trying to pull away from your duty," she continued on. "You're trying to make believe that you don't want your revenge, simply because of something that you label as conscience but which is actually cowardice. You hear me? You are being a coward." She placed her finger on Aria's throat; her nail began to dig in, and Aria gasped. "So remind me. Who is your guardian?"
Aria could not respond. She was reeling at the squeezing, uncomfortable sensation, the torture Isolde was putting her through. Isolde continued, in a harsher voice. "I said, who is your guardian?"
"You," Aria choked out.
"Good," Isolde smiled, releasing Aria. "And you are going to do exactly as I say, no matter what. You belong to me for all of eternity." She smirked at her. "Well, you and I are going to take a little trip now." She grabbed Aria's hand, and darkness descended upon them.
They came out to a different world entirely, one even darker than Glacia. It was just as cold, and Aria winced at the chill in the air. At least there's no snow. She turned around, staring at what was in front of her.
It was a mansion, old and creepy. The walls were covered in ivy, and mist snaked around the outside. The bricks were purple and black, and they glinted at her, menacing and crooked. A pale yellow gibbous moon shined above the sky.
"This is the Sekuko mansion," Isolde said. "The old fortress of the Sekuko family, a powerful family of Whisperia. Do you know who the Sekuko family is?"
"No," answered Aria, rather meekly.
"You clearly paid so much attention in class," Isolde jeered. "For your information, the Sekuko family compromises of the descendants of the Ancestral Witches. These witches are the ones that destroyed Domino and put it under an eternal freeze."
Aria stared at her, surprised. She knew all about the Ancestral Witches, of course. Before their death a few years ago, they'd been hundreds of years old. She knew they had five generations of descendants; all of them, at one point, had inhabited this house. But she didn't know what their family name was.
"Come with me," Isolde ordered. "We're going to raid this house."
Aria had no choice but to follow. Isolde flew into the front. With a wave of her hand, she voided all of the protective enchantments, and opened the once-locked door, heading inside.
"This is protected as a historical monument of Whisperia," she sneered. "Odd, considering no one has set foot in here for forty years. They don't even do historical tours of this run-down place. Not that it matters; we're going to fix this place down." She glanced over her shoulder. "Girl, what are you" –
Aria was staring down at a harp. It was black and crooked, not at all like Angéle's. And yet, there was something glamorous about it, something that she had to see. She knelt down and reached forward to touch it, its glamour attracting her like a house would for a fly…
"Don't touch it!" Isolde yelled. She grabbed Aria by her hair, pulling her away from the harp. Aria let out a screech as Isolde grabbed her, roughly holding her in her arms.
"Don't you dare," she snarled. Her voice was barely a whisper, but Aria shook, for she knew that was the most dangerous of all. "This place is filled with traps. Those damn Sekukos knew what they were up to when it came to magic. So don't touch anything. Not unless I tell you." She glared at Aria. "Understood?"
Aria nodded meekly. She followed behind Isolde, who began to walk through the house. Aria stared around as Isolde reached a door.
It was locked. A serpent sat on the handle, hissing at her, and Aria shrank back, scared. What does this place hold?
"Oh, please," Isolde said, rolling her eyes. "If you get scared of a little snake, you won't be able to face anything." She glared at her. "Now break down that door."
"What?" Aria stared at her.
"This is the entrance to the vault," Isolde answered. "I need to know their secrets." She threw something into Aria's hands; it had a smooth and long handle. Aria stared in fascination at the axe she was holding. "Now strike," Isolde continued.
"What?" asked Aria. I can't strike at that thing… She stared at the serpent.
"Why are you so scared?" Isolde sneered. "Are you a coward? Is that what you are?"
Rage filled Aria's heart. How dare she call me that… She lifted the axe. But instead of shooting it at the serpent, she shot it at Isolde, letting her rage out. She's not getting away with that…
But Isolde dodged effortlessly, and the purple blast hit the harp. It began to wail, and Aria covered her ears with her hands. Isolde began to laugh.
"You've got to try harder than that," she sneered. "But enough of your childish games, now." She turned Aria towards the door. "Hit the serpent."
Aria lifted the axe. She hesitated as she stared at the serpent, and it hissed at her.
"Shoot it!"
Aria closed her eyes and let out a bolt at the serpent. It cried out, and she screamed as her legs gave way and she fell to her knees. The serpent began to whisper to her, maddeningly and frightfully…
You're a loser. You always have been and you always will be. No one could ever possibly love you. That's the reason why you've been failing all this time!
No! Aria cried back. I'm not a loser! I'm a star! But the serpent's words had struck its nerve.
"Fight back, you coward!" Isolde screeched. "Punish it for telling you such lies! Go! Destroy the thing!"
Fury built up in Aria's heart. She's right, I can't let it get away with this… She grabbed her axe and let out all of her anger, right into the door. The serpent let out a deadly screech, and then there was silence, silence that could only come before dread.
Aria peered at what she had just created. A charred hole was burned into the door, and the deadly serpent had all but vanished. But ahead of her, she could only make out black.
"That's the entrance to the vault," Isolde said. Her voice hadn't lost its sneering quality, and she smirked. "So? Going in there or not?"
Hesitantly, Aria transformed. She had no desire to face any more cruel lies, lies that would burn a hole in her heart. But she had no choice. She inched her way in through the hole, staring at what lay ahead of her.
Secret scrolls were stacked on the walls. There were treasures everywhere, and there was no way of stopping them. This is easy, too easy… She began to walk towards the scrolls -
And stopped as an electric screen appeared in front of her.
Aria immediately stopped. The electric screen glimmered with the force of a thousand volts. The screen had also appeared behind her, stopping her from escaping the vault. Should she move either way, she knew that she would instantly die, electrified by her own greed. I'm trapped… She swallowed hard and looked up.
Then she heard the voices. They sounded creepy, voices of old hags, and she shuddered as she listened. These must be the Ancestresses… The three women began to speak in lilting, cold tones.
You are either a member of the Sekuko family or a trespasser. If you are a trespasser, we can assure you your death shall not be pleasant. The chilling laugh that accompanied it made Aria's arm hairs stand up on end. We have three riddles for you. Answer correctly, and you shall pass. But fail, and you shall be at the mercy of these electric walls. The women let out another frigid laugh.
Okay, thought Aria, her legs shaking. She'd never listened to riddles before. It sounded truly horrible, and her heart pounded as she faced them. The first woman began to speak in an electric, brighter tone.
Question 1: I am what you avoid. I show nothing but unadulterated truth, and I point out all merits and flaws. I can be useful when utilized, but deadly when denied. What am I?
What? Aria had no clue what that was. She stared at the electric screen fearfully.
Think, Isolde's voice hissed in her head. This question is so obvious. It's something that reflects. What is something that reflects?
Aria thought for a second. A reflecting thing that I avoid... She frowned. It shows all of my merits and flaws… Then, just like that, the answer came to her. "A mirror?"
Correct, the woman cackled. There was silence for a moment, and then the second woman spoke, her tone dark and demonic.
Question 2: I am what you erroneously seek in your heart. I cause discord, wars, pain, and jealousy. I am the seed and the fruit of ripe passion, and I hurt more than I help. What am I?
Aria frowned. Something erroneously sought? The seed and fruit of ripe passion? What was that? She frowned.
Maybe it's lust, she thought. That causes wars, and hurts more than it helps. She opened her mouth to say that, but stopped as she heard Isolde's growl.
Obviously not, Isolde snapped. Lust may cause wars, yes, but it's not actual passion. What's the answer? A fool like you should know this, since it's something you're always after.
Something I'm always after… Well, she liked hot guys, so she was after lust, wasn't she? But she always satiated lust easily enough, particularly with clueless boys. This was something different, deeper. Her head clicked, and she figured out what Isolde was talking about.
Taking in a breath, she turned towards the smokescreen. "Love." That had to be the answer. An unbearable loneliness filled her at the thought, the knowledge that she'd never faced love.
Correct, the woman laughed. Of course, as you well know, all Sekuko women scorn love. Well, all real Sekuko women, at least.
For a second, Aria thought she heard Isolde draw a breath. What? she thought, confused. Isolde didn't have any family relation with the Sekukos. What caused her to take such a sharp intake at the woman's words?
Never you mind that, Isolde's voice snarled at her, cold with fury. Just answer the last question!
Aria shuddered as she turned to face the electric screen. The third witch finally spoke, her voice as cold as ice.
Question 3: What is the most powerful action in the universe?
Aria was dumbfounded. After a moment, she asked, "I'm sorry, can you repeat the question?"
No can do, the witch cackled. You have to answer it now.
Aria frowned. Maybe it was love, the power to feel passion towards another person. No, but that was the answer to the last question. But what could it possibly be?
Then she thought of it. It came to her as unexpectedly as fairy-dust, but she thought of it. She turned and faced the electric screen. "Is it... sacrifice?" she breathed.
Correct, the woman cackled. A moment later, the other two witches joined her in unison.
Thou hast passed the test. Now, come and partake of these magical archives. Welcome, Sekuko sorceress, and be careful of those that are too powerful for thou own magical source. Cackling, their voices faded away, until they were but an echo in the crypt.
The smokescreen vanished. Aria blinked as she stared around, taking in the library. She stared at all of the ancient scrolls, the magical books, the artifacts hidden behind glass walls. Isolde landed beside her, eyes narrowed.
"Wait here," she commanded. "I shall be back."
Aria stood where she was, frowning as she gazed around the room. She saw books lying on a central table, books that must have been opened the last time this house was in use. But why is it lying here? Curiously, she opened it to see.
Raikou, Sunako, and Yuki Sekuko, the book read. Pictured with their father, Izō Sekuko. The pages revealed three smiling young girls, each with identical dark hair and white skin, and a tall, handsome man standing behind them.
Who are they? thought Aria in wonder. And who is their mother? But she didn't get any further than that. Isolde appeared in front of her and slammed the book shut, hitting it over Aria's fingers. She let out a squeal.
"I thought I told you not to touch anything," Isolde hissed, her face mere inches from Aria's.
Aria backed away. Isolde held out a flask, and she stared at it in repulsion. Although the liquid inside was clear, she knew the potion was anything but water. "I'm not drinking that," she said.
"Yes?" Isolde raised an eyebrow. "Have you forgotten who's Queen here? Drink it, now."
Aria took the potion in her hand, staring at its clear contents. Closing her eyes, she lifted it to her mouth and took a sip.
The potion tasted like poison. She sputtered, fighting not to spit out the bitter contents, and forced it down her mouth. It tasted absolutely disgusting. She finished it as quickly as possible and threw the flask down, not wanting to drink any more.
"Done?" asked Isolde, watching her with an unreadable expression. "How do you feel?"
"I don't know." Aria stared down at the ground. Something was changing within her head – she could feel her jumbled thoughts settling down, a forced calm settling over her. "I – I feel calmer. And like I can actually think."
"Good." Isolde took her hand. "We'll be off, now."
Aria nodded slowly, squeezing her eyes tight as Isolde transported her to her room, and then transported herself out. She lay in her bed quietly.
Why did she make me take that potion? And who were those girls?
"Got it?" Maire asked.
"Yes," Darius said abruptly, connecting his computer to a video call that Priestess Saraswati had set up. It had been a day after Daewon had left the palace, and although Darius still grieved for his sister, he knew he had to continue on and help find Aria. It's what Sharzad wants… He closed his eyes as tears began to form.
"You okay?" Maire asked, her arm extending out as she reached out for his hand.
"I'm fine," he answered abruptly, pulling his hand away from hers. He thought he registered a hurt look in her green eyes, but ignored it as he continued typing.
Since when has she been so patronizing, anyways? he thought. She's never this nice. What's going on with her?
The video call opened, and Darius saw Saraswati's face, her austere expression reflecting at them. "Hello," she said somberly, nodding to them. Then she clicked her fingers, and the camera adjusted. To Darius's utter shock and outrage, two boys were in the background, two he had hoped to never see again – Arishtat and Daewon.
"What are they doing here?" Maire cried out.
Darius stared at the screen in fury. He had half a mind to smash the screen in, just so that he could never see Daewon's face. What the hell is she… But before he could do anything, Saraswati cleared her throat and fixed him with a steely stare.
"Good afternoon, Darius, Maire," she said calmly. "As you know, Arishtat and Daewon have important information on Aria's whereabouts. Therefore, I am calling this as a joint session for all of us to collaborate."
"You" – Darius felt as if his breath was on fire. "I'm not working with them," he choked out.
"Yes?" Saraswati raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly, Mr. Fulgur, was your plan?"
"I thought Darius and I were going to figure it out ourselves," Maire said hotly. Clearly she didn't seem at all amused by this change in plans, either.
"But you both do not have all of the information necessary to find Aria," Saraswati answered. "Until Arishtat told you, you did not know that Aria was being held in Glacia. In addition, both of you are stuck in the palace, because there is no chance that King Cyrus will allow either of you to leave while you are under his hospitality. No, you will need two people who have the mobility to get around."
"Well, why do we need him?" Darius glared at Daewon, who shrank back. "I haven't forgotten what he did. He ruined Aria and Sharzad! He is the least helpful person to be with us!"
"Quite the contrary," Saraswati answered coolly. "He was Aria's classmate for five years in the Melodian Operatic Academy. He has valuable insight on what happened to make everything go wrong."
"Yeah, everything went wrong because of hi" –
"Hang on," Maire interrupted, and her green eyes were on fire. "Who said you were the boss of us, Miss I'm-the-High-Priestess-of-all-the-realms? Just because you're some great witch and all doesn't mean that you have any business ordering us around."
"You called me for help yesterday, Maire," Saraswati answered sharply. "And if you wish to succeed, I suggest that you listen to me and follow as best as you can."
"You know, I'm kind of with Maire on this one," Daewon added. "You are treating us like squabbling children."
Look at him, talking as if he's one of us. "Don't talk," Darius snapped at Daewon. "It's because of you we're even in this situation in the first place!"
"I'm sick of you putting the blame on me, Your Royal Stupidness," Daewon shouted, finally at his patience's limit. He stood up, glaring at Darius. Arishtat tried to tug Daewon's arm, but the wizard brushed him off.
"You don't even know my side of the story," he snarled. "You try to make me the villain, but have you ever thought of how Aria hurt me? How she went after Galatea, and made her lose faith in herself? Oh yeah, and the fact that she's a murderess?"
"You know as well as I do that she wasn't responsible for that!" Darius yelled. "So stop trying to evade the blame. I'm calling you out for what you've done because you deserve" –
"Enough!" Saraswati commanded, her fierce voice ringing through the air. There was silence. "We cannot waste our time with childish arguments. We have only six more days left until the full moon – that is crucial. We must get to work." She glared around at everyone, and they all sheepishly nodded.
"Now, an important component to our understanding is to consider what has happened to Aria, to make her the subject of possession," she said. "We need to try and figure out why she was mentally ill in the first place. Without knowing this, we will not know how to treat her once we bring her home."
"Look," said Darius, exasperated, "I've said this once, and I'll say it again." He raised his voice. "We are not in a position to diagnose her. We are not psychologists."
"But I am," a voice said. A woman wearing a brown robe walked into the room, her eyes flashing as she looked at them. Her skin was light brown, and her high cheekbones displayed an aura of assuredness. Darius stared at her in awe.
"This is Soror Atete Blanc," Saraswati said. "She is a priestess from Rêve, and is one of my company."
"Yes," said Priestess Atete. "And before I became a priestess, I was a practicing psychologist. My studies, in fact, were mainly focused on psycho-magic."
"Wow," said Darius in amazement. He couldn't fail to be impressed. Headmaster Saladin had also been a student of psycho-magic, and according to him, it was one of the most difficult areas of study.
"Mater Sacerdos Saraswati asked me to have a part in finding her," Atete said. "And I'll be speaking to all of you from time-to-time. Just so that I can get an understanding of what happened to Aria. Now, since I'm not actually speaking to Aria right now, I'm not in the position to give her a diagnosis, but I might be able to understand why everything went wrong in her life."
"Yes," Saraswati said. "And now, before we disconnect, I have a task to give to each of you, so that you can practice your responsibilities in this matter." She turned her eyes to Maire, who instinctively took a few steps back. For all of her defiance, Darius knew that she both respected and feared the High Priestess.
"I have finished my research," she said. "There is a key to saving Aria, but it will be difficult. Fortunately, it is located right on your home realm, so you will be able to complete the task for us."
"And what am I supposed to look for, exactly?" Maire said.
"You must find the Quintet of Elements, held by the Sages of Summa," Saraswati answered. "They are held at the center of Aislinn Island, which is near your hometown, the island of Bláthnaid. The four elements you seek are the Caeli de Cesión, Terra do Titor, Agua sen Adulteración, and Ignis de Iluminación. All of them are bound by the Sancte Spiritus, the power that binds all elements together and keeps them protected" –
"Hang on, I know what you're talking about," Maire interrupted. "The Wind of Liberation, Soil of the Guardian, Water of Purity, and Flame of Passion. They're all inside of the volcano, Spirit Mountain." Then she frowned. "I thought they were locked away, never to be seen again."
"That's what they would have you believe," Saraswati explained. "But that is not the case. The artifacts are guarded by four very powerful fairies, the guardian fairies of Aislinn Island. In order to partake of this ancient power, you must go to Aislinn Island and go through a test."
"What test?" Maire groaned.
"It is called the Labyrinth of Truth," Saraswati answered, as if she hadn't heard Maire's whining. "A labyrinth designed to use your emotional weaknesses against you. That is the test you must go through in order to gain access to the Quintet. Once you pass through, you will be purified by the Spirit, and be worthy of its possession."
"Oh, so it's some stupid wacko cleansing ritual?" Maire asked, rolling her eyes.
Saraswati glared at her, clearly not amused. "Do not harbor that type of attitude," she said crisply. "That is the task I leave for you. If you take that type of attitude towards everything you do, you will not be successful. This task is difficult enough without your negativity. I want you to work towards having a positive attitude and being kind to others, but also, to yourself."
"Okay, I was just joking around," Maire snapped. "Geez."
No you weren't, thought Darius, hiding his smirk. And you completely deserved that.
"I want you to do some research on the Flame's location," she continued. "Find out where exactly it is, and put together a list of things to take with you to Summa. I expect you to have this done by tomorrow." Saraswati didn't give Maire the time to respond with a stupid, barbed comment; instead, she turned her attention to Arishtat.
"Arishtat," she said, "you need to learn how to trust in yourself. You blame yourself for mistakes, and although that is understandable, you must move on. There is no room for pointless rumination on what could or could not have been done. I expect you, as a warrior, to embrace your role and move forward. Do you understand?" Her brown eyes showed no room for anything else.
"Yes," he said breathlessly.
"Good," she said. "My task for you is to research alternatives to breaching the Gate of Glacia. All such enchantments have methods of being overcome, and although Sharzad's key didn't work, there will be a way. In addition, I tell you to rise in your role, and learn to trust yourself. You were trained as a warrior, and have good instincts. Trust them, and it will get you far."
"Thank you, High Priestess," Arishtat gabbled, but she had already moved onto Daewon, who was watching her with wary eyes. As he should… Darius gritted his teeth.
"Daewon," she said, "I am going to tell you the same thing I have told Maire and Arishtat. You know more about Aria than the rest of us put together. Yet you refuse to embrace your responsibility, and choose to breed resentment instead of figuring out why Aria did what she did. Why is that?"
"Hey, I'm not breeding resentment," Daewon said defensively, sounding almost like Maire. "I just hate what she's done." He clenched his teeth.
"All of that is irrelevant, now that you agreed to take the quest," Saraswati said. "You agreed to join to help Aria, yet you have not abandoned your bitterness at her. How is that helping you?"
"Well," Daewon began, "I" –
"It helps him because he wants to blame everyone but himself," Darius put in.
Daewon glared at him. "Shut up," he snapped. "No one asked you."
"Squabbling does not help, either," Saraswati added. Although she didn't raise her voice, it was enough to shut Darius up, and he resorted to glaring at the wall. "Bitterness does not help anything. If anything, it hinders us. Well? Will you cast aside your resentment and move forward?"
"It's not that easy," Daewon snapped, curling his lip.
"Did I say that?" Saraswati answered, and he shrank back. "No, I did not. But you will do it, because you agreed to help Aria. My task is for you to work with Soror Atete. Tell her everything you know about Aria – yes, even if it makes you angry to remember. That is your responsibility, Daewon. And you will embrace it."
Daewon sighed, and leaned heavily back in his chair. Darius saw Arishtat place an arm around Daewon, and gritted his teeth. Figures. The two of them are allied together. But he didn't have any more time to think, for Saraswati's electric gaze had swiveled to him.
"Darius," she said, "you are the leader of this group, which means that you must act like one. That means no accusations, however founded. You must not lose sight of your end goal: to save Aria and bring her home. As much as you do not wish to believe it, we all share the same goal. You and Daewon are both remarkably alike, in the sense that you do not wish to forgive."
Darius glared at her, but he knew she was right. The truth was, he was every bit like Daewon – which was the reason why he hated him. We both let Sharzad die. I'm just as bad as he is. His shoulders began to sag.
"From what I have seen from you, Darius, you are a very practical young man – or at least, you were, up until your sister's death. Am I right?"
"No," Darius answered, glaring at his feet. If I were practical, Sharzad wouldn't be dead.
"Yes!" Maire shouted at the same time. "You are practical, Daewon. You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened to Sharzad. She was the impractical one, not you! She" –
"I get it," Darius said through gritted teeth. Does she ever shut up? Maire had to be one of the most insensitive people he'd ever met.
"Regardless," Saraswati interrupted, "You must work on regaining your and sense of self, Darius. You have strengths, far more than you allow yourself to recognize. How will they do you any good if you do not exercise them?"
She makes it sound as if it's the most natural thing in the world. He glared at Saraswati, but the old priestess took no notice. She stared levelly at him. "Finish reading the diary."
"What?" Darius stared at her.
"You will finish reading it," she continued, as if he hadn't said anything. "Yes, I know it frightens you, to crack open the mind of your former girlfriend. And fear is not a reason to evade your responsibilities. You must realize the truth you so desperately avoid. When you are finished, scan all of the pages and send them to Soror Atete for revision."
Okay, thought Darius, his heart beating. The truth was, he had absolutely no desire to read Aria's thoughts. Not if I did something that hurt her… But he knew he had no choice. And if Daewon was going to do his task, so was he. He bowed his head.
"A Quintet, a key, a memory, a journal, all of which are useless unless you start exercising your responsibilities." Saraswati turned around. "You say you are not squabbling children? Prove it. Start your tasks. In the meantime, I will do some research on Glacia. Report back to me once you have the desired information." She clicked her fingers.
The screen turned off, but Darius couldn't stop staring at it. He knew Saraswati had just unleashed a fireball that was ready to hit him in the heart.
Stormy woke up, feeling jaded. Her stomach growled as she stared at the ceiling of the cave, grumbling to herself. How long are we going to be here?
After the… interesting events with Sharzad and Daewon, Darcy and Stormy had fled as quickly as possible in the spaceship. They'd managed to find a deserted planet not far from Glacia, but one which they knew no one would follow them to. They'd turned off the spaceship so that it wouldn't let out any energy, and with their inability to perform spells, no one would be able to find them.
"This sucks," she grumbled as she walked out of the cave.
Darcy was sitting outside, and shrugged. "Don't complain, sis. It's better than being frozen in Omega." She began to tear open a packet, pouring seeds onto the ground.
"Do we have anything to eat other than vegetables and stale bread?" Stormy complained. "I'm starving." As if on cue, her stomach growled again.
Darcy finally put down her packet and glared up at Stormy. "Look, I've had enough of your witchiness for one day. The Patchamen were able to find us food, and it's better than nothing. These vegetables grow fast, and will come up by the end of today. So no, we don't have any other type of food, so shut up and deal with it."
"The Patchamen didn't even do anything!" Stormy cried. "They were supposed to defeat those fairies and wannabe heroes for us. Instead, they were the ones who got their butts kicked!"
"That's because they're stupid." Darcy turned her attention back to the seeds. "But they were the best villains we could find, and we have to deal with it. And at least you were able to kick that annoying princess into the Gate." She let out a snicker.
"Yeah, I know," Stormy said, a wide grin coming across her face at the memory. But then she remembered her current predicament, and the grin changed to a frown. "What are we going to do, Darce?"
"I've already told you," said Darcy irritably. "Those losers aren't going to give up trying to open that Gate. So we're going to wait for them to open it for us. And then we'll follow them into Glacia and complete our sister's mission."
"Yeah," Stormy muttered. "I wish Ice was here," she suddenly burst out, collapsing onto the ground.
"So do I," Darcy agreed. "She really knew how to kick butt – well, until the whole Tritannus thing. But she's gone, Storm. Fell into the Glacia Gate just like that princess did. She's dead." A silence passed, and then she muttered, "And now I have to take up the slack."
Stormy wasn't paying attention. She remembered how impulsive Icy had been, a trait most unlike her. How upset she'd been after Tritannus's death. Icy had believed that she, as an ice-witch, had the power to open the Gate of Glacia. And then she'd touched the stupid thing, and immediately turned to ice. She could still remember the haunted look on her face as she'd fallen down, never to be seen again.
How ironic it is that Icy and Sharzad shared the same fate, Stormy thought. Polar opposites, and they both fell into that blasted Gate. She clenched her teeth. Well, I'm glad we got rid of that loser princess.
"Just learn to chill, okay?" Darcy said. "We'll get into Glacia soon. In the meantime, we just have to wait."
Stormy sighed and leaned back. Seems like that's all we ever do around here. She glanced moodily at the sky, forever unchanging, as she lay back, soon falling into an uncomfortable sleep.
All right! So now we know what happened to Icy, that the Darcy and Stormy weren't lying when they said she was dead. What do you think's gonna happen next?
Next chapter:
- Angéle thinks about times spent with her father.
- Daewon reveals an important development in his relationship with Aria.
- Aria realizes something about her current situation.
I'm also going to release a new story soon, which (I hope) receives more views than this one. It's an AU featuring original Winx Club characters, so I think it'll probably receive attention. Sadly, Winx Club is a dying fandom – I didn't realize that until now. It's not like Warriors, which is very vibrant. Oh well. I'm happy with the reviewers I have now.
See you all next week!