“It has to be her,” Eidothea says desperately.
Irvette scoffs, “You want us to give our powers to a sick child? Have you read her thoughts?”
Solaris speaks, a rare notion for the fire goddess. “I agree with Irvette. The girl is not exactly in shape. What makes you think she will even be able to live with the power of our gifts?”
Eidothea sighs, “I can just feel it. You all must trust me on this.”
“She is the wrong choice all around. How you cannot see that, I’m not sure, but I refuse to bestow my powers of cloud upon her.” Sniffs Zephira.
Eidothea shakes her head, turning her attention back to the crystal ball floating inches above the table they had gathered around. A picture projected from the crystal ball. Through it, they watch the girl. She brushes through her hair gently, not styling it but instead letting it hang down her shoulders. The girl looks out her window again, as she has done for a while now. She has a pull to nature, one that Eidothea can feel crawling beneath her skin. The girl wants out. She wants to run through the fields and pick flowers. So why is it that she stays inside, just looking out through a window? Eidothea isn’t sure of the answer. The odd humans have behaviors that even the Goddess of nature fails to comprehend.
“There she goes again, staring out the window.” Irvette sighs, “How can you expect this girl to save the world and harness millions of years' worth of knowledge?”
“The magic will make her stronger. I can feel her pull towards nature.”
“I don’t feel the pull,” Counters Zephira. “She has no want to tour the skies and fly high. She seems happy on the ground. How can it be that she is the one to harness my powers?”
Eidothea considers this. If the other goddesses aren’t feeling the same certainty she is, could the girl not be the one?
Eidothea is snapped out of her thoughts by a throat being cleared next to her. Everyone’s eyes snap to Solaris. “Maybe we do not each give our powers to the same girl?” The goddesses looked at her, nearly appalled by the thought, causing Solaris to stumble over her words with an explanation. “Think about it! Eidothea feels a pull none of us do. The girl has a pull towards nature, no other element.”
The goddesses look at each other, contemplating this. “Someone get the script,” Zephira ordered, and Solaris complied.
Solaris hands the script to Zephira. Zephira unrolled the script, levitating it into the air so the story could be seen complete. Irvette traces her finger across the script, reading aloud the ancient words written on the ancient scroll.
Fire, Nature, Air, Water. 4 goddesses, the elementals. Living in eternal glory, hidden behind a tear-streaked tree in the land of unknown promises. Fire, Nature, Air, Water. Human, the elemental. Living with fleeting life no longer exposed for all to see, but a secret kept hidden. Powers of no other, powers of the four elemental goddesses. Held by translucent arms. An unbelievable bond forged between the elements. Slay the twisted creature below. Order him no longer. Secluded to thy cave of waters. The elementals shall become as one to defeat the brute, but only then shall they succeed.
The goddesses examined the scroll, reading each word carefully and interpreting it in every way possible.
“Is it possible you read it wrong? Ancient tongue is difficult. None of us would blame you.” Eidothea offered kindly.
Irvette hesitated. What if she had read something wrong? Is she willing to admit that? Irvette knew it was a possibility. Ancient tongue was nearly impossible to master, not to mention the likeness of many of the words.
“It’s possible,” Irvette admitted reluctantly.
Irvette, the savvy, straightforward, honest goddess. She hated admitting she was wrong. She was supposed to be perfect. Know all the answers to all the questions. These unanswered questions claw at her skin like a cat stuck in a cage. She can solve this. She knows it. If it’s going to be anyone, it will be her.
That’s when it struck her. Irvette looked back up at the scroll. In ancient tongue, not only could words be similar but also identical. She runs her finger across the words, reading each until she gets to one part. Uarmin, hij elmantel. Human, the elemental. Which could also be possibly translated as Human, an elemental.
“What is it?” Zephira asked.
“I think I found the problem,” Irvette answered. “Uarmin, hij elmantel. I thought it was ‘Human, the elemental,’ but what if it was ‘Human, an elemental.’” She offered. “That would make it plural, allowing us the possibility of having more than one holder.”
“What about ‘The elementals shall become as one to defeat the brute, only then shall they succeed.’” Eidothea says. She reads directly from the scroll, still floating in the air.
Irvette has considered this. She is quick with her answer. “They must all work together. ‘Come together as one’” Irvette is the one reading from the scroll now, pointing it out to the other goddesses as if it is the easiest thing alive to decipher a centuries-old prophecy.
Zephira sighs, ultimately defeated. “Irvette, I think you just might be right about this.” She admits.
Irvette smiles at Zephira, showing her appreciation for the agreement but not needing it. Irvette prides herself on her confidence and correctness. It’s no doubt she is correct.
Solaris speaks up from her quiet corner, “I don’t see an issue with it.” The fire goddess agrees.
Eidothea sighs, “That’s it then. We’ve solved the prophecy.” She lets out a burnt chuckle. She releases the tension in her forehead, letting it all out along with her open relief. “We really did it! Irvette the genius, Solaris the kind, and Zephira the beauty.” Eidothea claps her hands together, letting her head rest upon them as she looks around at the group among her.
Zephira just rolls her eyes. “Let’s get going then. The time is coming for when we must distribute our powers, and we can’t do that without finding them.”
The goddesses nod and regather around the crystal ball in the middle of the room. Irvette places her hands on each side of the ball. Her rings click onto the cold surface. She closes her eyes and opens her mind.
Her eyes jolt open. Their once blue color has turned to a pure white, a stark contrast to her dilating black pupils. The veins in Irvette’s body light up bright white with power from the crystal ball. Her dark blue hair sticks up in the sky as if about to be struck by lightning. Once Irvette has transferred her power, the ball lights up in a glowing white light and releases her from her trance.
The light in the ball dims. An image plays on the surface like a projection of a secret memory: a young girl, age twenty maximum. She carries a tray in her hands. The scent of fresh-baked bread wafts up from the bakery into the room the goddesses sit in. She wipes her flour-covered hands on her apron and begins making another batch.
“That smells glorious.” Eidothea comments, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths to smell the human food.
“What element is she?” Irvette asks, “Does anyone feel any strong bond?”
The goddesses are all silent. They continue watching the girl twirling around her kitchen, completely clueless to their prying eyes.
“I feel something.” Solaris says, “like a heat growing in my heart.” As Solaris lifted her arm to clutch her chest, the baker girl did too. They were in sync, feeling the pain and pleasure of the heart in their heart.
“What’s going on?” The baker girl wondered aloud to an audience she knew nothing of.
Then, as quickly as it appeared, the heat in their hearts faded, and they returned to normal, and the baker girl continued baking, still a little dazed. The goddesses looked up at Solaris, each with a smile on their face, Solaris’s brightest of them all.
“Solaris! You’ve found your match.” Eidothea said.
“Yeah, I have!” Solaris beamed, “She is just lovely, I am already reviewing her memories. This girl will make the perfect bond!”
Irvette smiled, “Good. Now we must find the air and water bonds.” Irvette says, making eye contact with Zephira. They both nodded like they knew there was nothing they needed to worry about.
They would find their bonds, their soulmates, and then they would transfer their powers. The goddesses would be weaker, having lost a portion of their powers, but Sedalia would then have a savior, one they would surely need.
Tales of the monster have been around for centuries. You’d have to be dead to have not heard them. Some were told the tales as a child, a dark substitute for a fairy tale. Others found out later in life when the universe began to change when the planets started drifting towards a smaller planet; one nobody thought much of. This planet is Sedalia. Many fear that if the planets keep moving closer, they will collide, leaving them all in ruin.
This monster, this abomination, is called The Sinister. A name given to the 8-legged winged monster when it destroyed a different planet, Direport. The Sinister tore Direport up from the roots, leaving it in nothing but rubble. When Direport was destroyed, The Sinister was left to roam the galaxy, leaving it stronger than ever. It just so happened The Sinister’s strength was the stars. The gasses from the stars gave it energy, powering it to move through the galaxies and planets. Unfortunately, this also left it out in the open and very vulnerable. So when the Space Cadets found it roaming through the planets, destroying each one by one and sucking the gasses from the stars, they knew they needed to stop it. After a long battle amongst the stars, the Space Cadets trapped The Sinister on a planet they thought to be abandoned, Sedalia.
Sedalia is the perfect place for The Sinister as its only weakness is nature. The grass burns its scaled claws as it walks amongst the forest. The firelight sizzles against its main as it warms itself in the winter. The air tickles its whiskers as it flies through the skies, wishing to escape this diabolical land. The water comes to a boil when it dances in the stream to clean itself. So The Sinister admitted defeat and buried himself in the ground, but it is only a matter of time before it breaks from the earth and takes its revenge. And when it does, the people of Sedalia will go extinct, and another race will die.
That is not something the goddesses would allow.
So the four elemental goddesses of Rosetic came together, a prophecy forged, one that destined them to share their powers with a mortal Sedalian. Though reluctant, the goddesses knew this was their only hope.
That’s why Irvette resumed her position, with her hands around the glowing ball. With only two elements left, both Zephira and Irvette grew more anxious. With white eyes wide, the crystal ball had stopped searching, and Irvette removed her hands from the smooth surface.
The glow surrounding the sphere dissipated, and in its wake was a girl. She wore a long gown with an even longer braid down her back. She was walking with the prestige of a princess in a palace made for one. She must be wealthy. That was no doubt to the Goddesses.
“I feel it.” Zephira tripped over her words. The feeling was nothing like she could have ever described before. It must have felt the same for the Lady. She clutched her chest and slid down to the floor.
The maiden next to her rushed to her side. “My Lady, what's the matter?”
The Lady stuttered over her words, “I’m not sure. It’s like I’m growing another heart.” She groaned in pain. It looked more painful than it had for the other humans. Eidothea’s hadn’t felt a thing, and Solaris’s had felt nothing but a pang. Now, Zephira’s was different.
The pain had died down now, and the lady had returned to her feet. Still, the pain showed on her features.
“What happened?” Zephira asked concern etched on her features. She stood from her spot at the table and slammed her palms to it. “Why was she in so much pain? I don’t understand.”
Irvette frowned. “That is a question I’m afraid I have no answer for. It matters not, for we must change them anyways. An answer would do you no good. So, let us continue.”
The other goddesses weren’t sure they agreed but opted to stay silent. Irvette knew what she was doing. She was the most ancient and wise goddess they knew. While they did care about the pain of the human, they knew Irvette was right.
“Yes, of course.” Eidothea began. “Let’s continue, shall we?” She smiled in hopes of cheering up the mood. Zephira smiled and returned to her seat at the table.
“Thank you, Eidothea.” Irvette nodded, clasping her hands back around the crystal ball still floating inches about the table.
Each of the goddesses took in a deep breath before they began to find the next human. The water element. The last element. They sat in silence as Irvette searched. It took longer than before. They sat for what felt like eons, watching and waiting. The crystal was glowing as it had done for the entirety of their wait. When it seemed as though nothing would happen, an image began to appear beneath the glow.
A battle, pistols being shot, and swords being clashed. In the center of the vision stood a woman-like girl. She was young, almost a child, but her maturity made her look older. That, and the fact she was the one bossing around orders to all the men holding the pistols and swords.
“It’s her,” Irvette said under her breath. She, Irvette, the Goddess of Water, was in awe. The human before her was hers, and hers alone. She felt that connection. They both did. The human paused in her orders to take note of the pain. Irvette could feel it through her, she knew it hurt, yet the human showed little to no recognition of the pain.
She was much like Irvette herself. Though there couldn’t be much comparison between a goddess and a human.
“That’s it then.” Zephira sighed.
“I guess so,” Solaris added.
The goddesses had looked forward to this moment since the prophecy had been created, but now that it was happening, they weren’t sure what to think. To part with half of their powers was a grand deal. They would be weak. No matter their other skills, they would be the goddesses with only half their powers.
“It must be done.” Said Eidothea. It felt like something Irvette would say. It felt like something the leader would say, but even Irvette, at times like this, was hesitant.
The goddesses nodded in agreement. They all knew Eidothea’s words were spoken in truth. The goddess of water’s hesitation had dissipated. She stood now. “We must go to them.”
They nodded once again in agreement and followed Irvette, their leader. Usually, Irvette moved calmly like a glistening stream in the sun, but she was different now. She charged ahead like a running river leading you toward a waterfall. Now all the goddesses would sink in that boat in that river with her.
The palace was a considerable size, and the long walk to the portals was much needed. As they entered the room, they grouped in a circle. Their hands entwined with one another.
“My fellow Goddesses, I wish you well.” The Nature Goddess began. The other goddesses mumbled in agreement.
“My fellow Goddesses,” The Fire Goddess repeated. “I wish you luck.” They once again mumbled their agreeance.
“My fellow Goddesses, I wish you success.” The Air Goddess said next. As if clockwork, the goddesses mumbled once again.
“My fellow Goddesses, I wish you a quick loss.” The Water Goddess ended. This mumble was the last for the goddesses as they embraced each other. It may be another millennium or another life entirely before they are once again reunited. So, they hold on for a moment longer before disbanding.
Sorrow rained in their features as each of the elemental goddesses split from one another. Down each of their portals, leading them each down separate paths that would once again meet61Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoGncZDajU
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