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A sigh from Rui made the girls break out of their daze for a moment to look behind them, but this was a more content and peaceful sigh. For just maybe this one moment, Rui’s world was at complete peace and harmony because of the fact she was home. Her home might be considerably messed up at the moment, not to mention upside-down and under a dictatorship, but still, it was home nevertheless.
The girls’ shields began to flicker, and it was then it hit Rui straight at home about how much energy the girls had used to keep their magic flowing at such a strong rate for this long. Technically, they were beyond excellent magic users. This was only their first time using magic, yet they found their other selves, and learned to fight (roughly). Normal beginners would have fainted quite a few hours before. Rui, momentarily distracted from her family, marveled at their strength. Admittedly, her own magic was very strong, considering she had only recived several months of training form the elders in the Hollow, but the year of instruction from the Lady couldn’t really be ignored either… “But,” she thought, “this power was sort of given to them by grace, because they had real need for it, so technically they haven’t mastered it at all yet. Oh well… maybe if they train with Faeirnel for a few months and then go see the Phoenix…” Her thoughts trailed off onto all the different ways the girls might be trained.
In an hour’s time, they were skimming through the air over forests and mountains as Rui navigated. By now, all the girls were too tired to think about anything but a place to sleep. Now and again, the girls thought that they saw small lights flicker among the trees below, but they were seeing spots everywhere right now. Amber was seeing red, pink, purple, and blue spots at the corner of her eyes. She kept blinking turning her head to see them, forgetting it was an illusion of her mind. Karen kept seeing a multi-colored spot right in the center of her vision, and then it would disappear just when it seemed like she was about to crash into it. She kept braking because she was sure she was going to crash into it. Jenna just saw spots of all colors and shapes and sizes everywhere and on everything, and it got to the point that she felt like she was inside one of the crazier Dr. Seuss books for little kids. Rui herself was just fine, but was also getting a little annoyed by the girls. She had temporarily forgot that they, as humans, needed to sleep because of her need for finding a good hiding place, although no one could really hide from the Lady for long. Rui knew she had to get the girls to lower ground, so she pulled them into a steep dive.
“WHEEEE!!” screamed Blink. It was a yell that echoed through the distant mountains. Rather sharply, Rui told Blink to settle down and be quiet for a change. Predictably, Blink did not take kindly about being told what to do, so she zoomed into Rui’s face and, in a singsong voice, said, “Ohhh, quiet Rui Rui Rui, Ohhh, shut up shut up shut up Blinky Blink Blink. Blink quiet or loud, soft or hard, such and such and such. Ohhhh the Blink is loud when the Blink wants. Rui may not like loud Blink but Blink have fun fun Blink fun loud noises…” and much more of the sort.
Muttering angrily about living lights that talked too much, Rui judged that they had come to the Northern Realm by the pine trees all around them, and the fact that it was getting cold. The sun was sinking, and the land became a deep blue as the sky bled pink, orange, and red. Thinking of the names of the Realms, Rui rolled her eyes; the Northern Realm, the Southern Realm, the Western Realm, and the Eastern Realm. Who named the Realms anyway? They had such original and unique names. And the name of the entire land was the Land.
Coming back to reality, she remembered that it wasn’t good to be flying above the trees, as their balls were just a beacon for any of the Lady’s spies, and she hadn’t helped the girls this far to get all of them captured the second they set foot on the ground! The Northern Realm was famed for its caves, so they should be able to find a temporary hiding space in the mountains. Hopefully, the Lady wouldn’t find them…hopefully.
~*~
Rui had found a satisfactory cave. It led deep into the heart of a mountain, and its’ entrance was located on the peak. The entrance itself was fairly small, and well hidden by the forest surrounding it. She led the girls inside (they had to crawl on their bellies a bit), and let them all collapse into an exhausted sleep. Rui’s strength was more or less the same, so she politely asked Blink to keep an eye on the girls as she went to explore. Blink had agreed in her way of laughing and improper grammar, and Rui went to find several people she knew could help train the girls with their power. They didn’t know she was still alive; they had all thought she was dead when she had been taken into the Lady’s castle, but they were about to get the shock of their life.
She flew over a pond, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the water. Something in her reflection made her stop short. Rui hovered over the water, and saw her reflection imitating her perfectly…but there was still something wrong, and she looked harder. When she realized what it was, she flew away from the pond as fast as she could, dodging through the trees and their branches.
In the water, she had seen her reflection’s eyes change shape until it resembled the eyes of another; the eyes of a very familiar another. Because of the darkness of the night, she hadn’t seen it right away, but she did see when green eyes flashed out of the pond, cold green eyes that were all too familiar a sight for Rui.
~*~
Amber was the first to wake up, twenty six hours later, after the intense exercise. Her mind refused to let her concentrate on any of the important things at hand, but instead led her back to the dream she had been having. In her dream, there was a woman in a rocking chair, her back to a snug, yet roaring fireplace, and she was also somehow holding four babies in her lap. The woman was beautiful, with soft and loving green eyes, golden hair tucked into a bonnet, and a simple maroon dress with the barest hint of lace at the modest neckline. She had been singing a lullaby to the babies. The babies had all been watching her with huge eyes, each pair of eyes a different color, listening spellbound by the music. Amber had listened too, equally spellbound. The music lilted gently all over the scale, and the tone of a loving caress just made it better. Amber, however she might try in the world of half sleep, could not remember the melody or any of the words. She only remembered that the music was beautiful… wait! There was one word… one word dancing teasingly on the edges of her memory… Ah! When Amber captured it, she thought it sort of an irony, since the word she remembered was ‘remember’.
Blink was right by Amber when she came back from dreamworld, and gave Amber a few minutes to luxuriate before she let loose an ear-shattering wake up call. “WAKE UUPPP!!! AMBER AMBER WAKE NOW NOW!!!”
Amber sat up, and fought the waking up drowsiness that had come over her. Jenna and Karen, next to her, were starting to stir. Amber rubbed her eyes, gave Blink a withering glance, and woke up the other two. Jenna yelled something about football fouls before she woke up, and Karen was a sleepy and surly Karen.
Jenna had been dreaming about weird and random Jenna-ish things, before falling into a relaxing obviation.
Karen had not slept well like Amber, or Jenna. Again and again she had seen her world, her home, everything she had ever known, disappear in a froth of magma spinning through space. In that mess, she knew, was the loss of everything she had known, her life, everything she treasured, hated, loved, seen, heard…
Unlike Jenna and Amber, Karen had a more direct way of taking things. Amber was the procrastinator, and Jenna got things done more on time, but Karen was the type who would tackle the problems all at once. This destruction had hit her heart right on the bull’s eye, and she was taking it as a personal insult from the Lady. It hadn’t just hit her heart right in the core; this was tearing her heart to tiny little shreds. Karen lay there, her eyes shut tight, wondering if anything would ever be alright ever again. The tiny pieces of her heart were scattered hopelessly, and were being blow away by the cold wind of doubt. Soon, her heart felt completely empty. There would be no return from this darkness.
Blink felt a change in the atmosphere around Karen, as a kind of chill that snagged the air. Confused, Blink flew in circles around Karen’s head blindly, until she accidentally hit Karen’s head. Karen woke up with a start, and understandably not feeling her best, she sent a jet of boiling air towards Blink out of complete instinct. Blink flew away, unharmed, but offended, and telling Karen in no uncertain terms about her offence. Thinking about it, one can’t blame Karen… she was on a world she absolutely knew nothing about, and the explanation Rui had given them while they were in space had given her the impression that this world was crawling with people that would like to see her dead. That’s not the most comforting thought in the world, and the emotional breakdown was too much for Karen’s overloaded feelings on top of everything else. The dark hole became a black hole, slowly, meticulously, nibbling the ragged scraps that were left of her soul. The resolve that had filled her while they were traveling had disappeared, and only a worn, dim memory that it had any existence at all was left. If Amber or Jenna had looked into Karen’s eyes, they would have not liked what they saw.
Whatever was left of Karen vanished when she opened her eyes and saw her friends. She didn’t see her best friends anymore; she didn’t see the only people left that she cared about. Karen saw reminders of tragedy and loss, and a welling hate took root in her blackened heart. These beings were memorials of this pain! Amber and Jenna were saying something, but Karen couldn’t hear it. When the sounds got through to her, she was angry. They were asking if she was alright in perfectly normal voices. Karen wanted to scream... scream, or destroy them... destroy everything...
Boiling anger filled her mind, and she blindly stood and began attacking her friends. Blink was more outraged than ever, but Amber and Jenna were completely at a loss. Jets of air that were as hot as the anger in Karen attacked Amber and Jenna… again and again and again… To Karen, everything was moving in slow motion, her friends' confused cries of pain, outraged chains of speech from Blink... Karen's white magic, now tinted with demonic stripes of black and red, swirled around her. She found her other self quickly, and forced her out. Her other side now had red eyes, and her clothes were ragged and torn. The sword was tainted with dried blood, and the crystal had turned pitch black.
When Karen regained herself, she didn't see hurt companions, but she saw hated enemies struck down, and she felt happy. Amber and Jenna were covered in horrific burns, but they were only unconscious, not dead. Blink was in a maddened rage to match Karen's own, doubling, tripling, quadrupling in size. Flying around the cave madly, Blink began to attack Karen with a grim intent. Blink was throwing balls of light, compacted light that burned a thousand times worse than a flame. Karen just laughed, a very different laugh than before. Dodging the balls of light, she sent a jet of boiling air towards Blink, one that Blink couldn't dodge. Being solidified light, this didn'thurt Blink at all, but stunned her for half a second. Karen took advantage of this oppertunity and nimbly flew out the cave.
This "Lady"... I'll find her. She wants me to come to her anyways, right? She'll need to teach me how to use my power, so I'll lay low and learn from her. When I get strong enough, I'll destroy them all... the Lady, Amber, Jenna, Rui, Blink, this entire world... I'll take everything from them, just like they all took everything away from me!"
The Beginning
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