twenty-eight #3
“Your mother, the Lady Joiya, knows the grave sin she has committed. A sin that has thrown your reality into turmoil. Those with tainted auras are monumentally touched by the Void. You are marked for a disaster. It’s my duty to help you through it. To help right this reality.”
“Well, then…”
“Your mother is as selfish as the avatar who vexed me for centuries. When the time comes, will you be brave? Will you be strong? Will you set aside your heart to fix this world?”
“Were you told to ask me those questions?”
“I am a prophetess, Mira. So was Her Holiness. We have both seen the same thing.”
“Fine. Be cryptic. The most powerful priestesses always are.”
Was that a demure grin she saw beneath the glow? “The trial set before you is not for the weak. But your aura… you are exceptional. You must be, to be your parents’ daughter.”
Mira kept her comments to herself.
“What do you know about Lines? Has knowledge of their existence survived your day?”
“Do you mean the Red, Yellow, and Blue Lines?” Mira nodded. “I guess. I didn’t learn much about them. My parents would know more than I.”
“They are the ley lines that the universe is built upon… think of them as the foundations of the Void that we mortals are allowed to interact with. In a way, they are what allow us to be sorcerers—they are what we bend when we practice sorcery with the Void.
I can come to you across a million years because of the ley lines that exist in the present, beyond space and time.”
“All right…”
“Every soul in the mortal world is charged by a ley line. This is separate from auras. Ley lines can only truly be seen by the most powerful of soul-seers. I am one such soul-seer. They were already a dying breed by the time of my birth.”
“What’s mine?”
Instead of directly answering, Rahara traced a rectangle, snapping her fingers to create a mirror. I don’t know what I expected. Where Rahara’s eyes glowed a frightening, frosty blue…
Well, Mira’s reflection told a different story.
In place of her own eyes were two fiery orbs that emitted wisps of red-orange smoke around her face. Mira blinked, and the color flashed before her. The mirror was gone with another snap of Rahara’s fingers.
“Humans are also blessed with this touch, although they cannot use sorcery. It is proof that they are children of the Void, like us.”
“So, you’re saying that all sentient life has this connection, even if they can’t use it?”
“There is always something you can do with it.”
“I see.”
Rahara touched her fingers to her cheek, as if contemplating. “We often speak of things in twos, such as soulmates, or gender, or ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ But it is ‘three’ that is the holiest number. True balance is obtained by the pyramid. There is always a third option. There is a third Line.”
“You mean the Yellow one?”
“If you combine them, you achieve the prism of the universe. We believe that while soulmates speak to mortal passion and companionship, it is the ley lines that build true harmony among all sentient creatures. Did you learn this in your studies?”
“We didn’t talk about it in the Academy, if that’s what you mean.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“Damn.” The Academy was one of the oldest institutions among the julah. It was older than the capital city, the only other to stand on Yahzen aside from Garlahza. “You really are old.”
Another smile. “We do our best to be useful across time. I'd better go. There is a stirring on my end. I will be interrupted soon.”
“Wait…”
Rahara, who had yet to go anywhere, stood as still as a statue.
“Are you one of the founders? Of the First Sixteen?”
Rahara disappeared into the fractions of the Void, but Mira swore she heard a chuckle.
When Mira awoke, she was alone in the dead of night. Eager to find her mother, she searched the downstairs, which was dark and empty, the whole house having gone to bed.
It wasn’t until she glanced out the back door from the kitchen that she saw a glowing white figure in the yard.
Mira slowly opened the door, attempting to make no sound so she wouldn’t disturb her mother… whatever she was doing outside in the middle of the night. Maybe she’s doing some kind of research? When Mira rarely understood what Joiya was on about, anything was possible.
Yet she knew better than to disturb her. Joiya hadn’t moved—who was to say that it was Joiya at all?
She’s so… bright… Despite her dark hair, darker skin, and petite form, it wasn’t just Joiya’s Temple whites that glowed in the moonlight. Her soul vibrated from within, expanding from her skin to the wavering air particles around her.
The stars twinkled in her honor; the moon cherished her presence.
“Ma…?”
Joiya didn’t hear her, but she lifted her hand, opening it to reveal a golden butterfly.
Mira gasped. A soul? They took the form of a golden butterfly on their way to and from the Void. But to see one? Usually, only practicing priests saw them right after someone’s death.
The butterfly lingered by Joiya’s ear before fluttering away. Joiya continued to stand in the backyard, as if she had no inclination that her daughter was behind her.
I don’t even think I’m her daughter right now…
Mira retreated inside. She hadn’t been meant to see any of that.