Chapter 11 #2
When Knights their swords no longer wield
When false heirs rule, the true heirs are lost
There is still one hope but at such great cost.
The lost must be found—
Their Souls forever bound.
So–Cast out the dark–
Two melodies shall mark
With one soul so bright,
They all shall then fight.
Among the fire blooms, one is placed,
The others will know of false disgrace.
Two holding the soul’s music strong,
For melody and harmony must belong.
Find her, the one whose rich soul sings.
Find the one who will defeat false kings.
As foretold in warning since times of old–
If souls are silenced, then all shall unfold.
The lost must be found—
Souls then forever bound.
So–cast out the dark–
Two melodies shall mark
With one soul so bright
They all then shall fight.
Yet, with the purest death,
We shall win the night.
“You, Prince Cadian, are integral in this prophecy.” She moved over to a jagged wall, tracing it with her finger until it was cut and created a bloody circle.
In a few moments, there were flashing lights and sparks flowing out from the blood, and then, suddenly, the whole thing lit up, and within that brightness, a passageway opened—
I would leave the dungeons of my imprisonment.
“You must remember your mission, Cadian. We all have our parts to play.” She reached out, handing me a small dagger, which glowed in her hand, chasing away even more shadows.
I reached out, taking it by the hilt. She nodded, backing away.
There was something about that sword in my grasp which seemed almost familiar.
I shook my head and looked through the portal.
“Thank you,” I said, staring across the portal, then back to her. Most of her face was still hidden, but her eyes were alight in the glow of the portal. Before I could ask any questions about who she was, she shoved me through the portal.
“You are welcome, my prince. May the Creator bless you, Cadian.”
I let the lilting melody fade away as I moved forward in time, to the day of Emma’s parents’ funeral.
I still had dozens of questions when it came to that lady from the Dungeons of the Mist. Who was she? And why had she helped me? Focusing my mind on the present was getting more and more challenging, the closer I came in proximity to Emma. The prophecy, I knew it had to be her.
She was the one who would save our dying realm, and there she was staring up into the night sky, having no idea about who she really was or what it was that was happening to her to prepare her.
Her life had been ripped out from under her.
The death of her parents weighed heavy on her soul.
I could see the creature of her misery, slithering within her, attempting to slowly smother out her will, her life.
I watched as her blond hair moved and her blue dress softly caressed her legs in the gentle breeze.
She had worn blue to the funeral, which, if I wasn't mistaken, was not a common mourning choice on Earth.
Black was the typical color of respect. Did she not respect her parents?
No, that could not be it. I wondered for a time, though, as I waited in the shadows, what it was that caused her to not conform to her society's expectations.
That evening, I spoke to her for the second time.
“You must be Emma,” I finally said, moving a few feet out of the shadows. She stopped walking any further and turned to look at me.
“I am,” she whispered. I could hear the sorrow in her voice.
“You are wearing blue to a funeral. I have never seen that done before.” I stared at her, curiosity in my eyes.
“Blue was my mother’s favorite color.”
“So, it is to honor her?”
“Yes.” She barely spoke above a whisper.
I put my hands inside of my pockets, looking out at the stars. “Death is a difficult thing. It snakes its way inside of you until you are empty and as cold as ice.”
“I do not have a heart anymore, I am afraid.”
She may, indeed, have had a broken heart, but she also had a melody, and it was the strongest one I had ever heard before. She was the hope of Terra. Hava’s songs were proof of it.
“When you lose your heart, sometimes, you find your soul,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry, but I came out here—”
“To get away?” I asked, looking again at the stars, wondering when the knight would tell her who she was, and where amongst the stars she truly belonged.
“Yes, my father, he loved the stars. They make me feel close to him.”
“I am sure he did. He passed that love on to you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I will leave you to your thoughts, Emma. We are all searching for something, and I truly hope you find what it is that you are looking for.” I turned and walked away, down the side of her house and through the backyard to the street.
A few cars still lined the road, and some people lingered outside.
I walked for a few blocks with a smile upon my face because I knew then, more than ever before, that I had found her: the girl who could save us all from the corruption, who could even save me.
I woke up with a start, my melody swirling around me as I caught my breath.
That memory of that conversation kept swirling around in my mind as I lay my head back down on the pillow.
She had appeared so lost as she looked out toward the stars, as if searching for answers.
I’d done that very thing countless times since my arrival on Earth.
I tried to push away the feelings of compassion that I felt toward her.
I reflected on the new emotions which hadn’t been there before I had a soul.
I felt more connected to her with a need to hold her in my arms and comfort her.
That startled me. My melody was out of control.
I needed to reign it in and file each specific emotion away inside of myself.
The cage thing seemed to work for Emma and a bit for me, too–once.
Maybe, I can work on enhancing it slightly so that it becomes a filing system to hold my emotions, allowing me to pull out what emotions I need at specific times.
I groaned, understanding all of the work that I had ahead of me.
I did have the rest of my life, though, to navigate through the secrets of having a melody, so not all hope was lost—I was just worried about not knowing how to shield my soul–having all my secret desires being out in the open.
I needed to work harder at mastering that specific skill because, if I wasn't careful, Shad’s feelings might come out and mingle with my own and confuse me.
I looked out the window; it was still night.
I covered my face with my pillow, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep before I had to go to school.
Aiden was right—school was tedious.