Chapter 7 #2
How strange it was that Ornathians had installed indoor plumbing. But then again, Ornath was far more technologically advanced than Earth. A hole to piss and shit in wasn’t the ground-breaking revelation I had thought it was.
“Oh my Goddess!” Kaiyah screeched as I clunkily flopped through the door. “Not on the carpet! Not on the carpet!”
When I caught my reflection in the full-length mirror, I was taken aback. A wretched sight, my entire body was blanketed in mud and soot from head to toe.
Glade must have knocked me on my ass at least three dozen times during our session. My muscles ached bitterly. The dull throb in my shoulder hinted at the soreness I would face tomorrow. The dread rolled through me, causing me to moan.
Before I could even make my way across the room and collapse onto the bed, Kaiyah gently but firmly guided me to the bathroom. The white marble tile was marred by muddy footprints with every step, but I couldn’t have cared less. I had never felt so utterly drained, both physically and emotionally.
Kaiyah scooped up each piece of clothing I flung onto the floor and gathered them into the hamper, grimacing in revulsion as she handled the mess. I felt like a creature emerging from a swamp, and yet, in that moment, I was grateful for her care.
“I made you a bath, darling,” Kaiyah managed to articulate through a gag. “I used lavender oil. I hope that’s alright. Maybe…wash your hair twice…” She bit the side of her lip as she assessed the mud encrusting my scalp.
The handmaiden began walking toward the bathroom exit with my hamper cradled in her arms when an impulse compelled me to stop her.
“Kaiyah?” I called out.
She circled back to face me, her head cocked to one side. “Yes, Jane?”
“Do you mind staying with me?” My eyes pleaded, though heavily drooping with an overwhelming exhaustion and sadness. Arguing with Glade had stirred a deep sense of loneliness within me, reminding me of how truly isolated I was in this world.
“Well, technically, I’m not allowed to say no,” she teased, her eyes twinkling. “You know, as your handmaiden.” She stuck her tongue out. “But no, I don’t mind at all.”
I climbed into the tub, letting the warm lavender bubbles soothe my aching muscles.
Kaiyah settled on a wooden stool, resting an elbow on the porcelain edge.
“I’ll waste as much time as possible if it means I don’t have to deal with that laundry yet.
I swear, the men in this castle must piss or shit themselves in the pit or something… ”
Laughter bubbled up from the bottom of my belly and consumed me. It felt so good: pure happiness. This was what I had been missing for the last few days, maybe even my entire life.
Kaiyah smirked, clearly pleased with herself. “To be honest, I don’t know what those fools were thinking, sending you out there in the mud and grit, hoping to train you in hand-to-hand combat. They’d have better luck teaching you to harness Source Light.”
From what I recalled, Source Light was described as the pure energy that flowed through Celestials; planets were alive and conscious spiritual entities. It was strange to imagine planets as sentient beings, yet it made a great deal of sense.
Was that why we had always referred to her as “Mother Earth”?
“Source Light is taken from the planet, right?” I wondered aloud.
She disapprovingly shook her head as if my words had been disrespectful. “Not taken, no. Granted. If a Celestial and Amantius find your will and intent worthy and pure enough, she will gift you the use of her Light.”
“How is one deemed ‘worthy’?” I inquired as I focused on washing my legs with a bar of soap, the warm water soothing my aching muscles.
“The Goddess created everything in the universe with pure love and virtue in her heart. We must respect her principles if we wish to use her power,” Kaiyah explained, her voice soft and earnest. “She is the one who evaluates and decides if you are worthy enough to wield her Light. Not everyone is. But most of us are… I mean, unless you happen to be a horrible person.” A sly grin quirked at the corner of her mouth.
No wonder the streets of the village were so tidy and peaceful. Good behaviour was rewarded in this society—in this existence.
“What happens when a person is deemed ‘worthy’ of wielding Source Light?” I grilled her. My intrigue skyrocketed, having finally received a straightforward answer from someone on this planet.
“Well,” she said as she paused and cocked her head to one side, “it depends on the individual. Source Light manifests differently in each of us. For starters, most people can absorb Source Light directly from the soil and even store it in bottles or jars for safekeeping—for later use. That’s how we power all our technology.
As long as we promise the Goddess we’ll use that technology for the good of our people, she typically grants it. ”
Kaiyah scooted her butt to the head of the tub, her fingers weaving through my hair as she washed the gunk from it.
“Another way Source Light manifests is through unique abilities. Typically, the colour of Light you can wield is genetic—passed down through generations—but sometimes the gift is spontaneous, like mine. I wield purple Light. It allows me to heal minor injuries and ailments. That’s part of why I became a handmaiden.
I knew that if something was wrong, I might be able to help.
“Of course, I’m no expert—the Goddess never granted me that privilege—and it takes years of practice and training to truly master it. Perhaps I’m not pure enough,” she joked, though her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Stunned by this admission, I turned to her, unwittingly exposing my naked body. “You have superpowers?”
She looked at me as if I’d spoken in tongues. “Huh?”
“What other ways does Source Light manifest in people?” I asked.
“Well,” she went on, deep in thought, “I’ve heard of all sorts of abilities.
I have a cousin who can harness Source Light to wield water like it’s a solid.
That’s a rarer gift—part of the green branch.
Source Light manifests in five distinct colours: blue for biological and mind manipulation, orange for transfiguration, purple for healing (like myself), green for elemental control, and yellow for pure Light.
Within these branches, there are countless abilities one might develop.
” She paused, humming softly. “Oh! An exceedingly rare ability is foresight!
Just like the oracle who spoke the prophecy about you and Jion two decades ago!
Technically, foresight belongs to the blue branch of Light.
However, it is so rare and unclassifiable that it is often considered a category unto itself.
If Source Light powered the Oracle’s prophecy, did that mean it was real? That it could be true?
“There is also…red Light.” Kaiyah hesitated, “The Tenebrae are a humanoid species, believed to have evolved from ancient humans like us. As a result, their abilities are usually on par with our own. But there is one stark difference: the Light they wield is always red—a destructive, life-draining red.”
Suddenly, superpowers didn’t seem so cool anymore.
“Do you think I could harness Source Light?” I feebly asked, my voice barely above a whisper. A flicker of fear crossed my mind. What if Kaiyah didn’t believe I was worthy?
But instead, she grinned from ear to ear and said, “Of course. I can’t see why not.
But without training, I’m afraid you might never learn.
It takes a lot of willpower and intentional practice to master the art.
My father found me instructors back home in Ashvael.
He was a sergeant in the royal army, stationed all around the universe.
He was immensely skilled at harnessing yellow Light, and it manifested as raw energy in his palms. It was wonderful to see. ”
For a moment, the delightful smile Kaiyah often wore faded, and her eyes grew distant as if she were reliving a cherished but painful memory.
“Is your father back home now, Kaiyah?” I asked, keen to hear more about her upbringing in Ashvael.
“No.” Her voice cracked. She reluctantly looked into my eyes as her own filled with tears.
“He was stationed on one of the many planets that the Tenebrae destroyed.” Her jaw tightened as she spoke, as if each word stung to speak.
“My father stayed behind, trying to get as many civilians onto the Voyagers as possible, but it was too late. The Tenebrae used their weapon, and in a matter of minutes, the entire Light of the Celestial was drained.”
A weapon. My thoughts drifted back to the weapons of mass destruction on Earth: nuclear bombs, chemical agents, drones, all horrific inventions that should never have existed. Yet, I understood that the weapon Kaiyah was referring to was far worse than anything I could even comprehend.
Although I didn’t wish to upset her any further, I had to ask. I needed to know. Softly, as delicately as I could bear to speak, I asked, “What happens when a Celestial is drained?”
Kaiyah’s beautiful olive skin paled to a sickly grey as her nearly black eyes squeezed tightly shut, causing a stray tear to fall down her cheek. As her bottom lip trembled, she managed to respond, “The Celestial dies.”
The words were devastating, gut-wrenching. Irreversible. Final.
“And all the life on its surface goes with it. When a Celestial dies, its atmosphere vanishes, and the oxygen…disappears. Vegetation—all trees, plants—shrivel and turn to dust. The oceans evaporate instantly. Without an atmosphere, the sun scorches any living thing on the planet into ash within seconds. But by then, all living beings have probably suffocated.” She reached for her throat, clutching it as if gasping for air herself.
“That is why my father stayed behind. That is why he tried to get people onto ships. Being on a planet while it is drained of its Light is a death sentence. There is no surviving it.”
Something deep within my heart compelled me to cup Kaiyah’s face, a gesture that nurtured the blossoming of our potential friendship.
“Kaiyah, I’m so sorry.” I enunciated each syllable as I struggled to find words that could possibly console someone who had experienced such horrific loss.
Jodana had told me the Tenebrae also attacked her home planet, that she was one of a few hundred survivors. How many others had perished or been displaced by these monsters?
Kaiyah took one of my hands in her own as a hint of warmth returned to her face.
“It’s alright, Jane. It was a long time ago,” she shared, wiping away a stray tear.
“What matters now is that you are here, and the Tenebrae’s wrath will finally come to an end.
” Her eyes brightened just slightly. One corner of her mouth slightly rose, a tiny flicker of hope.
Reality hit me like a slap to the face as the prophecy surged back into my mind.
All these people scattered across the universe were pinning their hopes on my union with Jion to end such tyranny.
They depended on me to extinguish an evil that had been destroying worlds.
Kaiyah, my only friend thus far, believed I was the key to peace in the cosmos.
How could they know that I was the heir they were searching for? Could another child of Domus have survived the destruction of the planet? What if these prophetic fanatics were mistaken? What if someone else was out there, waiting to be discovered?
The literal weight of the world pressed down on my shoulders, and I felt more exhausted than before.
Kaiyah handed me a soft, plush white towel and helped me climb out of the tub that now appeared stained with brown muck. My legs felt like jelly—useless and heavy. I had no idea I was so out of shape, or maybe Glade’s training had just kicked my ass harder than I thought.
The training felt pointless. How absurd to think that I, a random human from Earth, could ever keep up with soldiers who had been trained since the moment they were born. It felt utterly ridiculous.
I wasn’t a warrior. I was just Jane.
Kaiyah led me to my bed, where I climbed in, still naked, and nestled into the soft silk sheets. As my eyelids began to flutter shut, doubt gnawed at me. What if the king had made a terrible mistake? There was no way I could be the “saviour.” No way I could be Domus’s destined hero or heir.
I was absolutely no one. And I was going to die.