The Forests of Bakazak - Chapter Five

***

The Oracle sighed. The girl, now in company of one other, had managed to overcome the beast she had sent. The Heiress was getting closer to the choice she must learn to make before it is too late. Perhaps she would make the right choice, and the Oracle could leave her be. But as the Oracle's eyes rolled back in their socket yet again, it became clear to her that Red Waterfall must die.

***

I took a deep breath and walked through the big stone archway. It led to a closed room with a domed ceiling, letters, runes and shapes carved into the stone. I walked closer to one of the walls, tracing with my finger the complex lines on it. I took a few steps, nearing the center of the room and-

The blackness engulfed me. But there was no me to engulf. There was nothing but endless black. Darkness. Nothingness. Emptiness. Not a thing to feel, touch, see, hear, smell, taste. Not a thing to love, hate, acknowledge, forget.

Suddenly, a soft, sweet song filled everything. It was so quiet, so small, but it was something. It filled me up. There was a 'me' to fill. A shimmering light joined the song in perfect harmony. The song turned coherent. It was like whispers.

A World far beyond the wildest of dreams

Its beautiful pain has awoken us

From sadness and hurt it always redeems

It is with no doubt so pure and blameless

But Fate is so cold, so wrong, so unjust

For it has condemned that pure World to death

And death we have seen, death we have witnessed

That world is too good to take its last breath

Alas, but from bad it only gets worse

For to save that World another must die

We're sorry, to this you cannot averse

Your World will die.

The whispers vanished. There was only the light, keeping me there so I wouldn't return to the black nothingness.

            I took a moment to process what the Whispers had told me. My World must die to save another.

            "But why?" The question was asked out loud. "Why me?"

            The light flickered, becoming more like a flame. A wave of heat lapped at my face.

            Heiress of Water, we have chosen you

You are the Child of Millennia

To every World there are given two

Two who have the gift, they speak with the Runes.

"And in this World, at this time," I asked, "there are two people who can speak to the Runes? Me and one other?"

Yes.

"Is there nothing that can be done to prevent the destruction of both the worlds?" My voice broke.

No.

I took a deep breath, though breathing wasn't necessary here. There was nothing to breathe. I steadied myself.

"What needs to be done?"

A group of people know by us alone

Have risen higher, greater than the rest

We ask of you, O child of the throne

To help us save them, that is your conquest.

The voice faded. The light faded. I faded.

***

The first sense that awoke was touch. I felt cold stone against my cheek, but the direction of it was odd. Then I opened my eyes and discovered I was lying on the floor of the Room.

I got to my feet carefully; I was dizzy, and my head felt funny, as if more information than I remembered acquiring was crammed into it. I tried to poke for the information, but there was a wall. I focused on it. It was a name.

The name Kallista Pendragon.

***

"Red!" said Dilmon as I stumbled out of the archway. "Are you ok? What happened? Did you hear the Prophecy? Did you speak to the Runes? What did they say? Wha-"

"Shh!" I said, stopping his seemingly endless flow of questions. "You sound like my mum." I said. He grinned.

"How are you feeling, though?" He asked.

"I'm fine. But we need to get going. Have you ever heard of someone called… Kallista Pendragon?"

"Kal?" Jumped Pyro (who until then had been leaning on a pillar of stone, looking dozed). "She's Octa's wife!-" then he stopped, narrowing his eyes. "What did the Runes say about her?" He said protectively.

"We need to find her, and she needs to come with us. She's done nothing wrong, on the contrary…" I didn't know if I should tell them. I tried to fight the wall again, but I couldn't get past the first name. I suppose there was a certain order in which I had to find these people.

All in due time… I heard a voice say in my head. It had the same perfect quality to it as the Whispers.

"I can't tell you everything quite yet. I'm not sure I fully understand."

A few seconds silence. "Well?" said Pyro. "Let's go get Kal!"