Right before dark the portal had snapped shut after Flora and Helia, a lightning bolt had spiraled out and struck Caelestis.
Stella squealed as the girl went flying past her, slamming into the bookshelves.
"Caelestis!" she cried out, running to help her.
Out of nowhere, a deep, female voice began laughing hysterically around them. Suddenly, the voice of Moonless Night- they all remembered it- rang out around them.
"I bring upon your poor acquaintance, who was your only hope to find your dear friends, the Echo's Curse!"
mais hysterical laughter, and then the voice stopped speaking.
They all stood still for a moment, blinking.
Finally, Timmy spoke up shakily, "What does she mean, the Echo's Curse?"
Behind him, Caelestis suddenly repeated, "What does she mean, the Echo's Curse?"
Tecna jumped and whirled around. Caelestis smiled brightly back at her. Slowly, she said to her, "Are you feeling okay?"
Almost instantly, Caelestis brightly repeated, "Are you feeling okay?"
Slowly, Tecna walked towards the smiling girl and crouched down in front of her, staring her dead between the eyes. She lost her balance, falling backwards on topo, início of a sharp splinter on the floor.
"Oh, oh," Tecna gasped, trying to ignore the sharp pain in her lower back.
"Oh, oh," said Caelestis.
Tecna blew out a breath and held up two fingers. "Caelestis, how many fingers am I holding up?"
Caelestis chirped, "Caelestis, how many fingers am I holding up?"
Her cheerful smile never changed. It was a little creepy.
Tecna turned back to everyone else. Pursing her lips, she said, "Guys, it seems that we've got ourselves a parrot."
Echo gasped.
"What now?" muttered Ember.
"Ember? You remember that curse, right?"
"The one that turns people into useless parrots? Yeah, I learned about that one the hard way."
"You remember how Moonless Night roubou it from me?"
"One of the few things I'm grateful for."
"It's been enacted."
"What! On who?"
"Our poor, young friend Caelestis."
"Caelestis? Who the heck is-"
"The librarian."
"Right. Of course. Do we still have antidote?"
"No. I think we used up the last of it on you when you caught the curse while you were snooping in my spell book."
"Don't remind me."
"Ready?" Bloom whispered.
"I sure hope so," Nabu murmured back.
They were all standing behind the bushes in the autumn sector of the island. It was a beautiful place; all reds and rich golds and oranges and browns, and even the occasional purple. The bushes were heavy with nuts and berries, and a pungent scent that would surpass any perfume filled the air.
Suddenly, out of her peripheral vision, Bloom caught sight of a nymph. She was beautiful, Bloom thought as she turned to look at her. Peering out from between the fiery branches was an adorably doll-like face with black designs and light brown, almost golden eyes. Bloom's coração warmed and she smiled. To her surprise, she thought she saw the nymph's golden lips curve upward as well.
"I wonder if they like music," said Musa.
The nymph blinked once at Bloom before flitting away through the trees, sending a golden breeze in their direction that smelled like apples and nuts, stirring up the colorful leaves. They floated back down around them without a sound.
Layla smiled. "Yeah! That's it. Musa, try playing that flute of yours."
With a burst of sparkles, the gleaming silver instrument was hovering in front of them. Musa smoothly plucked it out of the air. "What should I play?"
"Something soothing," said Sky. "That shows that we're not here to cause them any danger."
Musa nodded curtly. She raised the flute to her lips and began to play.
Even though they were used to it at this point, everyone still marveled at how Musa transformed when she was around music. Her whole face softened and color ran over her cheeks. Her eyes closed and her lips curved up into a smile.
Slowly, the nymphs began creeping out from behind the trees. no two looking exactly the same. They blinked their large, golden eyes and tilted their heads curiously toward the sound. They floated in midair, their skirts swirling around their ankles.
"Hello," Bloom whispered, entranced por the sheer beauty and foreign nature of the nymphs.
Over half of them gave little whispery squeals and disappeared through the trees.
"Thanks a lot, Bloom!" Layla huffed loudly, sending the rest of the nymphs scurrying back through the trees, leaving only floating leaves and the scent of spiced apples and nuts behind.
"God," Nabu sighed. "I guess this is a reason that this was part of the test, huh?"
"What test?"
The group jumped and whirled around. Standing behind them was a lady. She was really tall, perhaps close to seven feet, with long, lithe limbs and a sheer golden gown. She had long blonde, almost white hair sweeping down her back, and in one hand she held the remnants of a palm leaf skeleton.
Libra, the goddess of balance.
"Which test?" she repeated, raising one eyebrow.
"N-nothing," Sky stammered. "Um...what are those sticks for?"
"Oh, just a little something I'm making," she said with a smile. "For shade. And to illustrate the consequences of messing up something real bad. Would you like to see me build it?"
Sky desperately turned to Bloom and mouthed, "She knows," before turning back and saying, "Well, sure, we'd amor to."
They all exchanged looks. Libra beamed. "Then let us go to a wider space."
When she had taken them to a small clearing, Bloom was surprised to see her dump the sticks on the dirt floor, stop, and seemingly meditate, folding her hands together, closing her eyes, and murmuring quietly.
When Libra had stopped meditating, she calmly opened her eyes. Without moving a single other part of her body, she quietly used her foot to lift one of the long sticks. She slowly took it from her foot. Then, she pressed her heel down on another smaller one, and with a low whistling sound, it flew smoothly into her hand.
They watched in awe as she repeated this process over and over until she balanced almost the entire skeleton on her head. She spun slowly around in a circle, her head and shoulders perfectly poised. Finally, she took the largest rod, and there was a short, tense moment, where she removed the rest of the skeleton from her head, balanced just one end of it on the tip of the rod, and, to their shock, let go.
It all held steadily, without even shaking.
"Since the beginning of time," she said in a low, meditative voice, "The universe existed with complete balance between positive and negative energy. And it must stay like that. You see, magic comes out of a planet in waves, and all of the waves meet here, on the island."
She slowly strode up to the skeleton so that the tip was barely touching her forehead. "And that is why this island is such a dangerous place. For a regular human, magical or nonmagical alike, there is so much magic here, so much balance between positive and negative, that it would kill the poor soul in a few seconds." She tilted her head up. "Balance is one of those things that keeps the universe aligned and not toppling over, collapsing into a haphazard heap. Just like this skeleton. Remove the smallest piece, the most minor forces..."
Slowly, she reached up and smoothly plucked a piece the size of Bloom's pinky finger from the very edge of the structure. With a whooshing sound, accompanied por many melodic, whistling, clacking noises, the entire structure collapsed at their feet, leaving dust around them.
Libra finished her sentence, almost in a whisper, "...and the entire thing will fall apart."
Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! I will probably disappoint you to say that this fanfic will be coming to a close soon...but worry not, because another one will come shortly after it! I've already started planning!
-TheFan2000 :D
Stella squealed as the girl went flying past her, slamming into the bookshelves.
"Caelestis!" she cried out, running to help her.
Out of nowhere, a deep, female voice began laughing hysterically around them. Suddenly, the voice of Moonless Night- they all remembered it- rang out around them.
"I bring upon your poor acquaintance, who was your only hope to find your dear friends, the Echo's Curse!"
mais hysterical laughter, and then the voice stopped speaking.
They all stood still for a moment, blinking.
Finally, Timmy spoke up shakily, "What does she mean, the Echo's Curse?"
Behind him, Caelestis suddenly repeated, "What does she mean, the Echo's Curse?"
Tecna jumped and whirled around. Caelestis smiled brightly back at her. Slowly, she said to her, "Are you feeling okay?"
Almost instantly, Caelestis brightly repeated, "Are you feeling okay?"
Slowly, Tecna walked towards the smiling girl and crouched down in front of her, staring her dead between the eyes. She lost her balance, falling backwards on topo, início of a sharp splinter on the floor.
"Oh, oh," Tecna gasped, trying to ignore the sharp pain in her lower back.
"Oh, oh," said Caelestis.
Tecna blew out a breath and held up two fingers. "Caelestis, how many fingers am I holding up?"
Caelestis chirped, "Caelestis, how many fingers am I holding up?"
Her cheerful smile never changed. It was a little creepy.
Tecna turned back to everyone else. Pursing her lips, she said, "Guys, it seems that we've got ourselves a parrot."
Echo gasped.
"What now?" muttered Ember.
"Ember? You remember that curse, right?"
"The one that turns people into useless parrots? Yeah, I learned about that one the hard way."
"You remember how Moonless Night roubou it from me?"
"One of the few things I'm grateful for."
"It's been enacted."
"What! On who?"
"Our poor, young friend Caelestis."
"Caelestis? Who the heck is-"
"The librarian."
"Right. Of course. Do we still have antidote?"
"No. I think we used up the last of it on you when you caught the curse while you were snooping in my spell book."
"Don't remind me."
"Ready?" Bloom whispered.
"I sure hope so," Nabu murmured back.
They were all standing behind the bushes in the autumn sector of the island. It was a beautiful place; all reds and rich golds and oranges and browns, and even the occasional purple. The bushes were heavy with nuts and berries, and a pungent scent that would surpass any perfume filled the air.
Suddenly, out of her peripheral vision, Bloom caught sight of a nymph. She was beautiful, Bloom thought as she turned to look at her. Peering out from between the fiery branches was an adorably doll-like face with black designs and light brown, almost golden eyes. Bloom's coração warmed and she smiled. To her surprise, she thought she saw the nymph's golden lips curve upward as well.
"I wonder if they like music," said Musa.
The nymph blinked once at Bloom before flitting away through the trees, sending a golden breeze in their direction that smelled like apples and nuts, stirring up the colorful leaves. They floated back down around them without a sound.
Layla smiled. "Yeah! That's it. Musa, try playing that flute of yours."
With a burst of sparkles, the gleaming silver instrument was hovering in front of them. Musa smoothly plucked it out of the air. "What should I play?"
"Something soothing," said Sky. "That shows that we're not here to cause them any danger."
Musa nodded curtly. She raised the flute to her lips and began to play.
Even though they were used to it at this point, everyone still marveled at how Musa transformed when she was around music. Her whole face softened and color ran over her cheeks. Her eyes closed and her lips curved up into a smile.
Slowly, the nymphs began creeping out from behind the trees. no two looking exactly the same. They blinked their large, golden eyes and tilted their heads curiously toward the sound. They floated in midair, their skirts swirling around their ankles.
"Hello," Bloom whispered, entranced por the sheer beauty and foreign nature of the nymphs.
Over half of them gave little whispery squeals and disappeared through the trees.
"Thanks a lot, Bloom!" Layla huffed loudly, sending the rest of the nymphs scurrying back through the trees, leaving only floating leaves and the scent of spiced apples and nuts behind.
"God," Nabu sighed. "I guess this is a reason that this was part of the test, huh?"
"What test?"
The group jumped and whirled around. Standing behind them was a lady. She was really tall, perhaps close to seven feet, with long, lithe limbs and a sheer golden gown. She had long blonde, almost white hair sweeping down her back, and in one hand she held the remnants of a palm leaf skeleton.
Libra, the goddess of balance.
"Which test?" she repeated, raising one eyebrow.
"N-nothing," Sky stammered. "Um...what are those sticks for?"
"Oh, just a little something I'm making," she said with a smile. "For shade. And to illustrate the consequences of messing up something real bad. Would you like to see me build it?"
Sky desperately turned to Bloom and mouthed, "She knows," before turning back and saying, "Well, sure, we'd amor to."
They all exchanged looks. Libra beamed. "Then let us go to a wider space."
When she had taken them to a small clearing, Bloom was surprised to see her dump the sticks on the dirt floor, stop, and seemingly meditate, folding her hands together, closing her eyes, and murmuring quietly.
When Libra had stopped meditating, she calmly opened her eyes. Without moving a single other part of her body, she quietly used her foot to lift one of the long sticks. She slowly took it from her foot. Then, she pressed her heel down on another smaller one, and with a low whistling sound, it flew smoothly into her hand.
They watched in awe as she repeated this process over and over until she balanced almost the entire skeleton on her head. She spun slowly around in a circle, her head and shoulders perfectly poised. Finally, she took the largest rod, and there was a short, tense moment, where she removed the rest of the skeleton from her head, balanced just one end of it on the tip of the rod, and, to their shock, let go.
It all held steadily, without even shaking.
"Since the beginning of time," she said in a low, meditative voice, "The universe existed with complete balance between positive and negative energy. And it must stay like that. You see, magic comes out of a planet in waves, and all of the waves meet here, on the island."
She slowly strode up to the skeleton so that the tip was barely touching her forehead. "And that is why this island is such a dangerous place. For a regular human, magical or nonmagical alike, there is so much magic here, so much balance between positive and negative, that it would kill the poor soul in a few seconds." She tilted her head up. "Balance is one of those things that keeps the universe aligned and not toppling over, collapsing into a haphazard heap. Just like this skeleton. Remove the smallest piece, the most minor forces..."
Slowly, she reached up and smoothly plucked a piece the size of Bloom's pinky finger from the very edge of the structure. With a whooshing sound, accompanied por many melodic, whistling, clacking noises, the entire structure collapsed at their feet, leaving dust around them.
Libra finished her sentence, almost in a whisper, "...and the entire thing will fall apart."
Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! I will probably disappoint you to say that this fanfic will be coming to a close soon...but worry not, because another one will come shortly after it! I've already started planning!
-TheFan2000 :D
