RE:WRITTEN

002: Golden Petals

"Hey, Mama Winter?"

Amai's mother looks at me. She raises an eyebrow when she sees that I'm alone in the kitchen with her.

"Are you alright, Sakasu?" She tilts her head a little in the same way that Amai does. "You know you can call me Aura. No need to call me 'Mama Winter' or 'Mrs. Winter' or anything fancy."

I tug on the sleeve of my sweatshirt. I nervously laugh, "O-oh! Yeah, of course, sorry Aura... I um... I was just wondering if you might be able to help me with something."

"Depends on what it is, sweetie." Aura smiles at me. "But I'll do my best to assist you as best I can."

I look to the side, taking a deep breath in.

"I've been doing a bit of research... I recently discovered something about myself, and I'm not sure who to talk to because I know my parents would never believe me. So this probably sounds really stupid, but do you know anything about the world Destiny?"

I notice Aura's eyes widen as her posture straightens. She studies me for what seems like a long time. Slowly, the woman nods, relaxing a bit.

"Destiny." She offers a tiny smile of reassurance. "It's been a long time, but yes. I know the world Destiny."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness. I can finally talk to somebody about this."

Aura crosses her arms. "What about Destiny is catching your interest? Very few people... study it for fun."

"No, no." I put my hands out. "I just... as I said, I discovered something about myself, and I think it's linked to Destiny. Everything I've looked at regarding that world only makes sense with this..."

I move the choker on my neck a little, revealing the little golden flower charm on the side. I show this piece of jewelry to Aura.

"See this?" I gesture to the choker. "I got this a few weeks ago. Somebody randomly gave this to me while I was out and about. They said that I needed to protect it and myself. I don't know who gave this to me, but they said they were from Destiny..."

Aura walks over to get a closer look at the choker around my neck. She pokes it for a second.

"Destinian jewelry..."

"Wait, so it's real?!" I gasp, my eyes widening.

Amai's mother puts a finger to her mouth, signaling for me to hush. "Yes, sweetie. That's real. It's a Written Charm."

"A what?" I ask.

Aura sighs a little. She looks around the kitchen for a moment before reaching under the neck of her sweater. She lifts up a chain to reveal a blue and purple ombre pendant. The charm is shaped like an oval.

"A Written Charm is an accessory directly from the world of Destiny. They are created whenever a new Written is discovered, and they are gifted to the user when fate declares they shall know. Every charm is unique, and only its true holder can access the abilities within." Aura puts the necklace back where it was hidden under her sweater. "That choker of yours has a Written Charm in it, Sakasu."

I put a hand on my neck, trying to feel the golden flower charm. When I touch the flower, my attention is suddenly drawn to where Aura hid her necklace. Despite the sweater overtop the pendant, I can see a periwinkle haze floating around the shape of her charm. A sense of security rushes over me as I watch Aura. I can't help but smile.

"That necklace of yours. Is it a Written Charm, too?" I ask.

Aura's hand moves up to where the haze floats. When she lightly puts her hand over it for a moment, I notice her pink eyes start to glow. She gives me a warm smile before the gleam in her eyes fades, and she offers her hand out to me.