Lolirock: Ephedia - Sequel to Lolirock: A New Beginning

Ephedia: Izira & Jodan

Iris POV 

I landed in the castle of Xeris, turning back into my civilian form. I summoned the heart sphere again, and it passed through me, my color returning back to my face, arms and legs. I snapped my fingers, and it disappeared. 

"Izira!" I yelled, as the guards let me through with a bow. 

"Iris!" she ran out to hug me. Her brilliant white hair decorated the frame of her face. 

"The palace looks amazing." I enthusiastically complimented her. 

She nodded. 

"I was decorating it, and it needed more... blue." she announced, as a bunch of advisors came out holding fabric color choices. 

"I need to borrow your amulet." I asked, politely enough so I wouldn't seem pushy.  SHe grasped it to her chest. 

"Why?" she asked suspiciously. 

I rolled my eyes. 

"Auriana accidentally cast a spell, where the Ephedian world will move faster than it does on Earth. Everyone with a gray streak in their hair will age quickly." I explained, holding out my hand. 

She pulled out a strand of her hair. 

"It's been creeping up to my head. I've tried to cut it, but it jumps to another strand." she complained, as she tugged on her irreversible problem. 

"Yes, Izira, I know. Lyna and Carissa both suffer from the curse too." 

She wiped away a tear.

"The King? The Queen?" 

"They're fine." I reassured her. She shook her head. 

"Are they fairing well? They weren't affected the last time the curse was put in place, but the Queen suffered a heart attack." she explained, "that was the only time we could all visit her cell, to feed her and take care of her. For a villain, Graymorr was surprisingly tidy." 

She giggled a bit. I, on the other hand, clenched my fists, and tried not to summon crystals to trap her. How dare she give Graymorr a compliment? He wasn't worthy. 

"Iris? Are you okay?" she looked down at me, her tall figure rising up above me. 

I plastered a smile on my face. 

"Yes, of course," I paused, asking again, "may I have your medal?" 

She hesitantly handed it over to me, and I snatched it, almost wanting to let out a laugh at Izira for being so careless. She walked off, giving me a small wave of her hand before leaving. 

I waved bye, and summoned the sphere again. It passed through me, revealing my true self. I snapped my fingers, and it was gone, leaving me alone. 

I stepped out of the kingdom of Xeris, and transformed. 

I leaped onto the roof, and ran to the kingdom of Volta. I ran all night long, until I had to rest. I was panting hard, and several animals came out to ask what was happening. I weakly smiled, and several brought out nuts and berries. I was initially weary, because, what kind of animals bring food to a strange girl? They just nuzzled my hands, and curled up next to me while I munched on the food, forgetting about my table manners. 

They slept soundly, and after a minute of letting down my guard, I fell asleep too. 

.     .    . 

The world stilled, and the voices in my head overlapped one another, as they journeyed into the world as new creatures.

"Iris, please, think about this." my Mother cried. I turned away from her, shameful. 

"Iris, you need to choose a husband." my Father demanded. I covered my ears. 

"Choose me." Nathaniel pleaded. I walked away from him. 

"Come back home, Iris." Lev commanded, touching my shoulders. Several tears pooled at the corners of my eyes, but I wiped them away and stared directly into his eyes. He disappeared. 

The voices overlapped one another, until I let out a scream. Suddenly, I was in a room. 

My room. 

I could see my friends pacing, worried about me. 

"Iris cannot be evil. No way." Talia prevailed. 

Auriana shook her head, scared. Dawn thought about it. 

"She's been under a lot of stress lately, choosing between Nathaniel and Lev, being Queen, choosing love over friendship," Dawn reasoned, "it could be enough." 

Chandler nodded shamefully, as he didn't want to admit. 

"She's done so many things for us." Lyna cried. 

"It's our fault." Nathaniel and Lev simultaneously said. 

My Mother burst into the room. 

"No. It's not your fault." she insisted. 

"It's ours," my Father followed suit, as my Mother paced.

"We pushed her. She had just gotten back from defeating Graymorr, that we didn't even know what she wanted." she let out a little sob. My Father consoled her, hugging her. I let a tiny tear roll down my cheek, disappointed at myself for the pain I had caused. 

I turned around. 

"There will be no more pain." I clenched my fists. 

.      .      . 

I woke to the startling sound of a chipmunk screeching. The sound of footsteps. 

I immediately jumped up and landed in a tree, almost hitting my head on a branch.

A boy, about the same age as me, walked through the bushes. 

"Hello? I know you're there." he rolled his eyes and looked up. 

"Shoot." I muttered. 

I jumped down as the sphere passed through me, and I transformed as soon as I hit the ground. 

"Hello." 

"Jodan!" I embraced him. 

"Iris?" his puzzled expression made me giggle. 

"Yeah." I confirmed his suspicions. 

"What's with the different color scheme?" he motioned to my dress, laughing. 

I froze. 

"I'm kidding!" he laughed. I smiled weakly. He kept on laughing and sat down near the base of the tree. 

"I need your glasses." 

"But, that's the source of my power!" he protested. I grinned. 

"Jodan," I took his hands, "I need it to reverse the Blast." I reasoned. 

Like Izira, he pulled out a gray strand from behind his ear, and sighed. 

"Iris, this is dangerous." he warned. I nodded, and held out my hand. He warily put the glasses in my hand, and as soon as I had it in my grasp, I wickedly smiled. He stood up and walked away. 

"Iris, I'll see you around." he nodded at me, and jumped up into the air. 

"See you around."