The Other Side of the Mirror

Close Your Eyes

Merlon excitedly ushered us into the snug library. Since there were only four bean bags, Nyx and I squeezed onto the dark green one I had been sat on earlier while mother claimed the purple one, Cantatio took a deep crimson one and Merlon the pink one.

"Okay." He started before clearing his throat to begin. His eyes twinkled a soft gold, illuminating his uncontainable excitement. "As you all know, Cantatio and I recently discovered something very interesting in the book of prophecies about our land. There was a prophecy in there which had been stuck to the page before it, and we believe it relates to the prophesy of the Two Sisters which has already come to be."

"What does it say Merlon?" My mother asked with a wobble in her voice. "The two girls have already been through and risked so much for us all."

He nodded nonchalantly. "Indeed, but if this prophecy is not fulfilled I fear our realm will not last much longer. This void has already taken so much and engulfed so many. Each life is precious and sacred and we must save as many as we can." He stated matter-of-factly.

My mother opened her mouth but quickly shut it again, letting Merlon's words settle in her mind.

"Unlike most of our prophecies which are written in Greek, this one was written in the ancient language of our land which hasn't been used in centuries." Came Cantatio's silvery voice. "But after careful analysis this is what we have worked it out to say."

She placed a single, slightly scrunched piece of paper on the carpet in the middle of the circle.

Nyx and I edged anxiously towards it and read it aloud in unison.

"As our world is overtaken by fear,
  And the end draws near.
  The future is unclear,
  No answers are here.
The sisters our only chance,
As the Void continues to advance.
To halt its inevitable expanse,
Fuelled by a lost romance.
Above one must go,
The other the land below.
To search high and low,
For the stones of glow."

We looked at each other when we finished reading, our faces aghast. "What does it mean? We asked simultaneously.

"We think it means that we need to use the power of the Lyra crystals to eradicate the void." Cantatio stated.

The Lyra crystals? Merlon's mentioned them before. What do they do?" I asked, turning to face him.

His twinkling emerald eyes met mine as he began explaining. "The Lyra crystals are an ancient magic connected to our land. There are four of them in existence and each have been guarded for generations."

"So where are they and how do we get them?" Nyx questioned.

"I'm lucky enough to have one." stated Merlon.

"And the other three?" Nyx prompted eagerly.

"One is held by the Gloom Empress who rules the Knowhere. The second held by the Glee Enchantress who rules the Yondermist. The two were members of the ancients, the founders of our land. They were complete opposites of one another yet together united by love. They were-"

"Okay maybe less about the history of the realm and more about the matter at hand." Cantatio interrupted with a quiet laugh. "Otherwise we could be here all day."

Merlon cast her a short glare before laughing too. "Oh ho, right you are Cantatio. So where was I?"

"You were telling us of the locations of these crystals." Nyx giggled.

"So where's the last one?" I asked excitedly.

Merlon's expression became grave as his eyes became a cloudy midnight blue. "Cantatio and I believe that the fourth Lyra crystal is no longer in existence, at least in the form we know. The magic held within it has been corrupted and manipulated to create something far darker and more dangerous."