Lolirock: Balance -Third of the Lolirock Series

Balance: Fallen

Talia's POV 

"Who do you think that person was?" Iris asked. 

We all shrugged. Lev's eyelids were drooping. 

"She had yellow crystals, but they didn't seem natural. It was almost as if they were... tainted."

"Tainted? What's that?" Nathaniel asked. 

I smirked. 

"I thought you knew everything about the land of Ephedia." 

"Not everything." Nathaniel snapped. 

"Why do you guys fight so much?" Iris sighed exasperatedly. 

"Sorry." Nathaniel muttered. 

"Tainted is when a princess or prince's magical jewel is ruined, broken, or even cracked. They are supposed to be nearly indestructible. But only one curse, which few people have ever memorized, can taint it. Soon, the person wearing the jewel will have the same effects. They will be consumed by the dark crystal magic used to taint the jewel." I fumbled with my hands. 

It was a sensitive subject, ever since my best friend, Pleiades, was consumed by dark crystal magic. Her medallion was consumed by the curse, and she continued to use it, even after she was told NEVER to use it again. She used it to fight against Graymorr. 

The fight ended with her being enveloped in an array of crystals. Not even the most powerful magician could get her out. 

There was a memorial park, the nearest to the palace of Xeris. I bit back my tears. 

"Talia?" Auriana touched a hand on my shoulder. 

I jolted up. I didn't realize how long I had spaced out. 

"Sorry." 

"It's alright." Auriana grinned. She whipped out her phone and quickly texted Doug, who was on a business trip to update his website. 

"-aren't any more kingdoms." Iris implored. I tuned my ears to the conversation. 

"What about Aniani?" 

Iris' shoulders stiffened. 

"Well, there should be one. At least one royal family should live in each kingdom." Nathaniel noted. 

"We should at least try." Lyna added shyly. 

Lev nodded sleepily. The conversation died down after a few minutes, and the sound of Chandler's snoring filled the circle of trees. Dawn snored similarly, but her snore was infinitely louder than Chandler's. 

We dozed off. 

"Talia. Talia!" 

"Pleiades?" I squinted to make the picture more clear. 

There was a scar on her cheek. Her lips were dry and bleeding. The chaos ensued around her. Black crystals surrounded the doorways as several soldiers tried to barricade it to no avail. 

The vision disappeared.

"The Black Knight is attacking the Balance. There are only five more posts left. We have to protect them." a girl ordered. 

Her eyes were a bright green, and her hair glowed a brilliant yellow. It shimmered in the light. Her magical jewel was her earrings.  She initiated the detransformation sequence, and her light skin made the light bounce off. 

"Madame, we can't stretch our forces too far. What about the princess-" the man was cut off sharply. 

"Those prissy princesses have done nothing for us."

One brave man in the back stood up. 

"They defeated Graymorr, and Princess Iris, when she momentarily went to the dark side."

"Exactly." the girl snapped, "they have done nothing. They've caused more mayhem than we could ever imagine."

"Princess Vega..." 

"Sorry Markson, just tired."

"Wait. Stop." she said. The room was instantly quiet. She turned towards me. 

"Talia?" 

"Do we, know each other?"

Someone shook me. I looked down, then up. The sun was rising, rapidly. 

"The Crystal Lights." Vega said. 

"What?"

"Talia??" Auriana was shaking my shoulders. 

"What happened?"

"We had to wake you up. You were muttering Vega." Lev explained, leaning against a tree. Chandler's hand was on my shoulder. I shrugged it off, and he looked at the ground, before standing up and helping Lev with the supplies. Iris was still asleep. 

"Iris!" I yelled. 

She jumped out of the bed, the bags under her eyes getting larger. I winced. Pulling a jar out of my bag, a makeup jar with a few brushes were in a separate pocket. Iris gladly took it. 

After we had finished packing the supplies, we walked up the 2 mile road. 

The landscape slowly started to change. The forests were disappearing, and the sound of crickets were getting louder. The hissing of snakes, and the growling of ligers were increasing. Lyna yelped when a snake slithered across the dirt. It nudged her foot, and she stepped up, beginning to levitate. 

"I am NOT taking any chances." she said, as a flock of birds flew overhead. 

The heat grew as the trees suddenly disappeared. The damp dirt turned to sand, and animal bones were scattered across the desert floor. 

A mild sand storm blew in the distance, as mirages danced in and out of view. 

We walked along the road, as the sand glimmered in the sun. I stared at the landscape in disbelief. This couldn't be. 

There has never been a desert in the history of Ephedia. Not even the most humid parts of the landscape was turned into deserts. That's when it came to me. 

I touched a cactus, just as Iris cried out in protest. Immediately, the cactus disintegrated,  and the illusion of heat, sand, and bones disappeared. The sweat on the brow of Carissa disappeared. 

Everyone looked around in surprise. 

"What happened?" 

In the distance, I could see my Palace, still glimmering in the blue light. Lyna blinked a few times. 

"Ho-" she started. 

"You remember the illusion that we went through after going through the portal, correct? I figured that if that powerful illusion was around the perimeter of the kingdom, then there might be some extra security around the palaces too." 

"But how are they making these?" Iris asked, while she kicked a rock around. It flew into the air and I caught it. 

"These." I held them up. They were small, but we still able to see them. 

"Magnetic Illusion Crystals." Auriana gasped in realization. 

"Yep!" I nodded. 

"What are-" Iris started. 

"They we regular crystals, enhanced by a royal's magic. They work in our subconscious mind keep us to the path, so we won't break the illusion." Lev explained. 

"Auriana!" a voice called. 

"Jodan!" Auriana yelled happily. 

But when he came running towards her, his eyes were filled to the brim with tears. A scratch on his cheek was bleeding. His eyes were red. 

"I-Izira." 

All I remember was the blur of blue hair as I sped into the palace.