Whispers In The Wind - Aru Shah

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔒𝔫𝔢

"Are you up for the test to save your friend?"

"What?" Aru asked She spun around trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"I'm a voice, darling. I'm not a person or an object. You won't find me."

A slight breeze ran through the air and Aru's hair gently flowed to the left. She took a hair tie off her wrist and tied her hair back into a low ponytail. "What do you mean that I can save Aiden?"

"I have quests set for you." The wind stopped, the trees stopped creaking, and Aiden stopped mid-groan.

Aru spun around and realized time was frozen. "What did you do?!" she yelled.

"I put the world on pause. Everything stopped." The voice took a break. "Suyodhana won't be able to go hurt Brynne and Fischer as he had planned to. Aiden won't bleed anymore. Everything is frozen except you and me."

"How do you know? How do you know Brynne and Fischer? How do you know Suyodhana? Do you work for him? Is this one of his gimmicks?"

"I know everyone and everything. I don't work for anyone but nature. I can take many forms. I can be a voice in the wind, I could be a fish in a stream, or I could be my true form."

"What's your true form?" Aru asked.

"You'll find out." The voice disappeared.

"Hello?!" Aru yelled out into the woods.

She walked back up onto the path. "Ma'am?" she asked. She ran down the path and looked for something to hear. She ran straight into a dark portal-like thing. It engulfed her, and she was brought to a place that looked like outer space. Stars surrounded the queen. A bright beacon of light shot up next to her.

A creature stepped out of the bright light. The creature had purple skin, floppy bunny ears, brown ram horns, a cute bunny nose, and flowy long purple hair. It had a bandaid on the bridge of its nose. Freckles sprinkled across its cheeks like cinnamon. It cocked its head to the side to get a better look at Aru.

"Who are you?" Aru demanded to know, taking her sword out of the holster that draped against her back. She pointed it toward the creature.

"So hostile. Fiesty, I like it."

"Do I look like a taco sauce?" Aru asked, lowering her sword. "You're the voice. You are the animal who stopped time."

"That's me. My name is Dallas. I have no defined gender. I'm simply a being. I'm the protector of the forests and life."

Aru slipped her sword back into the holster on her back. "Pleasure to meet you, Dallas."

"You as well, Aru. Now, allow me to introduce you to my siblings." A green creature with orange hair and ears appeared next to Dallas. "This is my sister, Aspyn. She is the protector of humans. She is also the second youngest of us all."

Aru studied the creature in front of her. "Hello, Aspyn."

"'Ello, Arundhati. I'm sorry to hear about your friend, Aiden. He is too kind-hearted for this world, along with you."

"You know us both?"

"I'm the protector of humans against any supernatural forces. I need to know everyone and their personalities."

Aru nodded.

"This is Kai. The oldest and the fighter of the group. He is the protector of the sea and sacred land," Dallas said.

He took his sword off his back and pointed it at Aru. "You up for your first test?"

Dallas pushed him back. "Not right now, brother. Allow me to introduce her to Alva. Alva, come out, darling."