「✦ Reflection of Memories ✦」

Chapter 13: Alerted

I walked out of the cave half confused and half angry. Who was she to force me to play an unfair and impossible-to-win game, just for a stupid ticket out of this place? But the thing is, I didn't even know who she was. And now I owe her a favor. "Why?! Why me? Why now?..." I screamed. I guess it was a bit too overdramatic, fine. But what do you expect after all this

I walked back to the field of grass, completely re-thinking my life, and forgetting that Ariella existed. She picked at the stone at her feet, flinging rocks at my feet to get my attention. She looked somewhat irritated. 

"Isla! If you came even a second later, the portal won't work. What took you so long? I told you to stay out of that cave!" She scolded the second I stopped walking.

"My magic and my sister's do not mix well. If you are the one which she chose, you cannot enter the places of Cira. It doesn't work like that! You can't just-"

 "YOu CAn'T jUSt-" I imitated. "Ariella, I'm fine! I'm alive! Surprise, surprise! Now shut up and tell me how to open the portal!"

Ariella opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it and clamored up. "You really are a pain. I do not understand why she chose you for me." She said, sighing. 

Standing up and hopping up two low rocks, she pointed at a blank space in the sky. It was white, but not with clouds. It just looked like a...blank canvas.

"I got a headstart while you were in that cave," She told me. Ah, so that's why I didn't notice it earlier.

She watched me expectantly, tilting her head as if waiting for me to say something.

"What? Don't look at me like that." I protested, shaking my head.

"Do it! Open the portal!" She said at last. 

Then she seemed to understand. "You don't know how." She sighed. "Take the feather, and hold it up to the blank space in the sky." She instructed. "It'll tell if you're true. If not, it won't work." 

As I carefully opened the bubble on my shoulder to get the feather out, I heard Ariella mutter something under her breath. Something about something not being right and dark magic. She didn't seem to be watching me, didn't seem to see that I had a mark on my shoulder. 

I held up the feather for her to see, and she nodded but seemed somehow distracted.

"Hold it up, now. It might take a while, though, so be patient." 

I held up the feather to the blank sky. Immediately, a light shone on the feather, lifting it out of my hands.

I hesitantly released the feather, letting it float itself under the lone beam of light. 

It just floated there for a while, absorbing the light that shone on it.

Then, it fell. The light faded abruptly.

"What happened? Is this part of the procedure?" I asked, stepping warily away from the feather. I had a creeping feeling the answer was "no". And something really bad was going to happen.

Ariella stood up and backed away as well. "This was not supposed to happen. You've betrayed the feather's trust." She narrowed her eyes at me.

"Tell me, what is your mission?" She hissed.

"What?"

"What are you doing actually here?" She demanded.

I looked at her, confused. "I-I don't know what you mean..."

"Stop playing dumb. I know that you know what I mean. Confess right now, what you plan to do, and perhaps I won't hurt you." She held her hand out, and a shimmering blade appeared in her hand. Her expression looked fierce, but I could see her eyes rimmed with tears.