RIVER VALLEYS PAST

chapter 15

3 months ago
Heaven

"Azaya" a familiar angelic voice called out, Lady Athena appeared in her formal white dress, a thick gold belt wrapping around her waist keeping her dress in place as it hung loosely on her caramel skin. It's been a week since I magically appeared here, and I've felt nothing but at home. "The council is ready to see you," she advised. She's been my mentor since I got here. She's been by my side and helping me with my powers and so much more.

"Okay," I simply nod, resting the paintbrush on the stool that was placed beside the canvas. I took one last look at the mystical garden that had stolen my breath many times. The pitter-patter of little feet echoed in the distance as children of all ages and sizes danced around in a meadow close by. A small girl stopped in her tracks, her back facing me. Her silver curls cascade down her back, stopping just above her knee. Her head slowly started to turn, as if she could sense something was off. She was hesitant, but the moment her baby blue eyes connected with mine, her thin lips stretched into a heartwarming smile.

Even with the smile on her lips, the uneasy look in her eyes made me realize something was off. Her eyes glowed a light silver, revealing her fox to me. Returning her uneasy smile.

I turned to face Lady Athena, who had disappeared. Stopping dead in my tracks, I was blinded by the darkness that had surrounded me. A hollow mist began to surround me, engulfing me. A pair of green orbs slowly opened within the mist.

"Azaya," a ghostly voice called out. Somehow, the voice sounded intoxicating, as if I knew who it was, are better yet, what it was. "Azaya," the voice called out once more. "You must return," the voice said in a demanding tone. A whaling scream burst from my lips as a burst of green flames came hurdling towards me. My hands flew up in defense. It circled me like a hummingbird circles a tree.

"Azaya," a voice echoed in the distance, I felt my body jolt forward. The voice bellows my name over and over again. With each jolt, my vision blurred, my heart pounded, limps became numb.

"She's having a seizure, call the doctor," I heard a voice echo. The darkness around me began to fade away, I could see the white ceiling above me shaking, and I could see the fear in the eyes of everyone around me before everything went black.

Presents day

The echoing sound of a loud beep slowly became loud. I could feel the darkness pulling at me, I tried my hardest to fight it. I could hear people talking in the distance, but I couldn't quite understand what they were saying.

"It's not like she can die again, right?" an unfamiliar male voice asked. There was a long pause, drawn-out pause. Causing the tension in the room to rise.

"She's immortal. She shouldn't have been able to die in the first place," another voice explained. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I knew for a fact they were talking about me. I felt a cold melt pressing against my chest, while my hand was being lifted with two fingers pressed against my veins as if checking my pulse. "She's responding better,"

"Mind if I try." There was a slight pause before my other hand was taken into a light grip. "Azaya, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand." I took a lot out of me, and I could feel my fingers slowly curling. "She responded," the voice said in a whisper. Just like that, the darkness consumed me.

"How are you feeling?" Lady Athena asked, circling the frame of my bed with a glass of crystal water. I simply shrugged, gazing down at my hands. Ever since I woke up two hours ago, I found my hands stripping from my fingers down. What I found weird about it was that it didn't look like human skin. "Drink this, it'll help you heal faster," she said, handing me the glass of crystal water.

"It's just water," I said in a confused tone, taking the glass from her grasp, I held it up, squatting my eyes to see what was inside the glass. I could see speckles of silver dust floating around in the glass of water. "And it's dirty," I cringed, holding the glass over my lap. This made her chuckle light, shaking her head.

"It's not dirty Azaya, it might be hard to believe, but that water was taken from the fountain in the middle of the mystic garden. It has many purposes, one of them is to heal the sick, " she stated, guiding my hand and holding the glass up to my mouth. As the substance glided past my lips and down my throat, I could feel my strength slowly returning. Once the liquid was complete, I slowly turned to face her.

"Thank you, Lady Athena, you've been nothing but nice to me since I got here." I smiled.

"There's no need to thank me. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Lady Azaya." she smiled, and I was shocked by the title she had given to me. "Which reminds me," she said, pushing to her feet from the side of my bed. "The council still needs to see you," helping me to my feet. She held onto me as support while leading me down the hall to the courtroom. The moment we entered, the room went droppin silent. Everyone gazed down on me as if I was some sort of miracle.

"Azaya, we're all so happy that you're awake," lord Zeus' voice boomed, bouncing off each wall like a ball. The other members stood in acknowledgment, bowing their heads in my direction. I was at a loss for words at their actions. Glancing over at Athena, my eyes widened in shock. She had turned to face me and was now bowing as well.

"Why are you bowing?" I asked in confusion, I was the one who was supposed to be bowing to them. They were legends back on earth. They were the original gods and goddesses.

"Why wouldn't they?" a voice echoed, I almost had whiplash for turning around as fast as I did. A gasp escaped my lips at the replica standing before me. There was a man who looked to be in his early fifties and stood before me in a white robe. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back neatly, showing off his dark brown eyes and pale skin. He looked a lot like.

"Lucian," I said in disbelief. But to my horror, the man simply shook his head, releasing a light chuckle.

"So close," he shook his head. That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks. "Say it," he said in a calm but eager tone.

"You're -" I paused, "you're Fabian Prince,".