The Black Stars of Melanin

The Piercing Truth

The very next morning, Juri began to stir in her royal quarters. The sun gently crept through the gaps of the blinds, waking her softly like a doting mother lovingly rousing her child. The warm beams of light delicately kissed her face and the song birds sung for their princess. She groaned softly as she sat up, basking in the morning glow. She was in a tranquil state of peace, her mind almost blank as she took in the morning serenity. "Jinto, are you awake? Check out this sunrise, it's..." her sentence came to an abrupt halt, as reality suddenly dawned on her.

"J-Jinto..." the woeful woman whimpered, with harrowing memories of the tragic events that transpired but a day ago. The flashbacks confiscated her peace and locked her heart in a prison of guilt. Sadness and sorrow gripped her like a toxic lover shaking their partner and Jinn's image haunted her mind. His voice, his eyes, his decadent black flames...

Juri pulled her knees to her chest and began rocking, while a single tear set sail down her cheek. "My daughter dearest, you need not shed any tears. Mama will soon be here to hold you." Bulqise said from within her.

"Mother..... is this truly the right path?" Juri asked.

"Juri... you have..."

"And what about Zinneera? It sounds like you did something to her, tell me the truth." Juri interjected.

"It's true, I manipulated her..." Bulqise answered.

"WHAT!?" Juri exclaimed, half hoping to be lied to instead of hearing such a thing.

"It's true... And I Bulqise will tell you the truth since you have stood by me despite your love for that man, Jinto. Zinneera possesses a power great enough to defeat even one such as Jinto. I have always known what would become of him if he was left unchecked. So I used my Qudra on her, manipulating her into trying to eat him. I wanted to lessen the burden on you. I wanted for you, only ease, my beloved jewel. I feared for your heart. I did not want you to have to face down your beloved. No woman should ever have to face their man. I, your mother am not perfect, but sincerity was at the root of my actions! You must believe me! You simply must (sniff, sniffle) I am not the witch you think I am." Bulqise said, as her voice cracked, while she tried to barricade her urge to cry.

"Mother...? Why are you crying? I don't think you're a witch, I just...."

"No, it's ok..." Bulqise said, interrupting Juri. "My own husband turned on me and had me executed. I'm used to my loved ones turning on me..." she replied, with manipulative dexterity.

"Mother! I would never desert you like father did!" Juri reassured her emphatically.

"Oh Juri, how blessed I am to have a daughter like you! I only desire peace, not just for us, but for the world. Jinto truly is one of a kind too..." Bulqise said out of the blue.

"Umm, are you ok mother?" Juri asked, dumbfounded at what she had just heard.

"Yes, yes I am my darling. I am just being honest. If only he were Casian. If only he wasn't possessed by wickedness in the form of that Jinn. But you have seen that my premonitions have been nothing except truth. Perhaps he himself isn't evil, but an evil has migrated to and colonised his heart. An unfortunate fate for a pure soul such as he. However! His clansmen, his people are not like him. He is one in a million. The rest are just like Jinn. They will cast destruction upon us all. They will ravage the world! And your beloved Jinto will become the wretched world destroyer... there is no cure for what overtakes him, or maybe he simply can no longer deny what he is...." Bulqise explained. Indeed her words were far more dangerous than any Qudra. They were like oceanic salt water, falsifying the satiation of thirst, while dehydrating you further. The queen of Casia truly possessed a tongue dipped in silver and laced with poison.