Melody of the Holoverse

Episode 4: An Inch Forward

Atop the royal palace, I stared emptily into the deep blue, my mind twirling like a hurricane.

So many emotions.

So many afflictions.

All from a single revelation.

* * *

"It is you who must bring down the gods."

I couldn't make sense of a single word. "What are you talking about . . . ?"

"The other Guardians," Miss Gura explained. "Like I said, our Authority is corrupted, and if we don't do something to fix it, the four of us will revert back to our Primal Forms. We can't, under any circumstances, let that happen again. We already lost so much the first time around. The price a second time, though, is much greater: Moreida itself. The world as we know it will plunge into total chaos.

"If I could, I would handle the matter myself, but us Guardians aren't in a position to fight one another. If our particles get riled up, we'll only be speeding up the infection. Besides, if any two of us decided to throw down, we could very well alter the terrain of Eridios. This job is meant for you, Violet."

"I . . . I think you have the wrong person," I said. "I help with crops. I spend my mornings drinking tea. I've never even been in a fight, for goodness sake!"

"You made your way through those dreads."

"That's different! That was life or death. This— This is on a whole nother scale! You want me to believe I'm meant to save the world? That's ridiculous."

The shark rested her hand on my shoulder.

"I know this is a lot to take in, and I know it all seems far-fetched, but there's a reason I found you. There's a reason why you survived your village's slaughter. This is the way your destiny unfolds, Violet. I need you."

* * *

Since then, I'd been spending my time in one of two places: in my newfound bedroom (with Miss Petra dropping off meals) or on the palace rooftop, letting my thoughts soar to the unknown.

Gods?

The end of the world?

One look at me and you'd never think about those kinds of things.

I'm just a farmer's granddaughter. I've only ever known the simple life.

I buried my head in my arms, defeated.

What did I do to deserve this?

In the city, the penguin and orcat enjoyed lunch at an outdoor restaurant. Or tried to. They couldn't keep their attention from straying over to the downtrodden girl at the palace's peak.

"How long you think she'll be up there today?" Lily asked.

"Dunno," Petra answered. "How long does it take to get over losing everything you ever loved?"

"I wasn't bashing her or anything."

"I know. I'm just frustrated. I wish there was something we could do for her. Girls her age should be fawning over boys, not stressing over how they're gonna save the world."