Cloudchild

Chapter 10 - Quest

Annani's eyes fluttered. Outer eyelids open, inner closed, she sat up, peacock beside her, confused. A silhouette topped with a trimorphic crown stood beside Annani, happily bouncing on its heels, arms up.

As the silhouette faded, prismatic crystals Annani's size floated around, sparks dripping from their corners.

One of them zoomed in, hovering before Annani, who reared. As if a flower, the crystal's surface blossomed, sparks whizzing into a cindered mass. "We had hoped you would come," the crystal said, voice neither feminine nor masculine, though distorted amid fluctuating static electricity, causing Annani's quills and the peacock's feathers to temporarily rise. The crystalline petals lowered as the object floated away. "Though you arrived not as we expected and not the correct one."

Another prism flew in, faces spinning. As if a puzzle box solving itself, the interior unfurled, irregular parts having rainbow coloration from thin-film interference, reassembling into a blocky visage. Electrical tuning became a voice, "You arrive now a child."

Annani watched the iridescent object flow around her. "Um, yes? What do you think I am, Puzzlebox?"

"We sensed The Angel, and so expected her, not her as a child." The object flew to the hummingbird cleaning his wings. "This little creature had changed fate."

The blossomed crystal returned to Annani, peacock pecking at falling sparks. Petals upright, distortion spoke, "You were meant to be an adult. A child cannot help us."

Frowning, the child cocked her head, jelly hat wobbling. "Why, Blossom?"

"The Angel as a child cannot survive what had defeated her every generation while an adult." Wilting, the blossomed crystal flew away.

Another crystalloid came, stairstepped and spiralled, every surface affected by thin-film interference, alternating tiers revolving in opposite directions. The iridescence reformed into a colourful face like Annani's, a toothless chuckle going out her. Affected by fluctuated tuning, the object mimicked Annani's chuckle then spoke, "You here, all previous possibilities preset into motion."

Annani blinked. "What does that mean, Stairsteps?"

The crystalloid tilted, iridescent face frowning. "It means someone knows your past."

Blossom flew in. "Who also knew of your future..."

Puzzlebox zoomed, clinking against Blossom. "Brought you here, your presence waking us."

Stairsteps curled in front of its brethren. "Activated, our location revealed..."

A sphere bigger than Annani collided with the crystalloids, knocking them aside. The sphere enshadowed itself, as if blinking; a central blue light grew until beaming upon Annani's mjǫllnir. Her amulet's lighting intensified, casting a wavy aura that sounded...

"Like the sea," Blossom said, gently swaying in the air, petals arisen. "I would like to visit the ocean at least one more time."

The peacock pecked Annani's glowing amulet. She examined it. The trinket flashed, sounds of waves increasing. The sphere floated closer, Annani having to lean away.

"Oculus! Watch where you're flying!" Annani whined, though her big friend ignored her. She paused, eyes wide. How do I know their names?

The amulet flashed again, the sounds of waves retuning into, "Hm? Oh, that's bejewelled with a piece of Primogen. Special rocks they be. Magical and all. That one...nothin' special. The granite and crystal came from Haf Þórr, a great sea underneath yer skyline."

Annani hesitated. "That sounded like..." Vêlørm?

The sphere flew back, blue beam targeting the mjǫllnir. Crackling reverbed and spoke, "It's a piece of The Angel's shattered soul."