THE HOLY GATHERERS

Chapter Nine: The Unraveling Truth

Meanwhile, in the temple of Overa, the air was tense, thick with the weight of what had just transpired. The priestesses were gathered in the assembly room, their faces pale and drawn as they tried to comprehend the events that had unfolded. The ceremony had been abruptly ended, the trees of the Goddess transformed back into their true forms, and the old protection they had relied upon was gone. Now, all they had left was a prophecy-the one they had feared would come to pass for centuries.

Mother Rozia, the High Priestess, was pacing at the head of the room, her anger barely contained. Her robes swirled around her as she turned sharply, her voice cutting through the murmurs of the other priestesses.

"This is a disaster!" she spat, her eyes blazing with fury. "I have done everything in my power to prevent this prophecy from coming alive, and yet here we are! And why? Because Mother Cora encouraged Tiya to become a Holy Gatherer! You've put her at the center of all this-made her a target for every evil that exists beyond our borders. And now, in the process, you've left Overa without protection!"

The room erupted Into chaos. The priestesses began talking over one another, their voices filled with panic and confusion.

"How can we protect Overa now?"

"The Goddess trees are gone-what do we have left?"

"We can't wait for this prophecy to play out-learning the magic of the Goddess of the Universe will take years!"

"Years we don't have!" one of the younger priestesses exclaimed, her voice trembling. "What if the corruption reaches us before we've mastered the new magic?"

Mother Cora stood quietly amidst the turmoil, her eyes downcast. She had anticipated this moment-the backlash, the fear-but it didn't make it any easier to face. She had carried the burden of the truth for over twenty years, and now, there was no escaping it.

One of the elder priestesses, Mother Elara, who had always been calm and deliberate, finally raised her voice above the others. "Enough!" she said, silencing the room with a wave of her hand. "We must deal with the facts, not our fears. What is done cannot be undone. What we need to know is how this came to be."

All eyes turned to Mother Cora, and the question that had been looming over the room finally found a voice. "Tell us, Mother Cora," Mother Elara said, her voice steady. "How did you save Tiya all those years ago? It seems she is at the center of this prophecy, and we deserve to know the truth. After all, it was Tiya who awakened this storm of chaos."

Mother Cora felt the weight of every gaze upon her, the pressure bearing down like a heavy stone. She had kept her silence for so long-protecting not only Tiya but also the fragile balance of their world. But now, with the fate of Overa hanging in the balance, there was no longer a choice.

Taking a deep breath, Mother Cora began slowly, her voice tinged with both sorrow and resolution. "What I am about to tell you," she said, her eyes scanning the room, "is a truth I have kept for more than twenty years. The day I saved Tiya from the corrupted land of Girar, I did not return with her alone."

The assembly room fell deathly quiet.

Mother Rozia, who had been pacing, stopped mid-step, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice dangerously calm.

Mother Cora hesitated for only a moment before continuing. "Tiya was not the only infant born that day from the Goddess tree. She was one of three."

Gasps echoed through the room, disbelief etched on the faces of the priestesses.

"Three?" Mother Elara whispered, her eyes wide. "A single Goddess tree giving life to three infants? That's... that's unheard of."

Mother Cora nodded slowly. "I know. It had never happened before, and it hasn't happened since. But that day, I found triplets. Tiya, Meme, and Ivy. I chose to save Tiya personally, as she was the one most affected by the poison that had been seeping into the tree. The other two-Meme and Ivy-I left in a safe place where the Holy Gatherers could find them. I followed them at a distance to ensure they were taken in by our community."

The room fell into stunned silence as the revelation hung in the air. The triplets-three sisters born from the same dying Goddess tree. All of them now Holy Gatherers.

Mother Rozia's face paled, her lips pressing into a thin line. "You never told me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, though it was laced with anger. "You never told me Tiya was a triplet. You let me believe she was the only one."

"I couldn't," Mother Cora said softly, her voice filled with regret. "I had to protect them. I didn't know if the poison that killed the Goddess tree had fully left their bodies. I didn't know if they were a danger to Overa, or if they were the key to our salvation."

Mother Rozia's eyes darkened with fear. "You suspected the poison still lingered in Tiya?"

Mother Cora nodded. "It was why I kept such a close eye on her. Why I was so hesitant when she chose to become a Holy Gatherer. But it is not just Tiya who carries the weight of this prophecy. It is all three of them. And now... the prophecy is unfolding, whether we are ready or not."

A murmur ran through the priestesses. Fear and uncertainty rippled through the room.

"So, what does this mean?" one of the priestesses asked, her voice trembling. "If they were all born of the same tree, are they cursed? Or are they the key to saving us?"

Mother Cora looked down at the floor, her hands gripping the edge of her robe. "I don't know," she admitted. "But what I do know is this: the prophecy speaks of three who will unite and bring balance. And all three of them-Tiya, Meme, and Ivy-have now become Holy Gatherers. They are the only ones who can cross into the corrupted land of Girar and potentially save it. They are the only ones who can restore the balance we have lost."

Mother Rozia's face twisted in disbelief. "You're asking us to put the fate of Overa in the hands of these three-one of whom we didn't even know was part of this prophecy until now?" Her voice rose, filled with anger and fear. "You're asking us to trust that they will somehow protect us when we have no protection left?"

Mother Cora's gaze remained steady. "I am asking you to have faith in the Goddess. The prophecy was always going to come to pass. We cannot stop it. What we can do is prepare ourselves and guide them as best we can. They are our only hope now."

The room fell into silence once more, the weight of the revelation settling over everyone like a suffocating blanket.

Finally, Mother Elara spoke, her voice calm but firm. "If this prophecy is to come to pass, we must guide these three Holy Gatherers carefully. We must ensure that they are prepared for what lies ahead."

Mother Rozia closed her eyes, her jaw clenched tight as she fought the fear threatening to overwhelm her. After a long moment, she exhaled slowly. "Very well," she said, her voice trembling but resolute. "We will prepare them. But know this-if we fail, it will not just be Overa that falls. The entire world will crumble under the weight of this curse."

As the meeting drew to a close, the priestesses left the assembly room, the tension still thick in the air. Mother Cora lingered for a moment, her heart heavy with the burden of the truth she had carried for so long. She had revealed what needed to be said, but the road ahead was still uncertain. Tiya, Meme, and Ivy were now at the center of everything-at the center of the prophecy that could either save their world or destroy it.