In the Heavens

Chapter fifty-five

"Rest easy, child. One doesn't assimilate to my powers quite easily nor is it without peril." 

Darkness. 

And then, there was a bright, warm golden light. Shielding her eyes, Isadora squinted as she was temporarily blinded. Once it died down, she took a moment to rapidly blink in an effort to regain both her vision and her bearings. 

But when she looked around once more, Isadora quickly realized that she'd been transported to another realm. Instead of the never-ending darkness that she'd grown so used to, Isadora was met with radiant hues of blue, gold, and purple, all painting the skies in a dazzling display. 

Stars twinkled above her, seemingly teeming with life as they danced with a newfound grace and elegance. Among them were a serpent, a lute, and a woman. 

"The serpent, eternally weaving through the stars. With its head in the east and its tail stretching to the western reaches of the night sky." 

Startled by the sudden baritone voice echoing within her head, Isadora jumped purely out of fright, pressing a hand to her heart as she tried to slow her racing heartbeat. "What in the name of Magix?" She whispered, looking around for any other person within the realm. 

The voice chuckled, and Isadora felt it deep in her bones. 

"Apologies, young one. I seem to have forgotten just how easily you mortals scare." 

 Despite her frazzled nerves, when Isadora heard the voice refer to her as a mortal, she couldn't help but grow curious. "And what exactly are you? Mister-voice-in-my-head." She questioned, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. 

"A millennium ago, during the times of ancient civilization, I simply was referred to as 'Caius', but now, most know me by my moniker, 'The Celestial Dragon; The creator of all Magic'."

Isadora stood frozen in place, her mouth slightly agape, and her eyes wide with disbelief. Her heart pounded in her chest as she felt a cold shiver run down her spine, paralyzing her limbs. 

"I— I'm sorry?" She stammered, wiping her palms against her tattered pants. "Did you just say that you're the Celestial Dragon?" 

Caius chuckled, and despite the fact that he was simply a voice in her mind, the image of him nodding his head flashed before her eyes. 

"It's been centuries since I've 'met' the vessel of my power. Granted, whenever I did, they were typically on the brink of death, and it would seem that you are no exception." 

From that moment, it was like a bucket of freezing cold water was dumped on Isadora's head. "What do you mean I'm on the brink of death?" She questioned, her voice a combination of horror and amusement as she let out a dry laugh. 

Caius frowned. 

"Perhaps I should delve into your memories for a brief moment, to help you better understand what happened what transpired that day."

Before Isadora could protest, her vision began to blur, and the space distort. Images became melded into one strange blob as Caius pulled her into her memories. 

Finally, after a nauseating few minutes, Isadora noticed that her vision was beginning to clear up, revealing the training arena that she'd been in, along with Lucian, and Prince Hyacinth, who'd been sitting with the other professors in the viewing stand. 

It was as if she was watching her own life as a spectator. And to say that it was like watching a trainwreck in slow motion would be an egregious understatement.