Safehaven

Chapter 41

At that moment, several emotions registered. Relief, anger, curiosity. I had so many questions and feelings, I didn't even know what to say. Nathen seemed to understand, because he waited for a few minutes to let everything slowly register before he spoke again. "What I mean is, you passed the test. Congratulations!" I just blinked. Nothing was computing for me. I just stood there, gaping like a complete idiot. After much effort, I mustered up an entire sentence. "What happened?" Nathen just smiled. "Follow me and you will find out." With that, Nathen turned and walked away. I stood in the middle for a couple more seconds before tripping into a jog to follow him. Gwindol took a little longer. We followed our leader down several halls that I had never seen before and numerous staircases. Soon, I lost all sense of direction. Finally, we ended up at an ancient looking door. The wood was old and brittle, and the hinges were made of something other than metal. Without even a touch, the door swung open before us and Nathen calmly stepped inside. Not surprisingly, my friends were already inside, snacking on a platter of frosted cookies. Upon seeing me in the door, Jada grinned picked up one of the sweet treats. She tossed it across the room, and I barely caught it in time. Taking a quick bite, I stepped into the room. It easily the most beautiful room I had ever seen. The walls were covered in a silvery fabric that looked like water running across the walls. Windows were randomly paced around the room, and each one held a different image. There was a beach, a forest, a desert, and a whole lot of other landscapes that totally didn't belong together. Even stranger, the floor was carpeted in an odd thick substance that moved to fit your feet. It was like walking on clouds. And even though the room didn't have a fireplace, it was warm and cozy. Lanterns hung from the ceiling on delicate chains, and they cast bright light into every corner. There was a heavy looking wooden table pushed to one side of the room, laden with vials, cauldrons, and an assortment of other oddities. A bookshelf full of volumes was mounted on the opposite wall. Last of all, a ring of mattresses/pillows lay scattered in the middle of the room. This was where my friends were lying. The pillows were almost like couches, but were closer to the ground and didn't have backs. The fabrics were bizarre shades of purple, orange, and green, though they looked extremely soft. Antigone was comfortably reclined on a pillow, while Quinton was buried under several. The soul mates each had their own comfy place. Before I could say anything, Gwindol raced out from behind me and leaped into the little ring of pillows. He landed of a particularly large one and skidded a few feet before ramming into Rinal, who looked annoyed, but content. Slowly, I took my place among my friends. They all remained silent. As I got a closer look at each of them in turn, I realized that they each were different somehow. Sage had shimmering green patches on her skin, much like my silver ones. Holly had a strange purple tinge to her hair. Blue spots clung to Quinton's arms, making him look like a smerf, and Jada's face was stripped with red. But with golden eyes, Antigone took the prize. Apparently, my friends had already talked about the colorful mishap, because they didn't even stare at my silver spots. Just then, Nathen spoke up. "You all are probably wondering what in the world happened back there. All you really need to know is that you six passed the test, the only ones to do so." There was a pause, and we let the sink in. "What did we pass?" I asked. I was so fed up with being kept in the dark, all I wanted were answers. Nathen took his time answering my question. He first inspected us all, taking in every detail. It was as if he were viewing us for the first time. Finally, he drew in a deep breath. "The test you just passed revealed who you truly are." That didn't answer anything. In fact, it just raised more questions. Quinton was about to say something, but Nathen cut him off. "Only those with a pure aura can attract the light. Then a pure aura comes into contact with the Kindler, the red powder, their true self is reflected through different shades of light. The purer the light is, the more concentrated you inner being is. And you." Nathen stared at my friends and I. "Have the purest auras I have ever seen." Our leader grinned like a little child. It was a relief to see him happy, just like he used to be. When he smiled, all signs of stress and sadness disappeared. Beside me, Holly grinned too. She snuggled deeper into her windbreaker, the same one Nathen had given to her all those weeks ago. I was amazed that the poor thing wasn't in threads yet. Holly took it EVERYWHERE. Sage cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention. "What do you mean by auras?" Nathen blinked, as if he were confused, but quickly smiled again. "Sorry." He grinned. "I forgot that you're all still kind of new. Your aura makes up who you really are. It's like you genetic code. Everything that you are and will be makes up your aura. Not many people have auras, let alone pure ones. You see, not many people take the time to think about who that truly are." He took a breath. "Each one of you is different. Your aura defines you. Each elder of old had a specific colored aura. They were pure and clean, distinct. You all have the same hue and purity of the auras, which means that you are definitely descended from the elders." Nathen turned to Quinton, who was trying to rub the blue off his arms. "The color blue represents your honesty and trustworthiness. It means that you are always truthful and trusting. On the other hand, Red is loyalty." Nathen indicated to Jada. Her face turned to match the shade of red that stripped her face. Next, Nathen turned to Sage. She straightened. "Green symbolizes generosity and selflessness. You, dear Sage, care for others more for yourself." The girl smiled proudly. She nudged Holly lightly in the ribs, sniggering. "See? I told you I was generous." She whispered lightly, but Holly brushed her off without looking, because Nathen had come to her. "A purple aura is that of intelligence and wisdom. I'm sure I don't need to explain that." The man smiled, as did Holly. Finally, he came to Antigone and I. Antigone was blinking furiously, maybe in the vain hope that the gold would dissipate from her eyes, but to no such luck. Nathen continued to grin. "Gold is one of the rarest auras that can be found. You are a leader at heart, though you might not feel like it sometimes." Antigone looked taken aback. "One day, soon to come, your friends will need you to lead them to safety." My friend still didn't say anything, so it was my turn. Nathen took a moment's hesitation. "Faith. You will always be faithful." That was all he said before turning to the rest of the group. I didn't even have time to ask any questions, but Nathen just went right on ahead with things. "So now that we have that all figured out, let me tell why the test was given. We needed to find out who the children of the Prophesy were, simple as that." Jada politely raised her hand. "Now that you do know who we are, what are we supposed to do?" Nathen's smile wilted. Without it, his face seemed to age several years. Now, his eyes were just glass orbs. "You're going to the Below. You are going home."