The Jewels; Mother of Pearl (#ABA2017)

Prologue

There was once a time when all of Navora was at peace with itself, and the people within its kingdoms were at peace with each other.          

Navora was made up of thirteen kingdoms, and each had its own ruler. It was said the Gods had sent down Angels, with no emotions, to each of the leaders and granted them the powers of the Gods themselves. But there was a catch, in return the leaders had to use them for selfless reasons and never allow their hearts to be filled with the darkness of greed or the despair of life.

The youngest leader, Sophie, was the most excited to be granted such powers, that she wouldn't let her Angel leave for several days.

And that's how the myth would've gone on forever... but that one rule was broken by the thirteenth leader. The selfish acts he did towards his people were beyond excusable, the greed he possessed towards money and power was nothing short of an obsession. And despite the warnings the leaders gave him, including the many from Sophie, he continued to use his ability for his own egotistical needs.

As a result of his selfishness, his powers consumed him in the most painful of ways, they made him crazy, obsessed, insane. The other twelve leaders were beginning to get very worried, not just for themselves but for their people.

Sophie just wanted to try and talk to the thirteenth leader, try to find a peaceful way for this to end. But the other leaders, going against Sophie's wishes, decided to take action. Due to Sophie's reluctance to help, they locked her away in the dark dungeons until the deed was to be done.

So, with the powers the leaders had, they cursed the thirteenth leader to become something that couldn't cause destruction alone. The leaders turned him into 'The Dark Crystal,' where his powers were momentarily jinxed.

What the other leaders did, despite the selflessness behind it, there was a great degree of greed, of selfishness, and of despair and fear with what they did. So the curse back backfired on them, turning them each into a priceless jewel. When Sophie finally got out of the dungeon, it was too late for her to do anything. So in fear, Sophie casted the jewels far and wide to different parts of the thirteen kingdoms, using her powers, deep in caves or places where each of the leaders, including the thirteenth one, they were all places where they would be safe from the despair of the world and the darkness of each other.

But now, Sophie was all alone. Despair and sadness started to eat away at her, and her powers were only making it worse.

The Angel, who had given Sophie her powers, looked down from the heavens where she lived. She could hear and see Sophie's sadness that would bring her to her ultimate end if something wasn't done. It was too much to bear for the Angel, for Sophie seemed to be the only friend on earth that she had and the most innocent.

Going against the commands of the Gods, the Angel drifted down from the heavens and came straight to Sophie. When Sophie saw the Angel she was both happy and confused, Angels felt no emotion, no true, so why was the Angel taking pity on her?

Even the Angel didn't know, but she couldn't watch Sophie suffer from the powers she had been given. The Angel held out her hand, promising Sophie she would make all that pain go away. When Sophie took the Angels hand she glowed a magnificent light. A light that's said to have made even the brightest of stars become filled with envy, it was a light of true brilliance and colour.

The emotionless Angel watched as the youngest leaders light started to grow smaller and smaller, until there was just a small sparkling pearl in the palm of her hand. The Gods, angered by the Angel of defying their commands, sentenced the immortal Angel to spend the rest of her life on Earth. The Angel, now angered by what she had done, looked at the pearl and was tempted to smash it, the small pearl shone softly and she realised that it was still Sophie and that none of this was her fault... she was innocent.

With that, the Angel cursed to the Gods and disappeared into the night with the pearl in hand.

It's said that she hid herself so well, that even the Gods don't know where she is and Angels who were still on earth couldn't find her.

But the Gods, showing compassion on their part, decided to give each of the leaders, including Sophie, a second chance. If someone came across the well hidden jewels that were worthy to yield their power, then they, the leaders, could live through the person who found them.

But to this day, many of the jewels lay where Sophie cast them. The Angel is still wandering the earth somewhere where the Gods can't find her, still possessing the pearl that was Sophie... through the eyes of the emotionless Angel, if she couldn't be free to return to the heavens, to return to her home, then Sophie would never be freed from her own priceless prison either.