The Dragons' Crystal

Chapter Twenty-One ~ Darius

All at once, the vision faded and I was back in the elderly woman's home sitting upon her bed. 

I gasped out, clutching at my chest. Had that really happened? I wanted it to just be my imagination assuming things. "It can't be her!" I couldn't even control what I was saying. I felt sick. My entire body was trembling as I tried to comprehend what this meant. The excitement I had once held in my heart was gone completely, instead being replaced by a shattered heart. 

In order for me to use the crystal, I needed to hold it in my hands. It had to touch my body. With it being Odelle's heart, I couldn't even fathom getting a hold of it. If I touched the crystal, Odelle would be dead. It was the only heart she had. Without it, Odelle was nothing. It, also, explained why she felt such pain when we touched. If the crystal had trusted me, which I assumed it did by how drawn I had been towards her, it would want to bind with me. Was it trying to bind with me while still being inside of Odelle? 

I swallowed. 

I was the one causing her the pain. It was entirely me. When I touched her, the crystal was trying to rip itself out of her chest to come to my aid. It was ready, but it appeared like I wasn't ready any longer. While earlier I had been eager to return to her, I suddenly dreaded going back to Odelle. What would I tell her? I couldn't bare the thought. 

While the crystal was the only way I could free my people and overthrow my father, it wasn't worth Odelle's life. I mentally refused to even consider such a thing. I wouldn't ask anyone, especially not Odelle, to die so that justice could be served. There had to be another way. 

As my heart came to the reality of the situation, my lungs began to tighten together. I wanted to scream out, furious at the luck I was having. Of all the people, did it really have to be Odelle? She had already suffered a life of sorrows and had come out on top each time. Did she truly survive all of that, just to be met with her death in a war she had no part in?

My throat began to burn, signaling that my eyes were about to unleash all the emotions I was feeling. I didn't stop them. For once in my life, I didn't have a plan. I had spent years in search for Allira, knowing that with her I could stop all that my father stood for. I could stop the countless deaths of innocents and the fear they brought their children into. I could restore my family's name on the throne. With Allira living inside Odelle's heart, inside the heart of a woman I cared deeply for, it seemed all but impossible. I didn't attempt to stop the tears, even as my shoulders trembled with each sob. "Please! Madam, there has to be another way! That can't be true!"

She sighed. "I'm sorry, my boy. You wanted the truth and the truth revealed itself to you. You have all the answers you could want now." She had long put away the pot, cup, and vials. It was a clean table again. "You mustn't completely give up your hope. Your father still needs to be brought down and your people saved."

"I won't use the crystal, not if it means Odelle will die. She doesn't deserve that!" She deserved the star, the moon, and the skies themselves. She deserved the world. 

The woman placed her hand over mine, giving a tender squeeze. "The only possibility I foresee is if your friend, Odelle, was the one to face your father. However, I have heard many stories of the spirit Allira. She isn't one to be messed with and likes to face her battles on her own. She is powerful and knows the meaning of a sacrifice. While your friend might be the one to use Allira's powers, I can't promise that your friend will be there when Allira is finished with using her body. If your friend unleashes the full power of the crystal and defeats your father, the purpose of her life will be over. Allira brought her into this world for this exact reason. She was never meant to live a normal, ordinary human life. That part was just for show."

"S-So, she is just supposed to die afterwards?" The words fell out of my mouth as if they were a bubbling river. I couldn't stop my worries, the panic, or the tears. "Odelle is a person, madam! Allira can't just abandon her like that!"

Grimly, she nodded. "Allira will want to bind with the next ruler, you. Odelle is simply a vessel of protection."

"I... I can't do this." I stumbled to my feet, nearly knocking the table over. I felt rude, as I hurried out of the hut without even bothering to thank the woman for her services. She had done completely as I asked. None of this was her fault. Yet, the knowledge of Odelle being the crystal broke my heart. In order to save the people of my homeland, the woman I believed I was in love with would have to die. I couldn't live with that. I would need to find another way. 

It was hard walking back to the inn. The calm falling snow from before had turned into a blizzard in my mind. Each snowflake against my skin burned instead of cooled. I felt as though a blister formed beneath each flake that landed on me. The people that stood on the opposite side of the road suddenly stood out to me. I could sense their eyes on me and it itched. It burned holes into my arms and back, causing me to feel more anxious than I did already. The tears on my face burned just as much as my throat and the snowflakes did. I was stumbling through the snow, not bothering to look at the footsteps I was destroying. I didn't bother to look behind me to see if the woman was following. I couldn't. I wanted to forget everything I had leaned and go back to believing that Allira was hiding somewhere else; I didn't care where anymore. I just wanted her to not be within Odelle. Anything, but that. 

Before I could reach the inn, I felt the emotions finally take over me. I hit the ground, my pants quickly taking in the cold moisture from the snow. I buried my hands into the snow, watching as they disappeared beneath the surface. I watched helplessly as my tears fell from my face and left imprints below me. 

What was I supposed to do now? 

There was only one thing I knew for certain. 

Odelle could never know this. 

Never.