The Shattered Night

03| Piper

An old lady with a purple shawl embedded with white silk laces and multiple bangle bracelets greeted us with a kind smile. She is strikingly similar to Arsarila. Both prophets have that similar serene feeling that is sent towards your body, giving you an amazing sensation of love and warmth. The emotion that one can get out from this strange power is mysterious and intriguing at the same time. The thought only makes me wonder about reality even more than I have before. 

All sages have to get their respect. These intelligent beings possess a pure kind of magic connected to the gods, way more than any commoner or royal member will ever be gifted with. Prophets have this peaceful soul filled with knowledge and wonders of the word like a present bestowed onto them. Although it is rumored that these sages got their power from the heavens, everyone knows that deep down, there is way more than the other border of the gods. These magnificent people with a sense of rightfulness needed to be a sage had worked for it, which got them to where they were now. 

"Prophet Rema," I acknowledge, bowing my head. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

I lift my gaze up to meet the murals on the wall, and to my surprise, the sage waves her hand while shaking her head in an untypical manner. By just that one movement, I can sense that Rema's diversion from normal traditions is as clear as a river.

"Ah, I don't approve of introductions. There are too many of us here, so there is no need for that addressment. Come have a seat, and I'll bring both of you some honey tea. Hopefully that will calm your nerves down. I can already sense the turmoil brewing in this room."

As the prophet lowers her voice and heads to the back of the tent, me and Cece both look at each other in great curiosity and awe, before we take our spots on cushioned round chairs. Rema brings a porcelain plate with brewed golden tea, and as I take a small sip, my senses calm like a fresh wave of the wind. It is almost as if these mysterious people put some kind of magic potion within our drinks that makes people feel at ease.

The sage sits across from us and folds her hands on her lap. I catch a quick glimpse of a ruby red ring with a silver skull on top, and suddenly have a strange urge to ask about it. I know that the symbol is somehow connected with the other spiritual world, almost like a different aura that reaches out for every prophet. I want clear answers about how prophets get their power and are connected to the gods, but my senses scream out at me for other questions. Questions that have been haunting me like the whispers in my head and have had my heart chained. I need to know what they meant, along with the pounding symbol of foreshadow.

As the ideas wander around in my head in small circles, Rema smiles and interrupts my thoughts. Her face is creased with faint wrinkles curving down her cheeks. They make her seem so soft and vulnerable, and yet, she is so strong.

"What do you want to know my dearest? Your future? a problem that needs a calling? Any advice?"

Rema spreads her hands out across the clothed table in front of her and opens her palms. "I can tell you anything."

Almost suddenly, I can sense the atmosphere of the room suddenly shift its attention onto me. Parting my lips slowly, I carefully let my first words tumble out. "Thank you."

I put my warm tea down and smile back at Rema's kind words. I need a good way to phrase my worries, something that won't seem as if I am looking for trouble and will give me more problems. I had been hiding my constraints for a long time, and no one but Cece knew of it. Not even my family sought out a single hint, and that fact bothers me to the deepest parts of the heart.

Pushing those uneasy thoughts away, I clear my throat and carefully string out the words just enough to get my message across. "Actually, I was wondering if you could test my aura. I have been feeling different emotions recently that I can't exactly make out. It's almost as if something is tugging on me but I can't let go."

Rema nods her head and closes her eyes, signaling a strong form of connection towards both of our souls. "You have a strange, deep aura, my girl. I can sense it here even without any contact. Something uneasy awaits you in the future."

As her lids open back up, the prophet sighs while looking up at me with a strange sensation in her irises. "Many people come to me to aid their problems, my dearest, and I'm sure you are aware it is our duty to calm your urgency. Nevertheless, there are some things in the world that cannot be cured no matter what words of advice we give. I am just warning you."

I hold my breath as a strange energy rises up in my heart. Rema leans forward and places her palm on my chest, calling out to a bluish glow. Cece watches silently from beside me, and just for a moment, our eyes meet and lock in place. I know that the possibilities are there that my whispers cannot be cured. The whispers that travel with me no matter where I go. They tug and tug until I fall into their endless grasp of hands. They cover me like chains that don't release my body and aura. The same soul that is supposed to be in my own possession.

Rema is silent, and behind her eyelids I can see her pupils moving. Analyzing, that must be what she is doing. I don't distract the sage, for my heart wants the answers as clear as possible.

"How strange..."

The prophet suddenly shudders, and my chest tenses. Unknown mumbles come out of Rema's pursed mouth. The articulate syllables move like a rushed waterfall in a storm. I so badly want to make her sentences out, the gears in my head turning like never before. What did she see? Was it a sign?

Rema's voice trembles and my heart is surprised by how much emotion she can relate to. It is almost like she knows exactly who I am. Maybe she really did, but would it be for the better?

"Your heart aligns with anger. You feel pain, guilt, betrayal. You feel as if you are not wanted."

The sage continues talking, her voice echoing with each coming word. "There will be darkness descending soon. Something is coming, the world is breaking, and it is aligned with your aura. You will be broken apart by the decisions to make and by the people who you have put all your trust in."

My heart pounds like an erosion as Rema's voice grows louder with each next moment. I can feel the shift of energy suddenly tensing and growing more suspenseful, nothing like the calm serene feeling I had experienced before. I want to believe that the thought is for something good, but that idea will be impossible. I had wanted to come for answers, but what I was hearing was something very different, something that I would have never expected.

"You are dark, different, mysterious. Traits found together that I have not seen before. You will shatter in the times of turmoil and be remade in the hearts of despair. As much as you want to break free of your will, you cannot. Your destiny had been sealed long ago."

By now, she is talking in riddles. The words are going out of control like a volcano.

"My girl," Rema whispers, "is your soul even alive?"

What kind of question is that?

This time, I actually speak, and I hope it will be for the better. "Rema, what do you mean? What is this darkness? What destiny?"

The prophet doesn't pause. She does not hear me. Instead, she starts chanting.

"Time has come and the Blood Moon rises

Fate has sealed when the shadow advises

The Fae will be broken and the Angel will grow,

Destroying the light and all of it's foe

The magic broken free and the stars will foresee,

The Goddess of Death and the deal of locks key

Unto the night there will be a ember,

The fire will burn and the sparks will dismember

The war grows and the magic foretells,

Serendipity that catches the tear of a gem."