His remarks echoed in her head over and over. She struggled to process the conversation but when she did, she burned with fury.
Neco stood back, watching Fortuna. “Well, I look forward to seeing the results of your teachings.”
Fortuna held Fate closely. “As you should. Come now, Fate. We will show you to your new home.” She carefully led Fate away from the main hall.
The sudden movement pulled the siblings apart and Abyssus cried out for his sister. “No!” He stretched out his hand. “No, bring her back! Fate, don’t go!”
Firmus held onto him tightly, enduring his thrashing.
“Firmus, stop this!” Abyssus wept. “Please!”
Firmus shook his head remorsefully, collected Abyssus in his arms, and sauntered towards the staircase.
The warmth of Abyssus’ hand slipped away from Fate’s grip. Her hand lingered in the air.
Abyssus, don’t leave me.
Neither Fortuna nor the old woman responded. They did nothing but gaze at the path ahead. At their signal, the guards opened the doors.
Fate shook her head violently. “No!” She shrieked and lunged towards the main hall.
Fortuna threw out her arms and pulled Fate back by the waist.
“Let me go!” she demanded, kicking and snarling. As she drew closer to the door, she shrieked again, lashing uncontrollably. Streams of violet light extended from her body, flashing and crackling throughout the hall. The small bulbs on the white lights shattered and sparked.
The old woman exploded. “Fortuna, by all that is, restrain her!”
Fortuna lifted Fate and tried carrying her outside.
The guards closed in, pinning her down by the arms and legs.
She tossed and screamed as the electricity shot from her body.
The old woman removed a long needle from her pocket and stabbed it into Fate’s arm.
Fate blinked hard to fight the drug but it was no use. The room warped and blurred, then disappeared in a haze of twinkling lights. Soon she was drifting in the stars, the way she’d always imagined.
I once dreamt of two kindred spirits whose souls amounted to nothing. The first spirit, a boy of light, sat staring out at a glowing wave that hovered about white space. He watched from a cliff for what seemed an eternity, gazing upon the wash of pastel-colored clouds, as if looking for something.
The second spirit, a girl of darkness, found herself drawn to this boy who endlessly looked at nothing. Eventually, she joined him at the cliff-side to enjoy the scenery—she wanted to know what drew his attention, but became lost to the meaning of his search.
Neither the boy nor the view changed in the slightest.
From the cliff, they heard the sound of other children and a soft chime ringing in the distance.
Occasionally, the boy would initiate conversation. He spoke about the universe and an odd concept called ‘time.’ Time did not exist in the world of light, yet he genuinely believed in it.
I heard the boy and girl speak many times, and recorded each conversation to memory. Their most important exchange still lingers in my mind.
The boy prefaced the conversation with a glance and spoke softly. “Why don’t you go and play?”
The girl watched the pastel-colored clouds with a small frown. “Because a nobody like me has no business here. Everywhere I go I am nothing, and I shall bring nothing but destruction.”
“Nothing....” He saw her the way he saw the scenery from the cliff. He marveled at her display of darkness. Although he emanated an air of light, the boy lacked something important—more accurately— he’d lost something important. “I am also nothing. We can just be nothing together.” He stood and let out his hand to the girl.
“Together?” She cast fearful eyes upon his invitation. “What would come of two nothings being together? I will destroy everything you come to love.”
“I promise,” he said, brimming with determination. “I shall prove to you that two nothings can make something.”
Growing up, this story and those words always stayed with me. I thought, ‘No matter how hard you try, two nothings cannot ever amount to anything.’
Listen well and know: there is more than what meets the eye.
Fate’s eyes shot open and she gasped for air. Her body throbbed as an unfamiliar ceiling spun over her. She regained her bearings to the best of her ability and slowly sat up.
From a distance, the old woman’s voice crackled, “That creature does not belong here. Dolls bring nothing but chaos.”
Dolls. Fate hesitated to move for a moment. She recognized the word from her studies of the Grim—the only existing family that maintained the ability to Puppeteer.
Puppeteering had been classified as illegal by the Royal Council of Mu and the Elders. A Puppeteer’s special ability enabled them to call back an Ancient soul from the Abyss and plant it within a vessel.
The Council could not interfere with the Grim’s laws, so they had tried taking advantage of their ability to restore balance to the Ancient’s dying era.
Fate listened to the conversation, trying to determine the subject of the old woman’s accusations. While listening, she observed the round window in the room, and checked the lattice gate to see if the two women noticed her movement. The hall rested between them and her, preventing a clear view from either direction.
