Abacus and I finally reach the dais, and as I look behind myself out of my periphery, the hall shrinks until it is back to the same size it was before. He turns to me before we fully step into the circle around the dais.
"You may call us Spirits, my dear, with a capital S. Do you know what we call this border?" He asks, gesturing toward the ceiling while I shake my head, "We call it Memory Lane," I look at him, confused but not showing it, at his words. When he spoke Memory Lane, I swear he was speaking in a different language, with his voice turning deep and guttural, but it isn't any language I know how to speak. Yet, it is. How else could I have understood what he said?
"My Queen," He starts, putting both hands on my shoulders, "You are close," I want to wrench myself out of his grip, but my gut tells me not to. My mind starts to spin, and I quickly look toward the dais. Every throne is full, with different kinds of humanoid figures, male and female, and all of them are at least middle-aged, but the three most impressive thrones on the uppermost level of the dais sit empty.
I see an elderly woman with hair the color of a raging fire, swirling above her head and defying gravity, skin the color of the dark purple-tinged shadows fire casts, and eyes the color of blue flames. I see another middle-aged man with long hair to his shoulders the color of lichen and moss, skin the color of fresh, healthy dirt, eyes a cutting black, and swirls of green magic around his wrists as he livens up the moss on his throne. I see one child, looking maybe eight or nine years old, with pale blond hair, pale skin with little freckles, and pale robes almost the same color as her hair. She also has iridescent wings coming out of her back, joined right where I expect her shoulder blades to be.
The Spirits all start to murmur at once and my hearing sharpens. I can suddenly hear each of their conversations.
"Can we talk to her?" One says, curiosity leaking into his tone.
"No, silly, are you stupid? We know the Fallen Dark are marching toward the castle as we speak, in a few moments the Lion will present himself and confirm whether she is the right one. Soon after her Transformation, the army will break through the castle wall, if everything goes exactly to plan," A woman voices out with a bossy tone.
I turn again, overwhelmed, to the other side.
Just then, I notice the huge lion a few feet away from where Abacus and I are standing, and I almost take a step back. It is large, larger than any real-life lion. Its head looks like it comes up to my chest almost, and its head is about as big as double a real lion's head. It is still a beauty, with smooth fur gleaming like gold, stunning eyes like molten gold, lean muscles rippling under its skin, and a full mane of hair. I look at its mane in confusion, as the colors catch my eye. The lion has brown-gold hair, mostly chocolatey-brown, with gold, bronze, red, and auburn natural highlights. It looks exactly like my own hair.
Abacus watches as the lion holds my gaze with cunning, intelligent eyes. I blink, and I disappear from the hall. Instead, I am standing in a vast grassland, in front of a dead tree.
Small mewling sounds echo in my ears and I look down, noticing a small lion cub at my feet with soft blue-gray eyes. I remember that lion cubs have blue gray eyes until they grow older and their eyes turn orange yellow. The little cub breathes lightly, and I notice gruesome claw marks all over its stomach and body. It stops making any sound for a moment before letting out a loud cry.
I fall to my knees and try to touch it, to help the thing, but my hand only passes through, like an apparition.
For a second, the little cub and I lock gazes, and I am whisked back to the large room. It seems as if no time has passed since I had that weird vision. The whole room is silent, as opposed to the mutterings of the Spirits before this. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the large flower bud starting to open, showing a peak at its vibrant red petals and glowing yellow stamens.
I kneel down, as if in a trance, and keep my chin up and unwavering as the lion pads toward me, its steps silent. We look each other in the eye and understanding passes through us both: I realize I am in no dream while the Lion realizes that I am the one. At the same time, the lion and I move out chins slightly downward in mutual respect of each other, and it takes a step forward to meet its forehead with mine.
Subconsciously, I am wary, but my instincts tell me this lion is not going to harm me.
You may call me Myiasis, my Queen. A voice calls in my mind, and I instinctively know that the Lion is speaking to me through my mind.
When I finally stand up, the lion kneels, along with everyone else in the room as the Spirits get up and kneel to the floor. A sharp pain passes through my head, but I don't show any sign of weakness. Then I hear the rumbling and send a look to Abacus.
"Our Queen is here," Myiasis roars, and somehow I understand him. "Get ready, everyone. They are coming just as we predicted, and they mustn't find out that the Chiaroscuro is a female of her stature," He finishes, and I get my answer. The rumbling in the distance sharpens and I can hear the marching of footsteps, panting of tired soldiers, and the ruffling of clothing as they grab battle gear. Somehow I can tell all of this without any other clues. But before I can wonder about it, my hearing sharpens more. I can hear the sighing of plants as they watch the army march towards the castle, the heartbeat of a tiny bug immediately stop after a resounding smack.
Then I feel the softness of the Myiasis' fur beneath my hands, and then he brings me back from the spiraling abyss of my senses. Immediately, The Lion and The Most Powerful grab my hands.
They lead me to the third gold throne, the one with the carved flower, and as I sit, all the other Spirits stand, their forms glowing. Myiasis and Abacus do the same after settling themselves in front of their seats, except they do not chant. Instead, Abacus mouths incantations different from the rest while Myiasis opens his mouth like he is roaring, but no sound comes out. The rumbling sound gets louder while I manage to begin to understand their words.
Let her blossom into her true self
Without worldly limitations
Let her break through and transform
Before the last light disappears
Let her become everything she has the potential to be
With our blessing and approval
Let her come through the light and dark
Forever remaining pure
Let her retain her goodness
Despite her newfound power
The Spirits repeat the last two verses, faster and faster, and I start to rise out of my seat in a column of light. I do not struggle, nor do I neglect anything as I become numb to all my senses and feeling. My conscious is gone, and I have accepted this fate. I have been given my purpose, but I wonder, when I wake, will I remember and still be accepting? The light becomes blinding as I hear someone burst through the door and I figure they are some sort of creature from the soft wingbeats and racing heartbeat.
"They are at the wall!" A female voice exclaims, and the Spirits chant faster, if possible. The wall to my right bursts, golden bricks spreading out like confetti as a hole was knocked into the wall of the hall with a burst of magic that felt grimy and impure. As the dust settled, I could see the clear silhouettes of soldiers dressed in dark armor waiting a couple meters from the hole while one man with corrupted angel wings coming out of his back absorbed the shock from using his magic. The Spirits finished their chant and, before the soldiers could catch a proper glimpse of me, Abacus and Myiasis give me their final blessings.
As I am engulfed in bright golden light, Myiasis lets out a fierce roar, pumping adrenaline into my veins while Abacus added a few words of prayer for my safety. The Spirits had linked hands and were freezing time, unwilling for the Fallen soldiers to catch even a glimpse of me. But I knew deep within me and through the worried glance Abacus and Myiasis shared that they hadn't properly sealed the blessing. When I wake, I wouldn't have as much of a lid on my power. As if someone else in my head was telling me this information, I imagined a large, frustrated sigh.
I hang, suspended in the golden light for a moment before everything goes dark and I fall into a dreamless sleep, during which I could only feel my mind expanding.