Jaci was named after the moon.
With tanned skin, dark eyes and black hair that she cut short on her own. She didn't look like the moon, yet she held the same fate as it. In the day she was not to be seen, but she ruled the night.
And so, her feet trudged on the muddy ground, her dark green hood covered her eyes as she blended in with the occupants of the forest. Her best friends stood longingly for her touch, their roots curled away as they made way for her, but they yearned for the brush of her fingertips or the sound of her voice. She was, after all, the only one that could understand them.
The moon beamed onto the land, working in tandem with the wind as it picked up speed from the sea and made the leaves danced. Her coat fluttered against the ground, gently brushing over the grass as it swooned along with the workings of the wind.
She toed the line.
Every time she was here, she was wary. Every time she saw the invisible line separating two opposite words, she was fearful. Every time she heard a crack in the distance or a rustle in the trees, she was afraid.
She was terrified of the day where she would be the cause of her destruction.
But her gaze filtered around the trees, scanning through them. She listened to what her friends spoke, she listened to what the forest sang, or the winds chimed.
There is nobody. Go forth.
And so, she did.
Her toes dipped into the Earth as though she were testing the waters. But she knew that she had nothing to fear once she had crossed. She was safe and away.
Away from her life that she had to go back to.
It was here that she ruled. It was here that she breathed. It was here that she loved.
This was Aria.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
There wasn't any place like Aria.
Perhaps there are too many places like it.
Perhaps, there were too few places like it.
Or perhaps, there wasn't anything like it.
It looked the same, yet alien. An old rickety boat docked on a pier filled with merchant vessels and battleships. It was supposed to be there, yet it wasn't. It was too out of place, too distant in the past and unforeseeable in the future.
Aria was that place.
A place where you belonged if you didn't belong.
People on the inside called it home.
People on the outside called it The Crossover.
And people beyond that, well, have never been met before.
There were tales of giant beasts, contorted monsters and beautiful sinners that reside throughout The Crossover. Some even say that they lived in the nearby forests surrounding Aria.
But they won't tell.
They'll never tell.
Because where there are monsters, there are hunters. And where there are hunters, there will be chaos. And when there is chaos, there will be destruction.
And in Aria, destruction is no mere kitchen fire or building blaze. Destruction was a beast that slithered on its belly and had scales that no arrow nor bullet nor cannon could penetrate. If chaos awoke destruction, there will be no humans that will live to tell the tale.
But Jaci wasn't afraid of chaos because she lived among them for her whole life. She knew that as long as they were kept away from Aria, their mayhem remains within their boundaries. They were like a pack of wolves that only knew their territory – as long as nobody went in and nobody went out, they remained in their place. Jaci was a sheep in wolf's clothing, her life revolved around them because that was where she was born. The only other sheep she had known had died a long while ago when she was just 12 years old.
And that was only because the wolves found out about her origin.
So Jaci was determined to wear her wolf's skin in the day.
But she will return to herself in the night.
Because unlike humans.
And unlike beasts.
She had no physical prowess nor outstanding agility. She had no workmen hands nor a need for love.
Because she had magic.
And what people knew nothing about, was where their fear stemmed.
Jaci felt her lungs sink into the clear air that she breathed. It let out a contented sigh, as though it had purged out the dark smoke and smog from her village. Here, the air could let all the moon's shine come through without flickering out its light. Her fingers ran through the rays, as though it were a silver stream from the sky. Her feet danced across the plains as the wall behind her rippled into existence once more as her body stepped through. What was originally the forest near her village, was now a grey brick wall that circled Aria. It stood like arms reaching towards the stars, reaching and reaching but never touching the light that burned wishes into the universe.
"Jaci! You made it!" What good is a voice if you do not recognise it?
"Mrs Parvathi," Jaci smiled, her words still in a whisper as though she might be heard by somebody other than the middle-aged woman that greeted her with a smile.
She had dark skin and greying hair in a singular braid. She wore gold trinkets around her body, golden bangles, necklaces, rings, anklets and a single staff – a whimsical sun with each ray of light embedded with a different coloured gem. With eyes of gold herself, she was a sight to behold.
"Come, we are getting ready for the Yaelu festival," she smiled, the wrinkles at the corner of her eyes bunching up like flowers in a bouquet.
Mrs Parvathi took Jaci's hand in hers, wrapping her fingers in a warm embrace. Jaci's heart lighted as the familiar gesture reminded her of her mother. Here, they were all sheep. Sheep that were stronger together than they were apart. Animals that were docile and peaceful. Not like the wolves that lurked in the shadows and pounced from the darkness. No, they were sheep that played in the day and basked in the moonlight.
Mrs Parvathi guided her along the stone path, the grass on either side of them lit up with fireflies. They floated like wood upon the ocean, a slow but beautiful dance upon the grass they watched in awe. Some flickered in response, some blushed and shied away while others continued their waltz among the blades.
They were enough to illuminate the path ahead, but Jaci spotted the warm glow at the end of it. A bright one, as laughter filled her ears and chatter made her heart swell. She took in the shadows that formed, all tall and short, big and small. She heard running water as the droplets tripped over stones in the stream nearby, and the fishes splashed about in their playground, all fighting against the current as they swam upstream.
"Jaci!" She heard a familiar call of her name.
Her eyes settled upon a giant, a whooping eight feet of pure muscle and leather straps. A long red beard that ended in a braid, bushy eyebrows and a small ponytail that was messily cut.
"Mr Byrne," she greeted, a smile forming on her lips at the Gaelic warrior. His hips hung a dozen blades and a large sword all strapped together with thick leather. He had always preferred to keep all his weapons close to him and she knew that there were probably more underneath that dark blue tunic he was wearing.
"You should come to see the preparations we have ready for the festival!" He exclaimed, immediately taking over Mrs Parvathi and leading her along to a circular plot of land embedded with smooth grey stone.
There were children crowded, perhaps the oldest one was twelve. They played with colourful sand, running it through their hands as they blended the colours onto the ground. They covered the blank canvas with giggles and tints of blue, yellow, purple and pink. Some were made into flowers, some were made into animals like stags and birds, and some were made into gems of various sizes.
Jaci spotted one familiar one in particular. One gem that was the main reason why anybody had their powers, the one gem that could awaken destruction if it were ever touched. But only Mrs Parvathi and the elders knew its whereabouts, but its story was told to everybody in Aria. Power is nothing without its source after all.
The gem was a living stone, it gave, and it took. It knew and it knows. It was the reason for the powers presented to various individuals around the world. It chose and it blessed. And it called out to those people to gather in Aria to celebrate its gift.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Mr Byrne said a fatherly grin tugged on his lips as he watched one of his children throw sand to nowhere in particular.
But Jaci knew that he wasn't talking about the artistry of his child, but the merriment that it induced. The children beamed their striking smiles, crackled in endless laughter and created with no limits. This was the purpose of the Yaelu festival – to celebrate togetherness. The gem wasn't biased towards any race, religion, language or ethnicity, it gave powers and life to those who needed it, to those who could handle it. And then it brought them all together to share a familiar wonder.
Perhaps it wasn't the gem itself, but something or someone behind the gem.
But Jaci didn't know, she just found it hard to wrap her head around the fact that a gem was intuitive enough to do such a thing. But in the world of fearsome beasts and magical powers, anything was possible.
As the children created beauty out of nothing, the teenagers were mostly tasked with watching over them and overseeing the decorations. Jaci noticed the Valkyrie Boats that swayed gently upon the waters, its white wings carved at its sides made it all the more like they were gliding just above the surface. A striking gold accent decorating its rim while bouquets of white lilies were tied together in balls, connecting the boats together. She noticed the sparks of light that the dark waters reflected, her eyes trailed upwards to the flickering flames that flourished against the night. She watched as the fire danced upon its stand, a wooden pole.
Jaci smiled slightly as she pressed the palm of her hand against it. She closed her eyes, feeling her energy surge through her body and out through her fingertips. The ground shifted beneath her, unnoticeable like a bird pushing off the ground or a cat landing on it. But she felt it in her toes, the thick roots creeping from the ground and reaching out above the soil. She let her eyes flutter open and watched as the roots curled around the wooden pole, twisting and merging its body before sprouting like a flower just beneath the flame. It sprouted and spiralled around the flame, as though it were dancing along with it before meeting together at the top. She took a step back and admired her handiwork.
She liked it.
"Well done, Jaci," Mrs Parvathi came up from behind her, as quiet as the wind itself, "It is a very nice touch,"
Jaci bowed slightly, "Thank you, I only wish to be of help with the decorations. The wooden beams didn't seem to match the charm of the festival,"
Mrs Parvathi let out a hearty guffaw, "Yes, yes. I thought the same. If you don't mind, the rest of the beams seem to be missing out on the splendour,"
Jaci grinned in response, "Of course,"
And so, she stretched out both her arms, aiming her fingers at each of the wooden beams that held their fire. With her palms up, she felt the weight of the ground upon her fingertips as she drew her arms up slowly. She focused the weight on the palm of her hands as she drew out the roots from underneath the ground. They snaked around each pole in sync, a knot of snakes, an orchestra of the Earth, a coil of ribbons.
The children broke their attention away from the sand and scrambled behind Jaci to get a closer look. She listened as their child-like wonder escaped their lips in question. Their eyes big with fascination and envy, an innocence she had long wished she hadn't lost. They gasped as the roots twisted around the flame, so close to its destructive opponent yet it did not catch its fire.
She felt the flame prickling against her fingertips, it was enough to feel the heat but not enough to burn. And that was her. She let her powers simmer inside her, a pot with no lid, a kettle with no shriek, a ray with no sun. She let herself be in that comfort zone, drawing her energy from within her but never unleashing it. For she feared that if she did, something else would burn along with her.
So, she kept a distance to what lurked inside her, she kept it close enough. Just enough and never anything more.
That's what the Elders told her to do.
"Alright, shows over kids! Get back to work!" Mr Byrne clapped his hands. A groan left their lips before they returned to the rainbow beach that they made for themselves.
Jaci felt a tap on her shoulder, and she whirled around, only to see Mrs Parvathi looking up at her with kind eyes. But then she realised that it was not kind, it was the kind of look that meant there was bad news. And bad news specifically targeted towards her. Something sank in the pit of her stomach.
"Follow me,"
And she did.