Mrs Parvathi led her up a series of winding staircases within the Veteris – a giant sequoia tree that stood in the heart of Aria. If Aria's natural standing beauty and whimsical aura didn't give away its magic roots, the Veteris was sure to make them know.
She entered through the bark, like how she entered through the wall when she first came here. The staircase was made from the bark itself, a beautiful red wood that had been polished and oiled until it shone. Jaci was careful not to slip on her thin soles as she followed Mrs Parvathi closely behind. The higher they went, she wondered just how many rooms and doors remained hidden from her sight. There were branches of stairs that led to nowhere, and just like the branches of the tree, it stretched out to almost every corner and every wooden wall.
Mrs Parvathi waved her staff as the green gem shone like a light behind a leaf. A door rippled into existence. Jaci noticed that the door was much older, though it had been polished before, it was splitting at the edges. There were parts of it that the polish had worn off and left a matte finish over it. It was almost as if the door was there longer than the stairs ever had. Mrs Parvathi pushed the door open slowly, and surprisingly it hadn't made a sound as she did.
"Step inside, the Elders must speak with you," she finally said.
But Jaci didn't need her to speak the words to know that. She stepped into the room, this time the wooden tiles were visibly older with age. It whined softly as she pressed her weight upon it, feeling it dip below her but not enough to make her worry. She noticed the line of flames that illuminated the room was a deep purple instead of its brilliant orange radiance. But despite its odd colouring, it still emitted the same bold glow.
Her eyes settled upon a panel that sat in a semi-circle. Their hands clasped together and rested them upon a grand table that encapsulated Aria in pictures of how it first came to be.
Mrs Parvathi took her place on the far right of the panel and Jaci kneeled in response. Her head ducked as her fingers brushed the mat that she stood upon. It was colourful, but the story of it was much more morbid for it was a continuation of what was on the table.
"Rise," Adonis spoke.
And Jaci rose, her fingers drifted away from the tale that stood beneath her. She knew that the placement of both of these was significant. It was a blatant reminder, a glaring warning of Aria's history that may or may not repeat. And it will be determined in this room.
"Jaci Nez," Adonis began. He was handsome for his age – although she wasn't sure what his age truly was, he looked to be around 70. With long white hair in a ponytail, a short but pointed beard and almond eyes that held the truth and other demons, this was one of the Grand Elders within Aria.
"You have been with us for ten years, and we know your heart is pure with the magic that surrounds our land," He says, "You have made friends with not only its citizens but its contents as well – the trees, the grass, the insects and the earth. And for that, the land is favourable towards you,"
That's essentially my powers though. She thought but stayed quiet.
"And so, the land has spoken," Adonis said as he nodded to an Elder seated beside him – Eirdis.
She was another old woman that had powers similar to Jaci. A talent in nature. But she receives premonitions and insights into the future by listening to the ground. She had no precedence over the Earth, she was a woman that listened and spoke. She was a messenger.
"You can save us, child," she says, her eyes closed as though she were still listening to what the walls told her. "You are the one to rid of the rot in the ground and heal our roots. You can make the right choices, but only if you trust yourself. You can save a world, two worlds, or even three, if you wish to,"
Jac felt a chill shoot down her spine, and she felt as though the tree had come to life. But she heard no voice, and she felt no feeling from this old tree. It held too much, and she could get nothing out of it. She found herself reaching for answers that only the tree would know, and it was wise enough to stay silent.
"What does that mean?" She finally asked as she accepted the tree's reluctance to share.
"A war is starting," Adonis says suddenly, "A war between magic and destruction. But this destruction doesn't come in the form of a great and terrible beast, no. It comes in the form of a new King. A new King that was crowned just months before, and a new King that is greedy for power,"
King Ares. Jaci knew about him, of course, she had. The village roared in happiness on the day of his coronation. They presented him as a warlord, a King that could not be bullied unlike the previous one.
"What war will he instigate?" Jaci frowned.
"A war to find the Ikigai Hoseki," he replied. "The winds of the earth had warned us in advance about this predicament and so after deliberating, we've decided that you will be the new guardian to protect the gem,"
Jaci was stunned to silence, her mind dared to process images of her fighting against the world to guard the only thing that gave her a will to live.
She stepped back.
"With all due respect Elder," she began, her voice quivering in uncertainty, "Are you certain I am the most optimal candidate for this prestigious title?"
"As certain as the Earth turns, young one," Adonis reassured.
"What about Mr Byrne?" She offered.
"Jaci," Adonis said sternly, but there was an edge of kindness in his voice. "The Elders have discussed this thoroughly, declining this would only infer that you do not trust our judgement,"
Jaci bowed her head, "I apologise, my trust in the Elders will not be misplaced by the lack of confidence in myself,"
Adonis smiled, "Then it is decided. Aadhya will step down as Guardian of the Ikigai Hoseki, and will grant you the title,"
Adonis nods to Mrs Parvathi that returned the nod back. She stands up from her seat, her staff thumping against the ground as she made her way towards Jaci. Her eyes held hope, kindness and trust.
But Jaci wasn't sure if she was able to reflect the same back.
Her heart wavered like she had been caught in the middle of the ocean. The waves knocked her off her feet, which sent her hurdling deeper into the sea. Her toes couldn't feel the ground underneath her; she felt the protection of the Earth swiped away. And now, she was left hoping that she could stay afloat long enough before another comes along to take her place.
"Do not be afraid, Jaci," Mrs Parvathi whispers to her.
Jaci was pulled from her thoughts, and her mind unconsciously lets the world fall away from them. She was no longer in a tree, she was no longer in front of the Elders, she was no longer herself.
Her feet were afloat, somewhere. She was standing but she wasn't – or at least she was no longer standing on solid ground. The wood beneath her had turned into a puddle of light, nothing below her for miles and miles and miles. A gentle breeze brushed her cheeks, caressing her carefully and tenderly.
"Are you ready?" Mrs Parvathi asked, but her voice echoed around her.
"No," Jaci answered truthfully. "And I probably never will be but I'm going to try my best,"
Mrs Parvathi grinned, "And isn't that just the way of life?"
She plucked the green stone out from her staff, and it fell into the palm of her hands with much less resistance than Jaci had expected. The triangular-shaped gemstone glinted in the surrounding light, a brilliance that activated on its own.
It was as though a light had shone from within the gem rather than at it.
Jaci looked at the gem, its lone appearance seemed awkward away from its place within the staff. The red, blue, and clear stones seemed to be reaching towards it, as if unable to accept its leave.
Mrs Parvathi held the stone in the palm of her hand and her eyes instructed Jaci to take it.
"Mrs Parvathi," Jaci gasped, "No, how could I ever accept such a gift? Those gems were given to you by the previous Elder,"
Mrs Parvathi nodded, "Indeed, they were. And now, I give one of them to you. The rest of them will make their way to you eventually,"
Jaci turned the words over in her mind, but her thoughts were leaves scattered upon the forest. She attempted to lift them as the wind would sweep the lands, but they had only lain back down in vain.
Her fingers reached towards the stone, her eyes aware of its call, aware of its alluring beckon, aware of its dangerous beauty. Her fingertips brushed the surface, its green glow casting a tinge on her skin. She was oblivious to her thumping heart that drummed in her ears. She could only focus on the jewel that now lay in her palm.
So small, yet so powerful.
"Where do I place it?" She wondered aloud.
"Where does it call to you?" Mrs Parvathi questioned back.
The wrinkles at the corner of her eyes bunched up as her eyes lifted. She peered at Jaci with such wonder, such confidence and such affection.
Jaci thought of the first time Mrs Parvathi found her wandering next to the grey walls that surrounded Aria. The little girl back then was frantic and overwhelmed. She needed to get back home before the sun went down and here, she was, closed in by grey walls that stood higher than trees. Mrs Parvathi had taken her hand and touched her forehead where a diamond fell out. Little Jaci caught it in her hands, it seemed weightier since she was smaller.
"It's pretty," Little Jaci merely says.
"That came from you," Mrs Parvathi spoke.
"But how?" She asked.
"Because there is magic in your veins, dear," she declared, "There is magic where you least expect to find it,"
Little Jaci had calmed and gave the diamond back to Mrs Parvathi. At that moment, she had stopped being fearful. At that moment, she had stopped being cowardly. At that moment, she had found herself.
And from that moment, she came back through the walls every night when the sun went down.
Jaci placed the gem between her thumb and index finger, careful not to smudge its brilliance. But her touch didn't seem to leave an imprint on its shine. She didn't know what to expect as she placed the gem right above her eyebrows, in the middle of her forehead.
She looked to Mrs Parvathi for reassurance and instead found that a tear slid down her cheek.
"You will make a wonderful Guardian," she whispered before she struck her staff into the ground.
Everything melted into light.
Jaci's body lifted as though she weighed nothing more than paper. Her fingertips and toes and body exuded the same vividness as her surroundings. She couldn't see Mrs Parvathi, she couldn't see the Veteris that she stood within, she couldn't see herself.
But a sense of calm washed over her, as though something played the right strings upon her heart in a gentle melody.
The light shone brighter and brighter, and all she saw was white.
White like dandelions.
White like snow.
White like a breath of air in the cold.
"I, Aadhya Parvathi, step down from my duties as Guardian. And I choose, Jaci Nez, to be the successor of my title. Ikigai Hoseki, do you accept her to be your protector and shield?"
The voice bounced around her like echoes in a cave. Her ears rattled from the intensity of the words that blasted through the caverns of her ears and resounded in her mind. She felt the world around her shake, not by fear nor by nature.
But by absolute and eternal power.
Jaci felt something around her head, inching its way beneath her skin. It was imprinted upon her, a tingle that rattled the frontal lobe of her brain. She held her breath, resisting the urge to scratch or grab the sensation that lingered. The sensation grew and grew, and her world rattled just a little bit more each time.
And suddenly, she fell.
She fell, and she fell.
She fell until her knees hit the familiar wooden ground and the world around her went silent except for the flicker of flames on walls.
She let out a breath, and somehow her lungs craved for more as though she had been withholding its sustenance for one too many minutes. She gulped down the cold air, as she felt a pair of hands gently running up and down her back.
Mrs Parvathi squatted beside her, her hands soothing her as her body shook.
"Well done, child," Adonis spoke with pride. "The gem has received and acknowledged you. From now on, you are the Guardian of the Ikigai Hoseki,"
"How do you know?" She questioned.
"Look, my dear," Eirdis says with a raspy voice.
Jaci looked down and realised that Mrs Parvathi had formed a small puddle on the ground. It did not seep into the carpet and nor did it evaporate into the air. It stayed stationary as though it had always been there and will always be there.
Her reflection stared back at her, with all the imperfections like her rounded button nose that she had always found too big, her boring brown eyes that didn't stand out like those with blue or green and her freckled cheeks that accentuated every blemish and pigment. But she found her features different, brighter, sharper. They remained the same, yet they glowed with an energy she didn't usually see.
And branded on her forehead was a green outline of where she had placed the gem. A light green triangle just above her eyebrows with its arms extended like vines towards her temples and disappeared behind her hairline.
Her fingertips traced the seafoam green marking, it was beautiful and elegant. It was as though she was wearing a diadem around her head.
She gasped, "Wait, my father cannot see this. He would have me hanged and killed!"
"No worries, my dear," Mrs Parvathi said, "It is only visible to The Elders and you, others have no way of knowing you are the Guardian,"
"Really?" Jaci asked speculatively. The obvious imprint on her forehead made it hard to believe that it would go unnoticed by others.
"Yes, only those with the Gem's Sight is able to see things that remain hidden to others," Eirdis spoke.
Jaci let out an unsteady breath. She would have to trust their words.
"It is time for you to go Jaci, the sun is almost up," Mrs Parvathi ushered, knowing her limited availability.
"Thank you, Mrs Parvathi. Thank you, Elders. I will give my life for the Forbidden Gem, it has blessed me with my powers, and I shall use it to ensure its survival through the generations," Jaci declared, albeit the unsure beat of her heart.
Adonis gave a look that she couldn't comprehend. But his eyes held hers in a firm lock.
"We know you will, Jaci. We know,"