???

I moved my numb legs, stifling a groan as the pringling sensation echoed throughout my spine, the blood flowing consistently once more—the Hera Stadium housing all the current leaders of the council along with their courts. 

It was the time for The Calling to happen, the once-in-a-year ceremony where all kingdoms came together to welcome new lives into the world, with our sky realm writing their names down in our stories and storing them in our libraries. It was also one of the longest and hottest days of summer, I didn't know whether it was tradition to hold it when the sun was at its highest or if the heavens just wanted to screw us over. 

I shouldn't be the one to complain, though. The poor sea shifters were having it rougher, the moisture in their bodies drying with the sun's contact. The people with scaly and shimmery skin of different colors, like a coral reef or the million shades of the deep sea, their eyes were as cold as the pressure under their waters. The sea shifters chugged down gallons of water placed around them and whispered amongst themselves. 

It wasn't just them, all the kingdoms sat in their groups with tensed postures, warily eyeing the leaders around them. 

Idiots.

But I couldn't blame them for their caution. After all, it's not every day that you receive an ominous oracle cursing the realm for its evil, and warning us about the end of the dragons. 

It was a big deal. Dragons were the life source of every being in this stadium, I tilted my head up to look at the open roof and watched the colorful beasts in all their glory, their scales shimmering with the promised rage and elements they hid in their souls as the huge bonfire in the middle of the stadium bathed them in hues of red, with dancing shadows. 

A dragon rider without their dragon was dead, and a dragon without its rider was dead. A song bond was different than a soul bond. Songs were for lovers, souls were for your partners, your warriors, your companions who would jump in without weapons if it meant saving you. That was what the dragons meant to their riders and vice versa.

So now everyone sat tense in their seats, pinching their soul bond tattoos as fear clouded their judgments. Hell, it even clouded mine. I couldn't bear to lose my dragon, if she died then so did I, living without her wasn't possible. 

A familiar figure of a red-haired woman walked out onto the sandy field of the stadium, standing in front of the fire. Soon after, seven women with their faces veiled and bodies clad in white silk robes marched onto the field and circled the monstrous bonfire. It was as wide as an adult dragon and as tall as the stadium's highest level, that was saying something since this stadium was able to house all seven kingdoms with their citizens. 

A soft hush fell over the crowd as the red-haired woman raised her hands, "I welcome you, my lords, my fellow citizens, my friends to this year's Calling!" 

A second passed by before the stadium erupted into boisterous cheers, I settled for clapping, it was the least bit of courtesy I could manage along with the other lords and royalties, there was nothing enjoyable about tonight. Most of the time, the rulers of the seven kingdoms decided to opt out of the ceremony and instead send their best delegates. 

However, today, every King and Queen is present. The demon realm, the sea shifter realm, the elemental realm, the sky realm, the underworld realm, the forest realm, and then the human realm, the one where we all were currently being tended to by their greedy king. 

None of us were here to enjoy the company of people as powerful as us we avoided contact at all costs worrying that fights would break out, however, that wasn't a problem now. Whether we still avoided each other or broke the other one's nose there was a war coming. 

One so bloody and tragic that the goddamned oracle had screamed as she cried tears of blood and tore through her skin begging to be killed so she didn't have to live to see the day when terror reincarnated. 

The oracle that stood in front of us now with her other trainees behind her slowly brought about seven baskets. One for each realm. 

The baskets held life, life in the form of a flower plucked from the most precious field of riched and nurture from each realm, the sea realm with their deep blue flowy flowers in one basket, blood red for the demons, our crystal clear flowers for the clear skies, deep earthy brown for the underworld, sparkling purple for the elemental, sage green for the forest spirits, and then simple white roses for the humans. 

The oracle knelt in front of each basket and chanted her usual blessings, praying for each basket to have the gifts of their kingdoms. As magical as our realms were, the humans had made sure to keep us all in check, with their immense knowledge and crazed minds, they were demons in disguise, so I saw no reason as to why the oracle gazed at one particular white rose in the basket. 

It wasn't just me who had noticed it, the other leaders had as well judging by their leaning bodies and craning necks all listening to her blessing for that one particular flower that the oracle touched discreetly or tried to but we saw it. 

A small blue bud growing from inside the flower, like a jewel or pearl so precious the flower curled several of its petals to cover it. That was the blessing, whoever it reached was our target, our prey, the one we had to kill before the world came to ruin. 

"My dearest, with your fierce eyes and beautiful hair, the new kids are in your hands," the oracle whispered and blew a soft breath over the flower with the blue bud, it trembled its tiny petals in response and closed in on itself. The oracle stared intensely at the small flower, it seemed like she was going through one of her episodes again but I knew her too well, we all did, and we knew she was sending a special blessing to the flower. 

As much as I wanted to rip that flower to shreds, as much as we all did, the oracle was not someone to be messed with, and even though she had been yelling and screaming about pure evil a week ago, the flower had changed her mind entirely. I wonder what fate she saw. 

"My dears! It is time, to send these blessings to the realms. Join me, girls," as soon as the oracle finished speaking, the seven women in silk robes took a basket, each one from their realm respectively, and danced in small circles around the fire, twirling around and jumping close to the fire before jumping back quickly before their clothes could catch fire. 

With each jump from the young oracles-in-trainee, the crowd gleed with delight, some screamed and some wept. I held my breath, waiting for the basket full of white roses to be brought closer to the fire but it was last in line. 

The sea realm shrieked their songs as their flowers were thrown into the fire and in response, the tip of the flames surged higher towards the skies and the dragons shifted around, ready to dance with the fire. 

The demon realm. 

Elementals. 

The underworld. 

The sky realm. 

The forest spirits flew around the fire with their translucent bodies. 

And then the last basket. 

The oracle had her back turned to it, dancing around with her eyes closed and muttering enchantments and endless blessings. 

Now was the perfect time, it wasn't just me who thought that as all the other leaders, princes, and princesses alike turned to me, with their eyes full of anger and trust. 

Trust.

A word none of us had use of but now when the end of the world was threatening us with its approach, we all had to come together to stop the flower from blooming in the fire. The evil soul from becoming whole. 

So I called on my wind as the oracle danced around blindly. I probed around the white roses to find the only one that had closed in on itself, and with success I brought it closer to the edge of the basket, readying myself to snatch it out just as the basket leaned forward. 

Wasting no time, I pressured my wind and soon enough, faster than the naked eye could see, I pushed the small flower into my pocket. My lips curled in a smirk, mirroring the expression of all the other leaders and I rose from my seat turning to head out of the stadium, "You guys stay here, and enjoy the night, it seems good things are ahead of all of us," my people smile at me, worshipping me with their eyes and I bask in the glory, leaving the sting of the bonfire behind me as the cheering of the humans as their future unborn children are blessed for another year. 

I stepped out into the cold sunset, calling for my dragon and rejoice as she jumped from the shadows, her crystal white body glimmering in the hues of sunset. 

Pulling the flower from my pocket, I stare at the crumpled rose for a while, waiting for the others to arrive, they had to see me destroy it or else they wouldn't believe me, thinking I would want to sabotage them. 

'Are you sure this is the right thing to do?', Silverback asks me her clear eyes blinking at me, seeing all of my secrets. 

"Yes, it is," I reply, my voice like steel, and soon silence envelops us once more as the two of us wait. 

"Apologies, my dear, we had to calm a panicked guest," the velvet thick voice fell over my shoulders as a small whiff of musk and firewood settled itself beneath my nose, the demon king was smirking in all his glory with pearly white teeth and jet black hair. 

"Let me guess, the oracle?" I reply struggling to hold in the smile threatening to break out of me. 

"You are a wolf in disguise, Sky King," another voice joins us, this one belonging to a beautiful woman with grassy thin roots for hair, the forest spirit leader stared serenely at the flower in my hand, not bothering to acknowledge me or the demon, her disgust visible as daylight in her voice as the other leaders step into the light. 

The soft-hearted spirit was against the plan, but it was her words against ours, outnumbered she grudgingly joined us. 

"Now that we're all here," I look at every one of them, even the short fat, sweaty human king and unfurl my fingers that were crushing the flower. 

"Let us throw it away for eternity," finishing my words, I felt their hungry eyes on the flower, the cowering white flower that had closed itself from the world even as the petals were crushed around it and the sweet nectar juices coated my fingers and palm, it seemed to want to remain fighting. 

I smirk and close my hand in a fist around it again, this one harsher than the other times, and feel the petals rip. 

"Good heavens, stop. You're hurting the soul," the forest spirit interrupted, her tear-filled eyes in the white rose, beaming at her with the widest smile I replied, "Alright," before throwing the flower to the demon, who caught it and smirked at delight as he let his flames consume the weeping rose. 

We all chuckled in amusement at the soft-hearted leader's face full of tears and burst out laughing as she scurried her weak body to her small deep green dragon, bolting into the sky. 

"Throw it into the sea, let me wash its ashes to the farthest corners of the waters," the sea leader called out, her navy hair flowing like water as she called out for her dragon and left with a knowing smile. 

One by one, we all left the demon king, I glanced back to find him dropping the ashes of the flower in the water by the deck and washing his hands with a bright smile. 

A crippled flower meant that the soul was not complete. If the soul wasn't whole, then the child couldn't bond with a dragon or use magic. If anything the child will be born normal, maybe with a weak heart or a disfigured limb, missing fingers or toes, whatever it was, it wasn't worth creating an army for. 

The dragons were safe and so were our people. The child will understand, not that it would know a single thing of tonight. 

*****

Oracle

I watch as the cruel rulers fly out into the night, my eyes swishing back to the floating ashes of the small flower. My heart cried out with the pain they had inflicted on her. The poor baby would be born weak and limited, but not powerless. 

She would heal from anything, that was my blessing after all. I knew they were going to try to remove her rightful power from her. But with her weakened body state and disfigured soul, she wouldn't be able to wield her power properly until she died, in her real body. 

Like a phoenix, I blessed the unborn soul to rise from her ashes. Just as I was about to step out of the darkness and grab her floating pieces, a fast shadow of a dragon dropped a few feet away from me. I hid back and watched the dark green dragon and his beautiful rider. 

With thin mossy roots for hair curled and tied around each other, her dark skin shone and glistened with sweat, her flat nose and plump lips breathing out a puff of air as she ran towards the water and hurriedly grabbed the ashes. 

The forest spirit queen was my favorite ruler. Her gentleness knew no limits, and her kindness had no bounds. I walked towards her as she cried for the poor soul, holding the ashes so dearly as though it were her child. It might have been, I had seen that the soul had potential for all realms, her blue bud had shown her powers, and the universe had shown me her fate.

The evil would come to the world yes. The dragons will be gone forever and this child would be at the heart of it. 

"It is alright, Vilandra," I call to the dark-skinned leader, watching as her jewelry trembled with her sobs. 

"I do not know anymore oracle. How can anyone be so cruel, the world has been ruined, they ruined her. The poor soul is going to be incomplete," she sobbed harder, her palms trembling on her laps

"The world is ruined, there is no denying that. And they did ruin her beautiful soul," I start, my smile widening as she stops crying and her soft homely aura calling out for me. 

"Her?" she whispers. 

"Yes, her. A cute little girl with the prettiest golden eyes and the most beautiful bright blue hair, she will be very dear to you, dearer than she is now." 

"But, I won't be able to take her in...they'll find out and then they'll come to finish the job! All six of them!" 

"Vildandra, do not worry about the child anymore, she is blessed by me from soul, and she will not die," I stop talking, surprised by the small pink aura reaching out to me from the forest spirit's belly, "And I believe, I have blessed one of yours tonight."

"Ah!" a small gasp left her lips, "Truly? You are not deceiving me, please tell me you aren't oracle!" 

I take the ashes from her hands and cover them, "Vilandra, I am an oracle, I have been bound the fate to never deceive a pure soul, just like the little girl's in your belly, can you believe it! She is already reaching out for this soul," I tilt my head towards the ashes in my palms and beam with joy, at least the poor soul will have a friend, it may take some time for them to meet. But when they did, their loyalty would bathe the battlefield red. 

Vilandra cries her emotions out and I decide it is time for me to leave as the ashes of the flower start to move towards each other, the flower would bloom again and as much as I loved the kind spirit, I did not want her to know, just in case the underworld king decided to read her mind. 

I walk away silently not looking back as the green dragon behind me jumps into the sky, soaring towards the forests. I did not look back as the blazing fire from the stadium was brought to a calm. I only looked at the blooming flower devoid of any color and with seven colorful jewels in the middle, the petals curled in and out, as though saying hello. 

"You will find your way, my love. Just stay as strong as you are now and you will bring glory all around." 

I kissed the flower my last blessing and threw her into the small fire in the empty Hera Stadium, watching as the last kindles of the fire flew out in search of its body. 

I wish for you a safe return, my little songbird.