Radiant

by Ela Lourenco

  “You still haven’t told me your name.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Sena,” she smiled briefly before bending down to get her basket.

  “That’s an unusual name,” he commented, as he watched her scanning the forest as though looking for something. “Pretty but unusual.”

  Sena nodded absentmindedly at his comment before a smile lit her face, and she strode off deeper into the forest. Kyan followed in her wake, his feet urging him forward as though he had been spelled. There was something about this girl. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but she was different somehow. Heck, just the mere fact that she hadn’t fallen at his feet the minute she recognised him already set her apart from the majority of the Xanian teenage population. In fact, she hadn’t even seemed impressed by who he was, rather, she had felt sorry for him. Kyan came to an abrupt stop as Sena stilled.

  “What exactly are we doing here?” he asked, looking around the small clearing. Sure it was beautiful with its tall, lush grasses dancing in the breeze and rich, crimson soil gleaming in the now bright orange beams of the sun, but there was nothing else there.

  “I’m gathering herbs for my mother,” Sena said without even a backward glance, as she took out a small knife and began digging away at a patch in the earth. “She is Jya’s healer.”

  Kyan stood there watching. He felt more than a little nonplussed by this girl. She didn’t behave like any teenager he had ever met. She couldn’t be older than sixteen or seventeen, and yet her demeanour was that of a much older and wiser person. “Can I help?” he offered, beginning to feel out of place just standing by.

  “Sure,” she passed him a small shovel. “Do you know anything about herbs?”

  “Not really,” he admitted.

  “See this here,” she held up a tiny frail looking violet flower with silvery-blue leaves. “It’s called Jani. They usually grow just under the soil. You have to dig them up very carefully though because they are very fragile. If you break even one leaf, all the healing properties will seep out and it will become useless.” She watched as Kyan gingerly dug at the earth with the tiny shovel revealing an entire clump of Jani. “Good, just like that,” she nodded before going back to her own work.

  Kyan pushed back a lock of dark hair that had fallen over his eyes, as he painstakingly uncovered the tiny flowers. It had never occurred to him that gathering herbs was such a serious undertaking. In fact, when he had needed supplies for his potions and spells he had always just bought them from the marketplace in Sylios, never wondering where they had come from. He frowned to himself. It hadn’t ever crossed his mind to learn more about the herbs he used occasionally. He merely added the ingredients listed in his books.

  “What is the Jani used for?” he asked.

  “Like most plants, it has a variety of uses. But the most common ones are for treating fevers and seizures,” Sena explained, as she carefully laid the flowers inside a small box.

  “And the more uncommon uses?”

  “Well, the petals of the flower can be dried and crushed into a powder, which can then be used to put the patient into a coma.”

  His eyes widened. “Why would you want to do that?”

  “It does them no harm,” she reassured him. “Think of it more like a magical stasis than a coma. Sometimes, a patient is too weak to be treated with a more aggressive spell, so the healer will put them under so that the body can strengthen itself enough for the eventual treatment.”

  Kyan nodded and kept digging. Every now and then, Sena would get up, close her eyes, and breathe in deeply. She would then get up and wander off to start digging somewhere else. How she could scent out the location of the tiny herbs still buried underground was beyond him. He could only smell the forest—a combination of green scents all mingled together. Kyan followed her around, although she was so focused on her task that he was unsure that she even realised he was still there.

  After what seemed both an eternity and a mere second in time all at once, Sena stopped and sat down at the trunk of a tree. Kyan watched bemused, as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the sunbathed wood, a small smile of satisfaction on her face.

  “Is that us done then?” he asked as he sat next to her, marvelling at the way her hair gleamed a myriad of chestnut and golden hues in the now strong sunlight. Unlike most of the other girls her age, who preferred their hair long, Sena had it cropped in an asymmetrical short bob in an almost pixie-like cut. Somehow, it suited her, he thought.

  Sena’s bright blue eyes fluttered open. “Oh, sorry! Kyan, was it?” she said apologetically. “I lost all track of time!”

  He grinned to himself. So she had forgotten he was there. He probably should have felt offended and his ego should have been deflated, but it was oddly endearing somehow. It was definitely a first for him and a breath of fresh air from being constantly chased down the streets of Sylios by fan girls and sought out merely because he was famous.

  “I am really sorry,” Sena repeated, a sweet remorseful look on her face. “It’s nothing personal, I just get really—”

  “It’s fine,” Kyan laughed. “It’s okay, really.”

  Sena finally looked at him properly. He was covered in dirt. “Gods above! And have you been helping me this whole time?”

  He nodded.

  “Oh, I can’t believe it!” she exclaimed, looking at her basket, which was now overflowing with a variety of flowers and herbs. “Thank you! My mom will be over the moon when she sees how much we found! But you really needn’t have stayed and gotten so dirty.” She winced. “Especially since I practically ignored you the whole time!”

  Kyan burst out laughing. “It’s fine, honestly. I wouldn’t have stayed if I hadn’t been enjoying myself.” He paused. It was true, he hadn’t felt such peace and contentment in a long time. He loved writing music and singing, which was why he and his friends had formed the band “Unforeseen” to begin with, and it had been great at first. But as they became increasingly popular and famous, it had become less about the music and more about the show and the glitz. He shook his head sadly. How had it gotten so out of hand? And how had none of them ever really stopped to realise? It was oddly ironic that it took a morning of digging around in the dirt in the middle of a forest in provincial Jya for his eyes to be opened.

  “Thanks again,” Sena said, snapping him out of his reverie. “You’re not at all how I would have imagined the leader singer of Unforeseen would be.”

  “I hope that’s a compliment,” Kyan smiled.

  “Oh, absolutely!” Sena exclaimed earnestly making him smile again.

  “I guess I should go back,” Kyan stated wistfully, reluctant to cut short his newfound contentment.

  “Of course, your friends will be wondering where you got to.”

  “I doubt it,” he grinned. “I doubt any of them are even awake yet.”

  Sena smiled at him, and he almost forgot to breathe as a wave of indescribable peace and hope surged through him. “They are missing out on the wonders of the day,” she motioned to the beauty of the nature around them. “The early morning is my favourite time to be up and about. Everything is so quiet and tranquil. It’s as though the world were being born anew.”

  Kyan looked around the forest, absorbing everything around him. The bronze stones shimmered as though on fire in the light of the ascending orange sun, and the almost fluorescent green of the trees rippled in the gentle breeze throwing off tiny sparks of light. Mercurial clouds of foam swirled atop the silver waters of the nearby stream. He inhaled deeply, drawing in the essence of the nature around him. Suddenly, everything froze in place. Wach leaf stilled, the ever-present birdsong vanished. He could even see the particles of sunlight suspended in the morning air as though hung there by design.

  “What,” he began to say turning to Sena and froze mid-sentence. Gone was her usual smile and sun-warmed skin, replaced by an almost u
nnatural pallor. “Sena?” he rubbed her shoulder to get her attention. “Are you okay?” He felt a frisson of worry work itself down his spine, as she remained unmoving, eyes staring straight ahead at something he could not see. Her skin grew colder and colder until he had to remove his hand with a painful gasp. She was turning into ice!

  “The seals weaken, the bonds will be cut, both halves of the whole will soon rejoin. The future of the worlds is yet unknown. Beware false prophets, treachery at every turn. Follow your destiny, heed our warning, else all is doomed. You must complete the transition and fulfil the prophesy.”

  Kyan watched in shock as a deep unfamiliar voice spoke through Sena’s mouth. What was going on? None of it even made sense.

  “Sena?” he asked again as she turned around, eyes unseeing, and began to walk robotically towards a thicket of trees deep in the forest. “Sena!” There was no response, not even a flicker of recognition. He tried to grab her shoulder, but a sharp sting crackled in the air around her forcing him to follow her from a distance. It was as though a force field of magick had been erected around her.

  Not knowing what else to do, or how else to help, he followed Sena until she reached a large bronze rock right in the centre of the clearing. Kyan couldn’t help but watch in awe, as her hands began to dance in the air, gracefully drawing a series of glyphs he had never seen before, her magick casting off small sparks of light with each movement. As her hands fell to rest by her side, Kyan heard a loud rumble. Amazed, he watched as the solid stone split in two opening up to reveal a well of amber coloured liquid. He launched towards Sena to stop her, as she made to climb inside the pool. It could be dangerous; he had never seen anything like it before. What if she were hurt? But, as before, he rebounded off of this mysterious invisible barrier, his palms stinging where he had made contact with it. He watched helplessly as Sena lowered herself into the swirling pool of amber, slowly disappearing under its surface. The rock groaned again and slammed shut before Kyan’s very eyes and the forest came back to life once more.

  “Sena!” he shouted, racing towards the rock, banging on it to no avail. “Sena …”

  Chapter Four

  Sena felt the stone slam shut overhead, but it did not seem important somehow. As she continued her descent down the underwater staircase, it occurred to her for the briefest of seconds that she could breathe normally despite being fully submerged. Her feet carried her forward, as though retracing steps taken a million times before; and out of the corner of her eyes, Sena could see glimmering particles of light dancing in the amber waters all around her, illuminating her way.

  After what could have been mere seconds, or an eternity, she finally reached a door at the end of the spiral staircase. Again, her hands flowed through a series of glyphs as though every fibre in her being knew exactly what to do, and the pathway opened for her. Sena thought absentmindedly that she should feel amazed by what she was seeing, but strangely, it all felt so familiar to her

  “Welcome, dear child,” a soft voice called out to her.

  Sena looked up. Impossibly, there was a forest clearing before her, the amber liquid had somehow disappeared. She could hear birdsong and smell the heady scent of the autumn trees. It was just like her forest in Jya except that everything here was the wrong colour—all varying shades of amber and honey. And there, in the midst of this strange place, sat a young woman on a glistening rock. She looked exactly as her sweet voice suggested. Long chestnut waves cascaded gently down her back, shimmering with golden highlights at her temples, soft blue eyes framed by jet black eyelashes looked upon her with affection.

  “I have waited so very long for this day, dear child,” the woman smiled as she stood to walk towards Sena and grasp her hands.

  “Who are you?” Sena asked. “And where are we?” She had a million more questions racing through her mind, and yet, those were the two that spilled out.

  “I am sorry I should have introduced myself. I fear my excitement at finally meeting you has caused me to forget my manners.” The lady bowed lightly. “My name is Sya. I am a friend, Sena, there is no need to be concerned. I am to be your guide during your transformation.”

  Sena frowned. “What transformation? And why do I need a guide?” She blanched suddenly. “Oh, no! Kyan! He will be going crazy!” Another idea occurred to her, which scared her even more. “What if he has gone to tell my mom what happened? Oh, she is going to be worried sick! I have to go back!”

  “Breathe, child,” Sya said soothingly. “Time passes differently here. You could be here for days, and yet up above, only a fraction of a second will have gone by. You will be back before Kyan even realises what he saw.”

  “Where is here?” Sena asked, more alert now, as though a fog had been lifted from her mind.

  “That is good,” Sya smiled warmly at her. “Passing through the rift can be draining for those unused to it. You are recovering from its effects at a speed even I had not foreseen.” She led Sena gently over to a cluster of rock and motioned for her to sit down. “In answer to your question, we are inside what my people call a Hyios. Think of it as a bubble in time and space. It is a natural phenomenon created by the magick at Xanos” core itself. It is a rare occurrence, but this Hyios is not the only one, there are a few others scattered around the planet.”

  “I have never heard of such a thing nor read about it anywhere.”

  “And you won’t, dear child. Very few know about the Hyios and that is the way it must remain.”

  “Why? Why such secrecy?”

  “In order for you to understand, I must start at the beginning,” Sya explained. “The earth’s magick are constantly flowing. This is what enables life to exist on Xanos. That much you know already. But sometimes, there is an accumulation of magick like a power surge, and they bounce off of each other creating an almost whirlpool-like sphere of magic. No one knows how or why they do not merely flow out into the planet like other magic.” She paused thoughtfully. “I have a friend who would argue that the build-up of so much power in one area causes the magicks to become supercharged and stick to one another, unable to separate, but I like to think that the Hyios occur when the planet senses a need for one.”

  Sena tucked a loose strand of golden hair behind her ear, as she took a moment to absorb what she was being told. “Okay, you have explained where we are. Well, kind of, but why are we here? And what did you mean about being my guide?”

  Sya looked at Sena, a wide smile playing on her face. “You are very curious little one. I did not expect you to be so like him. Anyway, more to the matter at hand. What I am about to tell you is going to be difficult to hear, so I am just going to come out and say it. Okay?”

  Sena nodded.

  “There are things I cannot tell you, Sena. Not because I do not want to, but there are rules, which even I must follow. But know this, I will never lie to you about that which I can speak. It is very important that you trust me if I am to be your guide.” She paused briefly until Sena nodded her agreement. “All right then, follow me.” Sya stood up gracefully, her soft dress trailing behind her as she walked towards a small amber stream Sena had not noticed previously. “Please, sit next to the waters and look inside.”

  Sena gazed into the gently rippling waters, almost lurching back with shock when an image appeared in lieu of her reflection. A tall, strong looking man stood next to a hooded woman. He had eyes the likes of which she had never seen before. They were amber, almost bronze in colour, and his skin was a rich shade of chestnut, which fell all the way to his waist. Even his clothes were alien to her. He did not look like anyone she had ever seen on Xanos before. And yet, there seemed to be something familiar about him. The image flickered, and she could just about make out the features of his face. Sena couldn’t see his companion’s face, as she was wearing a cloak and was facing away from her and towards the man. But whoever she was, it was clear from the look in the man’s eyes that he lov
ed her. “Who are they?” she asked once the image was no longer.

  “Your parents, little one,” Sya said kindly.

  “That was my father?” Sena gasped, shock trailing all the way to the pit of her stomach.

  Sya nodded.

  “He looks familiar somehow, but he doesn’t seem to …”

  “He does not seem to fit with Xanos,” Sya nodded. “That, dear one, is because he is not of Xanos. Your father is a Zamani. He is not of this world.”

  Sena leaned back over the stream, trying to see him again, but there was nothing there except bronze pebbles glinting under the gentle ripples. “How can he be from another world?” she asked, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. “There is no mention in any of the history books of other worlds nor of other people.”

  “I know that you are an avid reader and student. This will be to your advantage, Sena,” Sya began. “But the first thing you need to realise is that books are written by people. And people do not always know everything.” She paused. “And sometimes, even when they know something, they do not speak the truth.”

  “A cover up? Of this magnitude?” Sena shook her head. “There is no way that anyone could hide something as colossal as the existence of another world! And why would they anyway?”

  “The reason of mankind are not for me to understand, and that is not that matters at this moment in time. What is important, essential even, is that you understand your paternal heritage. In order to complete your transformation, you must embrace both halves of your being. The Xanian and the Zamani.”

  “I am half alien,” Sena murmured to herself, struggling to absorb the news.

  “I am sorry that I could not ease you into it more.”

  Sena looked up at Sya, genuine affection and worry radiated from her every fibre. “I don’t think that there was any way that “your dad is really an alien” wasn’t going to be a shock no matter how you told me,” she said honestly. “But how did my father come here? Where is he now? And what is this transformation you keep talking about?”