Seduced by Myths: A Mythical Paranormal and Fantasy Anthology

by C. R. Jane

Created with Vellum

  Prologue: The Land Of Luminus

  "Little butterfly, where do you go. Little butterfly, make your way home. Fly free, fly far, be free and go home. Little butterfly, little butterfly, can I be like you? To be free and find a place to call home!"

  I kept singing the song over and over again, skipping around through the little forest. It was silly for me to sing, but it helped me not be afraid of being alone in the forest. I was hiding from my older sisters, tired of being told what to do.

  They never let me have fun, and it was really tiring. I wanted to have fun and play. Not go to class after class to learn how to be a goddess.

  In my head, I wish I was never born to wield the power of eternity. When I became older, I'd have to carry the burden like many of our ancestors and have the fate of eternity rested on my shoulders.

  I didn't see why it was fair. All I got to do was study and work. I barely got to sleep thanks to my mean sister, Sybil. My other sisters, I could handle, Ina and Eve. They always told our oldest sister I was but a kid and didn't understand the role I needed to play.

  I did get it. Sometimes. I was important to a lot of people in the other planets and universes. I helped to make sure many people were able to live like me, but when do I get to enjoy life?

  These little moments of skipping and playing by myself were the only breaks I got. I'd surely gone crazy if I didn't have them.

  Finding a good place to sit, I lifted my midnight blue dress, lowering to the soft patch of grass that was in front of a huge tree.

  I always loved this specific tree. It had pretty energy you could see with your eyes. It was also very lonely. I'd discovered it two years ago when I was five years old. I liked to call it she because it felt like a girl and not a boy.

  She was lonely, having no one to talk to. It wasn't like she could talk to me either, but the bits of energy that left her brownish bark always seemed to glow extra strong when I arrived.

  I'd sing and chat with her, telling all about my sisters and what they would do to me.

  It wasn't like I didn't love my sisters, but Sybil was so mean. She'd constantly yell from the moment I woke up to the evening before dinner. The only time she wasn't yelling was when she was asleep.

  She didn't do that a lot either.

  My sister Eve was my favorite. She'd always hold me when I cried, and comfort me when I, too, was lonely. It was hard to be a goddess child when there were no other children who were gods or goddesses.

  I wasn't allowed to play with the children of our universe, because I was important and couldn't get hurt. Sybil wanted my mind to be focused on my responsibility. Not on unnecessary things like friends.

  Eve disapproved of her words, and in the quietness of my bedroom when I'd cry, she'd always sneak in and comfort me. I loved her for that.

  Ina was in between. Sometimes she felt Sybil was doing too much scolding on the daily, but she did agree with her other times. She wasn't favorite, but not the least favorite. She was in between.

  With a sigh just at the thought, I returned to singing while I rested my back against the trunk of the tree.

  "Good evening, magical tree. How are you?"

  I didn't expect her to answer, but a little breeze went by, making me giggle.

  "That's good. I'm alright. A little sad, but that's why I'm here. Sybil is going to try and find me soon. I'm tired of studying. It's so boring." I lifted my little hands, staring at them and watching them begin to glow a gentle gold.

  With a bit of concentration, golden butterflies that illuminated in my grasp began to flutter around and float around me. I giggled and laughed, loving how they fluttered around.

  Returning to my song, I sang and sand, giggling and laughing as more butterflies danced to my tune and crowded around me and the loving tree.

  This was one of my many magical gifts. I could create lots of wildlife, and what was even prettier was that they glowed and had a little magic of their own.

  The butterflies that fluttered around me sprinkled glowing glitter around me, making me feel more energetic and happy then I was before.

  Sybil said they were silly to have and weren't helpful, but I liked them. They cheered me up always and I hoped one day they would heal people of our kind.

  We lived in a universe called Luminus. It was a universe that couldn't be seen by other planets. Only by special beings of magic who were able to travel between the universes.

  The travelers were always fun to watch. I'd only ever gotten to see them perform twice, one with Eve and one with Ina who felt bad when I wouldn't stop crying.

  They could do cool tricks and magic that I'd never seen before. I started playing with my magic when a tall woman made an elephant out of her magic. It was amazing, and she'd look so pretty doing it.

  I wished to have what Eve was called grace. The woman had that and more. She was so pretty with long hair, and her dress had long sleeves that looked amazing when she twirled and danced. they would glide with her, making it seem like she was a goddess herself.

  I looked up at her.

  She hasn't come back, which makes me sad, but it was nice to be gifted with her beauty and talent. At least when I begged Eve to teach me how to dance like the woman, Sybil hadn't gotten mad.

  When I reached eighteen, I'd have to do a ceremony, one where would solidify my ruling as a goddess and bound me to my role. That required me to dance and sing while holding a special fan that would turn into magical staffs if I did the ritual right.

  Eve explained that in order to take my role, I'd have to wish to be the carrier of eternity. If I didn't feel right for the role, it wouldn't work. I couldn't tell her that I didn't want to do any of this. I couldn't see the people I was helping.

  Being a goddess to me meant being stuck in our castle, only talking to my sisters and the few maids who weren't scared of talking to me in the off-chance Sybil will turn the corner and yell at them.

  I'd be confined to the walls and doing my role for the rest of my life. I wouldn't even have my own prince charming. That was another thing that worried me.

  I always wanted a prince. My sisters didn't have husbands. They had never dated before. It upset me that they would be alone, but I guess they had each other.

  However, for me, I didn't have any sister that was close to my age. My three sisters were in their late twenties. I was only seven. The age gap made it hard to feel bonded with them, though Eve was pretty close.

  To be in the world to fulfill a duty and not enjoy a moment of what life really is made me sad and only harder to decide if I wanted to do this.

  Playing with my butterflies for a while. They began to disappear, the remaining hiding behind the tree. With a frown, I rose up and fixed my dress, wondering if Sybil had finally found me.

  Waiting for her to appear, I was surprised to see three other men.

  My mouth went open, staring at the three new individuals I've never seen before. They all wore similar clothes in red and gold, looking like weren't from our universe.

  Their sight made me grin happily and skipped over to the guy in the middle who I assumed was the leader.

  "Hello," I greeted.

  The man grinned, kneeling down to be somewhere close to my height. "Good evening, princess. How are you?"

  "I'm okay. How did you know I'm a princess?"

  The man chuckled. "You look like a very nice princess," he replied. "That's how I knew,"

  "That's nice," I replied with a wide smile. "What's your name?"

  "I'm Ansiel," he greeted. "This one to my left is Alex, and the other is Allen. We're travelers and are here to perform in the square of Luminus. However, we're in a little trouble,"

  "Why?" I asked.

  "We seem to be lost and have no clue how to get to the square," Ansiel answered, the other two keeping quiet.

  "I can show you?" I suggested with a smile. "The forest likes to play tricks on new people because it's funny," I giggled.

  "That would be swell.
We appreciate your help, princess," he praised.

  "I'm Luna. Nice to meet you,"

  "Good evening, Luna," Allen greeted.

  "Thanks for your assistance, Princess Luna," Alex greeted.

  I suddenly felt shy in front of them. Skipping over to the tree, I mumbled. "Let me say bye to my tree,"

  Pressing my hands against the bark, I smiled brightly and looked up to the many branches of the tree.

  "Bye, bye tree. I'll come back and keep you company next time I can run away from my sisters. I have to help these men get to the square. Be good,"

  I patted the bark, feeling a little down that I had to leave the tree now.

  "Aren't you a kind Princess," Glancing up, I could see the upside image of the man named Allen. "She is very happy you visit her,"

  "Really?!" I squealed, jumping up and down. "She can hear me?"

  "Yes, she can," Allen chuckled, kneeling down next to me and placing his hand on the bark. "And she says thank you for being her friend. It's really lonely here, but you coming to visit makes her happy, and she loves your butterflies,"

  I giggled and clapped my hands. "I'm so happy!"

  "Butterflies?" Alex wondered. "I'd like to see that. It's been a long time since I've seen any,"

  "Can I show you all?" I asked, looking around at the three of them.

  They smiled, and Ansiel nodded his head, kneeling down once more. "We'd love to see,"

  I grinned and ran up to him. "I need your hand," I suggested.

  "Okay," He offered his hand and I wrapped both of mine around them. I like them because they were nice and warm. Closing my eyes, I focused on the spell to make my butterflies, opening my eyes up to see them appear in the palm of his hand.

  "Butterflies!" I cheered at my gold creations, watching them closely as they fluttered out of his hand and began to fly around us.

  "Wow," His eyes seemed to glitter in happiness at my display. "Those butterflies are beautiful,"

  "They can heal people, I think! They make me happy," I replied with a wide grin.

  "I can feel it," Allen chuckled.

  "I feel energized after our long trip," Alex nodded in approval.

  I laughed in response, hopping up and down. "Yeah! To the square we go," Skipping away with the butterflies following, I led the three men to the square with ease.

  It wasn't super late in the evening, though the sun was already gone, and the stars were twinkling brightly up in the sky.

  A few adults who prepared the night market and restaurants waved to me, acknowledging my presence and greeted the newcomers. It wasn't unusual for us to have travelers, and everyone was super nice and welcoming.

  "Here is the square," I cheered, putting my hands up.

  "Thank you, Princess," Allen praised.

  "Thank you, Princess Luna," Alex thanked.

  I nodded and grinned, watching the two of them walk over to some of the adults who asked if they needed assistance.

  "Are you going home now, Princess?" Ansiel questioned.

  "Yes. My sister is probably looking for me," I pouted my lips, my shoulders slumping when I thought about it.

  Ansiel knelt down and looked at me. "What's wrong?"

  "My sister is a meanie. She doesn't like my butterflies," I whispered.

  "I think they can do so much for other people. You shouldn't hide them," Ansiel comforted.

  "Can you keep a secret?" I asked.

  "Sure," he nodded his head.

  "I'm supposed to help a lot of people. People not here but far away, but I don't want to. Not yet," I put my head down feeling bad.

  "Well, you are but a child, Princess,"

  "But my sister says I have to study and can't play with kids or do anything. I don't see why helping other people makes me happy," I gave him an upset look. "I don't know them,"

  Ansiel put his hand on his chin. "But what if they know you?" he asked.

  "How do they know me?" I gasped.

  "Well," Ansiel got on his knees and continued. "What if you're a faraway Princess? Or better yet, a Goddess. All those people far away are looking up to you. They may be praying for your help, but they must wait till your old enough,"

  "R-Really?" I blinked at him with wide eyes, never thinking about it that way. "They look up to me?"

  "Well, I would believe so. Your studying, what does it help accomplish?"

  "I'm studying to help people with my powers. To be a Goddess and help many many people...but it's boring, and my sister is really strict. I don't know these people...but I didn't think they looked up to me,"

  "Well, when many people know a God or Goddess, they pray to them when their sad or having a hard time in life," Ansiel explained.

  "Really? To me," I pointed to myself. "But I'm a kid. I don't hear them,"

  "You don't hear them yet because you're still very young. When you're older, you'll be able to help them by giving them hope. You can't do that if you don't study, now can you?"

  "No..." I looked down and thought about it. "I don't think so,"

  He nodded but lifted my head so I could look into his blue eyes. "I know you don't know those people, but all this studying and working hard is worth it. For now, it won't look that way, but a lot of people will depend on you one day. It'll make you happy once you, yourself, can see all the happiness in their eyes. Just like how your butterflies made us very happy as you helped us find the square. Does making other people happy, make you want to help more?"

  "Yes!" I grinned, "I'll study hard!"

  "Good," He smirked. "If you do, I'll see if you can come to see our performance,"

  "Really?!" I beamed.

  "Mhm!" he nodded.

  "Luna!"

  I turned my head to see Eve and Sybil. Eve had a worried gaze while Sybil had an angry one. I frowned but didn't move from my place when they both walked over to us.

  Ansiel rose up and stood in front of me, almost like a knight in shining armor. I looked up to him, not as focused on my sisters.

  "Luna! How many times do I have t-" Sybil began to scold but Ansiel interrupted.

  "Good Evening ladies. Is this helpful Princess in your care?"

  Sybil glared at Ansiel, looking like she was about to snap at him, too. Eve glanced at Ansiel and slowly nodded. "I'm terribly sorry. Was our Luna bothering you?"

  "Not at all. She was very helpful, actually. Me and my men were lost and she directed us all the way to the square. Very well behaved and mannered if you ask me. You don't see that in children of other universes.

  My cheeks grew hot, and I shuffled over to Eve, feeling a little shy at his praise. I didn't receive it often, so when I did, I really liked it.

  Eve smiled, giving Sybil a look when she was about to say something.

  "I'm very happy that Luna was able to assist you. From your clothing, I'm going to assume you're a universe traveler?" Eve questioned.

  "Yes. I am. I and my two other friends travel the universes to spread joy and love through entertainment. This is our first time coming to this universe, and we already have a good impression on it. We'd definitely love to invite the Princess and her guardians to our performance if you all have the time," Ansiel offered.

  I looked up at Eve with big eyes, clenching her dress with all my might. "Eve? Can we go? I'll study really hard that day," I added the little bit in hopes that Sybil wouldn't use my studies as an excuse.

  Eve looked at Sybil who still wore a frown, but when she didn't retaliate to the idea, Eve grinned and looked down at me.

  "Seeing as you were super kind to help these men out, I think it's a nice reward for you to get to see them perform," she declared.

  "Yes!" I cheered, hugging her leg. Ansiel smiled, lowering to his knee to be on my level once more.

  "It's nice to be kind to others, isn't it? Sometimes, that leads you to an opportunity to claim a reward for your hard work," he whispered.

  I nodded in return and offered his hand. "I'll see you at the performance, Princess,"

  I
nstead of placing my hand in his, I gave him a hug. He chuckled and hugged me back.

  "Your secret is safe with me, Princess," he whispered.

  "Thank you, Ansiel," I whispered back.

  He let go of me and rose up, his other two companions waiting for him nearby.

  "I best be off," he winked at me and bowed his head to my sisters. "Study hard, Princess,"

  "Okay! I will," I vowed and waved goodbye as he moved back to Alex and Allen who were waving at me.

  We watched the three of them leave before Sybil spoke.

  "You're lucky those men are honorable travelers. How many times do I have to tell you to not leave the castle at night," she scolded with venomous eyes.

  I hide behind Eve who simply sighed. "Sybil. Stop. She's still a child and she studies all day and night. She'll never want to accept her role if you continue making this seem like a chore more than a role she should take on. She helped those men when she didn't have to. Be glad. With all the bickering and yelling, I'm not surprised Luna isn't just as mean and rude as you are," Eve took my hand and didn't wait for Sybil to defend herself, the two of us heading to the path home.

  "Eve?"

  "Yes, Luna?"

  "I'll study hard," I whispered. "I wanna help more people like them,"

  Even looked down and smiled, her green eyes twinkling with happiness. "I'm sure you will be able to, Luna. One day, many people will pray to you for guidance and longevity. I know Sybil is harsh, but deep down, she wants you to be the best you can be,"

  "Okay," I replied, nodding my head. "I love you, Eve,"

  "And I love you, Luna. One day, you'll be a kind Goddess who helps millions across the universes."

  Our walk home was quiet, but it was a peaceful silence. It didn't matter since I wasn't in the mood to chat anymore.

  All I could do was remember the three kind travelers who loved my butterflies.

  The Ritual Of Luminus

  ~ELEVEN YEARS LATER~

  "Again!"

  I lowered my tired arms, feeling utterly exhausted. I'd been practicing this routine since dawn and now, as the sun began to descend in the horizon, I still hadn't nailed this ritual.