Tainted Rose

by Yumoyori Wilson

  “Not your fault. You showed me, love. The spirits love me, too. Eli said she liked me and Elias cares as well,” she pointed out, her toneless voice gained emotion – joy flowed off her statement.

  “Midnight. Don’t you want more? Don’t you crave to feel someone’s touch? To hold their hand or kiss their lips in an act of love? Wouldn’t you want to be able to see the world we’ve been hidden from all these cycles, not because you’ve been summoned by force, but by choice?” The questions spilled out of me as I tried to make her understand why I pitied her – regretting the fact I hadn’t realized it earlier.

  “Sometimes. One can only dream. I assume the gods want me here. So here I am. It would be nice...to see the fireflies with Elias and talk with Eli. I...wish I could be like Rose and the others. I– I wish I could talk to you more,” she confessed, her voice cracked.

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I wouldn’t allow her to stay in this darkness anymore. Nightmare was right. The darkness shouldn’t be judged for simply being the way Mother Nature created it. Midnight had kindness within her, proving such in various situations. She didn’t want to kill or hurt anyone. She was forced from day one, unable to defy the orders given to her. She deserved the freedom she was entitled to by the gods – she deserved to be a part of my spirits.

  “Midnight. I accept you. Every part of you – the good and the bad. I love you for who you are and what you’ve become. You’ve protected me from all the difficult challenges and trials we’ve faced, without questioning or worrying about your own predicament. You protected my star knights when they were faced with death. You deserve to be a part of me – to be free from the darkness that holds you from obtaining your true potential. Be free and one with me. You are no longer a half of me – you are your own entity and spirit. Let this be written in the sky above. In stars, we trust.”

  I felt a growing warmth approach me, such gentleness caressed my soul as I allowed it to consume me. The darkness wasn’t evil. All it wanted was acceptance and love. It simply wanted a home.

  With that, I was pure once more.

  ~ELIASEANNE~

  The waves of power came to a stop. The cocoon that encased Mako was still present, a dark aura surrounded it.

  “Impossible! They’re extinct. I saw the last one die! She has to be something else?”

  I remembered that day – her dark blue eyes glazed over as all remnants of life faded away as her lifeless body fell to the ground. She was only eight cycles, her body much too small for the experiment.

  I was amazed that no one questioned her death. I guess it wouldn’t have mattered – our king, or should I say our father, couldn’t care less. He made the final decisions and one loss of life meant little to him.

  I shook my head. I needed to focus on the present. Mako and Midnight needed me.

  “What do I need to do to help her?” I questioned, looking over my shoulder. Winterlya opened her mouth to speak, a soft smile formed on her lips.

  I was ready to repeat myself, but noticed the once whip-lashing wind had ceased as the air returned to normal. I returned my gaze back to the black cocoon which began to crack.

  Crack – Crick – Crack, the lines continued to form and divide, a black glow peeked out of the miniature space. It shattered.

  I froze; my mouth dropped in awe at the beautiful shifter before me.

  Mako’s normal long brown hair was a navy blue, the tips a light purple. Her skin looked darker than her usual pale complexion, her markings on full display – the normal black tattoos, now an indigo blue, glowed softly against her tanned skin. She’d gained height, her usual five feet, five inches was now, five-eight.

  Her face had obtained a new marking that started from her right temple and flowed down the side of her face, wrapping around her neck.

  The most dazzling aspect of her new image was her purple, sparkling, almost transparent wings – blue, purple glitter fluttered around her as her wings fluttered at a fast pace.

  Her closed eyes finally opened, revealing a pair of midnight blue eyes.

  “Midnight?” I was stunned at seeing an adult dark fairy, her beauty hard to measure with my eyes.

  She blinked, staring at me without saying a word. I felt my heart panic, afraid she’d forgotten me.

  I took a cautious step forward; my trembling hand pressed against my chest as I took another step forward. Midnight stood her ground; her eyes lingered on my feet before returning to stare at me.

  “Midnight...do you know who I am?” I asked again as I got closer to her, my wings fluttered lightly behind me.

  As much as I wanted to fly forward and hug her I needed to know if she remembered who I was – who any of us were.

  I knew Mako was able to shift into Lexi’s full form, but I’d yet to see her completely shift with her other spirits. Now that Midnight had taken fairy form, I didn’t know what to expect.

  I was three steps from her before I stopped. We stared at one another, her midnight blue eyes took their time analyzing my new appearance.

  Mako had seen my fairy appearance, but I doubt Midnight had been able to get a glimpse seeing as she wasn’t a spirit then.

  She took a step forward, then another, leaving a foot between us. We looked like complete opposites – my bright pink, green and gold appearance against her purple, blue and black appearance as we faced each other, our height now identical.

  “Midnight?” I whispered, ignoring the sting in my eyes. I never thought I’d be so nervous; my hands shook.

  I’d finally managed to have enough courage to tell Midnight I liked her and now, as I faced the possibility of her forgetting me, it tore my heart.

  If I could have acted like the man I once was and told her straight up when I was first attracted to her like Elias, would I be feeling so afraid?

  Her hand moved forward, stopping for a moment before it reached out and touched my cheek. I didn’t dare move, my breath hitched as I stared at her wide-eyes. Her hand felt cool, compared to Mako’s usual warmth.

  Her blank expression slowly morphed into a smug smile.

  “Did you think I’d forget about my EliBear? You owe me a date, remember.” Her previous monotonous tone was filled with humor as she mocked me.

  I stood there unable to process what she’d just said. She remembers me.

  “Are you going to keep gawking at her or be a man and give her a hug before she thinks you’re angry at her?” Elias announced, sounding utterly bored. You’re a real pain in the ass you know that?

  “Fucking hug her EliaseAnne or I’ll force you out and do it my damn self.” I mentally groaned, but stepped forward, closing the space between us as I hugged her. She stood still in my embrace; her body went rigid for what seemed like minutes before she relaxed; her arms wrapped around me.

  “EliBear...I’m a spirit now. I can visit you now and the others, too. I don’t need to be cold anymore,” she admitted, her voice trembled.

  I tightened my embrace around her as she began to sob into my shoulder. I rubbed my hand against her hair. “I know Midnight. I’m glad you’re finally free. Welcome to the world,” I soothed.

  The barrier around us shattered, the white particles rained down on us. I glanced at the boys, expecting various stunned expressions, but was rewarded with smiles and relief.

  Winterlya approached us, the white owl landed on her extended hand.

  “Hoot Hoot.” It flapped its wings before settling down.

  “MEW.”

  We both jumped at the loud cry coming from our feet. Midnight smiled, before cautiously kneeling down to stare at Nightmare up close. Now that she was in spirit form, I was curious to see her reaction to Nightmare and now, Winterlya’s familiar. She glanced at Nighty before looking at the owl familiar, her head going back and forth between them.

  “Starlight gods? Pretty lights.” She whispered before glancing up at me. I knelt down to be at her eye level, nodding lightly.

  “Yes. Don’t tell the others though. Only I and Winterlya
know. Can you keep a secret?” I whispered back.

  “Ya. Mako knows too, right? She won’t tell.” She replied.

  “Is Mako okay?” I was glad Midnight had awakened into her spirit form, but I was concerned about Mako.

  I knew awakenings drained their host significantly and now that Midnight was her fifth spirit, I worried she’d fall into a coma again. Midnight reached out and grabbed my hand, taking a moment to inspect it as she rubbed her thumb against my palm.

  “So warm...” she whispered.

  I tried not to laugh.

  Jeez, still distracted like Mako.

  “Midnight? Mako—” I began, but she looked up at me.

  “Oh, right. Mako fine. Sleeping, but okay,” she acknowledged before yawning, using her other hand to rub her eyes.

  “Sleepy, too. Can I sleep now? Wait...I won’t go back to the dark place, right?” she questioned, her voice hinted her fear. Dark place?

  Winterlya took the opportunity to kneel down on her other side. She placed her unoccupied hand on her shoulder.

  “Nope. No more dark place. Makoto accepted you and now you have a section in her mind as well. You’ll simply be asleep,” she revealed with a soft smile.

  She smiled back and rubbed away another set of tears that began to trail down her cheeks.

  “Happy,” she whispered; her eyes went back to stare at the owl before returning to Nighty.

  “Nightmare. Cuddle buddy.” She opened her arms for the foxshier, who jumped in them. She tightened her hold on her before closing her eyes.

  “Ah, wait Midnight you can’t sleep...” I trailed off as her breathing slowed, falling asleep in three seconds. Winterlya chuckled.

  “I guess all of you have to teach her a few things. You look exhausted yourself,” she pointed out.

  I sighed, realizing how exhausted I felt. It had been awhile since I’d stayed in my fairy form for such a long period. “I better switch before I tire both of us out,” I commented, more to myself than Winterlya. I rose to my feet, hesitant to leave. Kai was the first to reach us, the others not far behind.

  “We’ll keep an eye on her, relax. We’ll probably need you if Midnight wants to look around. We’ll let Winterlya explain what happened. Go switch...and good job Elyion,” he praised, looking away. Kai was always the first to give praise, but became uncomfortable when he received any.

  I smiled before I waved goodbye, turning to walk back into the forest.

  As much as Kai got on my nerves, he’d always tried to praise us for whatever contribution we gave to a situation, regardless of whether it was big or small. He’d especially get embarrassed when he praised me, always struggling to admit my positive contributions. I think he’s still mad at finding out I was once a guy after leaving him in the dark for a full cycle as a prank.

  I found the spare set of clothes hidden in a wooden box next to a large oak tree. I hid various spare clothes, making sure there was a set for myself and Elias. I pressed my hand against my mouth as I yawned. I need a good sleep.

  “I’ll fill you in when you wake up,” Elias confirmed, my conscious began to fade.

  Hmm. Okay. Goodnight, and thanks, Elias.

  “Your welcome, Elyion.”

  ~RYDER~

  “The spell you cast on Makoto was to unlock whatever hold or barrier that held Midnight back from awakening and was the reason why that dark wind show occurred. Does that mean she’s okay? Or will she continue having those faint spells?”

  I sat in the living room with Winterlya, a cup of coffee in each of our hands as we sat on the black sofas opposite from each other.

  We’d just gotten back from the forest; Elias carried Mako and retired for the evening. I’m impressed he was able to stay awake for so long. Usually he’d be passed out within five minutes or less after shifting back from his fairy form.

  Daniel, Marcus, and Kai were summoned by Matthew and had left for Knightwood. It amused me to see their disappointment at having to wait a few more hours till finding out exactly what happened to Mako and Midnight.

  I hoped by the time they came back Elias would have gotten some rest. I didn’t want to explain myself twice, but I knew he didn’t function well with little sleep.

  Now that I was alone with Winterlya, I decided to ask her all the questions myself.

  “The reasoning for Mako’s faint spells was due to Midnight’s over usage of magic. From what Matthew explained to me, Makoto acquired Lily, her phoenix, by accident, correct?” she questioned, lifting her mug to take a sip of the steamy fluid.

  “Yes. Makoto’s best friend was murdered after an incident, her phoenix spirit entered Mako instead of ascending to the stars. Has that happened before?”

  “Yes. It has.”

  She turned to stare at the transparent, glass doors, her eyes looked far away as if she’d witnessed something similar in her long life. Winterlya had ventured all the realms, witnessing many things before any of us were born, being one of the few shifters in the galaxy that had the same knowledge or greater knowledge then the Royal’s themselves. Even my father looked up to her and requested her services from time to time. If Winterlya didn’t know what was wrong with a shifter, they were in grave danger.

  She closed her eyes, the exhaustion appeared in the lines of her face.

  Her face became serious.

  “Goddess of Destruction, Nightmare, had professed that Makoto would receive four spirits – her demon and angel given to her at birth, and the remaining two would appear by her adulthood. Matthew explained Makoto received her dragon in her teens, but Midnight had also been triggered during her teen cycles as well, through experimentation and mental triggers. I believe Midnight was forced out due to the high-stress levels Makoto’s physical and mental states experienced. Our spirits are given to us by the gods to protect our designated realms, but they can be awakened in desperate times. If a shifter is about to die with no way of preventing such events, their dominant spirit will awaken due to the sudden spike of adrenaline. This can only occur IF that host has a dormant spirit. In Makoto’s case, that must have occurred, but was stopped abruptly – either by death or the realization of impending doom,” Winterlya explained.

  “Makoto explained that she’d been put in an arena with a group of shifters, fighting to avoid death which meant one shifter would be left standing. Mako said it was too much for her and she’d lost consciousness after getting hit in the head. When she’d resurfaced, Rose was the one who gave her the information on Midnight. I’m guessing that fits your theory quite well.” I could feel Stryker nudge my mind, his anger apparent.

  I was just as upset and hated how much Mako had suffered.

  “Yes. I believe Midnight wasn’t supposed to awaken until Mako’s late teens or early adulthood. Midnight is a Dark Fairy; such a spirit having been extinct for a few cycles. If an individual does carry a dark fairy spirit, they’re purposely hiding it for fear of being hunted and experimented on. Nevertheless, her early summoning caused only half her power to be released; Mako’s body shielded the other half in defense. I can guarantee that Mako would have died from power overload if such defenses hadn’t occurred. The only reason why Mako demonstrated all these problems, including the dark, lonely feeling was due to surpassing her magic limit – triggering a break in Midnight’s power. Such power wavelength must have begun to leak out and thus everything that led to what you all witnessed,” Winterlya finished.

  “Now, Makoto has five spirits, Midnight being a dark fairy. Karen was saying she’d need about two to three weeks to recover with little magic usage which means we can’t go to Heila till then.” I pondered out loud, wanting confirmation that I understood the gist of things.

  “Yes. Makoto shouldn’t use magic unless she has to and she’s now a walking target until she stabilizes such levels. You’ve noticed the change in her aura. Until she can calm it, to a level where high-rank magicians and shifters can’t detect it, you guys should stay here a bit longer. Once she’s clear, you’ll be
able to leave this student gig by the end of this rotation,” Winterlya confirmed, lifting her coffee up to her lips to finish it.

  “Karen’s probably going to have to apply those restraint bracelets on her...she’s not going to like that,” I confessed, lifting my mug to my lips to finish my own coffee.

  “I bet. She seems feisty, but in a positive way. Midnight is also intriguing. She looks like a spirit who analyzes things down to the smallest details. She holds great power as well. They both need to rest. Her other spirits can still take control or shift if she must use a type of magic, but they shouldn’t push it,” Winterlya stressed. I nodded in agreement.

  “You should rest. We can talk about this tomorrow if you like.” I felt bad for holding her up, not having allowed her to rest right when she arrived, after she’d traveled from Heila straight here. I’d heard she’d only been in Heila for less than a week, returning from Earthala prior to that.

  She opened her eyes, glancing back at me with a weak smile.

  “Yes, I’m pretty pooped out. I had to deal with some issues down in Earthala like bomb threats and other human acts of destruction. You’d think their race would take a break from trying to kill one another. Then headed back to Heila only to hear about Mako’s predicament, worried me. I’m glad I got here when I did. I feel it would have gotten worse.” She sighed, rubbing at her eyes before sitting up straight.

  We both rose to our feet.

  “On behalf of my team and all of Heila, I thank you Winterlya for coming down here on such short notice. You helped ease Mako’s suffering and I’m glad the issue involving Midnight has been cleared. If you ever need our help, feel free to request it.” I bowed deeply.

  “Ugh, I hate when my students are so formal. Rise, rise. It’s not that big of a deal. I may be the princess of Wintalyn, but that doesn’t mean I don’t concern myself with other realm matters. Mako’s kidnapping devastated many realms and I’m simply proud that I was summoned to contribute and ensure her safety.” Winterlya blushed, brushing my thanks off like she hadn’t done anything spectacular. She’d rather scold us than receive thanks or praise.