The 13th Hour
Alya and Nyla turned to find Kaelith sitting right behind them.
"The one she conjured," he continued. "He took on human form. Became her partner."
Alya's mind went straight to Jayden.
"What happened to him?" Alya asked.
"He was killed, in the human world," Kaelith said. "Humans noticed he'd go a little transparent sometimes. It wasn't normal to them. So they branded him a freak, and hurt him, again and again, until he was gone. Nyxara went on a rampage after that. Wiped out everyone in her path."
"For thousands of years, she's gathered followers, Lunari and other kinds, to become her minions. Our warriors have spent just as long fighting to keep them back."
"She feeds on Lunari energy, and on other species too. No one is safe from her." He looked at Alya. "But to stay alive for another thousand years, she needs the purest form of energy there is. Yours."
"May the Pure Tide come forward," someone announced.
Alya froze.
Every face in the hall turned toward her at once. Whatever whispers had filled the room a second ago dried up into silence, all of it aimed straight at her.
Nyla squeezed her hand under the bench. "That's you," she whispered. "Go."
Alya's legs felt like they belonged to someone else as she rose from the bench. She walked slowly to the center of the room, feeling every eye boring into her.
"Child, don't be afraid," the leader said. "I am Caius, the grand leader of Veyloria. This is my partner, Maren," he said, gesturing to the tall lady sitting beside him. "It's an honor to meet the Pure Tide. Great power flows through you, young one. Power that, in the wrong hands, can turn dark and consuming."
Alya's stomach churned at the phrase. She hadn't asked for great power. All she'd ever wanted was to fit in and have a family to call her own, yet everywhere she turned, this strangeness inside her kept getting in the way.
"A rogue, once one of us, wants what you have, to exact her revenge on humanity," Maren, the female leader said. "It is our duty to protect this fortress, and to protect humans."
"For thousands of years, Pure Tides have been consumed by the Rot, and our fortress has borne the brunt of it," another elder said. "The Tide is what keeps both humans and our kind alive and strong. We are losing this war. So it is with great honor, and great burden, that we would give our lives to protect the moon's energy, the power that binds us all together."
"Let us isolate her. Create spells strong enough to hold her until we can defeat the Rot," one witch said.
"What good would that do?" someone shot back. "The fortress is thousands of years old, and the dark energy is still seeping through. What would your spells do that these walls haven't?"
"Let's take her far away from here," another said.
"Away?" Celeste cut in. "Every corner of this world has felt Nyxara's reach. There's no such thing as far enough."
"This is the safest place she could be," Maren added.
"They didn't get to her when she was with the humans, so why now?!"
"It was only a matter of time before Nyxara got to her!" Celeste said. "An easy win for her."
"But we would all be in danger with her here. We have families," another elder said.
"And you think you'll be safe when Nyxara finally breaks into the fortress?" Celeste said.
"Nyxara wouldn't have come here if she didn't sense her," the same person shot back.
"Don't be daft," Celeste said. "She's nearing her end. She's desperate. She'll do anything to get what she wants, even if that means breaking the barrier and feeding off every one of us."
"What can we do? What should we do? She's just a child," another said.
"She still has a lot to learn!"
"How would she survive Nyxara?"
"We need to protect her!"
"We can all feel the darkness! It's almost through the barrier!"
The room erupted into arguments.
Alya winced, staring at all the faces around her. Slowly, their voices began to morph into the ones she'd grown up with, the ones that plagued her right before she became one with her essence.
Back then, Jayden had come and held her, and the voices had stopped. But he wasn't here. For one wild second, she thought about bolting for the door and running back into Sapphire's arms.
What good would that do? she thought. Not facing this would mean, in the end, there wouldn't be anyone to run back to.
She looked around, watching everyone argue with each other. Jayden may not be here now to calm the storm. But she was.
"I won't be protected!" she yelled.
Everyone went quiet. Every eye converged on her.
"I won't be protected," she repeated. "All I hear is how you need to hide me, take me far away, cast a spell on me… protect me. But I can protect myself. I can defend myself. I did it before I got here. That's how I found my people in the first place."
"But child, you're young. Your powers are still raw. Nyxara…" Maren said.
"That's why I need you," Alya said. "I can learn. I can harness my power and defend this fortress. I need to train. I need to master what I have. I need your guidance so I can protect you!"
Everyone exchanged glances. Celeste beamed proudly. Nyla squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. Even some of the elders who'd argued against her moments ago looked, if not convinced, at least quieted.
Caius stood up and walked down to stand in front of her, pausing for several seconds.
"So shall it be," he finally said. "We will gather every resource this fortress has, our best warriors, our wisest minds, the strongest of every kind, to teach you everything we've learned in a thousand years. You are wise beyond your years, young one."
"You'll need assistance," one of the elf leaders added. "Kaelith!"