Morph

We maneuver through at least three halls before opening a small wooden door and finding Libra behind it. He sits on the sofa, half asleep but stands abruptly when we enter. Evidence of lack of sleep is under each of his eyes and his hair looks like he’s ran his fingers through it one too many times.

His suit shirt is wrinkled, the sleeves pulled up. “You look horrible.” I laugh, rushing up to him and enveloping him in a hug. He sighs, slowly placing his arms around me.

“I thought you died there for a second love.” He jokes, but I hear the seriousness in his voice. “Didn’t want you leaving here if not by my hands.” Melinda clears her throat and we push each other away.

Its becoming normal, our affection toward one another but it still never fails to make him angry or send a fire up my neck when acknowledged. “My lord, you both should sit.” Melinda says seriously, and we do. We all sit, Libra and I a pillow away from each other on the sofa he was just nearly asleep on and Melinda in the chair opposite of it.

When I hear pages flipping I take notice to the book in her hand, she stops flipping once she reaches her designated page. “Palateus spoke of a greater power in his third volume.” She starts. “The Delaware said that her power overload, seemed to be due to corners. Corners is an entry Palateus wrote on the end of the forty-ninth rein, when he was on his death bed. Its the most legendary piece of any writer- any seer.”

Libra scoffs. “Please, corners was just the last words of a fortune teller, told to scare us all.” I look between them both, not knowing what to make of these ‘corners’. Not knowing if I should fear them or rejoice because I have no idea what they are.

“With all due respect my lord, you would call a seer a fortune teller? You sound like a human.” Melinda says, offending me like only the people of this world can.

“With all disrespect, Melinda, me being raised as a human and all I don’t take that lightly.” Her eyes widen before she frantically shakes her head.

“I did not mean it that way.” She says. Libra laughs from beside me, I fight my smile at the sound.

“Tell me about these corners, we’ll put it behind us.” I smile at her, and she gives me that motherly one she seems to always carry around, looking down at her book.

“There will be a rein like none other.” I can tell she’s reading, and I give her my full attention.“In this rein, a scarce specie will return in the form of one. In this rein, Ecladias will witness the power of the elements which each world shares. In this rein, all rulers must bow for even the rulers before them have never seen things like those which are to come. All things are not on record, there are things waiting. Waiting for this rein to come, they are hidden in the shadows, and the shadows live to hide them.” A chill creeps up my spine and I understand why Libra referred to this as a story told to scare.

“When the rein begins they will awake, as soon as the fallen specie step foot in Ecladias, they will open their eyes and they will hide and watch after they crawl from a sleep like none other. There are ten corners total, ten pointed shapes which glow in my mind and each one of these corners hold something that can end an entire rein. Salvation or damnation.” I flinch at the familiar words. “It will all be in the hands of the keeper of elements. Our elements have never been kept before, but they will be and when they are kept, is when a war will break out. The war will not stop until the world is unrecognizable, everyone should prepare for the corners. They may show themselves in any rein, so every rein should watch for those who hide in darkness deeper than any depth can conquer. The elements will go hand and hand with the aspects of the fallen keeper, depending on what that specie may be. When the keeper burns, the first creature will walk.” My eyes nearly pop from their sockets. “When the keeper blows, the second creature will run. And when the keeper floats, the third creature will follow behind, one by one the corners will empty as the keeper discovers themselves. One by one these things will crawl fro corners of our world that we never knew existed. Everyone should prepare for the corners.

Melinda clears her throat and closes the book. The only thing keeping me from leaping back to my world right now is the consequences I know I’ll face, and the fact that I’m frozen to this sofa. “So Delaware thinks I’m some prophesied water keeper?” Its a question, but a question I only asked in hope to get an answer I want.

“Serenity, you have burned, called winds and water. You are the keeper of Elements.” But I still end up with the answer I didn’t want, the answer I know is the correct one. I look to Libra, only to be disappointed at the look of pure realization on his tired face.

“Libra, you don’t believe this too? You said it yourself, the corners are just a story.” I look between them both.

“We couldn’t explain your power.” He says lowly, more to himself than to me. “This ‘story’ is the only thing that has been able to, and seers don’t see things wrongly.” Libra shakes his head.

“No.” I say, denying myself the obvious truth. “I’m already the keeper of something.”

“Now your the keeper of two things, and however many elements you’ve used is how many corners you’ve opened. You have to learn to control it that’s all.” Melinda says in a motherly tone.

Suddenly I dislike her mother tendencies, how she’s right. The ants, Ravania, I burned them and that’s two. Then I used all two elements before I went into an overload, wind and water. Four, I opened four corners but I refuse to acknowledge it.

“I don’t want to have the future of this world hitch-hiking a ride on my shoulders.” I stand, shaking my head. “Everyone just assumes that I want this!” My voice raises and I can’t seem to stop it as that becoming familiar anger starts to bubble inside me. “Everyone just tells! Tells me when and who I fall for! Tells me I have to save an entire world, tells me I’m a queen! Not one person has asked, me.” I spit.

As soon as I see the look of hurt that flashes across Libra’s face I regret how I worded it, but the truth doesn’t always sound pretty and can’t be taken back. I can’t take back the biter and ugly truth that is now out in the open. Melinda stands idly by as Libra darts from the room. It wasn’t meant to hurt him, I didn’t know he could be hurt.

I only let the truth I never dwell on for the sake of a world full of strangers fly from my mouth. In Ecladias, I haven’t had a choice yet. I have yet to have someone ask me if this, any of this is what I want. Even our minds have corners, and I’ve simply opened and shared one of mine.