*PART 4:
Fill in the blanks with the correct word AND circle the synonyms hidden
within the story.
Word Bank:
courteous polite preserve maintain edible consumable crave hunger for
The Twins of
Fate (Part VI)
by Teacher
Christine
~A little while into the future~
**Kingdom of
Enchantments, Sinister Caves**
Genei stares
impatiently into the dark entrance of the largest cave as Tomo, Honoo, and the
Indigo Knights, come to a stop behind him. It took Genei’s party an eternity to reach the Sinister
Caves, since they were only able to teleport to the closest village through the
Mahou of Portals, which connects all villages to the palace through portals,
and then had to walk the rest of the way.
Only the sound of the grass rustling from the warm summer breeze can be
heard, as the knights await their Lord’s orders.
“We will be
splitting into three groups.” Genei commands. He selects a few Indigo Knights and states, “You will look
for the Prince and capture him.
Whatever you do, I don’t mind, as long as you bring him to me alive.” The Knights all respond in agreement in
the salute position, and Genei then turns his scarlet gaze to Honoo and
commands, “You will be in charge of arresting the thief you lost in the Grassy
Hills. Take those knights with
you,” he finishes with a wave of his hand in the direction of a few Indigo
Knights standing beside Honoo. The
Knights all bow their heads and salute to their Lord in agreement.
Honoo keeps
his eyes lowered to the ground and pleads to his Lord, “And what of my men left
behind in the Grassy Plains, my Lord?
They were injured by the Prince and his Knight.”
Genei narrows
his eyes at Honoo’s bowed head and states icily, “Just leave them be. Those weaklings don’t deserve to be
treated if they can’t even find their way back to the Palace to make a
report. I don’t have men to spare
on retrieving them now.”
He then
focuses on Tomo’s cerulean gaze and orders, “You will be in charge of finding
my Princess and safely escorting her back to the Palace. Take however many knights you’ll
need.”
Genei flexes
his fingers as he stares into the cave and snarls, “As for me, I’ve got myself
a nasty pest to hunt down.” He
takes a step forward into the cave and continues, “It’s about time I paid that
old widow a visit.” as the rest of his party follow him into the darkness.
~At the present time~
**Kingdom of
Enchantments, Sinister Caves, Lake of Desires**
In
the middle of an unknown territory, deep within a creepy cave with only a
fluffy warm owl as a companion, Murasaki slides down onto the chilly cave floor
into a sitting position and sighs in relief. She looks at the three pairs of curious honey brown eyes
trained on her, as they wait excitedly for her to speak. They are clothed in identical luminescent
white dresses and look like carbon copies of one another. After another moment’s thought, she
decides to cross them off the list of potential threats that have been
accumulating ever since she set foot in this world. Murasaki straightens the flowy ivory cloth of her dress
around her legs and hugs her knees to her chest, as Mofu flies off her shoulder
and perches on her knee. She
smiles softly at Mofu and begins to pet the owl’s puffy snowball body. Mofu coos in delight under her fingers,
and Murasaki looks up to the three fairy-like creatures to introduce herself:
“My name is Murasaki, and this here is Mofu.” Her fluffy white snowball chirps
in agreement. “I thought Mahou
were enchanted jewelry. How can
you three be the Mahou of Alternate Dimensions?”
“Well,”
tinkles the fairy in the center, “We are the spirits of the Mahou of Alternate
Dimensions. Our true body is an
actual enchanted jewelry just like any other Mahou, but there are legendary
Mahou in this world that are unique like us, as they each have a mind and
spirit of its own.”
“Furthermore,”
chimes in the fairy on the left, “legendary Mahou have been separated and lost
within time, as the powers of them combined can bring about great destruction
or rebirth, depending on who is wielding all the legendary Mahou.
“How
peculiar,” remarks the fairy on the right, “for somebody to find us, as we have
not had visitors in a long, long time, buried as deep in this cave as we are
and with that Jorougumo standing guard.”
In
the next second, the three fairies flutter about closer to Murasaki’s face to
take a closer look and mull over something in their minds. All of a sudden, they look at one
another and exclaim in unison as they come to the same conclusion, “You’re a
royal!” They fly in circles around
Murasaki and chant, “A royal! A royal! A royal has come to renew our
world!”
Murasaki
closes her eyes and focuses on their words, remembering what Naito mentioned
earlier. “What do you mean by
renewing the world? How am I to
right the wrong of this world?”
Just then, her stomach growls feebly and Murasaki blushes while she
releases her knees to wrap her bare arms around her middle. It has been quite awhile
since Murasaki last ate, but looking around her, nothing looks consumable, with
only glowing cave walls and a serene lake surrounding her.
The
three fairies stop circling Murasaki and fly over to hover in front of her. The fairy in the center replies, “It’ll
be a long story to tell you about the state of our world. Let’s first get some food into you.”
The
fairy on the left adds on, “However, you’ll need to retrieve our physical body
in order to wield us and activate our powers, for the food is stored within an
alternate dimension.”
The
fairy on the right points to the lake and chimes in, “Reach for the reflection
of the moon, and if your heart is pure, the Lake of Desires will deliver our
true body to you.”
**Kingdom of
Enchantments, Sinister Caves, Jorougumo’s Lair**
Aoi,
Sui, Naito, and Doro reluctantly walk behind the Jorougumo at a distance, as
fighting with her on the spot in her territory did not seem like a wise
decision. Sui pulls Aoi to the
back of the group, and Aoi leans down slightly after seeing those gleaming
aquamarine eyes looking at him intently, as if he has something to say. “Watch out,” cautions
Sui in a murmur so low for only Aoi’s ears to hear, “she _________________s young handsome men like you.” As they continue to walk along in the
shadows of Naito and Doro in the dimly lit cave path, Sui continues, “Plus, her
eyes were almost popping out of her head and she was practically drooling the
moment she saw you.” Aoi shudders
at that comment and stares warily at the back of the creature’s head. Sui further explains, “She enjoys
maintaining her prey as they are, never aging, still young and handsome. Be on your guard,” he finishes, as they
finally enter a massive chamber at the end of the dark path.
The
chamber they enter is even more massive than the previous one the Jorougumo
found them in, as the cave ceiling appears to go on for miles, and the cave
walls look as if they can encompass a few buildings laying side by side. The Jorougumo’s heels click beneath her
as she makes her way to the center, where an enormously long and ornate marble
table lined with a feast fit for a king is located. As Aoi peers more closely at the table, he freezes as the
table is set exactly for five, for the Jorougumo and her four guests. Aoi’s baby blue eyes seek out Naito’s,
who shakes his head slightly with his lips set into a grim line.
A
young man mysteriously appears quietly behind the seat at the head of the table
and he pulls it out for the Jorougumo.
Her ruby lips curl into a smile as she pets the top of his bowed head,
before she lowers herself onto the cushioned chair. The young man would’ve
been extremely handsome if his skin were not so pasty white, as if he hadn’t
been exposed to the sun for a long time, Aoi thinks to himself. He recalls Sui’s words and realizes
that the young man is the Jorougumo’s prey.
The
Jorougumo indicates to the seat on her immediate right and calls out to Aoi,
“Please, take a seat right next to me, my dear.” She then focuses her large black eyes on Naito and suggests,
“And I would love if you took a seat right here,” as she points to the seat on
her immediate left. Naito is the
first to move, as his eyes remain trained on the Jorougumo as he slowly
approaches her left and takes a seat.
Aoi follows behind and reluctantly seats himself on the Jorougumo’s
right. Sui immediately hops onto
the seat on the right of Aoi, as Doro perches on the edge of the seat on the
left of Naito.
The
pasty white young man begins serving food to the Jorougumo, as four other
equally pasty white young men mysteriously appear from behind Aoi and the
others and start to pile food onto their plates. Aoi decides to name the pasty white young man serving the
Jorougumo as Chalk #1, the one serving him as Chalk #2, the one serving Naito
as Chalk #3, the one serving Sui as Chalk #4, and the one serving Doro as Chalk
#5 so that he can keep tabs on everyone in the room.
Clink…
Clink…
Clink…
Only the sounds of
cutlery moving about the table by the Chalks can be heard as they slice the
myriad of meats, butter the slices of bread, and move the food onto the
respective plates of the ones they are serving.
Chalk #1 fills the
Jorougumo’s glass with an eerie, blood-red liquid, from a glass pitcher and the
Jorougumo announces, “Please dig in.”
The Chalks subtlety retract from the table and disappear into the
shadows of the cave walls.
Although the
mouthwatering food piled up on the plate before him seems _________________, Aoi remembers the story about Hansel and
Gretel and expends all his thoughts and energy in keeping his arms glued to his
sides. He can almost taste the
roast beef and mashed potatoes just from the smell alone. However, he refuses to be enticed by
the food given to him by a creepy creature.
As
nobody at the table makes a move to touch the food, the Jorougumo lowers her
hooded eyes at her guests. “No need to be _________________ around me,” insists the Jorougumo, as she lifts the
glass filled with blood-red liquid to her ruby lips. “I suppose you have other thoughts in mind besides
eating. Go ahead and ask. You are looking for the Mahou of
Alternate Dimensions, are you not?”
She tilts the glass back and takes a sip while her eyes remain locked
onto Aoi. The creature continues,
“After we finish our meal, I’ll be happy to discuss the whereabouts of the
Mahou with you,” she purrs with
narrowing eyes still focused on Aoi.
The entire group sees
through the Jorougumo’s polite façade.
However, they must act along and play dumb, as if they are not in any
danger of being preyed upon at any moment. Aoi keeps his arms at his sides and points out to the
Jorougumo, “I’m afraid we just ate earlier. Please don’t mind us and eat. When was the last time you had guests?”
The Jorougumo’s fork
halts halfway to meeting her mouth as her eyes widen at Aoi’s question. She subtlety glances at the walls where
the Chalks disappeared earlier, and this movement does not escape the notice of
Aoi. He shifts in his seat and
finds his movement constricted, as his pants seem as if they are superglued to
the cushioned seat beneath him.
Aoi trains his face into a controlled, relaxed and friendly expression
so that the Jorougumo does not notice his sudden realization at their dire
situation and urges on, “If you know the whereabouts of the Mahou of Alternate
Dimensions, then you must have met adventurers seeking it out like we are. Please tell me stories about your
dinners with them, since I love hearing adventurers’ tales.”
The Jorougumo beams at
Aoi’s friendly approach and begins to chatter about the previous guest she met
and the adventures he went on before he met her. Aoi uses this time to tune out the Jorougumo and formulate a
plan, as he nods from time to time and puts on false smiles for the creature.
**Kingdom of
Enchantments, Sinister Caves, Lake of Desires**
Murasaki
hovers over the serene lake and stares at her reflection. Her violet eyes stare back at her, and
her flowing, baby blue curls dance about her arms and waist at the slight gust
of wind entering from the hole high above in the cave ceiling. Her flowy white summer dress is no
longer a pristine white, but off-white color in patches due to the dirt from
the cave ground. She remembers her
brother’s deep, baby blue eyes and slightly tears up as she understands how
worried he’d be, separated from her like they did earlier. After retrieving the Mahou of Alternate
Dimensions and learning more about the world they are now a part of, Murasaki
tells herself that only after that will she go back in search for her
brother. Something inside her
seems to be hinting to her that she, and she alone, is the only one who can do
this.
“Go
ahead,” echo the three fairies from behind her. At their prodding, she puts a foot into the water and is
surprised that her foot didn’t submerge right in, but is standing firmly on an
unseen barrier above the water.
She carefully puts her other foot on the water, and is met with a
similar resistance, supporting her weight above the water.
“SHE
CAN WALK ON WATER!” exclaim the fairies in unison, as they gasp in awe and
begin chattering amongst themselves in lowered voices. Murasaki focuses on the full moon
glowing at the center of the Lake of Desires, and takes a few more tentative
steps forward. Then, she begins to
walk more confidently until she is standing right before the moon’s reflection.
She kneels down and brings her
right hand above the moon’s reflection.
Mofu snuggles its head against her neck and looks expectantly at the
water. Murasaki brings her hand
down to the moon’s reflection and her fingers lightly touch the water, causing
ripples to form and fan out. A
golden light deep within the water engulfs the moon and grows stronger, as the
ripples intensify and the moon’s reflection begins to disperse into the
ripples, leaving behind only the golden light. The golden light starts to rise, floating to Murasaki’s
outstretched hand and emits a strong glow of light before vanishing, leaving
behind a golden charm bracelet, decorated with three shiny golden bells,
floating under Murasaki’s hand.
Jingle…
Jingle…
Jingle…
The
charm bracelet rings three times, leaving behind only its echoes to resound
throughout the silence. A moment
after, the golden charm bracelet wraps itself around Murasaki’s wrist and
shrinks to suit her size, making it a perfect fit.
“And
so it is done.” remarks one of the fairies.
“And
so it is done.” chimes in another fairy.
“And
so it is done.” agrees the last fairy.
“We
are the Mahou of Alternate Dimensions.
Please command us, and whatever can be done within our powers shall be
done.” they proclaim in unison.
The
fairy that is always situated in the center of the three states, “My name is
Doremi, and I am in charge of the Dimensions of Time Freeze. Anything or anyone that enters my
dimensions will never age within them, as time is frozen there.”
The
fairy that always remains on the left of the others chimes in, “My name is
Faso, and I am in charge of the Dimensions of Time Deviation. Anything or anyone that enters my
dimensions will pass time within them with time outside in the real world passing
either very slowly, or very quickly, at a deviated time if you will.”
The
fairy on the right adds in, “My name is Lati, and I am in charge of the
Dimensions of Time Travel.
Anything or anyone that enters my dimensions will be able to travel to
any time the user wills.”
Murasaki
feeds on their information like a starved child, as everything is so new and
foreign to her. She soaks it all
in like a sponge and initiates a question, asking, “I heard that the Mahou of
Alternate Dimensions is able to act as a limitless storage, to transport
things. How is that possible?”
“Well,”
Doremi replies, “you can transport anything you want by placing it in one of
our dimensions, and then carry the bracelet with you to wherever you want to
transport it to.”
Faso
adds in, “We can’t teleport you or anything without somebody actually bringing
our true body to the place you want to relocate yourself or the item to.”
“However,”
Lati chimes in, “you can freely enter our dimensions even while you wear our
bracelet, since we will reappear in the same exact spot you disappear from the
world from, albeit possibly at a different time.”
Murasaki
nods her head and files the information on how to use the Mahou in the recesses
of her mind to pull from later.
Doremi offers, “In my
Time Freeze Dimensions, I have a whole lot of food for you to choose from. Don’t worry though, since they are all
fresh. For example, if you put a
fresh apple into my dimensions, it will be _________________ed
and will exit my dimension just as fresh as the day it was put in.”
That is very, very convenient, Murasaki
thinks to herself, as a refrigerator and storage closet are extremely useless
when compared to the Mahou of Alternate Dimensions. Moving people, or an entire town even, would be easy for her
with the Mahou.
“Follow me!” Doremi
exclaims in her tiny voice. “What
are you hungering for? I’ve got a
whole selection of foods and delicacies from all over the centuries hidden in
my dimension!”
To be continued…
