Chapter 9 Nine.
"Maya, dear, shut the door. The sound of the birds is quite distracting."
"Yes, father." Maya moved to shut the door before stomping back to her place by Negus's side as he sat behind his desk.
On his left, Kael stood, his hand on the hilt of his sword as though he was preparing to fight. But, seeing him from yesterday, I had begun to realise that was a natural stance to him. He gave me a small smile before turning his attention to Negus.
Rhydian was sat by the window, his arms folded and a bored look on his face. His weapon was propped up against the wall beside him and I couldn't help but recall the blood battle that had just occurred.
When the fight at the village was over, we had returned to the house. At this point, I was distraught at what I had seen and the traumatic events since yesterday were beginning to catch up to me. Both Ayla and Kael had requested Negus to tell me everything and then we ended up here.
Currently, it was only me, Negus, Maya, Kael and Rhydian in the room. Negus said it was best that it remain between only a few of us. With Maya being his daughter, she but almost demanded she be allowed to come. Kael was brought along as he was the leader and Rhydian, his right-hand man. Now, with everyone in attendance, I sat waiting in anticipation. At long last, my questions would be answered.
Negus sat back in his seat, his eyes closed.
"Kael, the scroll, if you please." His voice was gentle, but it held authority. Kael nodded before making his way to the bookshelf and grabbing the scroll from the top shelf. Passing it to Negus, he stepped back to his former position.
Negus placed the parchment beside him before clearing his throat.
"Long ago, before the age of your kind, the world was inhabited by Gods. Now, each god played a role in creating balance and order in the world and, for a long while, the world was calm. But as the years went on, the Gods became bored, the thought of an eternity of sole existence eating away at them and, then, the idea of creation came to them. It was then that mankind came to fruition. At first, all was well. Your greatest ancestors worshipped the Gods and the Gods now had a purpose. But, as time went on, a change came about. Mankind was adapting and advancing. They were relying more on man-made objects and dismissing the reason for their existence. The Gods had already sensed the future, mankind would undoubtedly be destroyed by their very creations and all would be lost. So, they constructed a plan. Or, rather two plans. Two constructions of the same world were created. Two dimensions, is what your kind would call it. Your Earth was one and our Aurelion was another. Earth was created in a means to allow humans to advance; an opportunity to better themselves before it proves too late. Aurelion, however, was a world constructed based on the perfect civilisation. Here, no thought that corrupted your kind would corrupt ours. All, from both worlds, were blissfully unaware. That was until two centuries ago."
I processed Negus's words, feeling unsure at whether I should believe him or not. It was all too much to take in. And, the scariest part was that it was plausible. This was most definitely not Earth; the people had powers and didn't even know what Earth was. So, where exactly was I, if not Aurelion? The thought of it scared me.
Negus cleared his throat yet again before reaching for the scroll and unrolling it.
"Here, in Aurelion, we hold belief in the Gods. We witness their actions and construct temples for them. Some, even, have become lovers of the Gods. Such a deed has led to the birth of a... hybrid of sort. They're known as the descendants of the Gods. Most live in sync with the rest of us, but this all changed when Anouke was created." Negus's voice strained at the end and I looked around to see the serious looks on everyone's face at the mere mention of the name.
Anouke?
Negus looked towards the window, wilfully as he spoke.
"Anouke. She was the descendant of a slum woman and the God Set, the God of chaos. He's also referred to as the destroyer. Anouke is extremely powerful, with more power than anything we've ever seen and she has utilised this for all the wrong reasons." He spoke, his eyes vacant as though he was in thought. I looked around again, the tension palpable in the room.
"Why? What did she do?" I questioned when Negus didn't continue. At this, he seemed to refocus, sitting up in his seat. The crease between his eyebrows had notably deepened.
"Ancient lore had foretold about two vital instruments of God, the eye of Horus and the eye of Ra. Both are very distinct. Whilst the eye of Horus is used as a tool for protection and healing, the eye of Ra is used as a tool for destruction and oppression. Anouke, a woman filled with hate, greed and a complete lack of remorse. Coupled with her boundless powers, our people have fallen into solemnness under her rule and have been for two centuries now." His tone was pained as though talking about the ordeal was just as difficult as experiencing it.
Kael moved forward, his stance rigid. He lifted the parchment from Negus's desk, his eyes on me.
"Anouke stole the eye of Ra and used it to create an army of men loyal to only her. Her men are known as Chigaru, sculpted from clay using the eye of Ra and they know no remorse." Kael spoke, splaying the scroll out to me and I looked to the drawing of the eye on the parchment in dark ink.
I recalled the fight that had occurred in the village.
"Do you mean the men you fought back a while back? Them?" I questioned and this time Rhydian spoke up, a bored look still on his face.
"They were Chigaru, but they weren't combat men. They were her common looters, looking for food and goods to return to her. The Chigaru who have been trained are much more lethal." He answered and I nodded my head as I processed his words.
All the information that was being fed to me right now, it was all too much, and I felt the beginning of a headache come on. Rubbing my temples, I gestured around the room.
"So, everyone has powers in Aurelion?" I questioned, the fight in the village still so prominent in my brain.
At this, they all glanced to each other before Negus spoke up, shaking his head.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. You see, since the birth of Aurelion, there have been the odd relationships between Gods and our people, which resulted in descendants, a child that has inherited a portion of capabilities from the God that was responsible in creating them. From our knowledge, only four such affairs have happened, one of which you already know, Anouke. These 'inherited abilities' are passed down the family and will continue to be passed on when all of us are gone." He explained and I looked around the room, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"That doesn't make sense. I've just seen four of you fight and you obviously had abilities." I questioned to which Negus shook his head.
"When Anouke came into rule, the Gods were apprehensive. They forbid themselves from getting involved in mankind's matters, but they did what little they could do to help. For all four relationships that happened between the Gods and our kind, the Gods created four defenders that would help restore the balance between the descendants and mankind. These defenders were gifted with an ability in order to distinguish themselves." He explained and I took in everything he told me.
"So, you're all defenders?" I asked, gesturing to them all with a hand to which Negus shook his head yet again.
"Not all of us. I, for one, am not anymore. When Maya was born, I was relieved of that duty. The four defenders are Kael, Ayla, Abrax and Maya. It is their duty to restore the balance." He spoke and I pointed to Rhydian who was still engrossed in looking out of the window, his fingers drumming the window pane idly.
Kael was the one to speak this time.
"Rhydian isn't one of us. He's a descendant." Kael said simply and I looked towards Rhydian, my mouth open in shock.
"Of which God?" I sputtered out, feeling slightly overwhelmed that I was in the presence of something remotely god-like. It was at this point that Rhydian finally chose to make eye contact, his grey eyes sending shivers up my spine. He scoffed loudly, folding his arms.
"He's no God." He said simply before turning his gaze away from me and I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding in. No one chose to comment on his words and, suddenly, the tension was filling the room yet again.
Piecing all the information together, I looked to Negus, putting a stray hair behind my ear.
"Okay, I understand, but just what does that have to do with me? Why am I here?" I asked and it was at these words Maya huffed loudly, a look of disdain on her face. Kael glared at her before turning to me.
"That was the prophecy. It was foretold that a descendant of Isis, born with the sign, would be the one that would defeat Anouke." He said and to say I was confused was an understatement. Kael looked at me, hoping for me to piece everything together but, when all that followed was silence, Kael spoke again.
"It's you, Aeryn. You're the descendant of Isis." He said such a simple statement, but it was enough to make me feel faint. I looked at Negus for some sort of consolation, but he merely nodded his head, his voice solemn as he spoke.
"You are a daughter of Aurelion, Aeryn." Yet again another simple statement that turned my world upside down.
I shook my head frantically, running a hand through my hair and standing up abruptly.
"Me?! I'm not what you think I am! I'm Aeryn Aset and I was born in Orange Grove Fostercare. I–I."
Kael cut me off, his voice firm.
"Aeryn Aset? Isis has many names, Aset being one of them. You were born here but, when word got around that the descendant of Isis had arrived, it was too dangerous. Anouke sent her men to kill you, dangerous men. We had to hide you from her.
No one was told of your location, except Negus and your parents." Kael let out, his hazel eyes burning deep into my own. I calmed down slightly, willing myself to breathe slowly.
Pushing myself away, I backed up against the door, eyeing all of them cautiously. As per usual, Maya was glaring at me and I turned away from the heat of her gaze. Rhydian had a blank expression on his face and a half-expectant look on his face as if he was waiting for me to open the door. Kael, on the other hand, sported an expression that seemed almost foreign on his face, anger. He looked down at me, his brown hair matted down and I felt I could genuinely sense the disappointment in his eyes.
I shook my head, my eyes challenging.
"If what you were saying was even a little bit true and I am a descendant of Isis then what is the 'sign' that shows I am the one from the prophecy?" I retorted, looking questioningly at Kael.
At this, his gaze faltered and he looked at the bookshelf, the window, anywhere but me. I folded my arms expectantly at his hesitation. Despite the tense atmosphere, Rhydian let out a small laugh, a dark eyebrow raised.
"Go on, Kael, enlighten the girl." He said with a smirk to which Kael gave a heated glare in his direction. I tutted heavily, feeling frustrated at the fact that everything they said only confused me further. I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped when Kael walked toward me, a blank expression on his face.
He came to a halt in front of me, making me awkwardly look away. I was about to ask what he was doing, but the feel of his warm hand against my waist stopped that. I gasped, looking up to see a stoic expression on his face, his eyes not making contact with mine. I moved to swat his hand away but stopped when his hand caressed the side of my rib gently, the heat of his hand so tangible through the sheer material of the tank top.
"You have a mark of a triangle here, don't you?"
He spoke, a melodic tone to his voice and I stilled at his words. Recomposing myself, I pushed away from him, wrapping my arms around my torso. I wouldn't have been so shocked had it not been true. Since I was born, I had wondered why I had such a birthmark. It was such an odd yet distinct shape. Triangle, that was the shape. There was no possible way that he could have known that and yet he did.
I scoffed internally. If I was to recount all the things that weren't possible but had happened, I'd probably be here all day and night.
I nodded numbly at his words and he moved back, a small smile on his face.
"The triangle is a symbol for a pyramid. It shows your place here as told in the prophecy." He said, his hand gesturing to my torso and I blushed, the memory of his hands on me still etched into my brain.
Maya snorted derisively, looking at me from head to toe with a contemptuous look on her face.
"The mark means nothing, especially if she has no clue. How can she fulfil the prophecy, if she doesn't even know what we're talking about?" Maya sneered turning to Negus, but he offered no response. Instead, he remained still, his eyes closed and a content look on his face. Kael chose to speak on his behalf, his tone authoritative.
"We expected that, Maya. It'll take a while, but Aeryn is the key. The prophecy is our only chance for success." He explained calmly, but Maya snorted again, her stance defensive.
"No, it's not! We have each other! I have been training since I was five. I have more of a chance at winning this battle than she ever will." She let out indignantly, her fiery red hair whipping around as she spoke.
Kael sighed deeply as though this was a common conversation and opened his mouth to speak, but Rhydian beat him to it.
"She's got a point there." He said bluntly, his hand gesturing lazily to Maya. At this, she smirked triumphantly to which Rhydian scoffed.
"About Aeryn being inexperienced, not about you winning the battle. That's a little too far-fetched, don't you think, Maya?" He joked, putting his arms behind his head, a smirk on his face. Maya responded with a glower that would kill even the Gods. I laughed sadly to myself at the irony in that sentence.
Now, there was no doubt that they weren't lying. I had seen evidence after evidence to show me that this was more than real. But, therein lied the problem. It was all real. The fact that they believed that I was The One from a prophecy that foretold that I would win in a battle that all else failed had me scared to no end. This wasn't a game anymore; it was a life or death type situation and I was to be a major player. Only, I didn't want to. I hated myself for thinking it, but I wanted to be back to my dull and drab normal life. One in which I held no importance and where I had no close companion. At least, there was no threat of dying.
I cleared my throat, looking to everyone as they watched intently.
"I can't do whatever you think I can do. I–I just c-... I wanna go back home. Take me back. Please, take me back," I almost but whispered, suddenly feeling choked. I cursed at the feeling of tears welling up in my eyes. My whole life, I had been through so much and tolerated it without so much as a sob, but here, it was different. I was lost and unsure and, above all, I was terrified. The silence filled the air and, when no one chose to break it, I spoke up again.
"I want to go back. I... I don't want to be disturbed. I already have enough on my plate. It just made it that much harder that you drew that eye on Sierra's leg. I don't know what I'm going to do about that when I go back. I'm in so much tr..."
Negus's chair sliding against the floor made me stop talking and I looked at him as he stood up abruptly, a serious look on his face. Maya muttered a curse under her breath, her eyes full of worry; Kael and Rhydian looked over at each other, a look in their eyes I couldn't quite decipher. Negus moved from behind his desk, shaking his head solemnly.
"I don't think you'll be able to go back.”