by Kristen Day
I concentrated on the flames instead, allowing them to mesmerize me and take me away to a place that didn't include a world without Stasia. Unfortunately I didn't get very far. A gasp echoed across the crowd as a newcomer was introduced and made her entrance onto the Arena floor. She gracefully made her way to Maera, her body winding elegantly with regality and purpose.
Stark, white-blonde hair crisscrossed its way around her head in braids, and her long white gown flowed behind her on the arms of the wind. Her startling lavender eyes sparkled as she glanced up to meet Maera's adoring gaze. Her newfound freedom must be liberating yet heartbreaking, because it came at a high price. Her daughter freed her by overthrowing her sister, but in the end she lost them both.
"My dear Auras," Luna began, facing the west stands where the majority of Auras were seated. "We have suffered a great loss. The passion in their souls drove them to fight for what they believed; to fight for what they felt was right, and to fight for you."
I followed Olivia's dismayed gaze and noticed several Auras had stood and were exiting the coliseum in protest of their new Leader. Luna continued, unfazed.
"Our Order has been segregated for many centuries. We have a hard road ahead of us, but I believe we can honor those lost by coming together and creating a stronger Aura Order we can all be proud of. We will honor Selene, Fallon, and our fallen brothers and sisters by moving forward as one. Today I grieve alongside you. I grieve for my sister. I grieve for my daughter. But I am not alone! And neither are you! We are one. We are brave. We are true. We are the light of the moon and the light of the moon is us. Allow it to strengthen you in your time of sorrow, and know that I will be the best Leader I can be. Blessed be."
More sniffles sounded from Olivia, Phoebe, and Carmen, and I ran my hands through my hair in an effort to keep my composure. Luna would make Fallon proud. She would lead the Auras to a better life and a better Order. She would bring them together. It may take time, but if anyone could do it, she could.
During the applause that followed, Maera escorted Luna to the opposite side of the Arena to meet the Aura Captains. She walked down the line and spoke to each one, gently placing her hands on their shoulders. Only one refused to look her in the eye. It was a start.
Next, Amphitrite made her way to the center of the Arena and I gasped for breath as my heart slammed shut. I couldn't listen to her speech. I couldn't allow her words to filter into the recesses of my mind, because then my carefully crafted facade would crumble around me and my sanity would be lost. I closed my eyes as hot tears burned behind them. I took a deep breath, and then another. It wasn't working. As she turned and addressed the crowd, a single tear escaped my left eye and I bit my lip as a sob climbed its way into my throat.
Giving in, I pulled my cloak over myself; not only hiding me from the eyes of the crowd, but from Amphitrite's words, laced with the attempt to bring understanding to an impossible tragedy. I simply couldn't hear her name spoken. It was too sacred. She was too sacred.
"Stasia," I whispered involuntarily and finally allowed a sob to overtake my resolve. Olivia glanced in my direction, but returned her attention to Maera once she realized I was hiding like a child. But I didn't care. Although my heart was breaking and my world was falling down around me, under the cloak, with only the sound of my breathing to keep me company, I actually felt closer to her. We always had a secret life together. Whether in her reveries or in the ocean beneath the moon, it was always us. Only us.
I dropped to my knees as waves of emotions sent a cascade of tears careening down my cheeks. How was I supposed to live without her? How was I supposed to muddle through this life of obligation and shackles without her calming presence and boundless strength? The bubble of decay in my chest that grew with each passing moment would soon kill me anyway. I would be a physical body without substance. Without a soul. Without essence. Without purpose. Without love. Without Stasia.
I wiped my eyes, only to make room for more. Then I noticed a slight tingling sensation along the ring finger of my left hand. I flipped my hand over, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The tingling intensified and began to burn ever so slightly. I watched in bewilderment as a thin black line appeared and snaked around my finger, expanding and twisting into a beautiful, interlocking pattern. It continued to move, now spinning as one entire band circled my finger.
I was about to attack it with a cloud of essence when it suddenly halted, shrunk to the size of my finger, and etched itself permanently onto my skin. I was left with only confusion and a new... trace? I turned my hand over several times before deciding it resembled a ring. On my ring finger. As if I were marrie-
I uncloaked myself and clumsily climbed to my feet. I stumbled forward on legs that weren't ready to walk, just as I was hit by a wall of something that could only be described as a miracle. It whirled around me, playfully brushing my skin. Its cool touch enveloped me and permeated my body with a feeling of overwhelming salvation and refreshing fortitude. My head spun from side to side with desperation, only to find the eyes of everyone in the Arena following my every move. Amphitrite had stopped her speech and the tense silence was deafening.
But I wasn't concerned with anyone else; my only concern was the essence I thought I would never feel again. As I walked around aimlessly, it transformed. It became saltier, more robust, and filled my entire body with wave after wave of unabated power. The smell of a thousand oceans crashed down on me, blasting me with the salty, briny taste of high tide and the smell of dew-kissed sea grass at dawn.
My mind reeled with possibilities as the roar of rushing water began to build in the lagoon surrounding the Metropolis. I jumped when someone touched my arm, twisting around to lock onto the wide eyes of Olivia. She felt it too.
FINN
Without a sound, Olivia painstakingly held up her palm and I gasped. Her trace was back; the Paladin's all-seeing eye. It shimmered blue in the afternoon sun, hinting at a possibility I hadn't allowed to enter my mind. Instead, my eyes instinctively shifted beyond the Arena wall, past the beach court, and into the water of the lagoon. It was bubbling.
Like a glass of freshly opened soda, it fizzled and popped as bubbles continued to rise to the surface with fervor. My mind was catapulted back to a time when Stasia was just learning her abilities, once when I stood beneath the moon with her, teaching her how to make bubbles with her palms. Anger spiked through my chest at my moment of weakness; a moment of vulnerability that allowed my mind to wander. As I suspected, sadness berated me next and I felt as if I'd been punched in the stomach.
"Look!" Olivia pointed to the corner of the Arena wall where the lagoon had risen to the point of funneling over the wall and onto the Arena's floor. Maera and Luna were directing the Auras to our side of the Arena as everyone watched the river of water snake around the blazing pyres with unnatural exactness, as if it was avoiding them.
I shot forward and reached out with my essence to determine if it was simply water or something more sinister, but the warmth of my essence was immediately cooled by the same essence I felt moments before. I faltered momentarily at the familiarity of its aroma and the shock of its presence. Maera announced something to the apprehensive crowd in the coliseum, but no one moved. My entire world slowed to a pace that allowed me to breathe and my legs lost their ability to hold me upright.
For the second time that day, I fell to my knees. I vaguely noticed the river of water making its way towards me. I sensed it collecting in front of me, changing shapes, and the gasps behind me confirmed that assumption. It rose above me and began to twist into a human form, but I couldn't convince my eyes to look up. I wasn't sure my heart would be able to bear what waited for me there.
"Finn."
A violent sob escaped my throat and my head hung lower as the gift of her voice appeared in my thoughts. It whispered into my mind like a breath of fresh air and I allowed the tears to flow in earnest. As the watery figure above me finally thickened and clarified into an angel, I could hear the
gasps of the crowds and the squeals of those closest to me. But I still couldn't look up.
I felt a feathery touch on my cheek and was finally able to lift my head with tremendous effort. My eyes flowed up a shifting dress of blues and greens, draped over the body of a Goddess. A long train created from brine and foam trailed behind her elegantly, while bare arms shimmered with power and a lock of turquoise hair fell from her shoulder. I lost the ability to breathe as I fell into her eyes. My heart shattered with happiness and collected in my tears as I tried to understand how the person gazing back at me was real.
She was the same...yet incredibly different. An undercurrent of omnipotence and influence ran beneath her skin and the brilliance of her eyes held within them the secrets of the universe. The turquoise I'd become accustomed to were painted with splashes of greens and blues, all hues stolen from the ocean itself.
"Stasia," my voice cracked with disbelief and was followed by another sob that racked my body. I urged my legs to work, but they adamantly refused. Instead, I watched the waves of her dress condense as she dropped to her knees as well. Those eyes were suddenly right in front of me, full of love, understanding, and infinite knowledge.
"I'm okay," she attempted to soothe me, but the sound ricocheting against my eardrums only succeeded in shocking me more. Her spoken voice wasn't human; it was so much more than the phenomenon of sound waves. It filtered into my soul, my essence, and blossomed in my heart. It seemed to register in my ears last. It washed into the decay within my soul, expanding and healing as it went. When she moved her hand I glimpsed a matching ring trace on her ring finger where her engagement ring once sat.
"I was stripped of all possessions," she explained quietly. "I hoped these would be just as good."
"You're....you're...?" was all I could manage.
"I'm alive," she answered calmly, with an understanding smile that sealed every wound I'd ever experienced. "In every way possible."
I had many more questions, but they were all secondary to the overwhelming urge to hold her, feel her in my arms again, and feel her warmth. Seeming to read my mind, she wrapped her arms around me, eliciting another sob from my chest as I embraced the woman I never thought I'd see again in this lifetime. We melted together in a fury of essence and love and I felt my world click into place, broken piece by broken piece. They fused together and filled me with an ecstasy I didn't know existed. Too soon, she pulled away and climbed to her feet, drawing me up with her. She grasped my hand and we turned to face her Council and the flabbergasted crowd, still looking on with stunned expressions.
She nodded to Avery, Carmen, Olivia, and Phoebe, and they rushed us in a split second; throwing themselves at Stasia and almost knocking me back to the ground. At their emotional outburst, the Tydes in the audience erupted in celebration. I continued to stare at her as if she would vanish at any moment. How could this be possible? She died! She was stabbed by Nadia! Despite what every rational part of my mind was trying to tell me, my eyes didn't lie. She was here, standing before us. Soon, Amphitrite and Maera joined the reunion, followed by Sebastian.
"Being Chosen wasn't enough, huh?" Sebastian's playful tone lit up the Arena floor and prompted a chuckle from Stasia. She broke away from everyone to smother him in a hug and kiss his cheek.
"Call me an overachiever!" She laughed with him, and the simple sound of her laughter almost brought me to my knees once more.
"How is this possible?" Olivia gushed, prompting another blanket of silence as we awaited the answer to the question in everyone's mind.
"Apodedeigménos," Amphitrite revered in Greek. Stasia nodded to her with an approving smile and she continued. "It only happens once in a century, and sometimes not at all." I caught a knowing glance between Amphitrite and Sebastian before he spoke.
"Many have been Chosen, but only a select few have ever been...Proven," Sebastian explained simply.
STASIA
"Proven?" Olivia peered between me, Sebastian, and Amphitrite with skepticism. My heart warmed at seeing her again, and I stifled a giggle as I realized her eyes were still the size of dinner plates. I had a feeling my dramatic entrance would not disappoint. I might have overdone it, however, witnessing Finn's reaction. My new existence was still strange and shocking to me, and I was surprised that I could feel every ounce of exhaustion in his tense muscles, the thickening of his essence as sorrow pressed upon his soul, and the slightly irregular beat of a mourning heart.
At my return his essence became brilliant, pulsing with energy and creating a wave effect that I could actually see. I wanted to hold him forever and fill him with my love. Thankfully, I had been granted that wish.
"My essence was just enough to revive the crux, but the Beacon...the woman I saw...she was already gone. I should have died too, but that didn't happen. The ocean itself..." I fought back my emotions as I tried to explain, "altered my destiny."
"The ocean?" Carmen gaped. Amphitrite stepped forward once more.
"There must always be a Beacon; a protector of the crux and the ocean itself," she added ominously. Everyone's eyes shifted back to me with renewed awe.
"You're the Beacon, now?" Olivia placed a hand over her mouth.
"Can't you feel it?" Maera rejoiced with a deep breath.
"So you're not a Nereid anymore?" Olivia continued her questioning. "You're not a Daughter of the Sea?"
"She is the sea," Sebastian answered for me.
"But then...?" Olivia held up her palm for everyone to see. "Why do I have this again?"
I stepped towards her and placed my hands on her shoulders. Her electrical essence was muted by mortality, but it was still there. Still crackling. "Even the protector of the crux needs protecting."
Her eyes welled up with tears and she searched my gaze for any sign of deception. Not finding any, a bright smile lit up her face and I pulled her to me with force; closing my eyes and wrapping her in my essence. As if the breath had been knocked out of her, she let out a cry and the world exploded in a flash of light and electricity. When I finally released her, she stumbled back, momentarily stunned. Sebastian ran to her side just as she transformed into the immortal Paladin she had previously been. Her skin shimmered with voltage and a renewed electrical current thrummed through her essence with vigor. Her deep chestnut eyes swirled with excitement and I felt her emotions swell, threatening to burst.
"I'd be honored." She straightened and wiped at her eyes before bowing her head to me.
"Immortal sure does look good on you." Sebastian casually wrapped an arm around Olivia and then glanced up at me. "Got anymore tricks in that bag of yours, sis?"
"You have no idea," I sneered at him. I was just getting used to this new sense of being; the ability to feel...everything. The ocean provided me with more information than I could ever discern. I felt every creature, every birth, and every death within its vast depths. I felt the force of the hurricane currently forming off the coast of Africa, its power siphoning moisture from the surface and recycling it into massive rain bands. I could feel the way the thundering cadence of breakers off the coast of Costa Rica rolled on shore, and the excitement and wonder of the newborn blue whale pup in the mountainous region of the Pacific.
I moved in front of Sebastian with a mischievous grin. "I do happen to have more I've been saving. Just for you."
"Please be a unicorn, please be a unicorn," he wished in a hushed voice with a sloppy grin on his face. Always the class clown. I found myself hoping he would never change.
"Be serious," Olivia hissed at him and elbowed him in the ribs. He stood taller as he stood before me; his unending sarcasm climbing up and settling into the tropical sea of his eyes.
"With my recent...transformation, the Tydes are now without a Leader," I informed him slowly. "As the son of Thetis, it only makes sense."
I paused to allow the gravity of my words to sink in before continuing, watching his eyes blink quickly as he grasped what I was hinting at. The stunned expression resting on his features h
ardened into one of determination and pride as he anticipated what I intended to do. A ripple of hushed whispers shot through the crowd above, and Olivia's face suddenly reddened with buried hope.
Sebastian dropped to one knee with regality and bowed his head. A giggle escaped my mouth at the formality of his actions and he peered up at me, startled by my reaction at his show of respect and submission. I took his hands and urged him to stand, holding his now nervous gaze.
"Achilles Sebastian Theophanides," I announced with a voice that bounced off of the heavens. "I choose you. I choose you to honor your ancestors, as well as our Mother and Father by taking the responsibility of Leader of the Tyde Order. I choose to finish what Mother started many centuries ago at the River Styx - to provide you with full essence in order to lead and protect to the best of your ability."
The raw vulnerability and love in his eyes caught me off guard as I felt the breadth of his gratitude. Just as I did with Olivia moments before, I pulled him close and wrapped his body in my essence. I pulled the strongest and purest essence from the sea and channeled it into his body, and then I summoned the fierceness of the great whites, the gentle loyalty of his sea horses, the endurance of the whales, and the playfulness of the dolphins. I pulled from the sea its very life force and placed it with care into Sebastian's chest. His body arched and he dropped to his knees as another flash of brilliant light encompassed the Arena.
When the dust settled and I was satisfied with the level and quality of his renewed essence, I stepped back and allowed him room. Every living being within a hundred miles paused, awaiting the emergence of a newly Chosen immortal. He slowly returned to his feet, bringing with him the strength of an entire planet and the presence of a towering mountain range.
His skin now glowed with sovereignty and his hair was suddenly streaked with turquoise. The triskellion trace on his forearm pulsed with essence and the smile that lit up his face touched my soul and strengthened my heart. As if remembering something, he peeked back at his left heel. It, too, hummed with essence, no longer his weakness.