Fragments of Light

by Beth Hodgson

  Telly ran to the lab bathroom, grabbed one of the feminine pads from the dispenser, then entered a stall. Emptying the four vials from her sleeve, she dropped her pants and placed the delicate glass vials on top of her underwear carefully. She took the sanitary pad, placing the sticky adhesive underside of the pad over the glass vials, securing them. She then pulled up her underwear, situating the vials and pad between her lower lips horizontally, making sure they were in place, then fixed her pants and lab coat.

  Walking out of the bathroom, she passed by the director once again.

  “Finished?”

  “Yes,” she stated as she squeezed her thighs together. “I just have to grab my purse from the office.”

  “I’m coming with you. I have to walk out to the platform to see you off.”

  “Yes, Director.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  YELLOW

  The temple reverberated with the prayers of the yellow-gifted. Each prayer was in a different tempo and pitch, filling the room with heavenly words that flowed like a thousand poetic songs spoken at once.

  At the front of his brothers and sisters, Auron stood before them, praying for the Empress’s success, and for when they would confront Ikaria. The darkness had to be stopped.

  Auron’s staff sat on the altar behind the processional pole that held the circular symbol of the Spectrum of Magic. The orb from the staff glowed a muted white, soaking in any daylight that remained. The staff needed to be refreshed; Auron had been indoors for far too long to give it a proper charge.

  Only the priests knew the power of Auron’s staff, and it remained a secret in World Sector Six. Auron had never used the staff in front of anyone. He didn’t want to give away its secret. To all who had encountered Auron, they assumed he had difficulty walking, especially now in his later years. Others thought it was a priestly ornament, showing his status as high priest of World Sector Six.

  But what most didn’t know was the pure power that the staff held, giving the user an extra surge of power from the light it captured, thus making one’s magic spell ten times what their normal power was supposed to be. It had the capacity to hold much daylight, allowing the staff to continuously flow its power to the gifted wielder at a constant pace for a given amount of time.

  Auron’s ancient ancestors from World Sector Four had devised the staff. The orb itself was made from no material ever recorded or recounted from earth’s matter. What Auron had been told by his father was that the staff’s crystal was given to the first yellow priest that had ever walked the earth in a vision. As the priest reached out and touched the crystal in his dream, he awoke with it in his hands, declaring immediately that the Light Spirit had blessed him and his people, bestowing the spirit’s favor upon them.

  The Light Spirit was what his ancestors called the God of Light, recognized as the true god in the ancient times of World Sector Four. It didn’t bother Auron that the people of his past called the God of Light something else; many different peoples of the world had different accounts of their experience, describing him in different forms.

  But as the world came together after the Apocalypse, the first High Court reestablished a world religion, the only practicing religion that remained on Earth at that time. No one cared for religion before the great catastrophe, as technology ran rampant in the world, leaving only the true religion to stand amassed in the dark world. The High Court at that time saw the Apocalypse for what it was—the God of Light’s punishment for the world’s societies for abandoning their faith. People who survived began to pray and believe, and The Spectrum became widely circulated throughout the early centuries of the Post-Apocalypse Era. And to Auron, it truly was the true religion of mankind, and it proved itself so by surviving all other earthly religions.

  Early writings of the Apocalypse described the God of Light hurling massive meteors from the heavens, striking the earth right at the heart of what was currently known as World Sector One. Later, writings pointed to evidence that the use of machines took over mankind and eventually killed off the people of World Sector One, utterly destroying those lands.

  After the desolation of World Sector One, the machines went off into the other parts of the world, causing massive destruction before they imploded, leaving behind noxious fumes that sunk into the earth. Either way, technology was the root cause, leaving the whole planet sick to its core.

  Auron believed both to be contributing factors to Earth’s destruction. He believed that the machines did indeed get out of control, wreaking havoc upon the world. But Auron also believed was that the God of Light wanted to purge the world of what was evil, since mankind created such abominations and abandoned their faith. Thus, the God of Light wiped out the technology with his heavenly meteors, crushing the darkness and destroying all evil. Auron hated what was evil. Technology—it was an abomination from the pits of darkness itself. It was man made, inherently evil, and had no place in the world.

  Auron opened his eyes, facing the direction of the altar. He did not see any radiant yellow light reflecting off the walls and pillars of the temple; no priest was enveloped with their magic.

  Bowing to the Spectrum symbol on the altar, Auron deemed it safe to turn around. He glanced at the other priests and priestesses, and slowly they began to halt their prayers in the tongue of their heavenly language. They bowed to him, and he nodded in return.

  “Keep praying fervently, my brothers and sisters. Do not give up faith, the God of Light will provide for us in our time of need. He will stop this plague. Stay strong and vigilant. Good always triumphs over evil.”

  Auron cast a glance all around him, thinking of Ikaria. He couldn’t tell them; he had been ordered not to. Cyrus had selected only a few gifted to be made aware of the sorceress’s doings, and none of them were among the yellow-gifted. “Please, be wary of all evil. It could come at any time, and in any form.”

  It wasn’t the best warning, but it was as close as he could get to telling them without breaking his word to the Emperor.

  “Yes, High Priest,” they murmured back to him.

  “You are dismissed.”

  The priests and priestess, all in their emblazoned robes, golden hair flowing, bowed one last time, then trickled out of the temple.

  God help us all, Auron thought as he bowed to the altar one last time and exited the temple.

  Auron walked through the citadel, turning this way and that within the intricate maze of halls and doorways, making his way to his chambers. He entered, shutting the door behind him. As soon as the door latched shut, Auron felt an immediate shift in the air, and a knowing feeling came over him.

  He turned around to face her. Ikaria sat next to his enchanted fireplace in his oversized velvet chair, dressed in a deep-purple kimono embroidered with black designs. Her hair was completely down, flowing down the swell of her back. Auron noticed that dark violet was growing in the roots of her hair. He hadn’t seen it before, most likely from her covering it up with her headdresses and the way she styled her hair. It was the result of her consumption of the other’s gifted colors, each color of blood mixing with hers, on the way to complete darkness.

  The gift of the black…

  Ikaria was casually sprawled back on the sofa, her back against one of the armrests while her legs rested on the other.

  “Good evening, Auron,” Ikaria said with a smirk upon her face, her narrow eyes glistening with her pale violet color. “I had thought for a moment that you would decide to pray at the temple again for a fourth time rather than retire. It appears that I was mistaken.”

  Auron hesitated for a second, then turned his bulky body back toward the door. As he grabbed the handle, the door lock snapped shut on its own, glowing violet. He looked back at Ikaria, his heart skipping a beat.

  “Come now, Auron. There is no need for that, is there? You just arrived,” Ikaria said sarcastically while inspecting her polished nails. Then she rolled her head slightly to see his reaction.

  Auron took a dee
p breath, unsure of what to do. His mind raced through possibilities, but no logical idea came to him. Just then he realized he’d left his staff charging in the temple. It was the only real tool that could stave off Ikaria, at least for the time being. Auron cursed himself for being overly tired. It had caused him to be careless, something he couldn’t afford, especially at a time like this. It certainly wasn’t the first time he had left his staff at the temple, but it most certainly was the wrong time. There was no other option. He had to confront her.

  “Why did you come here?” Auron asked, facing Ikaria directly.

  “Now, now, Auron. Don’t play the fool with me.” Ikaria gave a small, playful laugh, kicking one of her legs up off the armrest, exposing her smooth legs from under her flowing robe. “You know very damn well why I’m here,” Ikaria cooed. She smoothed out her hair with one grand stroke, the hair falling perfectly into place.

  “I won’t go down easily,” Auron stated firmly as he summoned a golden, half-dome translucent barrier around him. The yellow magic flowed through him, streaming to the dome, strengthening it.

  Ikaria got up slowly, then straightened out her robe with a swift brisk of her hands. “I don’t expect you to,” she said, glaring at him. “For ten long years, I have dreamt of this moment. Over and over again. Don’t disappoint me.”

  Suddenly, the image of Ikaria glowed a bright violet, then faded into thin air. Through the golden barrier, Auron shot his gaze in every direction, trying to see if she had reappeared elsewhere within the room. The air around him shifted again with a warm current.

  With a quick jerk of his body, he threw his arms out, summoning the yellow magic, causing the golden barrier surrounding him to liquefy. The magic poured onto his body like water, then encased him entirely, becoming a translucent golden shell.

  Ikaria’s image appeared a split second later where the barrier had stood a moment before, just as the golden shell assimilated with his body. A glowing, dark-purple ice shard appeared out of the palm of her hand, then broke free. Ikaria grasped the shard, slashing it against his chest. But instead of it piercing his body, the ice shard scraped against the golden barrier, as if the golden magic was smooth as glass but hard as steel, causing the shard to shatter in her hand.

  Quickly throwing up her hands, Ikaria’s robe fluttered around her, revealing a garter with an enchanted blade. Summoning the dagger to her hands by force of magic, she grasped it, then hurled it at him, letting her violet magic guide its way toward Auron’s body. It made contact with his golden shell, shattering it like glass all around him. With another jerk of her hands, his body began to rise in the air, then slammed violently against a wall.

  The force of the blow knocked the wind out of his lungs for a moment, leaving him to gasp for air. Still immobile and unable to control his own body, he felt the dark-violet magic surround him, slowly dragging his body to Ikaria’s feet. When his body reached hers, he was left suspended in the air right in front of her.

  Auron was powerless, but it didn’t stop him from drawing more power from his life force to flow over his thoughts.

  Ikaria stood, waving her hand for the enchanted blade to return. It followed its master’s orders, retreating to her outstretched hand. It gently placed itself in her palm, and the sorceress used it to scrape underneath her fingernails as she flashed him a dark smile.

  “I have waited a long time to taste your blood. Did you know that?” Her head angled close to him. Auron was frozen, suspended in the air, unable to move. He had to do something, but what? His power of protection was no match for her control magic, especially since she had multiple abilities.

  “The gift of the yellow… I wonder what it tastes like?” she asked herself, not expecting him to answer. She walked casually around him, as if Auron about to die was an ordinary activity for her. “Wrath? No… that was red magic. It made me hate you all the more.” She eyed him for a moment, then shot out her hand quickly, burning him with violet flames.

  Auron screamed as the flames burned his skin and blistered his flesh. She stopped suddenly, then shot her head in his direction.

  “Euphoria?” She laughed while pacing mindlessly around the room in thought. She clutched her enchanted blade, then hurled it.

  The blade plunged into Auron’s flesh, sending a shocking sensation all over his body.

  “No, it can’t be that.” Ikaria paused, staring off into the distance. “Melancholy? Ah, the taste of blue magic, it made me relive my deepest sadness.” She snapped her head, looking at him directly. “The sadness which you put in motion.”

  Auron grimaced in pain, letting out loud grunts. Sweat poured down his brow while he tried to summon the power within his core. He was losing focus because of the pain being inflicted on him.

  “Do you know how much I was shamed that day? All because of your vision!”

  “You won’t win,” Auron managed to say out loud.

  “Really? By the looks of it, I already have,” Ikaria sneered. “But I must say, it is impressive that you constantly stream your magic, surrounding your mind. Very clever.”

  “It is true. Someone will stop you,” Auron managed between gasps.

  “I doubt it. You put too much faith in your visions, while I create my own destiny. Besides, what power can take on my magic? Do tell, Auron.”

  “He is a spirit. A ghost,” Auron spat out. “A ghost with the gift of the red.”

  Ikaria burst out laughing uncontrollably. Throwing back her hands, she created dark-violet electrical currents, then released them, shocking his body. The more she laughed, the greater the lightning, and the more his body jolted from the shocks. He cried out in pain.

  “Oh, Auron, really. Stop it now. You are too much,” she managed to say between her laughs, pausing the electrical storm. “You put too much faith in the unseen. It’s time you start believing in the known.”

  With that, she threw out both of her arms, and the ground shifted, then formed a giant earth platform, shooting up from the floor. His body hovered over to the makeshift platform, then slammed against it in a prone position. Ikaria lingered over him.

  “Don’t worry, I will be gentle. Promise.”

  Her violet magic held his head back, his neck exposed.

  Auron felt a sudden, thrashing, violent attack on his consciousness, causing him to jolt wildly. The force rocked his mind, trying to make its way inside into the core of his soul, right where his magic rested. His yellow protection magic responded, concentrating all of its power within his mind.

  Ikaria was trying to get inside his thoughts.

  He could not let her have his mind. Auron had to reach the Ghost Man. It was the only way that the past could prepare for Ikaria. They had to be warned. Ikaria was too powerful.

  Auron closed his eyes, blocking Ikaria’s constant waves of mind attacks as his body continued to shake uncontrollably. Drawing upon his yellow power, he felt his body radiate with a vileness so evil that he couldn’t believe he was doing it himself.

  A burning sensation ran through his body, calling forth the magic as it ran through his life force. The power met resistance within himself, as his magic did not to want to be forced into making visions. It was the dark side of the yellow, from the dark side of the spectrum. The power of creating visions was for the God of Light alone. The magic did not like it, creating a fighting tension of the light and dark power inside of his being. His body tremored, but it was nothing compared to what Ikaria was inflicting on his physical body. The harder he called from within to summon the darkness, the more it burned his soul from within.

  Ghost Man, please help us! The future of our world will cease to exist without your help! You must stop Ikaria from getting the gift of the green at all costs!

  “Giving up on me so easily?” he heard Ikaria call out. “Auron, I expected much more from you than that.”

  Ignoring her words, he began to weave a prophetic dream with the yellow magic, sending it into the lifestream—the place where souls, visions, an
d time flowed to eventually reach the God of Light. Auron hoped that his woven vision would appear to the Ghost Man. If not, hopefully it would go to someone who could at least forewarn him.

  The staff… You must use the staff… Especially if she has acquired the gift of the black…

  The darkness shook his soul, surging into his physical body, overwhelming him. His mind went dark, causing Auron to abruptly end his prophetic dream-weaving.

  Releasing the evilness of the darkness, Auron opened his eyes, seeing Ikaria’s violet magic surrounding him.

  “Embracing the dark side of your color, I see. Hypocrite.” Ikaria wrinkled her nose in disgust. “You are a piece of work, aren’t you?”

  Auron couldn’t do more. He was out of options. What could the power of prophecy and protection have against the power of control? Ikaria didn’t just have control over mind and body, but time, the elements, and illusions. There was no way out of it. All he could do was die. He would die a martyr’s death. At least he’d warned the past with his woven prophecy through the lifestream.

  “Why didn’t you take control of me?” Auron managed from his hoarse voice.

  “Where’s the fun in that? I thought it would be bittersweet for you to play out your little charade with my sister and her pathetic husband, only to realize that all along, I had complete control without even touching my violet magic.”

  “And all the gifted… What about them? What did they do to you?”

  Ikaria stopped for a moment, then gave a small, knowing smile. “I never touched any of them. Well, actually, three of them. The dead ones. The traitors to our sector.” She leaned over his face, whispering. “You might want to ask the High Court about the others.” She stood up, brushing her hair over her shoulder. “But I think you might be a bit busy right now. Perhaps another time.”

  With a sharp movement of Ikaria’s hands, the platform shifted under Auron. He felt the earth reshaping itself into a new form. His body dropped to the ground. An earth spike pierced him in the back, then stabbed through his whole body. Auron fell to the ground.