Majesty Creature

One moment, Avea was drifting into the cosmic cloud, and the next, she was plummeting, her face landing harshly against solid ground. Her body lay sprawled across the cold surface, and truthfully, Avea felt she lacked the strength to even lift her head. That is, until the murmurs around her.

"It can't be..."

"The eighth moon was destroyed..."

"Why does she look like that?"

Avea's head felt heavy as she lifted it, her thoughts groggy and everything around her a blurry haze, making her wonder if she should just stay lying on the ground. She couldn't see where the whispers were coming from, all around her lay nothing, but a blurriness. As she blinked trying to regain clarity in her vision, she realised she was laying ontop of a smooth glistening crystal. All around her there was nothing except crystal, pale, translucent, and shimmering with silver fire. She could almost sense the moonlight emanating from the walls around her, bathing the surface in a soft light. It reminded her of the underground tunnels, the veins of light that had come flooding towards her when she'd summoned it. That pure celestial glow, enough to rob even the most jaded soul of breath. As she lay on the ground, the murmuring voices persisted, growing more emboldened as each second passed.

“Is she… dead?”

“No wait. She’s moving. Her head just lifted.”

“ Where did she come from?”

She almost considered this option of remaining motionless on the ground, until the delicate sound of footsteps approached her, instantly a silence settled over the hushed murmurs. She heard the gentle clearing of a throat and lifted her head, only to see a large, circular headpiece obscuring her view. A crown. Scrambling to her feet, Avea awkwardly brushed off the grime and dirt clinging to her tattered clothes. "Oh, sorry..." she mumbled. "I got sucked in a cloud and, well, it wasn't exactly a smooth landing, so..." Avea's words trailed off as she realised she was rambling.

Avea hadn't considered what she would do if confronted by an actual cosmic life-form. What was she supposed to do? Bow to the majestic creature or demand the return of her mother? Neither of those options seemed right as Avea's survival instincts kicked in. How would she have approached this in the Valent? Lie? Thieve? Bargain? She had a feeling that those set of skills wouldn't prove useful in this predicament. She couldn't reveal her true intentions yet, not until she had something to leverage, and right now, she had nothing to bargain with for her mother's freedom.

She could unmistakably sense the regal presence emanating from the creature standing before her. As her gaze settled on the crown it wore. The large circular headpiece was adorned with intricate swirls that stretched elegantly across its surface, weaving together eight smaller circular openings spaced evenly around its edge. Avea found this to be unusual, weren't crowns supposed to be lavishly decorated with dazzling jewels and gemstones? Glittering with a brilliance that overwhelmed the eyes? Yet, this crown emitted only a soft silver glow, its surface marked by finely carved patterns that Avea imagined to be a secret language hidden within their intertwined, welded curves. Avea surprisingly found herself deeply intrigued, yearning to decipher the meaning behind each delicate engraving, each subtle dent and swirl.

Her focus remained fixated on the mysterious crown, until she felt two long slender fingers gently lifted her chin, guiding her to meet the majestic creature's gaze. Her pulse quickened as their eyes locked. The creature's skin was a luminous pale silver, so smooth it seemed as though it had been carved from living moonlight. Shimmering delicate white lines, spiraled and curled across her face and throat, glowing faintly. From her head, twin ivory horns swept outward in elegant arcs, polished to a flawless sheen, their curves both regal and dangerous.Her hands, long-fingered and graceful, bore rings of pale crystal. As her eyes met Avea's, she could see that they were a milky white, resembling orbs of the moon, with irises that seemed to pulse with an inner light.

"It is alright, we're glad you could join us," the majestic creature spoke, her voice a silken melody, easing the tightness in Avea's chest.

Avea rose to her feet, she tried to mask her uncertainty, as she stood encased in crystalline walls that encased them in a circle, the stars above them glistening in unknown constellations. It was surreal and disorienting, and she fought to remain conscious. "Where am I?" she asked. A subtle smile graced the majesty creatures lips, "you are in the equivale of the lunar realms, where all the descendant moons come together to meet their ancestral moon." She spoke as though her words were sensical, as though Avea was ridiculous for not understanding what an equivale was."Ah right .... yes the descendant moon" Avea trailed on, trying and failing miserably at deciphering her words. "Yes, you have been summoned as the descendent of the Cyntherial Moon, the eighth in the octave of moons."

"Huh?"

The Majesty creature stared at her with those glowing orbs, and Avea wondered if it was too late to jump back through her portal. "It appears Araceli has not taught you our ways." Avea's head snapped up at the mention of her mother, "Araceli ... you know where she is?" She asked, her voice even, clearly trying to keep any desperation from seeping into her words. The Majesty Creatures eyes glowed brightly, a chilling light that Avea could only interpret as anger.

"Of course I'm the one who sent for her return."

Something tightened in Avea's gut, she knew she wasn't going to like where this was heading.

"Why?"

The Majesty creature sighed softly, almost like she were disappointed by the word. "Everything will be revealed to you, I promise you. However, before you see her, you first you must complete one simple task." Avea's mind was trying to rack through every conceivable task that this cosmic being could possibly ask of her."What do you need me to do?" she finally conceded. "The task is simple, place your hand into the light," the Majesty creature said, her word calm, composed. "What light?" As she spoke those words, a ray of light appeared between them. Avea glanced upwards to see where this strange ray of light had appeared from, but she saw nothing but a blanket of stars above them.

The streak of light seemingly materialised from the void of space.

The light had a slight blue tint to it, and as Avea stepped towards it the blue light reflected onto her face. Her hands however stayed firmly at her side, clutched tightly into fists."What's supposed to happen?" Avea asked, her nerves starting to fry slightly. Who knew a streak of light could be so terrifying? "That is for us to see," said the Majesty Creature, who was standing on the other side of the light. Her face appearing different, behind the mysterious blue light that glared onto her delicate features.

Avea's heart was hammering in her chest, as she reached out her hand. She'd never noticed how pale and skinning it was until now, as she brought it into the light. She couldn't control the slight tremble of her hand, as she brought it into the blue light. The light was surprisingly cold on her skin, and there was a heavy silence that settled. What was supposed to happen? Was her flesh going to peel off her bone? Light on fire? She didn't know, and all she could do was keep her hand in the light. Just when she thought she couldn't bear the suspense any longer, a blue flame erupted within the crystalline walls. Illuminating the entire circular chamber like moonlit ice, it spread like wildfire until it had encassed them. The blue ray of light vanished and Avea followed it upwards, as it was swallowed by a moon engulfed by blue flame. She didn't know if the sight of the moon was real or not, as it was gone before she could look closer.

In that moment, the blue flame died along with the phantom moon, and she was left standing before the majesty creature once more. "That's it?" Avea asked. The majesty creature smiled, but didn't speak. Instead, she lifted a slender hand, a shimmering light waving over Avea's face. A strange warmth stirred within Avea, and as the dull ache in her face subsided. Her fingers lightly touched her face, the tenderness of her bruises was gone, and in the reflection of the crystal walls she could see that the bruising on her face had been miraculously healed.

"Thank you, your...majesty?" Avea asked, her body recoiled slightly unsure if she was meant to curtsey or perform some other grand gesture of etiquette."I am no Majesty ... I am the Supreme, ruler of the luminaries" she said, her voice carried no trace of arrogance or pride, only a gentle softness as though she feared even her words might startle Avea. "The ancients have spoken, you are the true descendant of the eighth moon," the Majesty creature spoke, her soft voice carrying a steely undertone.

There was a loud gasps that echoed through the room. Startled, Avea looked around and saw no one else. She turned to the majesty creature, who had a small smile playing on her lips, and gestured upwards with her eyes. Avea followed her hint, peeking upwards, and this time she nearly passed out at the sight of hundreds of strange faces peering down at her from hundreds of massive floating discs. Her breath caught in her throat, a soft "Woah" escaping her lips as she craned her head all the way back.

The audience sat upon vast cosmic discs that drifted weightlessly in the dark, each one a glowing plane of glassy light suspended over the abyss. Their edges shimmered with blue fire pulsing around the edges. Some spun lazily, others tilted at impossible angles, yet none ever collided, guided by unseen currents that moved like the breath of the universe.

Standing upon them were the different gatherings of aliens, each disc seemed attuned to its occupants, warping slightly under their weight. Avea's gaze swept across the spectrum of blues, ranging from the palest silver, to cerulean, to indigo, to the deepest midnight that swallowed light itself, each creature was a marvel. Adorned with a myriad of horns that varied in shape, as their horns caught the light and splintered it into a thousand shades of blue. Glowing with an inner light, hinting at primal power within. Their eyes, iridescent orbs, observed Avea who stood, feeling the heavy gaze of the creatures from above. Unable to ignore the weight pressing against her chest, slowing crushing the air from her lungs.

She eyed them carefully, counting no fewer than seven distinct tribes. She wondered if 'species' was the more appropriate term, with each standing proudly upon their respective floating discs. She noticed that standing at the forefront of these tribes, a luminary as the Supreme called them, was staring down at her with peculiar interest. She noticed the way all the other creatures of their tribe naturally huddled around them, as though craving to be in their presence. Avea supposed they could be their leaders, but they seemed young, she also didn't like the way that they were all watching her, it reminded her of the way that the Valent racers used to look at her at every starting line.

Only seeing the meek little fray girl.

The Supreme stood in the center, extending her arms above her head to her subjects, "Come down and meet the final claimed," she called out. Or stay where you are, Avea thought, not exactly wanting these creatures descending upon her. However, at the command of the Supreme, these horned creatures leapt from their positions on the mantle and drifted down to the surface with such ease, like they were made of air. Avea was immediately swept beneath an unexpected surge of dread, as seven pairs of eyes bore into her, each gaze held wary suspicion. She straightened her spine; she had come for one reason, get her mother back, and she wasn't leaving without her.

"Your fellow claimed, the Umbratus moon, the Mangata moon, the Zephyrion moon, the Aurelian moon, the Viltarin moon, the Kairos moon and the Oniria moon." The Supreme's voice rang out, delicate yet commanding, spanning the vast cosmic chasm. The assembled of so called 'luminaries' leaned in, strange eyes fixed upon her, eager to gauge her reaction. As the seven fellow claimed stepped forward at the summons, Avea didn't miss the dirty glances that were cast her way. Yeah I wouldn't trust me neither, she thought.

"She can't be claimed, she's human," a deep voice said, from the line up. Avea peaked behind the Supreme to find the source of the voice. A lithe, wolf-like figure emerged, his iridescent blue fur catching the light with a shifting sheen, the tail behind him swaying in a tight rigid rhythm. His form leaned toward the human, yet every line in his features was carved with a feral sharpness. Spiky air bristled atop his head, flowing into lupine sideburns that tore down his cheeks. His eyes, black and fathomless, and like the others, he bore horns, small, downward-tilted, and half-hidden behind pointed ears subtle, but marking him as something beyond human.

The wolf hybrid of the Viltarin moon, carried himself with the discipline of a soldier, his body straight and rigid in its posture, staring down at Avea as though she'd crawled out of a valent gutter, which she had to remind herself she'd actually done less an 48 hours ago. Avea despite actually agreeing with him, she didn't appreciate being called out in front of an assembly of hundreds. "No offence but it doesn't really seem like you're in charge here" Avea said, staring down this space dog who revealed a set of razor-sharp fangs, their gleam cutting through the dimness like a blade. "The eighth moon was destroyed with no remaining survivors, a human cannot complete the ascension," he said, ignoring Avea's retort.

"She made it past the oculus" another one of the claimed replied. This one appeared to be taller than the rest of them, with a quiet timid presence. Her skin had a subtle teal tint, pointed horns protruded from atop her head, adorned with a mesmerizing swirling pattern. Yet, the most striking feature was the third eye positioned in the center of her forehead. Its iris a deep, mysterious shade, as if she could perceive truths beyond the ordinary sight of others.

She wore a long teal tunic with layered fabric, the subtle embroidery traced downwards, swirling spirals and lunar glyphs, glowing faintly as though imbued with moonlight. The lower part of the tunic split at the sides to reveal flowing under layers, fabric lighter and more translucent, so that when she moved, the folds shimmered faintly.Cascading as if carved from the tiers of the cosmos. The ensemble seemed rooted in ritual, giving her the appearance of a cosmic priestess.

The Kairos claimed, turned her third eye onto Avea with an examining curiosity that made her squirm internally. "She can't be human ... at least not entirely," she said. Avea felt the rage bubbling inside her, hearing them talk about her as if she weren't standing in front of them. "Look I didn't come here to be apart of your ritual okay, I'm here to bring my mother home," Avea said, her voice revealing all of pent up anger that she'd been suppressing. "And who might that be?" the Supreme said, every one of her subjects fell silent as she spoke. Especially all the Claimed descendants who seemed to remember their place and fell back in line.

Despite them all being an entirely different species, she did suppose that to them she was the trespasser. She was a stranger in their lands, and she didn't have anything to bargain with these strangers. Revealing her true intentions may be a grave mistake, but it was all she had.

"Araceli, she was taken by Dolunay from my home planet," Avea said, keeping her voice steady trying not to reveal the pain of that memory.

As soon as she said her mothers name, Avea knew that she'd made a mistake. The audience broke into a choir of horrified gasps and shouts, as though the very mention of her mother's true name were a curse that had been struck upon them. Avea watched the expressions of the seven 'claimed' as the Supreme had called them, their faces contorted into shocked intrigue and horror. Even the Supreme's face was slightly startled at the mention of her mothers name. Avea couldn't contain her scowl at the feigned admonishment from the audience.

It was as if a dark wave had passed through the room, altering the very atmosphere. "You do not understand our ways Avea Maxwell," the Supreme repeated herself, standing before her in a regal pose before her. Avea now glanced upwards to find every gaze fixed upon her brimmed with intense loathing, the many eyes burning with an unspoken but undeniable animosity. The air itself seemed to thicken, slowly suffocating her. Avea felt like a cornered animal, ready to lash out at any moment. "I don't care about your ways...WHERE IS SHE?" she demanded, her voice trembling with a unleashed fury.

"How dare you speak to the supreme that way?!" One of the seven exclaimed from behind her, the Aurelian claimed, a smaller figure with a lean, muscular frame and thick, curving horns that framed their ears and pointed outward. Her skin, a tinted periwinkle hue, made her stand out despite her small stature. There was an aura about her that made her intimidating. "My mother is her prisoner!" Avea snapped, dropping any pretense of politeness. The girl seemed ready to launch herself at Avea in a protective instinct, but the Supreme held up her hand to stop her.

"Your mother was responsible for the failure of the last ascension ritual, and when the time came for her to correct her mistake, she fled," the Supreme murmured, her voice carrying the weight of a deadly secret. "I never understood why she would do such a thing, condemning her people to mass slaughter. But now it makes sense, she was with child, hiding you from us. You are the last hope for the lunar Realms... the daughter of the eighth moon." "I not the daughter of the eighth moon, I am Celia Maxwell's daughter," Avea sneered, the Supreme was accusing her mother of being a traitor.

Then again how much did Avea really know about her mother, after all? The Supreme offered her a small, pitying smile, as if Avea were a naive child. "If you truly wish to save your mother, you must repay her debt to us," the Supreme declared, her words met with cheers from the crowd above. The sound felt as though it were a shrill ringing, piercing Avea's skull. There was no escape. "I need to know that she's alive first," Avea countered, hating herself for speaking those words. This entire time she had never allowed herself to consider the possibility that her mother might be dead, but now she had to confront it. Nausea rolled through her as she awaited the Supreme's answer.

The Supreme simply stared back at her with those moon like eyes, their silvery irises reflecting a strange glow. The intensity of that stare made Avea feel as though her innermost thoughts and emotions were laid bare, exposed to those eyes. It was too late to appear clueless pretending to know more than she did, so she played her only defence ... blackmail. "I know you can't complete the ritual without me, the Oculus showed me" Avea began, her voice laced with as much confidence as she could summon. She clung to the one vital piece of information that she had overheard Dolunay tell her mother. There was a weighted silence that followed, as though they could all the sense the danger of her threat lingering in the air. Unspoken, and yet they'd showed their hand. They needed her, that Avea could work with, even if it meant leveraging herself, she'd do it. Every word she uttered was a gamble."So you're out of options unless you show me my mother," she declared, her resolve wavering at the periphery of her fear.

Of all the things she'd done so far, Avea wondered if this was perhaps the stupidest.

"Your right of course, however if you truly wish to save your mother, you must repay her debt to us," the Supreme replied. Her voice remained soft, but a steely edge reminded Avea that the creature before them was indeed a queen. Her eyes, sharp and discerning, and the confident posture she held, served as a subtle yet unmistakable assertion of her command. Avea had never dealt with true royalty back in Valent, only greedy tyrants who thrived on feeding on power. Despite this, Avea stood firm, understanding the gravity of her situation, fully aware that she couldn't retract her words.

There was a stunned silence followed, at the Supreme's declaration. Every one of the luminaries was eagerly leaning forwards, and despite the hushed silence that had fallen, it was deafening. "I need to know that she's alive first," Avea responded, the words cutting through her like a knife. She couldn’t afford to appear uncertain. Her survival depended on them thinking she held crucial knowledge, that she would be complicit. "The oculus showed me that I must claim this Uri for myself... so show me my mother," she reiterated, her voice unshaken. She hoped she’d recited the term 'oculus' correctly, from that claimed with the third eye

"Very well," the Supreme said, and Avea detected a strange gleam in her eyes. As the Supreme lifted her hands, the crown on her head began to ignite and the intricate pattern of smaller circles began to reveal itself. Her hands wove in strange movements, and light strings floated from her delicate fingers to form a hazy veil that resembled a foggy mirror. When it cleared, Avea choked on a sob seeing her mother's face behind it. She looked the same, human, with the same long, dark, wavy hair and deep eyes that widened when they saw her. However, instead of being covered in dirt and wearing rags, her mother was dressed in a beautiful, floor length gown with long sleeves. In all its ethereal beauty, the light, floaty material swayed across the floor, draping into a hood. The gown clung to her mother's petite figure, with a sheer like texture. Avea couldn’t hide her surprise at the sight of her mother clothed in such finery. She had expected to find her cowering in a cell, shackled and alone. Broken from her confinement, her eyes hollow with fear and trembling at the very thought of Avea alone outside. A flash of resentment coursed through her, sharp and undeniable.

Her mother reached out to Avea."Mum?" she cried. Araceli's eyes stared into Avea's, as if trying to tell her something, but she couldn't speak. She watched her mother lift her hand, and Avea nodded, placing her own hand to meet hers. "She has been bound to her human form so she doesn't slip past our gateways again," the Supreme said.

That's when Avea noticed the cuffs around her wrists, a strange resin like glass, with colours that shifted whenever she moved. The luminaries above gasped, their expressions a mixture of disgust and morbid curiosity as they leaned forward, seemingly wanting to get a glimpse of the 'traitor.' Their greedy eyes, wide with fascination and revulsion, as their frantic whisperings hummed above them. Avea's eyes drifted to the strange cuffs fused around her mother's slim wrists. "You shouldn’t have come for me... it’s not safe," her mother's voice echoed inside her mind. Avea tried not to reveal her shock at hearing her mother's voice in her head, even if her usual warm soothing voice was fraught with chilling fear. "How?..." Avea began, but her mother subtly gestured to Avea's chest where the moonstone hung concealed by her garments.

"Can they hear us?" Avea asked into her mind, feeling quite ridiculous as she did. "No I am a Oneira, on my moon it means that I can telepathically speak with others" her mother said, but there was hint of hesitancy laced into her voice, as though she wasn't completely sure if she should be revealing this to her. "Avea ... listen" her mother began. "You lied to me about everything!" Avea hated the sight of pain flashing across her mother's face, as if her words had struck her. Her mother hung her head in remorse, "I know I should have told you everything a long time ago, but you have to listen to me now."

Her mother's eyes darted around frantically, "you have to leave me and run ..." her mother had never pleaded before, not with her nor anyone. Celia Maxwell had never begged for anything in Valent, she'd bartered and bargained to keep them alive, but never begged. However, Avea could see her mother was clearly begging her to leave her, "what?" Avea stuttered anger flaring inside of her. "It's not me they want its you, they've been after you this whole time. If you don't claim your uri then you can't be apart of the trails," her mother said. "They'll kill you if I do that!" Avea screamed into her mind, angered beyond belief that her mother would ask this of her.

"There is more at stake here than you realise, it was never meant to come to this ... I was meant to protect you" her mother said the last part to herself almost in admonishment. Avea realised her eyes were blurring with tears, the dull ache in her chest spread and somehow it felt as though the pain itself were crushing her chest. Breaking the bones and penetrating her heart like a cold dagger. She was left alone on the other side of the veil, with all the luminaries eyes watching their eyes burning with spite and hate while they chanted "traitor" and shouted their curses. "I don’t understand what’s happening. Is it true? Are you a deserter?" Avea was speaking into her mind, feeling the weight of their insults and cries.

Celia Maxwell placed her hand against the veil drawing Avea's attention back to her, "yes it's true I am a deserter and I would do it again ... there are forces that have been at war long before you born Avea." Avea bite down a retort at her mother's ominous warning, and let her mother continue."The moonstone has the essence of my uri still left in it all you have to do is bring it back to the oculus and the portal will reveal itself to you." Avea could not prevent the way her mind clouded with seething resentment, and her mother winced clearly feeling the wave of anger directed at her. Staring into her daughter's eyes that were ablaze with a righteous fury, "you are not protecting me from this, I am freeing the both of us." Her mother's eyes flared with panic, "Avea wait..." Avea didn't listen taking her hand off the veil and watched her mother's face fade into a shimmering mist. Before the mist dissolved in the air Avea heard her mother's voice say "stay alive ... I will find my way back to you" ringing in her mind before the specks of shimmering dust vanished into nothingness.

Avea wanted to scream, to violently lash out, to find something solid and pound it relentlessly until her bare knuckles were raw and bleeding. All she did was sit there, until the Supreme's light featherweight footsteps approached her before extending out her delicate hand to Avea who remained kneeling on the ground. Avea refused the hand, crawling onto her feet and standing upwards on her shaky legs. Which admittedly for Avea took an embarrassingly long time, especially with the luminaries gripped attention. Avea stood to face the Supreme, "what do you want in exchange for my mothers freedom?" Silently pleading that it wasn't what her mother had warned her of.

The Supreme and the seven all stood before her, but Avea didn't care anymore about their judgement. "If you really want to free your mother you must take part in the lunar trails, once the ascension is complete your mothers debt will be paid." The Supreme replied, her voice was light and airy, as though she hadn't just witnessed the soul crushing despair that had been inflicted upon Avea.

"Then you'll release my mother and we can go home?," Avea asked. "I give you my solemn vow that this shall be done" the Supreme replied, ever the regal majesty. "Swear it by the light side of the moon" Avea said, reciting the oath that Dolunay had given to her mother. Gambling on the hope that these words were binding, some secret lore. Avea secretly delighted in the way that all of the seven's eyes widened and especially the pure shock crossing the space dogs face. The Supreme only smiled, with reassurance and warmth emanating from her. "By the light side of the moon I swear that your mother will be returned to you".

For that alone, Avea was glad that she had an audience.

"Alright" she sighed, "I'm in."