The Other Planet

“Their bodies were alive, and their brains were functioning, but their souls were gone,” says Zhumon. A mysterious woman from the Blue Mountain on the planet of Uranus, entering the house of the first case in the small town of Cronos. She looks at the little boy's body and says in a firm quiet voice, “so it’s happening again!”. She was well respected in the galaxy. Legend says Zhumon came from many lives, helped many worlds from destruction, but Earth. That planet was broken and irreplaceable.

It was the month of the eighth moon when rumors started. Kids went to sleep forever, and no one knew why.

In the Sultan’s farm the day was blue. The icy mountains shining on the horizons, was an astronomical event to witness. Thick crystals from the ground looked like mirrors that were unable to be touched. This was one of the mysteries of the planet.

Today was a special day. There were forty full moons dancing with billions of stars, the ground was moving and beating loud, showing a good sign for Auri to do the pickup. Being the middle child of three this was her daily chore, and she was the best at it.

“What a strange feeling” Auri says, as she felt a sudden sharp pain in her stomach like never before. She was sensing that something bad was going to happen. Ignoring it, the pain vanished. The next day, she was getting in a peculiar car that is round like a bubble and powered by the planet's gravitational magnets.

She headed to the mountains for a special pickup. It was the green year where the harvest only happens once in twenty moons. Green looking leaves with the ocean taste were the town's most desirable culinary exquisiteness.

Auri was almost done with the pickup when suddenly the blue horizon turned grey. It was a huge cosmic storm! Auri was in astonishment with her big green eyes opening wide. Desperate and nervous she starts making her way back. The storm was gaining fast on her, and billions of colored stones started falling with a fury. Auri was losing control of her vehicle, and all the precious greens started flying everywhere. She thought she was going to die because the ground started opening as if it was trying to swallow her. Accepting her fate, she closed her eyes with tears running down her blue cheeks thinking about her mama, papa, and two sisters.

Auri was seconds away from hitting the crystal bottomless ground when a flash of light suddenly froze the storm along with time itself. Auri opened her eyes and noticed that she was able to move. She touched a color stone that was floating suspended in the air, and then a blinding gold light appeared. As Auri gasps for air, in the blink of an eye the light went away.

Suddenly Auri was now sitting in her vehicle parked back at the farm. Confused, she got out of the vehicle, and everything was normal as if nothing had happened. Auri was very quiet for the rest of the day. Some time passed, and Auri never experienced that again.

One day after dinner, Auri went to her room and stared in the mirror, noticing a glimpse in her eyes. She got closer to the mirror and saw a dark fog that said, “I am coming for you!” in a creepy writing. She wiped her eyes to look again and saw nothing thinking that she was probably tired.

There were stories traveling across town of kids who were trapped in eternal sleep. One night, Auri felt a sharp pain in her heart. She was having that weird feeling again like the one from the day of the storm. Not wanting to fall asleep, Auri waits and thinking the light will come back. It never did and she eventually went to sleep. She begins to dream of a beautiful and soft voice calling her name, “Auri, Auri.

Come with me. I am Melinda from Galaxier. You are the chosen one, help me save my planet.” An inviting hand makes the gesture to follow, but Auri's legs are rooted to the ground. Darkness started to attack her, and Auri let out a scream.

Auri was feeling the detachment from her physical body. Looking around she sees Melinda taking her sisters’ spirits. As Auri was yelling for her to stop, Melinda snapped her finger and creatures emerged from the dark. They looked like black shadows of people with robot parts and big yellow eyes. They grabbed her sisters and with sharp blades, they cut out their souls from their bodies. When the creatures went to grab Auri's soul, they all grabbed her soul, their blades broke. Her soul could not be touched. Melinda's eyes became fire. Looking at a strange clock, she told Auri that she will be back for her. Auri then felt a pull so strong and was back in her body. When her eyes opened, she noticed that her sisters were not waking up and called for her parents. They were in shock and did not know what to do.

Two days passed and Auri could not stop thinking about Melinda's appearance. She was very tall and slim with scaly white skin, had two arms with five smaller tentacles in each hand, and was wearing a black feathers dress. Her face looked like a human woman with red lips, she had big black eyes, and her hair was yellow electricity. All Auri could think about was Melinda. Who was this woman and why did she look so familiar to her? This puzzled Auri, and she knew that she needed help.

Auri walked into the forest and in the distance saw an old house, in her heart she knew she was going to find answers there. In the house was Zhumon, who was expecting her visit. Inside the house, it looked well organized. There was a beautiful white room where time was frozen like on the day of the storm. Zhumon told Auri that she had been watching her since that day with a smile on her gentle old face. Auri was speechless, and then a glimpse of light got Auri's attention. It was coming from Zhumon’s neck. It was a peculiar necklace with a heart shaped locket. Auri looked at Zhumon’s red eyes and wanted answers. Zhumon spoke to Auri about having a vision of her being born in the room where time stood still, and how she was here on this planet to save it. “Yes, Melinda wants you again. Think back when you were under pressure, strange things happened right?” Auri nodded yes. “Well, I was sent here to help you remember who you are and show you the way.” Zhumon says at last.

She puts her hand on Auri’s forehead and closes her eyes. Auri felt as if she was falling from a high mountain with no ending. On her fall she saw her whole life from the moment of birth until now, but there was more! She saw past lives so different from one another. Her 3.6 million lives told her that she cannot leave yet and must finish the mission. Auri kept falling and feeling lighter and content with the light all around her. She stopped in the middle of the universe, where gravity did not exist. She was wearing a dress made from light, her eyes looked like water, and she was a queen sitting on her throne. A gentle voice said welcome home and asked why she was back so soon. Although Auri felt like she was at home, she couldn’t remember, and she didn’t know where she was at.

The gentle voice gave her something to drink, and she was able to remember everything. The gentle voice was her dad from her original past life. “Hello Zestiria, Queen of the planet Kabostron, the planet of light, life, and time. One of the most powerful planets in the galaxy. You were gone for so long you forgot who you are.” He said. Every time that Zestiria died and was reborn her powers got weaker, which caused her memories to fade. The veil between death and life will steal part of her each time she passes through it. Now that she knows it, her energy starts coursing back inside herself just by being on her planet.

That is why Melinda was looking for Auri. She knew she was weak and could control her. Auri spent two years with her family in Kabostron before it was time to go. Those years in Uranus time were only minutes. When she was ready, she closed her eyes and felt as if she was being pulled up at the speed of light year. Zhumon's smile and said that she completed her mission. Auri thanked Zhumon before leaving.

Now Auri has the power to go to Melinda and can cross worlds to free souls. She went into a deep sleep, crossing the celestial rainbow between worlds. She finds the right track to Melinda’s world that is known as the world of lost dreams. Melinda gets children from other planes because she wants to create the perfect creature that ever existed. She does not understand perfection does not exist and that everybody is perfect in their own unique way. Melinda is made from blue and black crystals and is the only one of her kind. She wants to make someone like her and is lost in her own universe.

Fear was everywhere. Auri saw her sisters. The bells were ringing. They all knew what it meant! The place looks like a prison with walls everywhere. There were about 2,000 kids. They were half human half robots, with pain in their eyes. There is only darkness in this world.

“Melinda let all these kids go!” says Auri, transforming into her real self Zestiria. She was one of the most beautiful creatures of the universe. Her skin was luminous like diamonds, her hair was fire, and she was wearing an elegant dress made of ruby, and white energy wings.

Melinda was furious and hiding from the light. She was from the darkness, and her magic was obsolete in the presence of light. This was her weakness and Zestiria knew this. It was time to end darkness because the time has come to balance the universe again.

Zestiria was so powerful that she sent all the children back to their bodies with one snap. Melinda had figured out a way to repel the light with the help of crystal Lightoss that she stole from Zestiria. Melinda opened up the book of death and yelled, “You're going to die today Zestiria! Wake up my army of darkness!” The prophecy says that these were creatures of lost souls that were trying to rest in peace, and once awake would destroy everything in their path to find peace again.

“This will not happen again Melinda!” says Zestiria. Before Melinda was able to finish the spell, Zestiria opened the heart shaped locket with the magic key of Kabostron reversing time in a flash and trapped Melinda in the heart of lost time forever. This destroyed Melinda’s planet, making the universe balanced. At least for now… Because where there is light, there will always be darkness.

By Yuliana Arias

Photo by Pixabay