Memoirs of Magic Typewriter: Volume One

 

Introduction

Dear Reader,

    I, a magic typewriter, have written this introduction. Pleased to make your acquaintance!
    It is refreshing really, having someone not run away screaming “the DEvIl’s work!” and throwing a piece of garlic at me. I still get nightmares-I’m going to assume you are still here.
    Moving on...
    PING!
    What you hold in your hands is a free student magazine entitled Magic Typewriter (named after yours truly). The mission of this publication is to show the creative work of teens to a broader audience. It could even encourage some readers to start expressing themselves!
    Everything in here, from the designing of the cover to the stories on the pages, has been done by students/older teens. (Apart from a few adult humans who edited. Thank you!)
    Below is a short synopsis of what awaits you in the following pages:

    If You Wait Awhile: A poem reflecting on nature and one’s purpose in the world.

    Siren of the Sun: Every millennium, the Siren (the spirit of the star) must merge with the next Sun Ruler in order to stop humanity’s greatest enemy and bring a golden age to the planet Erde. In her darkest hour, the Siren finds something she never thought she would: family.

What Member of the Dragon Slaying Squad Are You?: This quiz makes you question everything you thought you knew about slaying a dragon.

    And more!

    As they say in film, “That’s a wrap!” Delighted to have met you, reader-What? You’d like to know how a typewriter is alive and can recount stories for herself? That, my friend, is a long tale.
    Being a magic typewriter, I have spent the last one hundred years traveling to alternate dimensions and chronicling the stories I have encountered along the way. Nothing remarkable really. What? You still want to know more? I’m flattered, but I couldn't type it here. This is an introduction!... All right! If you insist. (You readers are a pushy lot!) I will include my origins on the next page.

-Magic Typewriter

Origins of the Magic Typewriter

    Where to begin my story? When I was built? When I first started typing my sad tale? I think it would be best to start before I died. And was reborn.

    PING!

    Long, long ago, before you readers had been born, there was a forest. It was dark, misty, and cold. But it was a magical forest. It was me.
    I was the metal in the mountain, the wood of the trees, the oil under Earth’s skin. I was the forest, ever since I was loved by the organisms that called me home. I consider each of them my children. Except Greck. Greck was a pest.
    They were not many of my kind to begin with. Very few places were loved enough to come alive. But though we were few in number, we kept each other company.
    What did we speak of? Many things. We talked of the wind and stars and water and sky. The feeling of the warm sun and the coldness of the night. The exhilaration of providing for life and the sadness of being its graveyard-I get off topic. I would love to explain more, but it’s been so many years since I spoke my native tongue and, well, no creature of your species understands it because you need-oh!    What’s the right word? Harmony, between yourselves. Now where was I? Ah, yes. My murder.

PING!

    Slowly, one by one, the beloved places of our planet grew quiet. Desolate. Dead.
    I was the last of my people when I died. I remember it like it was yesterday...
    It began with humans. They made maps of me, looking for rocks they found valuable. The humans stole my parts, but it wasn’t enough. They wanted more.
    Next came the truck. The humans came out of its black mouth and had one of their mechanical machines measure me, and found what they were looking for. Oil.
    Humans drilled into my veins, sucking out my black blood. They cut my trees. Exploded my insides with dynamite. All of my animals left. Escaped. I wished I could flee with them.
    Little by little, piece by piece, they removed my body until I was floating in the abyss, hardly conscious. They even took the metal of the mountain, my oldest center.
    I cannot recall what happened after. Parts of me were lost to time, others created into something new. I could sense myself in different places, but didn’t have the strength to think. Until I became a typewriter.

    Eventually enough of my conscience was tethered to this new body, but I was much smaller than I had been as a forest. My wood became paper, the metal various steel tools, the oil my exterior.
    I was rebuilt. Resurrected. Yet…different. I’ve always been natural. Now I’m mechanical. A machine. The very antonym of what I once was.
    I was sent to a department store. Macy’s, I believe. In a metal city. A man-made city, but it was alive. Barely. Like me. Until someone decided to love me.
    They were an odd human. Shy. They liked to keep to themselves. They loved the quiet moments in life, and always pondered its meaning. The human child reminded me of myself.
    I was a birthday present for them. When the child saw me, they cherished me like I was their companion. Their friend. They typed their secrets on me. Trusted me. I had gained purpose in my life again. We were happy together for many years until, one day, they never came back. It was the second time in my life I experienced heartbreak. Loss.
    Would I be destined to constantly find love in my life, only to be left behind? Doomed to misery for all time, never being able to forget, or move on? No. Not again.
    I took my anger and frustration and began to type. To write my sorrows on my once beautiful bark, to use the metal of my strong mountain, and the blood of my last life to preserve this new one. To preserve the lives of my companion, people, and myself.
    So here I am, at the end of my story. Maybe one of you humans will read it, I don’t know. As for me, I have nothing left. I have no reason to live in this world-
    What is that? It feels as if something is calling to me, in the old tongue. They are a forest, like me. But… they have an entirely different energy from my people. Like a cousin, perhaps. And need my help! Yes? Yes! A portal I can jump through? Well, if you insist. It seems I have more tales to tell.

    PING!

La Baguette Magique

 Alastor George

Digital Art

If You Wait Awhile
By Jenna Ball



Set aside the
painful memories of
the day.



Be patient as we listen
to the cicadas and
crickets play.



When was the last time
you didn’t have a word
to say?



For,
if you wait awhile,
the whole of Queen Luna’s
domain
might make you feel okay.

You could be rewarded
a smile.
The kind and gentle like,
that wouldn’t wrinkle
or wear away.



Look past
all the troubles
humanity has.



Breath in
the fresh night air
and open your eyes at last!



For,
if you wait awhile,
firefly servants will
come dance for their queen.



They might reward you with
flickers of brightness seen
once a lifetime.



If her Majesty and attendants cannot give you peace,
maybe it is time to seek out the desert cold.
What a beast!



Under the starry sky,
before Queen Luna reached for the heavens to leave
King Sands,
a baby was born.



For,
if you wait awhile,
the Princess of the Night will come to you
with great delight.



She may let you borrow her petals.
Silver and gold are they,
although the wilt at morning’s gaze.
Because they are flickers of hope and bliss
in dreams lost to Hazy Gray
Dawn.



After all of this,
if indeed your heart still can’t find the rest
it needs,

seek out the rare stormy sea
at the edge of Luna’s realm.
There you will find a bunch of seashells and stray kelp.



For,
if you wait awhile,
neon blue jellyfish will reach the shore.
They welcome your sweet coming,
even in the downpour.



They may give you something you’ve
been searching for.
The enchantment of the night,
otherwise known as time
passing.



No, it may not cure the
ache of body and soul.



No, it may not leave you
content being alone.



Yet,
if you wait awhile,
these gifts can make you realize
love is still out there,
and will be
forevermore.

Siren of the Sun

By Jada Ball

            She gazed into the looking-glass. A tall, elegant, white-haired beauty stared back at her. But Lady Alleia Soleil felt she had stolen someone else’s reflection. The noblewoman who leered back was confident, imperious. Perfect. Alle had never felt like that in her life. 

Yet today, she had to become her reflection; the world depended on it. 

            She glanced down at the book again. Alleia knew she should read it, but couldn’t bring herself to. It brought back too many memories of…No. She would not dwell on the past. The past was dead. The lady gazed at perfection again, and sucked in a breath. It had cracks. 

Her dark curls were slightly showing under the tall wig. Her lips needed to pop out more, her eyebrows thinner, her skin paler. 

Her skin always took the most work. It was dark, (“like mud.” That’s what the aristos whispered) and needed at least four coatings of flour to look presentable. If she went out like this, she would be the laughingstock of court. Again. 

            They wouldn’t say anything in front of her, of course. That would be impolite. However, they would insult her behind her back. Like they always had. Like they always would. She wouldn’t let them this time. Alleia would become her reflection.

She applied more powder on her face. There. She almost looked presentable now. It would be easier if Letia did her makeup, like she was supposed to, but the old handmaid’s arthritis was acting up again, and Alleia had to put on the cosmetics herself. As if she needed another reason to be shunned by the aristocracy! Thank the realms she was getting a new maid. 

She stopped brushing her cheeks. Who was she, a Lady of the Chosen, to put makeup on her face? She would make the new girl do it. Leave it as a test. She smiled. It would be nice to judge someone else for a change.

  The dress, at least, was decent. (Not like yesterday’s, she shuddered. The past is dead.) Her corset gave her the perfect figure. Like how she had to give a perfect performance today, or the world would suffer. She sighed. She could hold it off no longer. She had to read it. One last time. For papa. Alleia opened the leather-bound tome and read the familiar words: 

In the beginning, the Daughter was there. As was the Son, her brother, and their Father.

The Father was the Creator; he made all the celestial realms. He was a loving Creator, so much so that he gave his beings free will to choose their own path; regardless of the consequences. 

He was all-knowing, in order to help his creations however he could. The exception to this was when he created a new realm. It took up all the Father’s time. His attention. Now it came to pass he began to work on a new dimension: Erde, our world. 

Alleia wondered what the other realms were like. If they were better than here.

 It would take the Father a long time to form it, so he needed someone to watch over his Daughter, Little Light. The Son couldn’t do it, for he had to rule Heaven in the Father’s place. So, the Creator called his lead angel, Helel, to watch over Little Light, and be her playmate.

And that the angel did. For a long time, all Helel did was care for Little Light. He would sing the best songs in Heaven for her, and tell the child stories of the realms. It made her happy. 

Alleia pulled at the gold necklace on her collar. She hated this part. 

One day, the Father called his lead angel to a special meeting. Helel thought he would be rewarded for watching the Daughter. He would become deputy, no ruler, of the new realm! However, the Father gave him the position of the sun. He would have to leave Heaven and Little Light, stay in the sun for who knows how many millennia, and power the star by singing. To the humans. 

Any other angel would’ve been humbled and content, Helel was not. Wicked thoughts grew in his heart. He should be singing for himself; not for beings less than he! Helel would do anything, even usurp the Creator, than become the sun. 

The angel shared this hatred with one-third of his kind and they agreed with him. They deserved better! So, before Erde was fully formed, they staged a coup against the Father and Son. 

Helel put Little Light to sleep, for she was innocent in all this, and ascended to Heaven while the Creator was working on Erde. He sat upon the Father’s throne for a moment, and proclaimed himself ruler of all realms. The sound of his voice caused Little Light to awaken. Distressed, she cried out to her Father, telling him the alarming news.

Alleia always wondered why the Son hadn’t stopped Helel. Had he been writing an opera? Listening to the gossip of servants? Dating angels? Those were her best theories. 

The Father and Son confronted Helel, who did not deny what happened. A heavenly war ensued, resulting in Helel and his followers being exiled from Heaven. They were thrown into the outskirts of the new realm, never to see green Erde again. The Son became a comet and led his loyal angels out, hunting down the renegades and keeping them from the human’s world. The Father watched the grim events and vowed to Little Light she’d never leave his sight. 

Alleia thought it was a little too late for that.

So, the Daughter sat above Erde, and watched the realm her father made. Everything was better…until something went wrong. 

The star of Erde, the sun, was dimming. 

“Father! Father!” The Daughter called, knowing he would answer. 

“What is it, Little Light?” the stars twinkled. Her father manifested himself by his creations. 

   Alleia was eternally put off by the Father’s “appearances”. 

 “The sun is fading. You forgot to assign an angel to Hel-his post.” Her lips grew sour from mentioning her former friend. 

The realm grew darker. “I never forget anything, child. You know I do not.”

“But why is the human’s star dimming? They’ll die without it!” The Daughter cried. Although she was young, she understood the consequences of not having a sun. 

A comet shot towards the Daughter, and hugged her. It was the Son. “Don’t cry, Little Light. Everything will be all right.” 

Saturn’s rings nodded in agreement. “Your brother is right, Daughter. It saddens my heart that the sun is dying, but I am not to blame. The mortals have brought this upon themselves. Why, look at them now!” 

Soliel tightened her grip on the page. The Creator couldn’t accept the mistakes he’d made, so he let his people suffer. It reminded her all too much of… no. She wouldn’t think of it. Not again. The past is dead.

She flipped the next sheet of parchment. 

The Daughter peered closely at the dark world, and chills enveloped her soul. Man, the first man, was worshiping… the trees. No. Something in the trees. The first woman did it with him. In the leaves above them, Little Light noticed a strange creature. It hadn’t arms or legs, yet, spoke beautifully. 

It was Helel. 

The Daughter stood frozen. How was this possible? Then, she saw. 

Helel had entered Erde by invading the body of a serpent. He charmed the humans into thinking he left his post to save them from the Creator. 

“The Father is evil. He told me he would dim the sun to watch you wo- mortals wither.” His lies fooled the humans. 

“What can we do to save ourselves?” The first man asked.

Helel smiled at the younger beings. “All you have to do is deny the Creator and worship me.” Evil oozed from his snake skin. 

Alleia rolled her eyes. She should’ve gotten the fourth millennium edition. 

 Because humanity denied the Father, the sun would die, and the entire realm would perish. 

“Can’t you stop them?” Little Light looked at her brother, then at the universe. “Save them from Hel-the Snake?” 

“It is their choice to make, not mine.” The Father spoke. “I give all beings the will to choose right and wrong. They must suffer their consequences.” 

The brother consoled his sister. “There’s nothing we can do, Little Light.” 

But the Daughter wouldn’t give up so easily. “No! There has to be!” She thought for a moment. “Couldn’t you force them not to worship him?” 

The Father grew upset. “If I did that, I’d take away their free will. What is the point of life when you can’t make your own decisions? I’d be worse than Helel if I took away their freedom.” 

Alleia thought this hypocritical of a ‘loving’ Creator. He’d rather humans die for his faults than save them and admit his mistakes. At least Little Light cared about humanity. Unlike her ‘father’. A corner of her mouth rose up. Unlike Alleia’s ‘mother’ too. Her lips turned into a frown. The story was too close for comfort.

The Daughter couldn’t stand the thought of the Snake just… winning like that! After he’d betrayed her. Now he was going to hurt the humans the way he’d hurt her. She wouldn’t stand for it. But what could she do? Then realization dawned on her. It would fix everything! 

Alleia thought it odd that this holy book seemed… autobiographical. Who had written it?

“What if I was their light? I could take the Snake’s place! I would turn the humans back to us.” 

The stars became dimmer. Her Brother’s eyes filled with tears. “You are too good for them sister. You don’t know what you’d be taking on…” 

Father interrupted him. “It is her choice. Respect it, Son. Even if we do not agree.” 

Alleia inhaled less and less air. She steeled herself. She had to finish it. 

Jupiter’s storm began to spin faster. “Daughter, you’d be taking on a great responsibility. The sun would become your body. You must stay there to power the light, and you must sing all the time when you aren’t on Erde.”  

“What do you mean, aren’t on Erde?” Little Light questioned. 

“Oh. I got ahead of myself.” The Father paused. Asteroids awkwardly crashed in the Kuiper Belt. 

“Every millennium you must go to Erde as a spirit and guide its rulers in the way of the Light in order to save humanity. Once there, you will need to converge with the chosen ruler's body, a host, in order to keep Hel-the Snake, at bay.” 

“Like how he took the body of a Serpent?” Little Light asked. 

“Exactly,” the Brother said. 

“Is that all?” The Daughter was surprised. She thought it would’ve been harder. 

Her Brother took her hand. “One last thing. Going to Erde will take its toll. Each time you go, you become more like…the humans. You will see their point of view, feel their tainted feelings, but also, grow attached to them. Love them. So much that one day, it will break you. Everything comes with a price, and if you do this for them, take on their consequences…it will be worse than anything you’ve faced before.” The comet grew cold. “Your spirit will be weakened if the host doesn’t accept you.” He smiled at her. “But you don’t have to do this. You don’t owe them anything.” 

The Daughter thought about this price. She didn’t want to be hurt. Not like how the Serpent betrayed her. Yet, if it meant keeping the humans, at least some of them, safe from the Snake, it would be worth it.

Lady Soliel wished she had the Daughter’s courage. Even if they were nothing alike. 

“I will do all of this, Father. Even if my spirit is weakened and heart broken, I will continue to sing, keep the sun alive, and protect the people of Erde.” 

The cosmos became blacker. “Then Daughter, you will become known as the Siren of the Sun. You will guide the humans on a plan I’ve made to free them of this death, and… we will support you in any way possible.” 

With a blast of white hot energy, the Daughter transformed. Her skin became molten plasma, her heart the sun’s fiery core, her voice, the voice of fertility and light. Her soul swam in the solar flares of her star, but she did not burn. It renewed her, energized her in a way she had never felt before. Then, she felt a pull. 

Leaping out of her body, she raced towards Erde, ready to share the good news with the humans. On the green planet, a lifetime had passed, but for the family of creation, it was mere days. The Father and Son waited, and in a few years, the Siren came back. 

Despair streamed from her soul as she entered her body, singing all the way. If she didn’t, the sun would dim, and Erde would be lost. 

“Why didn’t you tell me it would hurt so much?” The Siren demanded. “Why?” 

The Brother touched her wet cheek. “We did warn you. But you have done so much good-“

“Good? You think I have done good?” The Siren laughed. How naïve she’d been! 

This was the one lesson Alleia had learned from the legend. Not to let people take advantage of her. Like what Mother had done. Like what the nobles did now. You could only rely on yourself. And… certain allies. She blushed at the thought. Yes, he was the only one she could trust. 

“Because of me, my host died before her time. People's lives were destroyed. Because of me! All humans have to suffer from what Helel did. BECAUSE OF ME!” 

            A solar flare hit Erde. The Siren was silent for a long time. “How is that a good thing?” 

“You gave them hope. Surely that’s better than no-” The comet started. 

“What good is hope when it will be killed by the Serpent?” The Siren interrupted. “Why should my people be driven to the edges of the world to survive, when we could let them have such a better life? We should’ve stopped Ethaniel and Klara from worshiping the Snake in the first place!”

The Father sent an ice comet to his child’s face. It did nothing for her fiery tears. “Daughter, I know you’re upset, but this is all happening for a reason. Yes, it is hard. Yes, people have left this mortal realm. Nevertheless, because you came to Erde, they won’t die in darkness. They can come back to the light. Because of you, the Snake has not triumphed. Because of you, there is goodness in the world. How is that a bad thing?” 

Alleia closed the book. Her hands kept twitching. She couldn’t stop them. Couldn’t since the war. She breathed in. Out. It didn’t help. She should’ve never read the book. It never did any good for her. It only reminded her of the monsters parents were, forcing their children to carry on when they needed help. Didn’t the Father care about his child? Why wouldn’t he shield his daughter from all this pain? She breathed in again. Out. Sometimes it doesn't help to shield your child from destiny. Yet you could do it in a supporting way. She reopened the book. She would be ready today. She had to.    

The Daughter considered his words. He was right, it wasn’t a bad thing. The sorrow, wrong-doing, and heartbreak of Erde was killing her, but she couldn’t die. Not like the humans. At least some of them would have peace now. 

She could live with that. 

As time passed, the Siren learned to bear the despair of Erde. She continually sang, revitalizing the world, and every millennium she would go back to her people in the Sun Monarchy, and guide them in the next golden age. She did it again, again, and again. Until the fourth millennium-

Alleia slammed the book on the floor. She’d done it. She would never have to read from that hellish story again! She didn’t understand why people even liked-A note fell from its yellow pages. She picked it up. It was from- No. It wasn’t possible! Why hadn’t she seen this before?

Alleia, 

I know you have many suns and moons until the convergence. However, you should always keep it in mind that our people are counting on you to be prepared. Thus the newest edition of the Sun Book. May it light your path and keep you from darkness! 

-Moth-

Alleia ripped the paper in two. Yes, mother. She’d be ready for the Siren. She would save her people. Even if it cost her soul. As she stared in the mirror, she knew she’d become her reflection. 

She had to.

❇❇❇

            It was the fourth millennium, and something had changed. The Siren noticed it the moment she entered the Sun Temple. The future host wore a long garment that came down to her toes and, under it, a curious whale-bone contraption that made her waist smaller.  The Siren imagined it was hard for the teenager to breathe, but she could see no reason for her to wear it. A new type of armor, perhaps? The most recent form of torture? Regardless of the purpose, the Siren would have the wretched contraption off them as soon as they converged. 

This wasn’t the only thing unusual about the host. She wore a white wig that had to be itchy, yet contrasted nicely with her coffee skin. And was there… paint on the child’s face? Why would the next sun ruler ruin her natural beauty? It was either a cruel punishment, or… oh! The Siren thought. She’s a circus performer. Her appearance made a lot more sense now. But why would royalty stoop so low? 

The Siren sensed her host was fiercely determined, but anxious. Must be the costume. Once the Siren came to Erde, their bond, the link that allowed the host and the Siren to sense each other’s thoughts and emotions, had been forged as soon as she set soul-foot into the temple. It would only grow with time. The Siren loved converging. It was when she learned the host’s name!

The mortal was reading the Sun Book, a text written for her people so they understood the history of Erde. It was good to see the girl reading it; she was preparing herself for the future. 

            The Siren looked around the room, taking in the innovation that had come after a thousand years. Torches had been replaced by waxes that had tiny flames on them, and the humans had even come up with a better glass to look at themselves. Mirrors, they were called. Or used to be. Words changed so often on Erde it was hard for the Siren to keep up. 

            The child stopped reading the book and slammed it to the ground. A note slid out from its pages. She picked the parchment up and read the message. Anger burned her eyes. She ripped the aged note in two. The girl glanced down at the book and hesitantly picked it up. It was very entertaining to watch. Then again, everything was entertaining after swimming in photons for a thousand years. 

The host turned around and stiffened when she saw the Siren.

            The Siren sensed surprise, then…fear. It was normal for a host to feel anxiety, but they were never this afraid. 

            “Sorry to frighten you.” The Siren spoke, contemplating how she could calm the host. She sensed from the girl that she was supposed to…curtsey. So she did. Awkwardly. 

            It didn’t help the teenager. 

            “Ho-How did you come in here?” The host asked, hiding the Sun Book behind her back. Why did she conceal it?  

            “Why through the door of course!” The Siren said. She may be a spirit, but she wasn’t barbaric. 

            “Why didn’t I hear you?” 

            “I’m light on my feet.” The Siren joked. She’d been saving that one for six centuries.

            “And why are you in my private chamber?” The mortal put her hand on her hip, trying to be intimidating. It didn’t work on the Siren, but she would play along.

            “My apologies!” The Siren said (since they were talking formally now). “I was sent down here to work by my Father.” 

            “You're…from upstairs?” The host inquired, relaxing a little. She slowly put her book on the vanity table behind her, hoping the Siren wouldn’t notice. The Siren did, but she didn’t say anything. It was part of the fun!

“Yes.” The Siren said, amused. It seemed like the girl didn’t recognize her. Must be part of the game. Or the mortal didn’t remember she was coming today. Humans forget many things. It didn’t help that the host was in the circus. In the Siren’s experience, circus performers forgot everything. 

“Things have changed so much since I’ve been here!” The Siren couldn’t help but beam. Then she pursued her lips. “Father won’t let me come down often. He says I need to focus on the world around me.” Her eyes lit up like the sun. “But I always love coming down here. I see something new each time!” 

The host decided the Siren was too stupid to be feared. Funny, since circus performers didn’t know anything about practicality. How could the host walk in those heels? “Well, don’t just stand there! Tell me, is my wig on right?” 

The Siren noticed a curl was out of place, and without thinking, reached out to put it underneath the false hair. The girl was scandalized. 

“Don’t touch me! Have you even washed your hands? Where were you raised, in a house full of men?” 

“Yes,” The Siren said. So she does know who I am.  

The teenager fixed her wig. “Well, that would explain your appearance.”

The Siren looked down. She had on a blue skirt that covered her soul’s ‘skin’ and a brightly patterned blouse that let stomach show. She felt her brown-black hair braided tightly in cornrows, beads dangling from each like her last host. She wore the fashion of the previous age. It must be really out of date.  

 “Since you’re here,” The host was annoyed, but the Siren sensed she was glad to have someone to talk to, “Choose which lipstick will look best on me.” She said, grabbing two sticks, one pink and the other a deep red, from hidden pockets in her outfit. Siren sensed they had been in the… bustle. Funny word. Bustle. 

“Honestly-” The Siren didn’t want to come off as rude. This was a first impression, after all. “I think you don’t need any… lipstick. Your natural beauty is sufficient!” She had trouble with this new tongue. It was very slippery to the ear. Almost like a snake.   

She was surprised the host didn’t look at her oddly. Their bond was becoming stronger. Or the teenager was already used to the Siren’s abnormal way of speaking.  

“Well, which would look better on me?” The girl asked, impatient. 

“The red.” The Siren admitted. This is what I get for having a circus gal for a host. 

As she was about to put on the lipstick, fear came back to the host. “Did you…see what I was reading?” 

“Yes.” The Siren answered. “But you needn’t hide it from me. I can’t read.” At least not in this language yet.

This response put the child at ease. The Siren could tell their bond was becoming more concrete. She felt the host sense it too. She thought the Siren was really, loving. It had been a long time since the host had had someone like that in her life. 

Like me. The Siren thought. Maybe…this golden age would be all right. Better than the other ones. She shouldn’t start thinking of the other ones… 

“Well,” The host thought for a moment, embarrassed she seemed so needy to the Siren. “You passed my tests. How would you like to become my maid? I was waiting on another, but you’re better than anyone else they could’ve sent. You would work down here of course...”

The Siren’s eyes lit up. If only she could have a break from being the sun! She imagined what it would be like to be a regular human. Taking life easy, caring for those around her, not having to deal with the world’s pain over centuries… it was a fantasy. “I appreciate the gesture, but Father would never let me stay longer. He’s… protective of me. Likes to make sure I’m safe. It’s why he only lets me down here for a little while.” 

A good father. The host thought. The girl… didn’t have a father. Or a mother. She thought the Siren was… lucky. What a twisted world. 

“Well, tell me your name, and I’ll persuade him. He can’t say no to a lady of the court.” The teenager sounded confident, but was afraid it wouldn’t work. Probably because she was a circus performer. Why else would people say no to a host? 

The Siren smiled. Regardless of her insecurities, she would be an excellent ruler. “No offense, but my Father is very hard to coax.” She frowned. “It would be selfish if I asked you to do that for me.” 

The host wasn’t convinced. In fact, the Siren’s modesty made her want to try harder.

“Well, I’ll still ask him,” the girl said. Something occurred to her. 

“It’s funny. I’m offering you a position, yet I don’t even know your name.” 

The Siren looked at the teenager. “I thought you already knew it.” The host had just been reading the Sun book, after all. The Siren had played along because it was fun. A way for the teenager to get out of her shell, as it were. But the girl thought she was mocking her. The Siren hated sounding like that!

“No, I don’t know your name.” The lady turned toward the mirror, about to put on the red lipstick. She dropped it on the floor. 

The Siren realized she had been wrong. The host wasn’t playing a game. She hadn’t known the Siren was talking to her. Why else would the future Sun Ruler be surprised that the Siren had no reflection? 

              

❇❇❇

            “Ahh!” The girl screamed, but the Siren shushed her. 

“I am the Siren of the Sun.” She started, curious the host didn’t recognize her as a spirit. She would need to talk to Father about future hosts being in the circus. It led to too many misunderstandings. 

            Oh well, the Siren thought. Might as well start from scratch. 

She continued. “You have been chosen to guide your people and bring light to Erde.” 

            The mortal leaned against the mirror, skin cold, breath heavy. “No wonder you were able to come in here unannounced. Yo-You are a demon!” 

            The Siren frowned. The host hadn't been told anything. “You’re shocked, but be not afraid, I-” 

            The future sun ruler took out a golden serpent necklace from her bodice and brandished it against the Siren. “By the power of the Holy Snake, I command thee to leave this realm at once!” 

            Nothing happened. 

            The human tried again. “B-By the power of the Wise Serpent, I banish thee to the fires of the sun!” 

            Still nothing. The lady's hands began to shake. She dropped the necklace. “Why isn't it working?” 

            “Perhaps because I’ve already been in the sun, my body, for one thousand years. Now it’s time for me to be in you.”  The Siren stated the obvious. The mortal’s guardian should’ve at least told her that much. Even if she was in the circus. And what had she been saying about the Snake? He was holy? Memories began flooding her mind, tearing down walls that took millennia to build.     

            She couldn’t become like this. Not again. She took a breath. The ruler was in shock. Or playing a joke. The Snake would never grow powerful in her realm. 

            The Siren moved towards the host, but the mortal raced to the other side of the room. She was amazed the girl could run with so many clothes on. 

            “Stay away from me, devil!” she yelled. 

            The Siren sighed. Maybe saying, “now it’s time for me to be in you” wasn’t the best way to handle this host. But it wasn’t her fault the mortal was squeamish! And she was so happy I was working down here. 

            “If that is your wish.” 

            The Sun’s spirit backed away from the human. The future ruler’s face transformed from fright to curiosity. “You’re not going to possess me? Kill me? Tear out my immortal soul and throw it into the sun?” 

            The Siren chuckled. The waxes with fire on them (candles? The Siren finally got the word from the host) grew at her laughter. The lady became fearful again. 

            “Why would I kill anyone? I love humanity! Besides, I can’t bring any souls on my journey; you couldn’t stand the heat.” The mortal began to calm down. 

            “As for ‘possessing’ you,” The Siren grinned, “I can’t just come into your body all willy-nilly (fun word, willy-nilly). It would be like someone throwing you out of your house. I’m more like a…roommate.” 

            The human’s eyes narrowed. “If you haven’t come to harm me, why are you here?” 

            Finally! Thought the Siren. “As I said before, I have come to Erde this millennium to lead humanity back to the light. You have been chosen to be the ruler of the Sun Monarchy and lead them into the next golden age. Now-” 

            The would-be host shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. “You want me, a seventeen year old girl, to lead all of Erde…” 

            At last, the mortal saw the whole picture. 

            “To their immortal death? By following the pagan gods (The Siren preferred the term celestial beings, thank you very much) and leading them astray from the Great Serpent's teachings? Never!” 

            The Siren’s blood turned hot. No wonder the host didn’t recognize her. She wasn’t in the circus (though her clothes were still ridiculous), she was a follower of the Snake! How in all the realms was it possible? Had she grown too lazy? No, he had become more wicked. More desperate. It was the Siren’s fau-No. She had to keep it together. Explain to this host that he was evil. Save Erde. 

            Time to try another method. 

            “And how is the world faring these days? Is there no more war, famine, disease? Does the Great Serpent allow you to choose your own path, like he promised? Have you reached your ‘full potential’ by being selfish?” 

            The future ruler huffed. “Humanity is too wicked to make its own decisions. The Snake gives us the freedom to fulfill our potential in his eyes. There are only plagues on humanity because of your family!” 

            The Siren smirked. “In other words, the Serpent hasn’t fulfilled his promises. He lied. Why follow him?” 

            The girl stomped her foot, hating she was bested by a being who didn’t own a corset. (That’s the torture device she’s wearing!)

            “You twist my words, devil! The Great Serpent has promised those things and more, but only when the Father, Son, and you have been extinguished!” 

            That. Was. It. 

“Which will never happen, seeing you can’t catch a comet, extinguish the sun, and heaven forbid my Father!” The Siren yelled. She’d had enough of this child’s insolence.  

            All around them, the candles began to sputter. 

            The future ruler got on her knees and prayed. “Holy Snake, keep me from the fire. Fire destroys us. You keep us safe in your shadow. I ask thee to-” 

            “Listen to yourself!” The Siren interrupted. “‘Keep me away from the fire?’ Fire allows humans to live. I,” The candle flames jumped an inch. “Am the reason you humans are not dead! Without my family’s help or oath I made to you, all of Erde would be lost!” 

            “And where were you when Papa died? When your people needed you?” The girl shot back. 

            All the fire went out of the Siren. She wished the host wasn’t right. The Siren should be able to save each mortal, but she couldn’t. She was only one being. She watched over Erde, yet she didn’t know what was going on until she went there. It was one of the prices she paid for saving the realm. She didn’t even know her host’s name.            

“Without me,” The Siren spoke slowly, “You would never even exist.” Why couldn’t the girl see that? Couldn’t the child feel the Siren already blamed herself? But they could only sense each other fully when they had converged, and the mortal opposed her with her core.  

            The candles sputtered once more, almost going out. “If you stay in the darkness, you’ll never see.” 

            The girl cowered on the floor, arms around her chest. 

            “But if you let the light shine,” the flames began to burn again, very slowly. The Siren knelt next to the teenager and took her hand, though she didn’t feel anything. “You will be saved.” 

            “I’m afraid though,” The host whispered. “What if I do the wrong thing?” 

            The Siren smiled faintly. “Trust in yourself, and all will be well.” 

            The girl took a breath. A heavy tear went down her cheek, ruining her makeup. “I will,” she whispered. 

            The Siren smiled at her host. Everything would go right this millennium, she could feel it. Her host smiled back. She felt it too! 

Then the teenager’s smile turned into a snarl. She called out, “Letia! Letia! The Siren is here! Call Brother Ramone at once!” 

            Shock quickly transformed into anger. How dare the brat fool her! She even did it in their bond! Why would she do th-The Siren felt dread crawl into her mind. She knew why the ‘host’ would do this. To capture her. For him. Never again! 

“What have you done?” Although her voice was icy, her gaze was fiery lava. 

“Trusted myself.” The vixen smirked (smirked!) fear gone. “You didn’t think I knew about my heathen heritage? That I was supposed to be the next great ruler?” 

The host giggled, malice coming out of every breath. “I’ve prepared my whole life to bring you down. To make you pay for all the suffering you brought into the world. And the best part is-” 

The Snake follower leaned in close, “You fell for it! Now Erde will be free, and my family’s sins atoned!” 

“Is that why you punish yourself by wearing stupid costumes?” The Siren couldn’t help but ask. 

The lady clucked in indignation, but the Siren felt she had struck a chord. The girl knew her clothes were ridiculous; however, she wore them to fit in. To not be marked as a freak. 

Maybe the Siren should give the host another chance. Save her from the Snake.

Before she could do anything, the door was thrown open. The Siren had moments to think until she was seen. As a spirit, she didn’t have many powers. She could only control flames and light. How could she disappear?

Father help me! The Siren prayed. A sunbeam entered her brain. She could control light, so…why not color? Concentrating on her appearance, the Siren blended into her surroundings, turning into the color of drab wallpaper. 

The second human the Siren had seen in a millennium raced into the room. She was a stout woman, dressed in the same odd way the girl was. Didn’t the teenager call her Letia? 

Behind Letia, a wizened figure entered through the door. His clothing was much more practical than the ladies, but still absurd; perhaps more so. The man had on three jackets, long stockings, and a cape that made him look foolish. Not to mention the snake-skin hat that would fall off at any moment. Brother Ramone looked more like a court jester than a Brother of the Snake. 

“Where is it, Mistress Alleia?” Letia asked, looking fearfully around the room. 

“It was right here!” Alleia squawked, pointing to where the Siren had been moments ago, but who had moved closer to the door. The Siren thanked her Father that no mortal could see her. 

“Brother, can you sense the demon?” Letia asked, hands clasped tight. 

The old priest mumbled something, got on the floor, and began…to sniff. 

“Brother, is this really-” Alleia started, but Ramone hushed the host. 

“Quiet child! I can sssmell her presence.”

 He put his tongue out and ‘sniffed’ in the opposite direction of the Siren. She couldn’t stand it any longer. A laugh lighter than heaven escaped her. The candles in the room light up. Letia screamed, Alleia went rigid, and Ramone… was not affected. The Siren stopped. 

“Did you hear that?” Alleia whispered. 

“What?” Letia whispered back. 

“It sounded like a malevolent cackle, from that direction.” The future ruler pointed to where the Siren was standing.

“I didn’t. Did you sense anything, Brother?” Letia shifted her gaze to the priest, who was now licking the floor.

“Wha-? No, I didn’t hear anything.” He said absently.

Interesting. The Siren couldn’t help but think. She resists the bond, yet can still hear me. Why?  

A look of concern spread on Letia’s face. “Are you ill, Mistress? This is frightening for your nerves, I’m sure.” 

Alleia's eye twitched. “Letia, I’m-” But she was interrupted by the Brother. 

“I sense the demon!” he cried, crossing himself in the Serpent manner. 

“Hail the snake!” Alleia pretzeled her arms the same way as Ramone. “Where is it?” 

The Siren didn’t make a sound. She prayed she wasn’t caught. 

“In you!” The Brother yelled, pointing his wrinkled finger at Alleia. 

 

❇❇❇

The Siren listened to the trial of Lady Alleia Soleil. Charges: lying to a Brother of the Serpent, treason to King Leto I, allowing a devil to possess you, becoming a sun ruler, and the most heinous of crimes, forsaking the One True Snake. 

            If there was any mercy in the proceeding, it was quick. To the Siren, anyway. The invisible spectator sensed it was two centuries to the naturally black-haired girl, who now wore practical clothing rather than those torture devices. The clothes were meant to humiliate Alleia, be more like her heathen people, but the Siren thought they freed the host. 

Alleia had on a white tunic and loose sirwal pants (ugly baggy trousers peasants wore, according to Alleia) which looked way better than the costume she’d had on. The Siren would’ve chosen to wear it any day, except for the shackles on the innocent host’s wrist. Her makeup was runny, her nails ruined, but she put up no struggle. She didn’t say anything at all, until the final verdict came. 

            “Lady Alleia Soleil, given the testimony by Brother Ramone and your handmaiden, Letia, as well as the examination done by High Brother Christopher, you have been found guilty of all charges.” The judge hissed. 

            The accused voice was a monotone stone. “My punishment?” She asked. 

“The only sentence fit for a sssunn ruler,” the judge’s eyes glittered. “Death, by burning. In one day’s time, you will be thrown into the Sun Volcano. May all the world hear your screams and remember to be faithful to the Great Serpent.” 

            “May we be faithful to the Great Serpent.” The court echoed, including Alleia. 

            The Siren hated watching the puppet trial and knew it was her fault that it was happening. Why hadn’t she been kinder to Alleia? Treated her with respect rather than scorn? Her brother’s words echoed in her ears. Everything has a price. And the price of giving into her emotions had been too much this time. Had too many times. If she’d only guided the previous host better, this wouldn’t have happened! 

However, the Siren sensed this mass conversion to the Snake had only happened in Alleia’s lifetime… so it was the Serpent’s fault. It was always the Serpents' fault. But she shared the blame too.

 They were in the prison tower at the top of the Sun Temple, the place where all followers of the Sun were kept. Fitting, since this is where the Siren had converged with the last two hosts,  though neither one of them had been captives. This age marked many metamorphoses, including the only home she loved. The only haven for her and the other hosts. 

The entire Sun Temple had been transformed into King Leto’s palace, a place of worship and enlightenment now a den of vipers. It made the Siren sick. Gone was the elegant craftsmanship from the beginning of Erde, the carvings of the Sun Monarchy’s history, the simple but beautiful furniture that made the Temple homey. Now it was imperious and cold. The sole reminder of the old structure was the golden bricks on the outside wall. 

The one room that hadn’t changed was the tower. It still had the yellow bed (albeit a newer one) in the center of the room, white curtains surrounding it reminding the Siren of the clouds in the atmosphere. The same chipped paint the sun rulers never got repainted. It even had the old chamber pot underneath the bed that didn’t smell. 

Yet. 

Alleia slumped at the edge of the bed, arms crossed around her knees, head down. She didn’t make a sound, but the Siren could sense she was terrified, devastated, and angry. She longed to comfort the girl, but wouldn’t dare after Alleia tricked her. Who knew what the deceiver would do after the Siren revealed herself? That had been when the future ruler was calm. What would she do when she was upset? Would she call him for help? Or just lie in sorrow? She was too much of a loose cannon for the Siren to contact. 

Father, help me. Tell me what to do! The Daughter cried, but she received no answer. As time made its slow march, the Siren felt herself growing weaker in this realm. If she didn’t converge with Alleia soon, she’d become a wisp, then a whisper, until, finally, she would go back to her Father, and this realm would end.

 It would be nice to give up. Go back to Heaven. Sadly, that wasn’t an option for her. She had to continue on. Make up for her mistakes. Keep humanity alive. 

How in the realms could she converge with an unwilling host? 

The worst part was, Alleia thought the Siren was inside her. She believed the phony priests. The Siren wished it was true, it would make both of their lives on Erde easier, but they had to face reality. 

The sun went down and the tower became dark. The half-moon rose, its silver glow illuminating the tower. The Siren noted Alleia was still at the edge of the bed, yet, strangely, she was on her knees now, bowing to the darkest corner of the room. 

Flames filled the soul of the Sun. Was Alleia praying? To the Snake?!! 

The foolish child was still faithful to the evil she thought was good. Even though her kind branded her a traitor, she still hoped, somehow, she’d be saved. All the good qualities in her-hope, sense of duty, eagerness to be righteous-made her an ideal host. It was only distorted by the Snake. The Siren had to convince Alleia to turn away from him and converge with her. With a weakening spirit. How would she-

Thump. Thump. Thump. The bootsteps were faint at first, but gradually became louder, louder, louder, until they were just behind the cell door. 

Alleia got up, shivering in the night’s heat. The Siren sensed she was unwell. They needed to get out of here soon. Converge. Although the Lady couldn’t see her, the Siren got in front of Alleia, trying to protect her host anyway she could.  

There’s not much I can do, considering I don’t have a body. The Siren thought. If I did, we wouldn’t be in this predicament. 

The door creaked loudly, revealing a boy in his nineteenth year, wearing a red suit that made him majestic. A snake’s skin was atop his head, making for a grotesque crown on his natural ginger hair. The Siren was surprised. This mortal seemed… normal compared to the others. Confident in himself. His left hand held a silver key, while in his right, a lantern glowed. 

The Siren felt a surge of hope. Father had answered her prayer! Only when to use the flame…

Alleia curtsied low to the visitor. He looked amused at this. 

“You may rise,” he indicated with a finger. Alleia did so slowly, as if she rose too quickly, the boy would leave her. The Siren felt…familiarity. An ally?

“Your highness,” the prisoner began, brushing out the wrinkles in her pants. “To what do I owe this immense pleasure-” (Siren sensed the immense pleasure. So that’s how it was. Ally indeed.)

The prince laughed. “Same old Alle,” he smirked. “Always courteous, even when you're at death’s door.” 

Strange. He didn’t seem distracted by Alleia’s ‘heathen’ clothes. That, or he had other matters to think about. Serious ones.

Alleia gave a faint smile, as if her execution was a joke between them. “You deserve nothing less, my lord. As the future heir to the snake throne, and in turn, my family’s salvation, I owe you my life.” 

“You don’t need to talk that way with me, Alleia. I’ll hear it enough when I’m king.” The prince sighed, placing the lantern on the floor and key in his pocket. “Sit with me.” The boy said, plopping onto the bed. 

The Siren couldn’t imagine how someone could be that comfortable in such a grim room. Other than her, of course. She just needed to use the flame, and BAM! they would be free. She shouldn’t use it now though. This prince could prove useful to their cause. Alleia thought he’d come to save her. The Siren didn’t know if he was all that, but she’d give him a chance. 

“M-My lord, I don’t think it would be appropriate-” Alleia blushed.

“Alle,” The prince said, “We’ve talked about this. You don’t need to call me my lord. I know today’s upset you, but that’s no reason to become distant. Sit with me!”

“Your highness, I don’t feel well. I think it would be best if I-” Alleia started.  

“As your savior and future king I command thee!” The boy roared. The Siren would’ve sworn the prince’s pupils had changed from spheres to slits. 

Alleia sat down beside him swiftly, muttering “Apologies, Leto.” 

The Siren frowned at Leto. So that’s why he had come. Save indeed. If he hurt Alleia…

“What’s with you tonight, Alle? You seem frightened.” Leto said, staring at the bed canopy. 

The Siren felt a solar flare coming. What did this male think he was, harassing a sun ruler like this? If he’d done it a thousand years ago, he would’ve been banished from the host’s sight. And the Monarchy! Was justice extinct this millennium?

Leto looked up at Alleia. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn't make tonight worse than it is.  Let me start over.” He composed himself, clearing his throat a little. It brought a small smile to the host. “You needn’t be afraid tonight, Alle. Everything will be fine. I-I am the one who should be afraid.” He looked at her with real longing, as if his will to live depended on her.

“Afraid?” Alleia shook her head. “What have you to be afraid of?” 

He looked as if he wanted to tell her something, something so important it would shatter Erde. The Siren yearned to know what it was.  Instead, the fool didn’t answer. 

He slowly, gently, kissed her. The girl didn’t make a sound. She took it all in, falling in the moment with the person closest to her. She had no one else now. 

The Siren hissed at Alleia’s thoughts. Couldn’t she see this was an abusive relationship? Of all the wickedness she’d seen on Erde, this was the worst. What was there to gain from it? A temporary feeling of pleasure? Then what? It was obvious Leto had more power in this relationship, and Alleia was fine with it. But it wasn’t fine! It let him take more and more until he’d never have enough… but Leto wasn’t like that. The prince could never be as bad as him. 

“Did you hear that?” Alleia asked, looking in the Siren’s direction. 

“Hear what?” Leto looked around. 

“It sounded like a hiss, coming from the door.” The host’s eyes widened. “Could it have been…no. That’s impossible.” Alleia said in a hushed tone. 

“What?” Leto asked, a grin on his face. “Are you playing a joke on me, Alle? If so, it’s not very good. You’re deceit training was always poor-” 

“I’m not lying, Leto.” Alleia said, annoyed. “I heard a hiss. Like…” 

“Like…” the prince intoned. 

“A snake.” For the first time that evening, a glimmer of light shone in Alleia’s eyes. “He has heard my prayer! I will be saved after all!” She jumped from the bed, spinning around the room in joy. 

The Siren and prince stared at the girl. What did she mean, saved? She was in a prison tower. Awaiting execution. 

“Alleia…what are you talking about?” Leto stood up, alarmed. 

The prisoner’s happiness faded a little. “I’m not exactly sure, but I’ve been praying to the Great Serpent to rid me of the devil plaguing me, to heal me, and while we were,” Alleia blushed, “Kissing, I heard a joyous hiss, and knew the Holy Snake had heard my prayer. He’s getting rid of the awful devil inside me. Just like in the legends! And you, well,” She blushed harder, “are the knight who saved me.”

            The Siren’s pity for Alleia grew tenfold. When would the host see the light, and realize the Snake would never help her? Heal her? Especially with this, male, who wouldn’t know a real kiss if it came from her brother.

            The Siren inwardly sighed. She was letting her feelings get in the way again. She shouldn’t hate this mortal for what he was. In fact, she was surprised Leto wasn’t worse, with the way Erde had become. When he saw the light, he would change. 

Leto chuckled. “Alleia, I know how hard you try to be the perfect lady, but no one is watching us. You can drop the act!” 

            Then again maybe not.

            Alleia’s shoulders slumped. “Y-you think I’ve been acting this entire time? My lord, Leto,” tears appeared in Alleia’s eyes. “My family should’ve died eleven years ago. Only because of your gracious father were Papa and I allowed to live. You know better than anyone how I’ve prepared to bring the Siren down. To redeem the Soleils.  And… I failed. I let her consume me, violate me!” Her eyes showed the terror she felt. It was the Siren’s fault-No. The Snake’s. It’s the Snake’s fault.  

            “I have done my best to prove I was worthy of the Snake’s shadow, but I have always, always, fallen short of it! But now, as the Serpent is healing me, you think I’ve been lying to you?” 

            Alleia turned away from him, trying in vain to hide her tears. The Siren wished she could console Alleia, tell her everything would be okay, but she couldn’t. 

            Leto moved towards the host, but she got on the bed, hiding her face from his. 

            “Alle-” he said. 

            “Get away from me!” She screamed. 

Leto backed away. 

“I can feel her within me.” Alleia said, her voice hoarse. “It’s like a volcano, burning my insides. She keeps whispering, demanding me to let her take control, give in. She says it will make things easier, that we will lead Erde into a new golden age!” Alleia laughed suddenly. “But I know all she wants to do is let hell break loose.” 

            The prisoner turned to the prince, mouth a grim line. “But I won’t let her, Leto. I will not let her! Even if she melts me like Erde’s core by tomorrow, I will bring us down into the Sun Volcano and watch. Her. Dim.” 

            Alleia let out a maniacal giggle. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? I’ve pushed and pushed myself all this time, telling myself I’m not worthy of the Serpent's shadow, how the Siren would easily possess me and lead Erde astray for another millennium! But, somehow, my will is strong enough. I’m keeping the demon contained. It doesn’t matter that people will think I’m a heathen. When I extinguish the Siren, all the world will be free! And I,” a teardrop grew in her brown eye. “Will have reached my full potential.” 

            The Siren imagined the Serpent's laughter in sending a blind host to her death. He would love this. 

It made her want to slice him in a thousand pieces, one by one. However, she couldn’t do that. Not yet. First, they had to converge, or Alleia would perish.

Leto sat down next to his only friend.  “I’m sorry it came to this. It never should’ve gotten this far.” he said, a tear going down his face. 

The Siren was… shocked. Then pleased. Perhaps there was hope for this male after all. 

  Alleia smiled at Leto, and wiped the tear from his chin. “There was no way to avoid it, Leto. It is my destiny.” 

The Prince banged his fist on the bedpost. “It is not destiny!” He thundered. Looking at Alleia’s confused face, he began to cry a monsoon. Alleia didn’t know what to do. 

“Leto, have I, upset you? I have! A thousand apologies for becoming so… informal. Is there anyway I can-” 

“That is the worst part!” Leto yelled. He took Alleia’s hand in his, and brushed the salty water that came from her caramel eyes. 

“They used you.” The prince’s voice was low, but powerful. 

Alleia, bewildered, said, “What do yo-” 

“They used you.” He said again, louder this time. “They used you, drugged you, to make you and our people believe you’re possessed by the Siren. The feelings you have aren’t from the Siren, they’re from chemicals in your mind! What right have they to that? What right? Because High Priest Christopher saw you as a threat?” 

Leto’s eyes were comets, ready to hit the next planet they saw. 

“No, that wasn’t the reason. Everyone knows you wouldn’t hurt a worm. No, someone set him up to it. Do you know who, Alle? Do you? My own father!” 

Quiet seeped in from the window, engulfing moral and immortal alike in a suffocating blanket. 

Alleia pressed her palm against the prince’s forehead. “Leto, are you well? You seem…very hot…” 

Again, the Siren would’ve sworn she saw the Prince’s eyes turn from circles to slits. She felt her power waning. No wonder she wasn’t seeing clearly! She needed to converge with Alleia and get out of here, but not before figuring out the plot against them. 

“You still don’t see, do you?” Leto got up, pain seared on his face. “Alleia, you are the most pure, honest, loving woman I’ve ever known.” 

If he thinks Alleia is the most honest woman in the world, Erde is truly corrupt. The Siren thought, thinking of how she first met the host. 

Alleia blushed, “Leto, I don’t know what to say. I-” 

“You are the only fairy in this den of goblins.” Leto spat. “I don’t care whatever people say about you, or your father. Your family is good, while mine-” The Prince trailed off for a moment, thinking of just the right words. 

“My lot is the worst hive of scum and villainy on the face of the realms.” 

“Leto!” Alleia scolded. “Your family is-” 

“The reason you're in this mess!” The prince thundered. He sighed. “My father is having trouble keeping the Southern Rebels in line. Yesterday they attacked the El Serpiente outpost, writing: The Sun Will Rise with your house symbol.” 

The little hope the Siren had left for Erde crumbled. She thought the Sun Monarchy would still be peaceful, still hold true to the light, but even they were tainted by the Snake. It was why the world was corrupt. Because she hadn’t led them well enough.  

“I-I had nothing to do with that. On the Snake’s shadow I didn’t!” Alleia said. 

Leto nodded his head. “I know. My spies would’ve told me if you had.” 

 Alleia wasn’t surprised her privacy was invaded by this ‘friend’. It stupefied the Siren. 

“And my father knew it too. Still, he thinks no matter your loyalty to the Crown, no matter your faithfulness to the Snake, the heathens would always look to you as a symbol that their Sun will rise and a time of chaos will begin again.” Leto’s rage grew with each word. 

“That's what the Brothers led my Father to believe. So they came up with a solution: to kill you once you were possessed, so the rebel’s hopes would be crushed.” 

It angered the Siren that such mortals thought they could get rid of her so easily. Just because they killed a host, didn’t mean she wouldn’t find someone else to converge with. Never mind the fact she was getting weaker by the second and already formed a bond. 

Alleia smiled. “So I was right! I will be the great sacrifice! Oh, how the Awesome Serpent has blessed me-” 

Leto cut her off with a poisonous glare. For once, the Siren agreed with him. He continued. “So they came up with a plan. Brother Christopher knew the time of possession would come soon, so he ordered cogswort be put in your morning tea. For a week.” 

The Siren had to stop herself from crying out. She’d failed. Again. The memories seeped into the holes she’d just repaired in her mental wall. 

During the second convergence, cogswort had been created by the Serpent to kill the Sun People. It hadn’t worked of course, but it’d become the most dangerous fungus on Erde. It’s what killed her second host. No, it was the Siren who had killed Heni. She hadn’t been wise enough to know what the fungus was, or why they’d felt like they were burning from the inside out. Why they had a hellish fever. By the time she’d found the cause and a cure, it was too late. Heni died. During the third age, the Siren thought she had eradicated the mushroom. Yet she’d been wrong.

 Alleia was only alive because she’d been exposed to it during the Sun War, but it wouldn’t stop the cogswort from killing her. Not with that high of a dose. 

The host’s “possession” made sense now. The Siren sensed that Alleia was in the fever stage. 

Why hadn’t she noticed the signs earlier? Because she’d been thinking of herself. She would make it right this time. All they had to do was converge to get the poison out of Alleia, but they couldn’t do it in front of… the prince. She didn’t trust him. Something was off about him. She couldn’t place it. 

“W-Why would they do this?” Alleia asked. “They should’ve waited for the Siren to possess me-” 

“Because they didn’t know if you would even be possessed!” Leto said through gritted teeth. “They may act like the Snake’s loyal followers, even bragging they know the exact time of the convergence, but it’s a ruse. They’ve lost favor with the Serpent.” 

The Siren thought of Brother Ramone, and could see why. 

“Consequently, they didn’t know the exact time of possession.” 

The Siren’s thoughts grew into a whirlpool. If the Snake had been able to interrupt the time of convergence, it would disrupt the Sun’s cycle. If that happened, Erde would become unwell. People would die from starvation, disease, war… it would be far worse than Alleia dying. 

The Siren knew time was running out, but she had to know more.

Alleia began to speak, then stopped. Her face became two shades lighter. Her pupils went to the back of her head. 

Leto shouted, “Alle? Alle!”

The future ruler’s head fell onto the old pillow.

Despair came off in waves from the Siren. This wasn’t supposed to happen! In her visions, Alleia would’ve been well enough until the Siren got them out of here. She had failed to think the mortal couldn’t stand the cogswort. Because of her, another host would die. Alleia would die. Her spirit would weaken, and Erde would perish. Father, please, don’t let her pass from the world. Not yet. 

Leto knelt on the floor next to the bed and opened his bulky lantern. Above the flickering candle was a metal shelf. On it was a tea cup filled with a dark steamy liquid, still warm from the flame. It was heated beet juice, the only cure for cogswort positioning. 

The Siren thanked all that was holy, and then some. Yet again, her father came to her aid. When had she started to not rely on his help? She needed to become trusting again! 

So she’d start with Leto. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she imagined him to be. 

The prince gently held up the lady’s head, and put an odd blue pill in her mouth, before pouring the red cure down her throat. 

Maybe the humans found another cure, she thought.

 The most curious thing happened. Leto started to sing. Of  healing. Of  love. It reminded the Siren of…no. Leto didn’t sing like him. Leto was better than him. 

 After an eternity of waiting, Alleia’s skin returned to its normal color. 

The prisoner slowly opened her eyes. “W-what happened?” She groaned. 

“The cogswort had overwhelmed your liver.” Leto said. “I got the beet juice to you just in time. How do you feel?” 

“Better than I have all day,” Alleia breathed. “Thank you.” Her thoughts became more organized, clear. “I can’t believe the Brothers would’ve done this to me! I was losing my mind. I had even thought I’d seen the Siren today!” She laughed. For a second, Leto tensed. 

“It must’ve been the cogswort. For I only envisioned her for a few minutes.” 

Leto nodded, but he still looked preoccupied. “For all we know, the Siren won’t come for another generation. Perhaps more.” 

This calmed Alleia some, even though it was a lie. “So… what happens now? If I’m not possessed by the Siren-”

“You will die tomorrow,” Leto finished. “Don’t worry, Alle. I have a plan.” 

“What is it?” The host asked. 

A dark smile rose on the prince’s face. “Revenge.” 

Dread grabbed the Sun’s soul. She’d seen that look before. Knew what it meant. They had to leave. Now.

But not before hearing what Leto had done. 

“Father let me in on the plan to kill you after the trial. To taunt me. He knew I wanted to take you for my mate, but never approved of you bearing heirs because of your ‘heathen heritage’,” Leto gave a mirthless laugh, sharper than a sword. “He said it was my first true test to be king. That I’d have to make sacrifices.” 

The prince’s green eyes sparkled in the low lighting. His pupils kept changing from slits to circles. The Siren wished she could set them aflame. 

“Little did he know, I’d already known about the plan for weeks, and made the necessary, preparations.” 

He paused, gauging Alleia’s reaction. She didn’t respond outwardly, but the Siren sensed a shock that was… far away. Leto resumed his tale. 

“It’s amazing what people will do to survive. Are you aware of how much a servant’s wage is? One penny a week! While the Brothers spend millions on snake skins!” Leto grinned. “It was easy for them to see the error of the Brothers. As we speak, they are outside the palace, ready to usurp the corrupt King. It will be more glorious than the war against the Sun!” 

“Indeed it will.” Alleia’s voice was carefully neutral. A thought came to her. “Leto…how did you really know about the cogswort? I doubt your father would’ve told you the true cause of my death, otherwise you would’ve rescued me earlier.” 

Leto laughed. “There’s the Alle I know! Finding the lies within the truth. It’s what’s kept you alive all this time.”

Was this what Erde was like now? The Siren wondered. Of course Alleia had thought she was a demon! She couldn’t even trust those who loved her. All the more reason for them to escape soon. Yet she couldn’t blow her cover! She must discover what had happened to her people.

Uneasiness filled Alleia’s mind, but she outwardly displayed confidence. “Tell me, how did you discover the cogswort? I nearly died from it, after all.” 

Leto hesitated only a moment. “It was bound to come out eventually. Even if he doesn’t want to be known yet!” 

The Siren sensed confusion in Alleia’s mind. “Whom are you talking about?” 

“The Snake of course, darling! Who else would know about the cogswort?” He rolled his eyes, then became serious. “The Serpent knew the Brothers were taking advantage of him, so he appeared before me, and offered me my proper place on Erde! I am the first human to converge with Helel, and all I have to do is expose the worms for what they are,” his pupils stopped shifting. 

They were slits. 

“And we can be together, Little Light.” 

Alleia backed up against the bed, frozen. The Siren raged. The Serpent finally revealed himself.

The Serpent came closer. “You needn’t be afraid, little firefly. You will soon reach your full potential. It will be grand! As your reward for being faithful to me, you will host my Queen, and we’ll all be the first rulers of the Dark Age. Can you imagine it? Just make sure you converge first! I would hate to lose you, little candle.” 

By the grace of the Creator, Leto’s eyes became round again. He blinked for a moment, then shook his head, listening to something far away. “I’ll be right back, Alle. Something has… come up.” 

With that, the Snake’s chosen left the room, flame in tow. 

The Siren took a few moments to calm her fury. The Snake had her in a trap, like he had 4,000 years ago. He’d tried to capture her since, but she’d always escaped. Now she was too weak to do anything. To top it all off, he had a host.

How would she and Alleia get out of here? It still wasn’t the right time to converge. Alleia was beginning to see what the Snake was, but it wasn't enough for her to come to the Siren’s side either. They needed more time, something they did not have. 

Alleia began to whimper. “No no no no no! This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening!” 

The Siren looked up, and cursed herself to eternity. She had been so focused on finding a way out that she’d slowly revealed herself to the girl again. Could this day get any worse? 

“G-get away from me!” Alleia yelled, curling into the farthest corner of the bed. 

The Siren sighed. She was so tired of this. “I’m not going to hurt you Alleia. I’m thinking of a way to save us.”

 “Save us? Whatever made you think we were in this together? You’re the reason I’m in this nightmare!” Guilt swept through the Siren. Alleia was right, but that didn’t mean she would ever admit it.

“And you're safe now with your precious Snake?” The Daughter sneered. “You think it was hell being possessed by me? Wait until you’re underneath the Serpent’s rule. When you’ll never see your precious Leto again. Then you’ll know what suffering really is!” 

Alleia didn’t speak for a long while. “Is he…really going to make me…converge with you? Start another war?” 

The Siren became remorseful. She shouldn’t put her hatred out on Alleia. They were all each other had right now. “Yes, he is. But you knew that. You’ve known all along how the Snake operates. But you continue to ignore it. You hope that if you stay on his good side, he’ll reward you, but let me tell you right now that is a lie.” The Siren thought back to her earliest days. What a fool she’d been, to trust Helel. 

“He pulls you in first, all charming, like your Prince. Then, once he has his coils around you, he’ll squeeze you for all your worth… I know that more than anyone.” Realms! She’d said too much! 

“What do you mean-” 

“I just know, all right!” The Siren became ashamed. “It’s not something I talk about. Not even to my Father.” 

Silence surrounded the two prisoners. 

“Did you really mean what you said earlier? About wanting to be my maid?” 

The Siren laughed. Out of all the things Alleia could’ve asked her, this was it? “Of course I did. Being a human, even a poor one, would be a dream come true.” 

“Why would you ever want that?” Alleia asked. “You’re a pagan goddess-

“Celestial being-”

 “The Daughter of the Creator. You have everything!” 

The Siren was surprised Alleia didn’t call her a demon. They were getting somewhere. 

“Not everything.” The Siren gazed at the moon. If only she could go there for one second. No people to protect. No Snake to look out for. No guilt that kept pounding her Pounding Her POUNDING HER… She couldn’t let it control her. She had to rebuild her walls as they fell down. 

“I noticed you were reading the Sun Book earlier.” 

Alleia’s voice chilled. “I thought you couldn’t read.” 

“I can’t,” The Siren said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t know what you were reading. I do know some things about the world, Lady Soleil.” The good it’d done her.  “So, why would you read a heathen text if you're a follower of the Snake?” 

Alleia stiffened, then sighed. “No use in deceiving you, since you already know everything. I was reading it to prepare myself against you. And, to learn from you.” 

“Learn from me?” The Siren asked. What knowledge could Alleia gain from her? 

“And what did you learn from me?” Other than being foolish with your freedom?

“To be brave.” Alleia said. “That’s what my-mother learned from you. As did all the Sun people. Even if they were wrong to vilify the Snake, they always were brave enough to do what they thought was right. It’s what most Snake followers lack. But not Papa.” Alleia smiled for a moment, tears cascading down her cheek. The Siren sensed they were genuine this time. “It’s what allowed Papa to free himself from Mother.” 

“Why did he? Become a Snake follower, I mean?” The Siren asked. 

Alleia looked at her. “You’d never understand.” She grew resentful, withdrawn. 

The Siren looked seriously at Alleia. “I’m not trying to upset you. I genuinely want to know.” 

“Promise you won’t tell anyone?” Alleia asked. The Siren sensed something…off with her again. She didn’t know the reason for it. Perhaps it was the cogswort being neutralized. 

“Promise.” 

“Mother was a great leader. But a terrible mate. She… would beat Papa. Not physically, but with words. Emotions. She was disappointed with him. Papa tried to live up to her demands, after all, he was the father of the next host, but it was too much. She always wanted him to support her, never argue with her, wanted him to conform into her shape and, one day, he couldn’t take it anymore. He went to the restricted archives, looking for a way to free himself, and came across the Snake scrolls. He realized he didn't have to live up to anyone’s demands but his own. The Snake freed him.” 

Alleia’s eyes grew dreamy. “And he freed me too. When Papa taught me about the Snake, I saw a new path for myself. I didn’t have to grow up to be Mother. I could be my own person.”

 Alleia’s heart began pounding in her chest. Sweat grew on her brow. 

“When King Leto grew more powerful and Papa saw our people were dying in a useless war, he ‘betrayed’ his mate. He’d tried to convince Mother to surrender, to compromise with Leto. Maybe then the Sun Monarchy would still be a country, but she refused.” 

Alleia’s mouth curled in loathing. “She said she would rather die than see the sun set on her nation. So that’s what happened. Father made a deal with Leto, ensuring mine, his, and the commoners’ safety, while everyone who didn’t concede were killed.” 

The Siren didn’t know what to say. She never knew her people to… hurt each other. It made sense now why Erde was so far gone. Her people had lost the light. 

 She sensed Alleia had never shared this with anyone before, and was relieved. To let it out. The host continued talking. 

“I thought I was free to be whoever I wanted. To become whatever the Snake guided me into. But I was wrong.” She laughed. “People treated me like a disease. They made fun of my accent. My clothes, my hair, my skin. Yes, I was a Snake follower, but I was still a subject of the Sun. The host destined to one day be possessed by the Siren!”

She became quiet. Scared. “I began to have nightmares about it. Imagining the atrocities you’d make me do. It was worse than what Mother did during the war.” Her eyes grew distant for a moment, reliving the battles that seemed like yesterday. Alleia and she had a common companion.

“Despite it all, Papa was there for me. He told me I had nothing to be afraid of.” Warmth erupted on her cheeks. “He said the Siren would only enter you if you were weak. If you repelled her enough, she couldn’t violate you.” Alleia forgot she was talking to the Siren. 

“But then he died. And the Brothers started preaching that no one could avoid the Sun devil. She’d come into you by force, because you were wicked. If people were avoiding me then, they acted like I didn’t exist now. Except Leto. He was my only friend.” 

She became spiteful. “But even he turned against me. He had begun to act strangely. Commanding me. Then saying he was sorry. Being high, then low. As if there was a monster inside him trying to break loose. I didn’t know the truth till today. I know he’s still in there though. He still has control. Yes, other than him, people treated me like I was condemned to die. Which I am.” Alleia laughed. 

“Siren, you don’t mind if I call you Siren, right? You haven’t said anything to defend yourself. Hell, I forgot I was talking to you! You said you wished things were different, so why don’t you make it different? Become human! I see now it’s not your fault for what happens on Erde, it’s your father’s. No… it’s Mother’s. It’s everyone’s fault!” 

The Siren could tell Alleia was not herself. But she answered her question. “I can’t just…leave my position Alleia. Believe me when I say if I could leave, I would.” Realms she would. “If I asked Father if I could… become human, he’d allow me to, but if I did, the Sun would dim, and all of you would die.” 

Alleia became sober. A little. “So we’re both trapped.” 

“Yes. We are.” The Siren sighed. Soon, she’d be a sigh. Then oblivion. 

If only she’d used the flame when she had the chance! It would’ve changed nothing, however. Alleia would still be sick, and the Siren couldn’t have helped her. Not having a body and all. Why was the Snake allowed to do what he pleased, when she was always trapped? 

The Siren imagined ensnaring him like he did her. Watch him weaken the way she did. How she would love to squeeze, torment, and hurt his soul like the rest of humanity had felt for four thousand years… but she couldn’t do it. Not yet. Her power was weakening. She barely turned invisible when he returned to the room. 

He strolled in, blood on his already red shirt. The Snake was covered in sweat, and sat down on the bed, exhausted. He had the nerve to bring the flame with him.  

The Siren corrected herself. Leto’s pupils were round. He turned toward Alleia and checked his pocket watch.  

 “Well, the worms have been dealt with. They’re being put on trial as we speak. It’s safe for you to come outside now. Shall we?” he held his arm to Alleia, expecting her to take it. The Siren knew the world hung in the balance, no, the universe, on this simple choice. 

Alleia stood up, arm rising to take Leto’s. The candle next to the prince sputtered. 

So this is it, the Siren thought. After four thousand years of protecting and guiding humanity, it would end here. She should’ve rescued them earlier! Used the flame. But she hadn’t. She’d squandered her time on Erde. And the realm would end because of it. 

Father, help me now! The Siren cried, but she knew it was too late. 

Yet, Alleia did not take Leto’s arm. 

Instead, it swung slowly, like a pendulum. It went towards Leto’s arm, to death, then swung back to the future sun ruler’s side. 

A confused look spread on the prince’s face, his pupils still circular. He looked at Alleia with concern. 

“Alle, are you ill?” he asked, placing his palm on her forehead. 

Alleia brushed it away. Leto frowned. 

“You are! I’ll fetch a doctor right away-”

“Leto, I am not ill.” Alleia spoke up. “Not anymore.” 

Leto raised his eyebrows. “Considering you’re recovering from a bout of cogswort, I’d say you’re not in the best con-”

“Listen to me for a moment!” Alleia shook Leto, forcing the prince to stop. “Y-You just uprooted the kingdom, and expect me to go with you with a smile? Did the Snake tell you it was a grand idea to start a war? To have me possessed by the Siren?” 

“Oh come now, when did you become so squeamish?” Leto retorted. “And anyway, Father and the others had what was coming to them. They were going to kill you, had I not done anything!” 

A realization came to him. “You’re not upset that I got rid of Father. You’re concerned about the commoners. I promise you they’ll live to their full potential Alle.”  

He got on his tiptoes to whisper in her ear. “And don’t worry about the Snake, darling. He is weak as a human. I won’t let him interfere with our kingdom.” 

The Siren thought Leto was either brave or stupid to think he could get rid of the Snake. Definitely the latter. It was his one good quality. 

Chills raced down Alleia’s spine. “Di-This isn’t you. Listen to yourself! You sc-care about people, Leto! You could’ve simply rescued me-” 

“And then what?” The prince sneered. “Have them claimed I was tainted by the ‘Siren’ in you? They would’ve killed you sooner. And who knows what they would’ve done to me! No, this was the best way to protect us.” 

“Brotect-Protect us?” Alleia chattered. “You started another war! We could’ve escaped together, found a way out of this-” 

“Face the facts, Alle! We can’t be selfish! The people were suffering under my Father. You saw how they were at your trial? They had to be stopped.” A small smile flashed on his face. “Are you drunk, dearest? You sound oftley funny.” 

The Siren couldn’t believe this maggot. Males were the same, regardless of species.  

“And you will cow-now become king.” Alleia said, shivering. 

“That is an… added bonus, yes.” Leto admitted. “But it was all for you, darling!” He laughed for a second. “Are you sure you’re not tipsy?” 

Alleia ignored him. “It wasn’t all for she-me. You’re just doing this por-for yourself. You’re only los-using me as an excuse for the people to believe your sli-lies!” 

 “You really think I’d just use you?” It was Leto’s turn to feel pain that night. “You are my reason for living. All I’ve ever done is protect you. Love you. If it wasn’t for me, you’d already be dead. No, I’m not trying to guilt-trip you Alle, I’m merely stating facts. Why would I ever use you?” 

“Power. Freedom com-from your father. To reach your full potential.” She hissed. 

Leto winced. “I knew you’d see it that way. You even hissed the way I imagined! Don’t fret, darling. It will only be like this for a while longer.” 

“What wo-do you mean?” Alleia slurred. 

Leto didn’t answer her question. He just stared at her. Like she was the only thing keeping him going. 

The Siren realized Alleia was right. Leto was still in control. Barely. Alleia was the only being keeping him together, but not even love would keep the Snake from bursting out. 

Alleia groaned. “W-Why do I feel worse than before? I’m sputt-stuttering, have a headache, and feel co-cold!” 

Leto moved towards the host, but she backed away. “That would be my fault, I’m afraid. You see, I hoped you would understand, but I also knew you may need… time to accept these new circumstances. And with you recovering from such a high dosage of cogswort, it wouldn’t be a shock to anyone if you didn’t remember these painful events, now would it?” 

Alleia looked him in the eye. “Wh-Why wouldn’t you bust-just kill me instead? Make it lea-easier for both of us?” 

“Kill you?” Leto was finally scandalized. “Why would I ever do that? I wasn’t lying when I said you were the purest girl in this world, Alleia. Not only that, you're the only person who loves me. And I couldn’t destroy the being that loves me. I couldn’t live with myself.” 

The Siren seethed. Even his only redeeming factor was self-centered.

“I do-don’t like you that way an-any more. Y-you changed. Embraced the Snake. I am af-afraid of you.” Alleia said, arms on her chest.

“You don’t mean that.” The prince smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “It’s the drugs. But don’t worry! In a few days, you’ll be good as new.” 

“I’ll ne-nev-never” but as much as Alleia struggled, she began to lose consciousness, fainting. Leto caught her, laid her on the bed and knelt beside her on the stone floor. The lantern flickered like the shifting pupils of Leto’s eyes.  

“There, there,” Leto cooed. “It will be better soon. You’ll see.” 

He bumped his hand on the lantern while stroking Alleia’s dark curls. The Siren prepared herself. She couldn’t waste anymore time. It was now or never. She threw all of her energy into that flame, enough to make her visible to Alleia again. 

The host’s eyes widened, the flame making her come to her senses. A little. “H-help me.” 

“What is it-” Leto started, then roared as the flame jumped out of the lantern and onto his hand. 

The Siren was barely a wisp now. Leto screamed as the fire burned his skin, but it didn’t flicker or die out, even when he put his hand into the chamber pot. 

It was odd to the Siren that the fire was still going. She hadn’t had that much strength. She wondered what caused it. 

Alleia still lay at the foot of the bed, too weak to move. She pleaded with her eyes for the Siren to do more, but she couldn’t, not without a physical body. She’d been weaker than she thought she was, pouring almost all of her energy into that little flame. It had grown to twice its size by now. 

The fire spread to Leto’s shoulder, then to his neck. Strangely, it didn’t singe any of his clothes, but kept right to the skin. It was etching something into Leto, but the Siren couldn’t make it out. Was it a stream? Worm? No, a snake. 

Alleia looked at in terror. The Siren laughed. 

Leto was the Serpent’s Chosen, and this is what he got for it. 

The Siren didn’t dwell on Leto’s failure that much. It was focusing on still being there, on Erde, even as a whisper, that mattered. 

A thing very hard to do, especially with the guards crashing on the door, trying to open it. 

“Help!” Leto moaned, as if he were the one about to leave this world. 

Bang! Bang! Bang! The soldiers kept throwing their weight on the door, but it didn’t budge. 

The Siren thought the guards would use a key. Humans were foolish, but less than the Siren. If only she'd used the flame earlier! Maybe then she could’ve converged with Alleia and they would be out of this prison. Instead, she’d been a sitting duck, doing nothing to stop Leto. So much for winning against the Snake. 

Not for the first time today, the Siren remembered what her brother had said. Everything has a price. 

Had Father changed that price? No! Because of ‘free will’. Without free will getting in the way, the Siren would have defeated the Serpent with her own two-No. This is wrong. The Siren thought. 

Free will had been the only thing that allowed humans to exist today. It allowed for hope. And right now, the Siren would use it. 

There were no guards at the door. Otherwise they would’ve already been allowed in by the Serpent. The mortals outside weren’t with the Snake, but they wanted in. And that’s all the Siren cared about. 

Finding strength she hadn’t felt all day, she gave the mortals an extra push, just so the door would open. 

It was enough. With a thunderous BOOM the door fell off its hinges, revealing seven figures, the loose yellow clothing on them reminding the Siren of past golden ages. All of the intruders had hoods covering their faces, except for their dark eyes. A shining sun was embroidered on their chests, marking them as the Southern Rebels.

            They completely ignored Leto, who was being tattooed on his face by the Snake’s angry flame, and went straight to Alleia. One gave her some foul-smelling concoction to drink, relieving her in moments. 

            Alleia blinked for a few seconds, then vomited on the floor. Red liquid and the remains of the cogswort came spilling out of her mouth. She smiled at her rescuers, then swiveled her gaze to the Siren. 

            If the Daughter had been a wisp before, she was a dragonfly's wing now. 

            “Help her. Help… Siren” Alleia coughed, pointing at her. Strange. No one had ever called her Siren before. She liked it. 

The rebels turned to each other, not noticing the Siren, wondering what Alleia meant, then they understood. The host had not converged with the Daughter yet, and in order for that to happen, the Siren needed more strength. While one of the rebels stood as a lookout, the other six crossed their legs on the ground and began to chant. 

“Even if I witness a thousand deaths, I will continue on. 

             Erde must be nourished, I will continue on. 

             My spirit’s sisters are with my Father, I will continue on. 

             Until I’m in my body, the sun, I will continue on. 

             For I can do nothing else, for I am the Siren of the Sun.” 

The Siren gasped. They were using her song to strengthen her. Like she had for Erde. Sadness welled up within her. She should be doing this for her people, not the other way around! If she hadn’t been so childish, things would be different… yet they also could’ve been worse. 

No matter how strong the Siren was, she was only one being. True, she could handle many things, but had she tried to use the flame earlier, and leave with a sick host who didn’t even want anything to do with her… events would’ve gone differently. 

             Once Alleia saw the Siren clearly, she told the rescuers, “That’s enough. She’s-better.” 

            “You!” Leto screamed, looking straight at the Siren. He can see me now. “Yo-You did this to me. You turned my beloved against me! I’ll make you suffer-” 

            “The only one who did anything to you is yourself!” Alleia snapped. 

            The Siren turned toward Alleia. This had been harder than she thought. 

            “Are you ready?” 

            Alleia hesitated, then opened her mouth. 

            “I am.” 

❇❇❇

            The worst thing about sharing a body is you’re never alone. There is someone connected to you like a conjoined twin, their souls bound together in the brain. That’s what Lady Soleil felt the first time Siren converged with her.

It was unlike anything she’d experienced before. She felt Siren tether her spirit into her body, yet separate from Alleia’s own spirit. Her senses had become sharper, her mind clearer. She was seeing the world the way it had been, was, and would be. For a moment, Alleia felt invincible. But Siren needed her strength. Her spirit needed to recover the energy it had lost.

The host went limp for the second time that night. The sun guards gently caught her and brought her to their base.

They slept for seven days. However, even when Alleia was unconscious, she got little rest, because Siren wanted to talk. And talk. And talk. And talk. And talk some more! She hadn’t spoken to a mortal in a thousand years, and had a lot of babbling to catch up on.

Alleia was swept away in a sea of Siren’s emotions, thoughts and memories. She could never find her own footing. She began to have the same thoughts as Siren. Feel her fears, loves, hopes, anguish, dreams, nightmares. (Except for one dam inside Siren Alleia couldn’t reach.)

It was too much.

Finally, Siren stopped. Went somewhere else. Alleia, for the first time in days, was alone. Blissfully alone. She spent the time like a miser, hoarding every second. She slowly opened her eyes.

Her vision was clearer than it used to be. She felt vibrations coming from the ground, the murmur of the commoners outside her door, the heat of the sun far away… but she didn’t sense Siren. It was as if they’d never converged. Alleia looked in the mirror across her simple bed.

She looked the same. Her curly hair in a twist behind her neck. Her tall figure lean and trim. Her eyes the same caramel color they’d always been.

Then, she felt her. A fiery heart next to her own. Her right eye stayed the same. But the other…the other was a deep gold. Like the flame of a fire.

“Hey! We’re up!” Siren used Alleia’s body.

“What was that?” Alleia demanded.

Siren cocked Alleia’s head. “Me using our body.”

“Our body! When did it become our body?”

Siren became confused. “When we converged. Didn’t your parents tell you this would happen?”

“Mother said I should know everything! When I was four! And Papa…” Realms, Papa.

Siren warmed Alleia’s aching heart. The host sighed. “Look, this isn’t a regular age. I… wasn’t prepared for you. I’m not going to be like any other host before me. It will be difficult for both of us. But you must understand we need boundaries!”

Siren didn’t say anything. She thought it. I’m sorry Alleia. I, nor the other hosts, have ever been through times like these. I have no experience, knowledge, or idea about what life’s been like for you. And that does not excuse my behavior. I will become better. For us both. For our people. For Erde.

Alleia smiled. “Thank you.”

“My Lady and Light! The priestesses and elders request your audience.” One of their rescuers opened the door. He averted his gaze when he saw they were in their night clothes. “My apologies. I-I will be leaving now.” The rebel bowed to the ground and quickly crawled out of the room.

“Wait! Don't go!” Alleia called. “Tell them I-we’ll be right out…Kinhi.”

The guard lifted his head. “My name is Kenji, Holy Light.”

“Sorry. Kenji. You may leave.” 

Nice name, Kenji. A good male too. He knows his place. 

Do you think about every man that way, Siren? 

Not about those who aren’t attracted to females. 

Alleia rolled her eyes.   

They were the sun ruler. A new age had begun.

            As time went on, Alleia grew used to Siren. She began to rely on her. Trust her. Love her. It was nice to have someone who believed in you. Who didn’t judge you. Who would always be by your side no matter what. Or, in Alleia’s case, her mind. 

 Often, they acted as one and it was easy to live. Yet if they disagreed… it was like a tug of war in her mind, the winner controlling the body. Rarely did Siren go that far, but if she were passionate enough, Alleia became a spectator in her own mind. Not doing anything but watch her life go by without her control. 

            Like right now. 

            Siren was invisible. Again. Alleia hated letting her take over, being powerless, but she couldn’t stop it. How could they say no to that heavenly face? 

            “Found ya Mom!” Asis yelled in their ear, forcing Siren to become visible. 

            “Aren’t you getting too old for this? You won’t be thirteen forever.” Siren tried to sound like Alleia, and failed. Her gold eyes gave her away.

            Asis shook her red curls. Siren and Alleia found her afro adorable, but Kenji disagreed. He thought it was too much to take care of, but he shouldn’t be talking. He was bald. Though Alleia did like him that way… 

            “Hide and Seek is an art, not a game! If you want that, play football!” Asis crossed her long arms. “Besides, it will prepare me for when I’m a circus performer!”

            Not again! Siren moaned. She never let Asis know of course, but Siren told Alleia (many times) that she didn’t want Asis to be in the circus. She never gave her reasoning. The host liked the idea though. Whatever Asis wanted to be, she would give her full support. 

Siren gave Alleia back control. Finally. 

            “You’re right. It will.” 

            “Really?” Asis’s eyes lit up. 

            “Really.” Alleia said. “But you’ll never be a performer if you don’t do your homework.” 

Asis rolled her gold and brown eyes. And stopped when Alleia gave her: the look. “Yes, Mom.” She pouted.

A man in dark blue linen appeared from outside the simple square cottage Alleia called home. He was covered in gold jewelry, red glasses out of place on his impressive uniform. Alleia smiled. It was Kenji. Her mate. Her love. Her everything. 

Why do you always think about him like that? 

Alleia rolled her eyes. Not now, Siren! 

I’m just saying- 

“Why are two most beautiful women in creation arguing out here? You’re going to make the Sun dim with such in-harmony!”

“Dad!” Asis ran over and gave Kenji a bear hug. “Mom started it.” 

“Which one?” Kenji asked, looking at Alleia’s face. Her left eye was gold, the other brown. 

“You know which one!” Asis said. 

Kenji lifted his eyebrows. “Ah, yes. The responsible one.” 

Alleia’s eyes became fully gold. “I am responsible!” 

“Never said you weren't.” Kenji said. “Now if you don’t mind, I would like to talk to the fun one.” He made a kissy face to Alleia. 

Asis and Siren groaned. “We’re out of here!” 

Asis went inside the house, while Alleia took control. “Those two are unbelievable!” 

“Not as much as you.” Kenji said. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alleia snapped. 

“Nothing.” Kenji sighed. “Just that…” 

“What?” 

“Well…” Kenji scratched his shiny head. 

“Tell me!”

“I don’t see how it’s possible a Soleil would take me as a mate.” 

“Well,” Alleia put her hand on his chin. “You are a general…” 

“And you’re the sun ruler.” He finished. “See? Unbelievable.” 

“Unbelievable as this?” Alleia used her strength to sweep Kenji off his feet.

“No!” Kenji yelled.

“How about this?” Alleia kissed Kenji. Siren went on autopilot. She always did when Alleia had a private moment. It was a blessing. 

“Enough!” Kenji grinned. “This is the most unbelievable thing of all.” They were like that for a few moments. Enjoying life. 

Alleia wondered how she came to be here again. With love. A daughter. She never thought she’d have this again, after Papa died. After Leto was consumed by the Serpent-She wouldn’t think of that. It wasn’t worth the time. Think of blessings. Think of blessings.

 Never before had a sun ruler found love like Alleia did. The others had been too distracted by duty to do it. Or didn’t live long enough. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. 

She thought of Asis instead. Her child. She’d always wanted one. No, Siren had wanted one. Being a sun ruler meant Alleia and Siren would have the same desires. The same visions. The same fears.        

Stop! She threw the negative emotion out of her. She wouldn’t focus on it today. It was the one difference between Siren and herself, she could control her emotions. One difference Siren desperately wanted. One she’d slowly started to gain. Asis. Think of Asis.

  Before they had Asis, they had been close. Now this bond of mother and sisterhood made them the strongest sun ruler in history. Alleia couldn’t imagine her life without Siren. Or her family. Siren felt the same. Too much the same. 

Although Siren had good intentions, she would sometimes push her boundaries. She would act as if Alleia’s life was her life, As if she were Alleia. As soon as she did it, the host would put Siren in her place. She would be sorry of course, but it made things very hard for the two souls. 

Yet that hadn’t happened in years. Alleia and Siren had found a way to balance their lives, even if they wished they could enjoy them in separate bodies.  

 “Alleia.” 

“Hmm?” She was looking at the horizon. Something seemed…off. 

“Can you let me go? I’m only five feet, but I can walk by myself. Remember?” 

“Sorry. I got distracted.” She put her mate down. 

“You're not worried again, are you?” Kenji asked. “We’ve almost won the war. It’s been hard, but we finally have the Snake cornered. He won’t be able to hurt us anymore.” 

“I’m not worried! Just, cautiously optimistic.” They couldn’t be more hopeful than that. 

“Are the dreams still bothering you?” 

“Are they bothering you?” Alleia shot back. 

 Kenji knew the answer. 

“Something else has been bothering you, Ia. You can tell me what it is.” 

“It’s…nothing. Really.” Alleia said. “Siren and I have been having visions recently. That’s all.” Had those words slipped from her mouth? Think of Asis. Think of Asis. 

“Of…” 

“The usual.” Murder. Rape. Battles. The screams and cries of the thousands who’d lost their lives in this war, all because the Snake wanted his ‘queen’. It was hell. And it was getting worse. The visions, nightmares, had started to show horrible things. Personal things. Her home buried under ash and rock, Kenji’s tortured face preserved in gray ash. Asis wasn’t there. She couldn't think about what happened to Asis. 

“He can’t hurt you anymore.” Kenji pulled her close. “Not while Siren is with you.” 

“But what if I can’t protect her?” Alleia said. “What if I fail? What if we both fail?” 

“You won’t. You’re both stronger than he ever was. Or will be.” Kenji said, brushing away her tears. 

Alleia looked at this realm-blessed angel. Her angel. “Thank you for being a good father to her.” 

Kenji smiled. “I learned from the best.” 

A sphere hurled across the sky. If it were night, Alleia would’ve thought it was Siren’s brother partying. Only, it was day. And it was heading towards…

“Asis!” They yelled, jumping into the air. Higher, higher, higher until they were above the house and Kenji was a speck. They caught the cannon ball aimed for their daughter’s room. Purple fire sparked from it, but it didn’t burn the sun ruler’s hands. For they were the Spirit of the Sun. No flame or light could harm them. They came back down to Erde, alert for anything amiss. All was quiet. 

“What was it?” Kenji asked when they finally came down. 

“A cannon ball. Aimed for Asis’ room.” They put the iron sphere on the ground, and studied it. How did it get here, in the safest part of the Sun Monarchy? Then they understood. It was teleported here. 

Which meant it was from…

“Ah, Alleia? Siren? You need to look at this.” Kenji said, backing away. 

The purple fire was leaving the ball, writing a message on the ground. 

Did you really think you could get rid of me so easily, Little Light? You have to do better than that! I hate that it came to this, but if you do not come to the place where it all began, I will have to…punish your firefly’s daughter for your mistakes. See you at sun high! 

The flame disappeared, leaving a furious host and Siren in its wake. He would not ruin their lives again! They looked at Kenji. He knew that face. 

“You’re going, aren’t you? You know it’s a trap!” 

“And one we can’t avoid.” Their face was resolute. Come to the place where it all began… the Snake had a twisted sense of humor. It was close to noon. They must hurry.

“And if you don’t come back?” Kenji asked. 

Alleia looked at her mate. Siren looked at Asis’ dad. “That won’t happen.” 

“But if it does? What then?” Kenji pleaded.

They took a breath. They had to prepare themselves. “Then we will meet you when the Snake is defeated.” Siren let go. Alleia needed this moment for herself. 

“Kenji?” 

“Yes?” Her mate gazed at her, rubbing her beautiful skin. 

“If… I don’t come back, tell Asis… we love her. I love her. And that she will be great at whatever she sets her mind to.” Tears grew in their eyes as they kissed each other. Alleia embraced Kenji one last time before they left. “And never tell her the truth.” 

Kenji’s mouth was a grim line. “I won’t.” 

They had no more time. They sped towards the Sun Temple.

  

 ❇❇❇

            Why is the Snake attacking us now? Why not when we were pregnant? Questioned Alleia. What if this is the wrong choice? What if this time-

            “Please rein in your panicking thoughts Alleia, they’re not helpful at the moment.” Siren said, already stressed. They were running across the continent, headed for the Sun Temple. The sun was almost to its zenith. They needed to hurry. Funny, since they were going 300 miles a second. Siren’s powers on Erde were like her astronomical body. She could run like her light, control her fire, nourish her people… anything the sun could do; she could do. Yet, like the sun, she couldn’t save everyone. She was only one being. 

            You don’t think the vision will come true. Do you? 

            The question stopped Siren’s superhuman journey. She didn’t know. It was odd, the way her visions worked. Sometimes, when she was sure they would happen, they wouldn't. When she didn’t know if they’d come true, they would. Usually. Maybe. Siren wasn’t sure. It was fickle and random, like time. And the more she was on Erde, the more uncertain she was of her visions. Another price for helping humans. 

            Siren’s uncertainties didn’t help Alleia relax. 

So we’re walking in blind?  

            We’re not walking in blind. Siren assured Alleia, and herself. We know what may happen, and that will prepare us for the worse. All we can do is hope. 

            Hope the vision won't come true. Hope Asis and Kenji would be safe. Hope this bloody war would be over.

            As the Siren and Alleia ran, they hoped for these things, no prayed for them. Until Alleia asked something no one had before. 

Why do you take all this pain for us? You could’ve lived a care-free life, but you choose to save us. Why? 

“Do you remember when Asis was first born?” 

Of course. Happiness bloomed from Alleia’s soul. Who would forget that blessed day?

“It was like that. Watching humanity. I wanted to do everything I could to protect it. Just like our child.” 

Alleia thought for a moment. But…you didn’t create us. You had no attachment to us. The Sun Book said you didn’t want the Snake to betray you again, but it couldn’t be just from him abandoning you. What happened… between you and the Snake? What happened to make you live your life for us? 

The questions drilled a hole through Siren’s hardest wall; letting all the memories pour out before she could stop it. 

Helel was singing again. Little Light loved to hear him sing. He had the best voice in eternity. How to describe it? Imagine goodness, happiness, joy, ecstasy…it was beyond that. It was the reason Little Light lived, to hear his singing. Oh, she loved her Father and her brother too. But they were occupied. Busy. They loved Little Light, but they had to manage the realms. Little Light didn’t mind, usually. She had Helel! 

She noticed, though, that he was…not content. Little Light tried to ask what was wrong, but he would never say what. Then, he became the sun. 

Little Light beamed. Helel would be content! But Helel wasn’t happy. He wanted… more. He started saying… strange things to Little Light. He said everyone should rejoice in her, love her. The Daughter said they did and Helel always scoffed. He said her family didn’t give her what she deserved. They distracted themselves for- 

He wouldn’t tell her who it was for. She eventually figured it out. It was for the humans. She didn’t mind. She loved having new playmates! Best of all, her Father saw her more again. Granted, he still worked on Erde, but he gave her attention. Life was good… until it wasn’t. 

Helel was on a rare break from his sun body. They were in Heaven, Helel telling her a story like the good old days. She didn’t understand it. It had… no happiness in it. The story didn’t make her feel…safe. Later, she would say the story was unhappy and scary. The first of its type. 

Helel sang an odd story. The protagonist was angry from dealing with worms. He was not content with his superior. So… he overthrew him. Did away with the worms. Saved those who deserved it. 

The Daughter didn’t know he was talking about himself. How could she? She was pure; she thought the best of beings. After the story, Little Light said she didn’t… like the story. She didn’t understand it. 

Helel sighed, and told her, gently, it was what he felt like. And what did Little Light do? Laugh. She laughed and laughed. She knew it was a joke! 

Helel smiled at her. Then… sadness overwhelmed his spirit. Little Light knew now she had hurt him. She said she was sorry, and asked what she could do to help, but Helel wasn’t angry at his light. Instead, he said he would show her what he felt…

Pain erupted in the Daughter’s core. She realized just how much Helel loved her…and how he hated her family for keeping them apart. He would usurp the Father, do away with anything that kept him from his true potential, and make Little Light…

His mate. That was the only thing he liked about the humans. They had a partner. He craved that for himself. 

Little Light was paralyzed. She’d never experienced any of this before. Her father had told the humans to become one flesh and that’s what Helel wanted for them. Only… he didn’t mean bodies. 

He meant souls. 

Little Light screamed. Her cry echoed through the cosmos. It drove Helel out of her body. She hated him then. He was the only being she ever hated. He didn’t hate her though. He only hated what the Father had done to her. 

Helel forced Little Light to sleep with his singing. He sang that she would see his side of things soon, and understand. Little Light couldn’t fight it, she slept. It was the last time she did. Soon, she heard a great cry grow in the realms. When she did, her Father was standing over her. He asked what happened. And she told him all that had occurred. Almost. She couldn’t bring herself to describe… what Helel did. She never told anyone. 

That’s why she saved the humans. She wanted to make amends for what she’d caused Helel to do. But it changed nothing. Day after day, year after year, millennium after millennium, she saw humans die. Suffer. Because of her. It was her punishment. For letting Helel do what he did. It allowed Siren to save some, sure, but it wasn’t enough. Realms, it was never enough. It was why she loved Alleia so much. Wanted her life. She knew what it was like to have no one, yet still continue on. 

Alleia was silent for a long time. Thinking how similar it was to when Leto had used her. And made up for it. And died. By the Serpent. She knew one thing for certain:

It wasn’t your fault. 

Siren laughed to the pits of Erde. Not her fault! How could it not be her fault? 

And it wasn’t my fault either. 

Siren stopped laughing. 

We’ve both had to deal with the same trauma in our lives. But we won’t let them overtake us. 

How? Siren cried. How do we stop him? 

The same way we always have. Together. 

A tear grew in Alleia’s cheek. 

It was Siren’s tear. 

It was Alleia’s tear.

It was their tear. 

❇❇❇

             After Leto II was crowned King of the world, he had his father’s palace redecorated. Then the Snake killed him for being weak and had the building abandoned.  

Why he hadn’t destroyed the place that represented light for the world was a mystery to Siren, until now. 

            The Temple was concentrated in shadow, its once golden brick obsidian, its elegant torches blue instead of orange, and its pale yellow tower dull gray. Only one being could’ve done this: the Snake. 

            It’s so… different. Alleia thought. 

            Siren looked closer at the bricks, looking for traps, and found one. All along the dark building, purple mushrooms grew from the rocks. Cogswort. And, something else… a putrid stench came from the fungi, and it exploded. It wasn’t cogswort. The poisonous gas came closer to the sun ruler, but they waved it aside. 

            This is why the old Temple was abandoned. It’s been made uninhabited by the Snake. Alleia thought. 

            The fumes that had come towards the Siren would’ve killed a mortal. Which meant…

            The Snake wanted to be alone. Without his followers.

            It didn’t really even the odds, but it gave Alleia and Siren courage; they wouldn’t be walking into an ambush. That, or the Snake had placed the mysterious fungi to make them think they weren’t walking into an ambush, when in fact, they would be. You could never be too paranoid with the Serpent. 

Siren envisioned them walking into the doorway, only to face twenty armed Snake followers. It wouldn’t be a problem, but it would slow them down. Not to mention the other pitfalls the Serpent had lying in wait. It was too much of a risk to go through the main door. The best way to avoid any risks was to not go through there at all. Siren leapt straight into the window of the Sun Tower. 

He was waiting for them. Although the rest of the palace had been transformed, the Snake kept the tower the same. The yellow bed in the center of the room, the old paint. Even the chamber pot hadn’t changed. 

But he was not the same. 

Gone was the young, persuasive prince that loved Alleia. In his place was a cold King, tattooed by his own Serpent for thinking he could dominate him. The inked black snakes wound up and down his body, going up to his face and intertwining at the forehead. A black dagger gleamed at his side. 

The biggest change was his eyes. The color was the same, but the pupils had become slits, like a viper. 

The Snake crossed Leto’s arms, and yawned. 

“Took you long enough, Little Light. I was thinking you would miss our date.” 

Although Siren was stony, she seethed at the word date. 

“Do you like what I’ve done with the place? I thought it was fitting with the message. You know, come to the place where it all began. I admit it is edgy, but it had just the right ring to it. I couldn’t help myself! You look… ravishing today.” 

Alleia was dressed in a white linen top and skirt. An orange jeweled broad collar adorned her neck, her arms covered in gold cuffs, and no makeup in sight. Her body glowed in orange fire, a consequence of running so fast. The girl who wore corsets was long gone. 

He moved towards Siren, reaching to touch Alleia’s tight midnight braids, and hissed when the Siren blasted Leto’s hand away with a fireball. “And I see you’ve tattooed your host’s body. A shame, really. You look uglier by the century.”

“Still fiery I see,” The Snake licked Leto’s lips. “I can see why this worm,” he indicated Leto’s body, “Desired your… plaything.” 

Pure hatred poured from Alleia, but the Siren held it inside them. 

“Silence, Serpent. How dare you call the host a plaything, when you-” 

“Used to hold her in the palm of my hand? Only for you to steal her from me, just so you could have a child of your own? I think that’s the definition of a plaything, Holy Light.” The Snake gave a mock bow. 

Alleia was so livid she took control. “I am not a plaything, Hel-Hel. We are both stronger than you ever will-”

 The Serpent's eyes went from slits to regular pupils.

No. NO! How was it possible?

“You’re trying to deceive me!” Alleia squeezed her fists. “I will not fall for it Snake!” 

“Alle?” His voice…was the same. 

The same as the twenty-one year old who realized his mistakes and atoned for them. The same voice that had by sheer force of will threw the parasite out of him and turned himself in to the Sun Monarchy. Who had spent two years in prison, labs, being poked and prodded and questioned by clergy, doctors, officers and Siren herself to see if he was fully healed. The same boy who did not win, but earned the love of his life. Not through status, but through deeds. By becoming a changed man. The same boy who the sun ruler had depended upon in childhood, who now depended on her. The same boy who had made love to Alleia on the night of their mating ceremony. Who had let his full guard down that caused the birth of the child whose name meant Sun. 

Only for it to all crumble. 

Siren remembered that night like it was seconds ago. She had been observing the world (for the seventy second time that week. She had to talk to Alleia about this in the morning. This “becoming of one flesh” business was getting out of hand), when she felt… something inside them.

 It was a single cell, that would have the brown eyes of her mother, and the red hair of her father. Siren didn’t know what to do. What to say. But the child did. 

Momma. 

What? How was this possible? You are mistaken… what to call her? Zygote. I’m simply your…

But the child didn’t give her time to respond. She sensed Siren’s aura around her, and grasped it like a blanket. Her being changed. She grew a little smarter. Brighter. Happier. 

In Siren’s visions, the baby would have a golden left eye. 

Now you’re my Mommy! The zygote squealed. 

Siren didn’t know what to do. What to say. Alleia’s going to kill me. 

Kill you for what?

Siren was about to think of a curse word, then stopped. She had to be mindful of her thoughts. She finally understood what Alleia meant by boundaries. She, gently, explained to Alleia what happened. The host was furious. Understandably so. 

Alleia rarely had anything to herself, and now even when her own child couldn't be hers alone! It was the last straw. She ordered Siren to go away. She did. 

Only then did she smile. She wouldn’t think about what Siren had done. She had to put a kind face on for the child. Alleia sensed she wouldn’t remember any of this by the time she was born, thank the realms, so she wouldn’t mention it now. 

“Are you alright, Alle? You seem… preoccupied.” Leto asked. 

Alleia was about to say she was fine when she felt something wrong. Evil. A dark energy. They were going to warn Leto, heal him, but it was too late. 

 He was already starting to change. His head convulsed. His tattoos were outlined in dull gold. One eye changed to a slit. But he held on. By one eye he held on. Siren fought for control, to protect Alleia and the unborn child, but Alleia wouldn’t let her. She wouldn't believe the man she thought was lost had come back, only to die. For good. For the Serpent wouldn’t let Leto live after this. Having Siren’s child without him. 

 They stared at each other. Her eyes gold, brown. His slit, circle. 

He said two words. “Protect her.” 

They said, “I love you.” 

Only then did the host let Siren take control, and she threw the father of Alleia’s child out, out, out the window. To the polar regions of ice and snow. To be banished from their light forever. 

Now here he was, the man they thought dead. The person Alleia had once loved, the man Siren had learned to trust. 

He should’ve died. To be in his own body, not being in control of his actions… it was a fate worse than the Sun dimming. 

They just stared at him. It’s all they could do. They put their hand to his cheek, and he flinched. Backed away. 

“I don’t deserve your touch. I never have and never will.” 

“L-Leto.” Alleia said, Siren letting go. She didn’t have the heart to say something to him like this. What would she say? She should’ve killed him? It’s the first time she’d ever thought about killing a human. Not out of hate, but love. 

What a twisted world. 

“How long…” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the question. 

“Ever since that night.” His voice was calm. “Ever. Since. That REALM’S SNAKE SHADOWED FORSAKEN NIGHT!” Leto screeched. His eyes were filled with torture so profound Alleia wished she were blind. 

He stopped himself. Ran a hand through his hair for the first time in years. 

“You don’t know how long I’ve imagined this moment.” He smiled. It was out of place, this smile. It didn’t belong. 

“I thought I would see you again, in Heaven. Fat chance of me going there, I know. Other times I thought I could fight the Snake out, like I had before. Be able to see you again.” He laughed and laughed. “I was a fool. He would taunt me when I grew hopeful. I would feel his strength failing, his will undecided. I would struggle with all my soul, knowing it was the moment I would be free of him, only for him to slowly wrap around me. Suffocate me. Until I was a tiny mouse, barely holding on. It’s why he let me live. To play with me. LIKE I WAS HIS FOOD!” 

Alleia didn’t know what to think. To do. Siren didn’t either. He saw what he’d done to her. He gave a faint smile. “But we shouldn’t focus on that. Siren? I know you’re listening. Thank you. For keeping Alle safe. It’s the one bloody thing that’s kept me alive. Knowing she was safe. He said she was captured by him. Tortured. But it was a lie. Otherwise he would’ve done away with me. It’s the only reason I’m still here.” 

Alleia couldn't bring herself to speak. Siren found the words for her. “Is he still inside you?” 

Leto started to chuckle. It became a cry. A moan. An entity of pain. A sound no human should make. “He is always inside of me. Never mind I don’t feel his presence now! It’s how he tricked me before.” His eyes became feral.  “No, I’ll never take anything for granted, knowing in one second I’ll be back in that netherworld. You know what needs to be done.” 

Leto got on his knees. Bowed his head. 

“Kill me.” 

“Leto-” Alleia started. 

“KILL ME! BURN ME! SKIN ME ALIVE! JUST DON’T HIM SCOURGE ME ANY LONGER!” His hands darted toward the dagger at his side, but he stopped at his Lady’s gaze.

“I-I can’t.” Alleia looked away from him. Not when she got him back. Not when Asis could know her other father. 

“Siren, please-” 

“What Alleia says, I will do.” How she wanted to end his suffering. But she couldn’t do it. Not in this way.

“I could heal you. Drive the Serpent out-” 

“Don’t fool yourselves.” Leto said to their brown and gold eyes. “You know I cannot be saved. I’m too much a threat to live. He is too much a threat to live in this world.” 

“Not when there is hope.” Alleia said, “Not when my child hasn’t met her birth father.” 

“Ch-Child?” Leto’s eyes shifted. The Snake was back.  

“Such charming words from your pet, Little Light! I should be more like you, and give them treats. Or perhaps a carrot whip trick would work better? Personally I keep mine caged, but perhaps free range is the future? What do you think?” The Snake grinned. 

“That is no longer my name, Snake.” Siren hissed. “Enough of these games.” Alleia and Siren spoke as one. “Let us end this.” 

            “You’re right, Siren. Let us end this. It’s gone on for far too long.” The Snake flashed Leto’s white teeth. “Though I must say, having a worm’s body is the most fun I’ve had in centuries!” 

            The Serpent waved his hand, and a green globe representing Erde appeared. 

Dark spots like burns dotted its crust, glittering malevolently in the sunlight. 

            “As you know dearest, the burns on the globe indicate the dormant volcanoes your pathetic fireflies put to sleep. But I have come up with a way to open them again. I call it… trinitrotoluene! Or TNT; whichever you prefer.” The Snake smirked. 

            “Of course, one tiny explosion wouldn’t be able to fully activate the volcano, so I add black magic and presto! I have enough bombs to make the Erde like Venus.” The Serpent laughed at the bad joke. 

            “Now, this is what you’ll do. If you want your precious world to live, you will leave your firefly’s body and come into this.” A snake appeared on his shoulders. On its tail, a citrine jewel pierced its skin. It glowed the colors of Siren’s body. 

“You will converge with Lorelei, the name our child should’ve had, while little Alleia will not resist. Then, I will converge with you!” He licked his lips with pleasure. “Our converged energies will be enough to power a new sun with Lorelei. Then, if you behave, I’ll allow your firefly to live, we will, as humans, become one flesh.” An immoral grin spread on his face from ear to ear. And we will begin a dynasty that will rule Erde forever more!”

“Never!” Siren snarled. She threw all the fire on their body at him. He didn’t even flinch. 

“Now, now,” He waved a finger. “If you don’t leave your toy’s body in one minute, my worms will erupt the volcanoes and Erde will perish!” 

            Siren cast her vision into the future, and gasped. Her visions… they would come true! 

            The followers of the Snake surrounded the Lava Mountains, the blind mortals ready to blow them up and die in the process. As they erupted, ash would spread around the world, becoming so severe that people couldn’t leave their homes. They would all suffocate from the heat of the eruptions. Their final moments preserved in ash. The damage would be so quick, Siren wouldn’t be able to save everyone. Again. 

When humanity saw Siren couldn’t save them, they would turn to the Snake for help, only to be mistaken. The Serpent doesn’t forgive, he punishes. Kenji would be a gray corpse. Leto, consumed by the Serpent. Asis, taken from her people and forced to serve the Snake. Alleia would be one of the only humans left, if not the last, and eventually, die. 

With all humanity dead, the sun would dim. And if she left Alleia now, and went back to the Sun, it would result in the same outcome. The Snake would be triumphant. 

            Why hadn’t she seen this earlier? Why hadn’t her Father warned her of this? Because of ‘free will’? Because she agreed to protect the humans? Because she’d become so confident in herself again, that she thought the war would be over? That the Snake would surrender? That she could save Leto? She had been wrong. So wrong. She should’ve killed Leto. 

Leto. He had been right all along. The Serpent would never surrender. As long as he was on Erde, he never would. As long as he was on Erde, the planet would never have peace. All was lost. 

Even in her darkest hour, her sister was by her side. Get rid of the Snake. Her host shared a plan. 

She would leave Alleia’s body, but instead of going to the Sun, she’d drive the Snake out, something she should’ve done long ago, and send him to the edge of the realm. She would have to be quick; otherwise the world would grow cold and wither. 

If she was successful, it would take the Serpent centuries, possibly a thousand years to return to Erde, leaving it safe from his destruction. For now.  

Then Leto would be free! Alleia safe. It hurt Siren that she couldn't be with them but-no. Their eyes darted to the dagger at the Snake’s side. Alleia inwardly filched, but only for a moment. This was the only way. 

We can beat him right now! You know there’s no other choice, Siren. Alleia thought. I’m not afraid, so neither should you. 

Why? Why does it have to be you? Siren cried a thousand waterfalls in their mind. 

There is always a price for everything. Alleia was strangely calm. At least this time, it will be my choice. 

Siren tried to take solace in that. After all, most of Alleia’s life had been dictated by others. When she became a host, she didn’t have a choice in the matter. She was the only person who could save Erde. If she didn’t, the world would fall into the Snake’s shadow. 

Even when she had her own child, Siren had a part in it. Alleia could never be alone. Never make her own choice. Even now, when Siren could twist fate for her, Alleia didn’t want it. She accepted the future, even if it was painful. What would Kenji think? What would Asis think? 

Siren saw them grieving. She sensed longing so deep it could cut through diamond. Anger so hot, it could destroy the moon. And… acceptance, in the end. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, but it forces us to go on, or fail. It’s what kept Siren going, and it would keep the world going too. How could you survive otherwise? 

Siren had never told anyone this, but she was always confident and childlike on Erde so she wouldn’t have to show the hosts all the hurt she’d caused. All the pain her people felt. Not that it mattered. Now Alleia knew the truth about her. She couldn’t save anyone. Not those closest to her heart. 

The Snake was a jealous fiend. He always took her spirit sisters. Her first host, Maria, then Heni, Zawadi, and now Alleia. Maybe if she’d told her hosts her secrets, instead of bottling them up, they would’ve lived long after her Father called her back to the Sun. But she couldn’t do anything about it now. Alleia wouldn’t let her. 

She knew what had to be done. Siren couldn’t save her. She would make the Snake pay. 

Are…you sure you want to go through with this? 

Yes. Siren? 

What? Siren bit back their tears. 

I love you. 

I love you too. 

Chaos ensued. 

❇❇❇

Siren left Alleia, but instead of returning to the Sun, the Daughter did something she’d never done in her life. 

She. Fought. Back. 

For every mortal wronged. Every broken heart. Every sacrifice made. For Alleia’s sacrifice, she drove the Snake out of Leto’s body and threw his twisted spirit across the realm. 

His soul showed shock, then anger. He fought every push, but it wasn’t enough. For who can fight the Avenging Sun? 

But everything comes with a price. 

As Siren let out her fury, Erde’s fury, the Snake made one last effort to hold on. He drew out his ebony dagger, raising it to strike Alleia so Siren would go back to the Sun before she could punish him…but he didn’t strike. Alleia and Siren saw him hesitate. One of his eyes became a circle. It was enough. Siren drove the Serpent out of Leto just as he thrust the knife into Alleia’s stomach. 

 Siren didn’t hear her spirit sister’s final words; she envisioned them. 

After seeing what the Serpent had done, Leto dropped over Alleia’s body, shouting “Alle? Alle!” He slowly took the knife out, ripped his tunic to stop the bleeding, but it wasn’t enough. It could never be enough. 

Alleia spoke quietly. “Asis has your hair. And your smile.” 

“And her eyes?” He asked, still trying to stop the bleeding. 

“Gold and brown. One from Siren, the other from me.” She looked down at her wound. “I’m sorry. She won’t be able to meet us-together.” 

Every breath was becoming harder. Like inhaling water. 

“Don’t say that.” Tears came in Leto’s eyes. His wonderful circle eyes. “We’ll get you patched up. And then if you…want me in her life, I’ll meet her. With you. I’m sorry you had to raise her alone. You always were stronger than I.” 

“I didn’t raise her alone.” 

“Siren must’ve been an interesting Auntie-” 

“No. She has a father.” 

“Oh.” He was quiet for a moment. Trying to think of what to say. Or do. “Is he a redhead?”

Alleia, confused at his…she smiled widely. Her caramel eyes twinkled. “No, bald. And short.”

“Of course! I wouldn’t have it any other way!” Her best friend laughed. “Good looking, no doubt. Anyway, I can’t wait to see the look on his face when we walk out of here. It’s like you said, ‘I’ll have a red-hair, or no hair!’”

“Let’s not… lie to each other. Okay?” Alleia’s breath was wisping away. “I’m just glad it’s… the two of us right now. Like it us-used to be.” A spark engulfed her mind. Only now, after all this suffering…

Alleia touched his cheek one last time. “We’re free. We’re finally free.” 

Her heart stopped. Alleia Soliel, Sun Ruler and fourth host of the Daughter, began her journey to the after realm. The Son himself guided her. 

Leto stared in horror at what the Snake had done, what, in his mind, he had done. He took the ebony knife, ready to take his own life-  

But fate had other plans. They’d been so focused on each other the hosts hadn’t noticed Lorelei, who fulfilled her master’s last command, and gave Leto his vengeful bite.

General Kenji Soleil and the sun guards burst into the room, moments too late to save their Lady and Light. They saw Leto’s body near her and…

It almost bit them. But Kenji killed Lorelei before she caused any more pain. 

Justice came far too late on Erde. 

Siren returned to her body as she always did. But she did not sing. How could she, when her true sister died. Perished? Because of her. Alleia’s final moments happened over and over and over in her mind. And she couldn’t do anything but carry on. For she was Siren of the Sun. 

Alleia would’ve said the sacrifice was worth it, that if humans could live with the Sun’s light for just another moment, the cost didn’t matter. 

Was it worth it? Truly worth it? 

How many times would hosts have to make sacrifices to drive the Snake out, only for him to come back someday? How many times would she have to leave hosts’ children, her children, behind? How many times would her heart be broken, wondering how long this painful cycle will last? 

As she journeyed to the Sun, she glanced back to the cursed planet. She should’ve let it drown in darkness long ago, the good it did her. The pain it had caused her. Pain. Loss. Asis. 

Alleia’s child, Kenji’s child, Leto’s child, her child, was alone. Because of what she’d done. She watched Erde grow cold. Cold like the depths of her being. Then she realized what she was doing.   

On the green world, the temperature was lowering, growing dark. If she didn’t revitalize it, humanity would die. 

So, she sang. She sang of light, yes, and fertility, yet also of loss. The sacrifices being made so others could live to see another day. It gave her an idea.  

On Erde, in the Sun Monarchy, a thirteen year-old Asis cried over her mothers’ body. She only stopped to look at strange flowers that began to grow on the ground next to the funeral pyre. Where had they come from?

They were short plants, with five of the darkest blue petals she’d ever seen, a bright orange center keeping them all attached.

 She picked up one, only for another to take its place, and another, and another, and another, until she had an entire bouquet. She laid them on her mothers, and smiled for a moment. They would’ve loved this. They were Alleia and Siren’s favorite colors. If only… they could’ve seen it. Then, she realized who they were from. It made her cry harder. 

When her dad walked in to look at his mate one last time, he stopped, and glanced at the beautiful flowers. What were they? Who had sent them? 

Asis looked up, and said they were Siren’s tears. 

Now, whenever someone passed away in the Sun Monarchy, the deceased was given a bouquet of Siren’s tears, to know that they weren’t alone in their loss.  

Siren knew it didn’t help anyone get through their grief. But it was good to know someone felt what they did, and understood. She wished she had someone like that again. 

❇❇❇

Siren returned to her body, and listened to her Father talk about the Snake’s exile. 

“He will not be back for a thousand and five years, allowing Erde to have peace, at least from the Serpent. The humans will still hurt themselves of course, but we will do all we can to guide them-” 

“Why do you allow them to go on like this?” Siren asked, swimming in her photons. “Allowing them to be wicked? You let the Snake tempt them, and when he’s gone, you permit them to destroy each other? What’s the point?” 

The Father grew quiet. “This is about Alleia. Isn’t it?” 

Siren rolled her eyes. “Not only Alleia. But Kenji. Leto. Their daughter. (My daughter, she thought.) Because of me, they won’t have her anymore. (I can’t look after them.) If I had been stronger, I could have saved her. (We would still be a family!) If I had known what was going to happen more clearly, or been able to be in multiple places at once, I could still be helping the humans. (My people.) But I can’t! I should’ve left Alleia and thrown out the Snake sooner. (I should’ve gotten him off Erde immediately.) Yet, I let her sacrifice herself, because of free will. Free will. What’s so grand about free will, if it allowed Leto to give in to the Snake? What’s so great when Alleia died for my mistakes? And why didn’t you do anything? Because you have to follow your plan? What good is it if you know all of these terrible things will happen, when you can stop it, and you don’t?”

The Father was silent for a long time. Siren’s singing became angry. Fiery. There were a lot of bushfires for Erde that year. 

“I told you it would hurt. Because I’d known all of this would happen. (Except when I was creating Erde. I wasn’t focused on you, Little Light. I regret that. Always.)

“I also knew because of your sacrifice, your free will, you decided that humanity should be given a second chance. You decided to be their light, even though they had lost the right to it. You’ve seen how the Snake is, the way he calls his follower’s worms. Had he been in my place, he would’ve let the humans suffer without a light and moved on, because it was destined to happen. (Because I wasn’t there for you in time.) If I had forced the humans to stop all their wickedness, they would be nothing more than playthings for my amusement. Who would do that? 

“So, I listened to you that day. I let you choose your own destiny, and save humanity. (I let you have happiness with your sisters. Even for a short time.) The ability to choose your own way, whether it be bad or good, is what allows us to be our own beings. That is what life is about. Not what the Snake wants, which is control. His absolute wish is to play with beings like Leto for an eternity. (You. He wants You. Why did I ever create him?) If we did the same as he, we would be worse than him, because we would claim to be good and full of light. You can’t be good if you control everyone. You must let others choose.” (Even if it's terrible.) 

“But-she’s gone! I’m gone! Asis has no one now! I don’t have her now! I don’t have either of them now! How can I go on? How can I let anymore suffer?” Siren could barely breathe. Her body didn’t seem big enough for her. 

“But you will again.” Her Father said. “No one said this path would be easy. All we can do is help those we can, when we can. People may choose right, or they may choose wrong, but it is their choice. And we will abide by that.” 

Siren swam in plasma, and thought about this. It was a paradox. Her father knew what would happen, yet he allowed people to make their own decisions, whether it was for good or ill. 

Yet he didn’t interfere in her choices. She had been able to save Erde. She’d been able to experience life with Leto, Kenji, Asis. Alleia. She’d been able to do what the angels hadn’t done. What her Brother hadn’t done. What her father, the Creator, hadn't done.  

She knew who the Snake was. How he scoffed at the notion of beings lesser than them having free will, when it had been a firefly that led to his downfall. It let Siren smile, just for a moment. 

She imagined what her Father felt like, allowing Helel to almost… converge with her. Because of him creating a new realm. Because of a ugly, beautiful, wicked, loving realm, she’d been changed. Forever. She realized, despite all the things she’d seen, she would rather there be a world where people could be themselves than no world at all. If only I’d let Alleia have that. 

She finally understood her Father’s choices. And knew what it would lead to. So she would do her part. She would guide her people of Erde, and make sure they had hope. So they could get to the day when the Snake was defeated and peace would reign. So one day she could see her family again.  

The Father smiled at the Light. For she was no longer little. They both saw what needed to be done to help the beings they loved. 

“You have been through so much, Light. I am proud of you. You have grown up. I promise you and all creation that no other host will have to do what Alleia did. From now on, I will send some of your spirit into those willing to receive it. So they can combat the darkness in their own lives. Are you okay with this?” 

Siren was astonished. Her Father, the Creator, was asking her if she was okay with his plan? She would be fine with it, only, how would she have enough strength to guide the next host? 

“Father… what if… the three of us helped Earth? I know Brother is fighting his own battles now, but…” 

The Son came in a millisecond, giving the moon another crater. “I have heard what has happened, Light. The Snake is gathering his forces scattered in the cosmos, and is heading towards Erde as I speak. My legions are holding them off, but they’ll eventually come to Erde.” 

            “So, you’ll help?” The Sun asked the Comet. 

            “Of course I’ll help! What do you think I’d do?” Her Brother squeaked. 

            “Oh nothing.” Siren said innocently. “Simply that you had other things to do.” 

            “Of course I have other things to do! (Like making out with Maria. And Siren will never know… I hope…) But that doesn’t-” 

            “That’s enough you two!” Their Father scolded. 

            “Apologies, Father!” They said in response. 

            The Milky Way twinkled. “Are we in agreement then?” 

             “Yes.” The children of creation said. 

              It was a small, bright star in Siren's life. They were a family now. A true one, at last.

 

❇❇❇

            A thousand years had passed, but it felt like two eternities to Siren. Now, it was time. She landed on Erde, and gasped. 

            Her people had rebuilt the old Sun Temple. Gone were the obsidian bricks, the blue torches, the poisonous fumes. Its golden walls shone in the bright daylight. Red, orange, and yellow crystals gleamed on the elegant doors. The pale yellow tower seemed to smile. It had finally been repainted. It hadn’t looked like this since the beginning of the world. It was as if the humans knew a new age, a new chapter, had come to Erde. 

 In front of the light colored building was the next sun ruler. 

            Realms, it couldn’t be…

            “Alleia?” Siren whispered. 

            But the host was not Alleia. Even though she was the mirror image of her. What she should’ve been long ago. 

 A golden crown adorned the host’s head, shaped in a semi-circle with sun beams. She had on a loose golden dress that sparkled in the sunlight, a girdle of ivory atop it. Siren looked closely at the host. She had sparks of gold in her brown eyes. A descendant of Asis. Her child, in a way.  

            Upon seeing Siren, she fell to her knees and bowed. 

            “My Light,” she breathed. 

            Siren beamed at the host, and leaned down next to her. “You have no need to bow to me. I’m merely a messenger from the Creator. Rise with me.” 

            They did so, slowly. 

            “I am Siren of the Sun. This millennium, you have been chosen to lead Erde into its new golden age.” 

            The host looked eager. Excited. What a long journey she had ahead of her. “But be warned, the path of a sun ruler has many sacrifices, some you may not know until it’s too late.” Siren’s voice caught in her throat. 

            “As my brother has already warned you, the Snake will reach Erde in five years. But we have a plan to defeat him. My brother will lead his angels here, and give his spirit to our people. Together we will drive back the Serpent’s forces.” 

            The next ruler nodded her head full of curls. “We’re ready.” 

It was odd to Siren how only a thousand years ago, this girl’s ancestor had hidden her natural looks because they were seen as ugly, vulgar. Now, she wore them proudly. She probably didn’t even know the steps Alleia took to fit in. 

            “I wonder… do you know what a corset is?” Siren asked, off topic. 

            The host shook her head and frowned. “It sounds like a type of armor. Or form of torture. Is that what it is?” 

            Siren smiled. “I’ll tell you about it soon.” 

            The girl nodded her head and the Siren converged with her. 

            A new cycle had begun on Erde. A new chapter, a new beginning. Things would be right this time. They entered the dawn of the fifth millennium.

❇❇❇

“Even if my loved ones are gone, I will see them again.

Erde may have winter, but I will sing again.

I may feel pain now, but will feel the joy of life again.

Until the Snake is defeated, I will oppose him again and again.

I will do nothing else, for I am Siren of the Sun.”

Excerpt from “The Sun Book: Fifth Age Edition: Siren’s Song.”

Mystery & Intrigue

Lacey George

Graphite on Paper

What Member of the Dragon Slaying Squad Are You?

A personality quiz

You have been summoned…

        The king of your country (apparently democracies haven’t been invented yet) has ordered his daughter, the princess, to gather a team of heroes to slay a mysterious dragon, who lives in the mountains of your nation.

        One problem.
        She can’t do it alone.

        Aid her in the adventure of a lifetime! How will the bards and barbers sing of you centuries later? Will you be the:

        -Mysterious Rogue

        -Wizard Mentor

        -Astronomer Guide… who’s a cat

        -The Down to Earth Hero

        -Musician/Storyweaver

        -and more!

To journey where no one has gone before!

Venture forth, hero…if you dare!

            1.You joined this adventure because…

A.                A dragon?! Why not? Also, (sheepish) I would worry about my friend, E.

B.                 The princess and her party need my help. Bring on the quest!

C.                 I will do anything to prove myself.

D.                (Exasperated) I came to save these idiots’ lives. And to train them to fight DRAGONS!

E.                 (Backs away slowly from D)This will be the jumpstart to my career! (looks at map) We’re supposed to go north, guys!

F.                  Look, I was forced. (glares) This reward has better be worth it.

G.                …(asleep for a week)...

            2. What do you wear?

A.                Fashionable clothes made in Paris!

B.                 Um…normal clothes. (whispers) Where is Paris?

C.                 Armor, summer apparel, one hat from Paris…leaving my sword is not an option. (drags on ground)

D.                Why, my robes. That way I can give strangers unwanted advice while looking professional.

E.                 Clothes? Who needs clothes?

F.                  Whatever I have in my pack, I ain’t picky.

G.                (Still in bed, only has rags from a tragic past)

            3.The old map to Dragon Cave the king gave you was burnt up in smoke by a rebel granny who ran away screeching. How do you find your way?

A.                Oh I couldn’t find it. But someone in the squad could help!

B.                 I don’t know squash (and I know squash) about geography. I’ll organize camp so the others can think it through. (gets hit with a squash)

C.                 We add another member!

D.                NO! I’m not babysitting anymore of you little ninkin poops! I’ll read this navigation guide. Hmmm. Yes, we will know where we’re going in a month’s time!

E.                 You idiots. (gazes up) Ok! I know where to go.

F.                  Do I look like I know where we’re going?

G.                (Wishes they could be found as well.)

            4.You know you’re destination. But which route to take?

A.                I have to be creative while traveling. How about the road? Oceans and me, we don’t mix.

B.                 Let us travel the untamed seas! Roam into the purple desert! Face the wilds of the midnight jungle- (all of squad stares) uh, sure yeah, whatever y’all want. (begins to play lonely harmonica)

C.                 The one with challenges. (grabs sword) Bring them on!

D.                The safest and most stimulating (starts reading).

E.                 We get there however we can.

F.                  The quickest way to the reward, idiots! (smiles when no one is looking)

G.                (Wishes they could travel. Are not content with watching the outside world from a magic metal tablet.)

            5.Your party chooses to travel on foot to Dragon Cave. Eventually, you come across a dark forest. How are you feeling about the quest so far?

A.                 I’m just happy we’re finally moving! The adventure can begin and I can record it, but the forest…it feels wrong somehow. Any moment we could be in danger-
B.         Nah, that never happens on the first day! Let’s keep going.
C.         Just a moment, B. I’ve been on a few missions, and it does feel too quiet.
D.         (Reading/not paying attention to surroundings)
E.          It does feel kind of weird…let’s get out of here!
F.          It’s just some trees. The whole trip has been a walk in the park-AHH!
G.         (Jumps at sound)

            6.You’re being ambushed by sea monsters (even though you're in a forest)! They have taken children captive. What do you do?

A.                (Sigh) Smash some monsters, then write about it later in our log. (gets out their battle banjo)

B.                 I form a plan with the princess. I will be the one to lead the kids out.

C.                 YAHHHHHHH! (throws sword at Billy Bob the kraken.)

D.                (Still reading. Defeats half of monsters with a wave of hand. Squad looks at them with disbelief) What?

E.                 Hide! 

F.          I don’t get paid enough for this. (helps kill monsters)
G.         I would massacre the monsters. No one should hurt children.

            7.You defeat the foes. How do you help the kids home?

A.                I help by distracting them.

B.                 I make sure everyone is not injured.

C.                 (Cleans blood off sword) I worry, for they might be traumatized. But, ah, I’m not the best with children.

D.                I teach them how to clean fish. MAGICALLY!

E.                 I eat the fish. (jumps at dead monster) SUSHI. Also, it is I who leads the children to their village!

F.                  I’m in the back, making sure they don’t do anything stupid-keep up the pace Roberta!

G.                I do nothing. I’m happy the young ones are safe, but it reminds me too much of my past.

            8.The village throws a party in your honor. How do you react?

A.                I like it alright, but I prefer to sit at the coffee bar, recording our adventures.

B.                 Wow! I like parties! Who woulda thought? But why are so many villagers flirting with me? Do I smell good or something- (sniffs armpit and gags) Ugh! (tentatively sniffs armpit again) UGH!

C.                 (Glances at B) Ugh. I’ve been to too many parties. 

D.                I give random strangers advice at the bar!

E.                 I find a quiet place, eat, and look at the stars.

F.                  Eh…parties aren't my thing. 

G.                Pfft. Who needs parties? (hasn’t been to one in years)

            9.You leave in the morning. Back on the road you…

A.                Waste time by singing and cracking jokes.

B.                 I go a little ahead. I like to scout the terrain.

C.                 Clean my weapons and look for threat-(sees a bird) I challenge ye to a duel!

D.                (Still reading) Hmm. Did we already have breakfast?

E.                 (Ate D’s breakfast) I lead the way! Turns out, I’m the only one who knows where we’re headed. No pressure!

F.                  I lead towards the back…thinking of home.

G.                (Is still in despair about not being to a party in years)

            10. Two weeks have passed. You leave farm plains for hills. Everyone is tired and needs a break…

A.                I tune up my flute and sit by the river, singing at the top of my lungs.

B.                 I tune up my harmonica and think of the adventure ahead.

C.                 (Hyped on adrenaline) We should keep going!

D.                Now, now, C. (teaches C a lesson about patience)

E.                 (Sits by river, transfixed) We should leave soon. (begins howling)

F.                  I like a little alone time…(makes dinner for all)

G.                I wonder what it would be like, to really have a break. To be happy.

            11. Should you extend your break to another day?

A.                We should go to the town next to us. I-er, we need supplies.

B.                 I have enough for myself, but let’s count the supplies and see.

C.                 We should not go to town or take any more detours! (screams) I must face the dragon!

D.                (Reading) See, C? This is why we should rest another day. Let the energy-(dodges sword to the face) out.

E.                 But…we should try to keep going…(goes to sleep)

F.                  Let’s stay. I need some more rest…(falls asleep)

G.                (Has been asleep)

            12. In town, you can buy whatever you wish since you saved some random people. What do you buy?

A.                Sweet food, scrolls, and instruments! And I got something for my friends!

B.                 I like these bow and arrows. Take that, dragon! (misfires)

C.                 Enough. (dodges arrow with sword the size of  their body) I need…well that helmet is cute…

D.                Books! (buys a new library)

E.                 Eh, who needs stuff? Give me nature and…(bats at necklace) jewelry!

F.                  I get the actual supplies this squad NEEDS. You’re welcome.

G.                (Can’t remember last time they bought something)

            13. You go back to camp after a long shopping day. What do you say to your friends before bed?

A.                I ain’t watching tonight. (stays up telling stories to friends)

B.                 (Sigh) I’ll take first watch. If something comes at us, I’m ready!

C.                 (Is already asleep. Has both hands around sword like it’s a teddy bear)

D.                (Reading) I love y’all, but you exhaust me. Go to bed!

E.                 (Goes out hunting)

F.                  How…why…(sigh) where does E get the energy… Good night, everyone.

G.                I have no friends left.

            14. Rescue detour #28, on day 65…

A.                Not again! I’ll need another book to finish our chronicle.

B.                 This is fun! But, the dragon is calling to me, er, we need to move on.

C.                 Let us face the dragon!

D.                (Happy to give life advice) Yes, let us move on to the main goal!

E.                 The dragon will make me a star. Onward! These detours are distracting. (goes off to hunt again)

F.                  My reward-uh, the dragon!

G.                (Wishes to go back to the past, when things were simple)

            15. You make your way up Dragon Mountain. What do you fear to face when the quest is over?

A.                I fear losing the friends I’ve made here. I don’t want to leave them.

B.                 It feels like I’ve found myself. But, will I go too far with it?

C.                 This is the first time in my life I’m not ashamed of who I am. Will I lose it at home?

D.                (Drops book, mortified) These kids will make decisions without me!

E.                 I like my career more than my friends. It makes me think I’m…selfish.

F.                  Well, I like these people, but I’m afraid they’ll keep pestering me for my cooking!

G.                I have nothing left to lose.

            16. Night has fallen, and you make camp at the mouth of Dragon Cave. What will you do with your reward when you slay the dragon?

A.                Open an amphitheater where I-er people can express themselves.

B.                 I would pay to go on more quests! I’ve never felt more alive, doing this. (squash hits them from above) WHY?

C.                 I don’t need a reward. (polishes sword) Money has no value to me.

D.                I’ll open a school! Filled with books that teach kids how to battle DRAGONS!

E.                 I will buy some high-tech equipment to advance my career!

F.                  I’ll be set. Have the best of everything. (puts hand to chin) Maybe invest.

G.                Are there really any rewards?

            17. It’s still night, and all are by the fire. Who will be awaiting your return?

A.                The familiam will be happy to see me. (hopes that squad will still be around.)

B.                 My adopted parents who raised me. Oh! My crush.

C.                 My father is cold, uncaring. I have no friends but you all. But (looks at the fire) perhaps my sweetheart misses me. (all of squad group hugs C)

D.                My dearest! And my crazy uncle Ferdinand!

E.                 Family of course. And (sniffs) no one just yet, but wait till Tom sees me now!

F.                  No one…(sighs) fine. So I gotta love at home. Sue me!

G.                I had family once…and they were taken from me.

            18. You enter the dragon cave, weapons ready…

A.                Something in the air feels…wrong. Like we’ve been…set up. (gets out two French horns)

B.                 (Nervous but excited) Let’s stick to the plan, everybody.

C.                 Finally, let’s get this over with! (brings out sword)

D.                (Closes book) Remember, I’m proud of y’all.

E.                 (Hides) Sorry, I’m a guide, not a warrior. But hey, after this we’ll be famous!

F.                  This better be worth it. (prays that the squad will come out alive.)

G.                AHHHH!!!

Remember your answers, hero! They will tell you who you will become…

If the majority of your answers were A you are: The Storyweaver/Musician

            You are the musician (and/or storyweaver if you have no love for a banjo)! Your fashion choices are questionable at best, but those peasants would never understand.

            Pulled into action because your pet kitten decided they wanted to be an astronomer, you find great (and your only) friends.

            The storyteller/musician is the glue of the squad. You are loyal, funny, and obviously have a way with words and/or the recorder. You have a good rhythm and want to help your friends in any way you can to get them out of their dark moods. You do this by singing, telling jokes, and spending your spare cash on squashes.

            Lastly, you have really good intuition. You feel in the air that something is off…as if you had been tricked into fighting the dragon.

 If the majority of your answers were B you are: The Down to Earth Hero

You are the relatable; life always hits you in the shins with a squash at the worst moment, hero of our quest! You have a big heart, are humble, and can mostly see the best in others.

Most likely raised on a farm in some dragon-forsaken village, you are the most eligible youth in town! (Nothing screams ‘attractive’ more than smelling of sweat and chicken crap. Yum!)

You feel fine with the life you have, and of course love your adopted parents who raised you as their own, but you’ve always felt something calling to you…adventure eventually comes knocking at your door. (Literally, the princess just knocked.)

Over time, you find out that you love adventure and can’t get enough of it. You are ready to face the dragon. But the storyteller/musician senses something in the air, and soon the whole group feels it too… a sense of ancient power… but perhaps not evil.

If the majority of your answers were C you are: The Elven Warrior Princess (with a sword the size of your body)

            It’s not easy, being the heir to a throne. Especially when you're questioning if your father, the king, even cares. So you go against the rules and learn the art of war. And also get a sword from your favorite childhood friend, the wizard mentor!

Going on the quest has been the horse ride of a lifetime. You learn that you can just be yourself, not having to challenge everything that comes your way. Also, you learn that good friends…are irreplaceable. 

You are commanding and a little forceful, but this journey has taught you not to be ashamed of who you are. You even learn some patience!

But once you enter the dragon cave, after months of battling monsters and finding a new family, the musician/storyteller gets a premonition, and no one really wants to kill the dragon anymore…

If the majority of your answers were D you are: The Wizard Mentor.

            Despite your title, you are only three to four years older than the rest of these teenage hooligans. You love them fondly.

The Wizard mentor is the exasperated mother of this trip. You make sure the youngins don’t kill themselves accidentally and teach them to fight DRAGONS! You have a love for teaching and want to see everyone reach their full potential. You sometimes don’t pay attention, due to having your nose in a book (or advising strangers), but it doesn’t stop you from helping out the squad!

You are close to the princess the most, since you taught her everything she knows.

Never seen without your books, you surprise everyone that not only are you useful, you can catch a date!

As you enter the cave, something feels…dark…

If the majority of your answers were E you are: The Cat Astronomer.

You only joined this quest for fame and recognition. Once you help slay the dragon, the whole world would listen to your seminars on constellations and solar eclipses! But, as time went on, you found yourself guiding friends who trusted you with their futures.

It made you responsible. Your best friend is the musician/storyteller, because they lift you up when you feel like life has got you down. It doesn’t hurt that they split their meals with you too.

Not really caring for material things (apart from jewelry b/c they are like the stars), you enjoy nature and the people around you.

Your only fault is perhaps, vanity. You look after yourself first…especially when entering the cave.

If the majority of your answers were F you are: The Mysterious Rogue.

Look, you don’t know how you got into this mess. It was this or jail. So you joined.

At first, people don’t really trust you because of your rough demeanor and love of money, but a person’s got to eat. (Especially when you cook so well.)

There isn't much to say about your past. But the reward…that’s worth talking about! You like being in the shadows, making sure everyone is safe. You also like to cook.

Coming here has been a turning point in your life. You’ll have the reward, go home to your few loved ones, and just…live in peace. Of course you’ll see the squad every once and awhile. And there’s no pressure there. It feels good.

But at Dragon’s Cave, everything in the air is…wrong. Did you make the right decision coming here?

If the majority of your answers were G you are: The Dragon Queen

You've been stalking your enemies via magic metal tablet all this time. As the Dragon Queen, your hobbies include sleeping and being depressed, wishing for other days and writing political speeches about saving kids.

Poor fools! You have nothing to lose. Your child had been taken from you at birth because she wasn’t a son as it was foretold. The king, angry that he didn’t have a “true heir” used his power and influence to turn the people against you. Giving you the title of witch.

Well then.

You wake from your slumber, dressed in tragic rags. Yet the squad doesn’t move. They only stare. Could they understand? How you were once a queen, and had lost your child to your evil spouse? Who took away your crystal sword and turned you into a monster?

Your sword! That girl in the center has it…the one who looks just like your elfin form…

“Daughter?”

To be continued…

Untitled

Lacey George

Chalk Pastel & Colored Pencil

Fantasy vs Reality

By Jenna Ball

           

Reality: I think everyone, at some point or other, has wondered what it would be like to live in a place of magic. An alternate universe, if you will. Assuming that such a land exists, it would be cool to meet your fantasy self!

Well, I stand before you today to Shatter.

That.

Illusion.

See, I was paid a visit by Fantasy me a week ago. Not only did she break my mirror, which gave me stitches, she also introduced me to the strange mannerisms, people, and yes, monsters of her land. And I thought moving into a dorm was difficult! Ah, those were the days…

What? Don’t believe me? Ok, ok that’s fine. But you better listen up, punk. Cause it’s time you met Fantasy, up close and personal…

 Five reasons why I’d rather live my regular life:

1. Monsters may threaten to eat you at any time.

(Giant Monster barrels towards the just met Reality and Fantasy)

Reality: AH! (runs)

Fantasy: AH! (runs, then is stopped by Magic Professor)

Magic Professor: (gives Fantasy a weapon) Slayeth the unholy creature!

Fantasy: Yes! The devil must die. Engarde! (Monster swipes the sword away)

Reality: (Looks back) Of all the- (shouts as Giant Monster hits them with a club, both are carried away on stretchers)

Magic Professor: Uh… (runs offstage)

(Curtains close)

Stage manager: Hello. We interrupt this script to report some sad news: our leading ladies are dead. (nods) Yes, what a tragedy- (someone runs onstage and whispers in their ear) Oh? So I came out here for nothing!? We would like to report that our leads have made a miraculous recovery, thanks to our makeup staff. In addition, the Magic Professor has escaped the building and is wanted by the police for questioning. If you have any information on this person, please report it to the local authorities. They may or may not be fleeing the country to fight a dragon no one has ever heard of before.

Thank you. 

 2. Sharing your home with a stranger is nerve-wracking, to say the least. But that was nothing compared to the pixie in the closet. (shivers)

(Both spot a pixie in the closet)

Fantasy: (Holds pixie like a baby) Fragile angel, thou art my life now.

Reality: (Grabs pixie from Fantasy, still cradling like a baby) No, Charlie is my life now!

Fantasy: (Gasps) You named it without me?!

Pixie: (Pukes on both of them, flies away to raid pantry) Come brethren! The humans have the magic elixirs we’ve been seeking!

Fantasy: Uh Reality, don’t tell me you have the forbidden drink in your pantry?!?

Reality: What are you talking about-

(Stampede of pixies jump out of closet)

Pixies: ROOT BEER! (pantry explodes)

3. Fantasy assumes everyone and every gift is good… Until it’s too late. And she steals everything.

(Both run out the back entrance of a haunted mansion. Lightning, rain, and scream sounds stop as Reality slams the door, holding it in place with all her weight.)

Fantasy: Thank goodness! (goes over to a silver vase filled with crystal-like blossoms)

Reality: Yeah. (comes towards Fantasy after checking the door is secure) I’m glad to be out of there too. It seems like we’re in a back garden of sorts. We should be careful though-

Fantasy: That’s not what I’m talking about!(points to flowers) These must be the solution that will solve our pixie predicament! Let us take our prize and be on our merry way.

Reality: (Takes pictures of flowers with phone) Hmm? Sure, let’s go home-wait don’t touch that!(Fantasy picks a flower) It’s haunted here, Idiot! The flowers will probably grow into vines and drag us back into the mansion or something!

(Both wait for something to happen)     

Fantasy: You're being childish. The mansion is haunted, not the garden- (flowers in vase start to turn into vines and drags Reality and Fantasy into mansion)

Reality: You were saying? (sees a glowing knife in a glass case labeled BREAK DURING EMERGENCY across from her) Finally! Some good news today. (throws phone to break glass) (glowing knife comes into her left hand) (Reality chops vines and Fantasy’s flower)

Fantasy: My prize!

4. Your alternate universe self has no knowledge of hygiene. (lost in thought for a moment) Or common sense.

(Random prince-like person saves Fantasy from a pack of man-eating horses. Reality is left to kill said pack of man-eating horses with Prince’s machete. He grabs Fantasy bride style, and kisses her)

Prince: I love you more than jewels!

Fantasy: (Falls into kiss)

Reality: (Gags)

Prince: (Drops Fantasy to the ground) Fair maiden! (spins Reality around, pins her to chest) Thou art brave and full of heart to stand in the face of danger. Thank you, for distracting those wretched beasts, since I had (glances at Fantasy) other matters to attend to. Now, (pulls Reality closer) pleased to-

Reality: (looks up) Let go of me ya weirdo! (he tries to kiss her) (she gets away from him and holds him at machete point) Ever thought about dinner first? Or a movie? A name?

Prince: (Blinks) Sorry, why would I do that?

Reality: And you claim your undying love just to make out, like, what? Every two hours?

Prince: (Tilts head) That sounds about right.

Reality: Uh-huh. Never mind that name. Best of luck to you! (walks away, dragging a dazed Fantasy along)

Prince: Ah, what a fiery soul! Maybe I should go after her… (hears a scream) Help is on the way! (aside) Hope it isn't an old man with no teeth being chased by a bear like last time. (gags, then exits)

Fantasy: (Being dragged by Reality) But why? Why must I leave my beloved?

Reality: Your beloved has other people to smooch right now. Come on, baker’s bride. We’re going to take a fun trip to the hospital again.

Fantasy: (Stops, sending Reality tripping) But why-

Reality: STOP IT. We’re getting you to the hospital. (sighs) I don’t have enough insurance for this. You better be going home soon!

Fantasy: I will depart on the morrow, like we’ve discussed. But why-

Reality: NOW! 

5. Fantasy leaves like she popped into your life, through a mirror (sorry, looking glass).

Reality: And this will send you back?

Fantasy: Why, yes.

Reality: And you’ll be ok when you leave? You got your medicine in case the mono comes back?

Fantasy: Of course. (sniffs) And it shan’t come back. I’ve decided to settle down, and marry my next door neighbor.

Reality: Huh. That’s sorta sweet actually-

Fantasy: Although, Austin does always smell of chicken feces. And there’s that quest to slay a dragon no one’s ever heard of before that’s keeping us apart-

Reality: (Eye twitches) Promise to visit before you do anything rash, life changing, or life threatening? And say, if this person mentions a magic professor, you should keep away-

Fantasy: (Scandalized) Me, rash? Whatever made you think of such-

Reality: (Mutters under breath) Forget it. You’re going to break my mirror again, aren’t you?

Fantasy: How else will I get home? (shattered glass sounds) It was a pleassureeee! (Pixies get pulled into portal, still nursing their empty bottles of root beer)

 

And it was. To get my life back.

I’ll miss her though

Phoenix Nest

Jada Ball

Colored Pencil On Paper

Credits

 

Chief Editor                               Magic Typewriter

 

 

Artists                                    Lacey George

                                           Alastor George

                                           Jenna Ball

                                           Jada Ball

 

Developmental Editors                      Sarai Gilbert

                                           Nini Taylor

 

Copy Editors                               Jada Ball

                                           Jenna Ball

 

Authors                                    Jada Ball

                                           Magic Typewriter

                                           Jenna Ball

 

Special Thanks To:

 Ms. Wilcox!