Poisoned Lips

34: sworn enemies again

Freyja gasped. "Mal. I know who she is."

"Yeah?"

"Morwen's sister! The cause of the Disappearance."

Both their eyes widened.

"I remember!" Felix exclaimed like a child about to tell his favorite story. He started, "Before the great Disappearance, where magic reigned and peace was scarce. War was waged between the pure humans and the Magis, humans blessed by the spirits of the skies at the beginning of time with magical powers. Some Magis could control water, some the elements of the earth or even the earth itself, some could interact with animals and finally the rest could control the blessings of the sky; wind, thunder, lightning, and rain. But one young girl stood out Morwen, the most powerful Magi to exist. Some even argue that she was a goddess who was single-handedly blessed by the spirits with extraordinary powers to restore peace. While the Magis could simply control nature, Morwen's power came from within her. She could control anything. She could create and she could destroy. However, Morwen did not use her powers to annihilate the pure humans.

Instead, after communion with the spirits, she found a way to appease both the humans and the Magis. She split Daerris into 3, forming islands: Afoya, Brausee and Eppeland. Humans were to live in Braussee separate from Magis who were to live in Afoya. Epeland, home to the creatures of the night, was to be left untouched and unexploited by the two civilizations.

Therefore, Daerris had two leaders. One magi ruled afoya, and the other, a human, ruled Brausee. And so the kingdoms flourished and prospered under the golden rule:

Thou shall not love humans for unspeakable evil shall befall all of mankind.

However, Mal's heart grew with jealousy. Her sister was blessed with supernatural powers while she could barely move water. So, she devised a plan, one she thought could get her noticed by the kingdom. She took a human from his home and gave him a love potion, swearing it was true love. She and her lover were to be executed but they fled the kingdom. That same night, all the Magis lost their power, only recognizable by the mark on their shoulders. Peace still reigned under Morwen's rule. However, after her death, Humans became greedy, and so a war began again. Until Morwen's descendants rise from the ashes of blood and fire, there will be no peace."

Freyja let out a breath. "Now we know where Mal fled to. The Cerulean cave."

Felix nodded. "It could be the angel-demons--"

"Ceruleans." She corrected.

"Right. The Ceruleans could lift the curse. But at what cost?"

She shook her head, her heart thumping rapidly. She would soon be free. "I'll face that when the time comes. The most pressing question is where the cave could be"

Felix ran his hand through his hair. "Mal was a weak Magi who could control water. The cave can't be in Afoya or Braussee. If she wasn't powerful she couldn't have gone far."

Freyja nodded, biting her lip. "The closest island to Afoya other Brausee is--"

"Epeland!" Felix exclaimed. He laughed. "The Cerulean cave is in Epeland."

The Cure was in Epeland.

They were silent for minutes.

It was less than a day's journey from here. She could be cured in a few days? Skies...She exhaled shakily. She'd gone through so much to find the cure and here the final clue was. It was unreal.

"I most definitely deserve a huge reward for helping you solve this riddle." He mused out loud. "What do you say? You get me a new horse. Preferably black like Ace and Angelina so we can look coordinated."