Keeper of the Lost Cities: Elysian

Chapter 12

What Sophie saw was nothing like she'd imagined.

As the glow from the floating silver orb illuminated Elysian's face, Sophie saw that the left side of Elysian's face precisely matched her mask. The left side had slanted azure eyes, but the right side... was completely different.

There was something eerie about it.

Elysian's right eye was violet instead of azure, and something about her facial structure was different on that side, making her face oddly unsymmetrical.

Involuntary gasps escaped both Sophie and Keefe.

Sophie had been half expecting Elysian to be a completely different person... but it seemed like there were two different people?

"Who are you?" Sophie whispered.

Now that she eyed Elysian's face more closely, she realized the right side of her face had a higher cheekbone and had a colder stare than the left side.

It was as if two very different people were combined into one, and there was a line drawn down the center separating them.

When Elysian's left eye blinked, the right remained in its position.

When Elysian spoke, only the left half of her lip moved. "My identity hasn't changed. But... something inside me did."

"What do you mean?" Keefe breathed warily.

The right side of her face remained as cold and impassive as a statue as the left side said, "I'm still Elysian. The same person you know. But during my interaction with esylune, the light and darkness in my soul got separated."

"What?" Sophie whispered, her brain spinning and spinning as she tried to comprehend the information.

"So you mean there are two Elysians?" Keefe asked. "A good one and an evil one?"

He pointed to the left side of Elysian's face, then to the right. The violet eye didn't blink, but when Sophie met its motionless gaze, shivers ran down her spine.

Elysian nodded. Her entire head nodded, which was good because Sophie did not want to see only one-half of her head moving.

"Right now, the good part of me is dominating- and I'm glad about that."

It was so frightening watching only half of Elysian's face talking.

"Are your two sides constantly fighting?" Sophie asked. "Because if the dark side took control..."

She didn't finish the sentence.

Keefe and Elysian shuddered.

"I don't think it will, though," Elysian replied after a tense moment. "I can control it."

The prospect still made Sophie uneasy.

"Well, that explains only one side of your face talking," Keefe said shakily.

"Are you absolutely positive that your darker side is under control?" Sophie whispered in a hushed voice.

Elysian nodded. "It's been that way for thousands of years. Right now, it's... I don't know how to describe it, but it's like it's asleep."

"I've sensed layers of emotions from you," Keefe said slowly. "They could be from your darker side."

"And your consciousness has felt darker, too," Sophie added.

"Well... sometimes, during traumatic events, the darker side is stronger. I hope that means you know why I wore the mask." Elysian pressed the mask against her face and moved some things.