The Orb of Destiny

Thena

Markus leads me down the secret passage underneath the church, excitement and caution making an unfortunate match for him as we walk down the dark pathway. 

When we arrive at the opening, Markus places his torch on the side, to which it illuminates the entire room, sparking the flame of each torch around the large space. In the very middle on the stone platform, is a pedestal on what a rather large looking piece of glass with swirling multicolored energy stands. 

This Orb shard was discovered after several failed attempts to find the shattered pieces of the Orb from decades ago, which sparked the diffusion of the energy that had been contained inside. 

However, from Markus' hypothesis, some of the energy from the Orb remained inside the actual container itself, in the glass shards that got diffused across the lands, and of that we are now searching for. 

With Markus' theory, if we find the rest of the Orb pieces and put them together like they were before, the energy will return back inside the Orb and everything will go back to normal, as if the Diffusion never happened. Everybody who got imbued with the power of the Orb would return to their regular states of mortality or whatever it was that made them human. 

I would be able to walk in my village again without wearing a veil to cover my face. 

I'd be able to live a normal human life, not having to worry about my appearance and others' judgment of me. 

Keeping my eyes on the Orb shard, I walk towards the platform, lifting my long dress as I tread towards the stone steps. Markus watches me with sober eyes, as if he doesn't necessarily trust me to be in the presence of something that I had hated for fifty two years. 

Enraptured by the ethereal beauty of the Orb shard, I ascend the stone steps and tread close to the piece, enthralled by the humming it emits with deliberate rhythm. My hand trails over the smooth glass, and the energy swirling within it pulses and glows brighter, as if it could sense its energy within me. 

Breathing heavily, I wrap my fingers around the Orb shard and lift it off the pedestal. It's about nearly half my arm's length, and it's as light as a feather. I have no problem carrying it around the stone platform and weighing its measure.

"Gold Bringer, if we do manage to find the rest of the Orb pieces, do you think it would be wise to put them back together? What if, in doing so, we risk the lives of so many that have been affected by the energy? What if their bodies have gone so long with handling the power that they've grown used to having it within them? Ripping the power away might have more negative side effects we previously talked about. It could kill them." Markus says, his tone desperate and pleading.

My eyes still on the Orb shard, I grin. 

"I'm tired of waiting, Markus. For over fifty years, I have been in hiding. With this, I have an opportunity to gain my old life back. We leave tonight, Markus. Bring your men, and... no one affected is welcomed."