The Oracle

Chapter 37: A Blessing and a Curse

SORA

Since they returned us to Aria, I've been locked up in a cell that lies within the back halls of a cathedral type part of the academy that's rarely used by anyone except for herbalists, for making potions, and for holding trials and prisoners. I guess that's what I've become now, a prisoner. Although, I guess I've always been one from the start, unable to be who I really am, unable to show what I really am.

Now that everyone knows, they all fear me, have labeled me as a monster, but I don't understand why. I'm still the same person I always was, my morals haven't changed, my heart hasn't changed, I haven't changed. Worst of all, I'm being blamed for the attempted murder of Evory and the murder of Raciel when it was all Carmin. Raciel is dead, my parents are dead, Merrick is missing, Gambit and Sekai are on the run, Evory is barely hanging on to life, and I've been isolated, labeled a villain.

"It's just..." I grit my teeth and punch my fist into the side of the black cement wall, my knuckles bruising at the contact and green flames burning around my hand. "It's not fair."

"It never is," Akari says quietly and my breath hitches as I look to the right to see her standing outside of my cell in her armor from today, her face smeared with dirt and blood and her smile sad, her eyes somehow still bright and blue.

"Akari," I breathe out and rush to the bars, placing my hands around them and wincing back when they shock me, my eyes searching hers for answers. "What are you doing here?"

"They let me back here but only for a few moments," Akari starts to explain. "The way I look at it right now, you have votes from Kit, Sander, Darius, Clea, Shae, Isabella, and I. You'll need one more vote in order to have the majority. Aikaterina may be a vote in your favor, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure where Reverence lies either. Carmin will most certainly vote against you, along with Kaito. We don't know where Merrick is, Evory will have to have a stand in because she's comatose, and Miroslava is a wild card."

"There are supposed to be fifteen total voters, one for each sin and one for each virtue, plus the Oracle, right?" I ask. "You only named fourteen."

"Because you're Wrath and you're the one being accused, someone will be randomly chosen to represent Wrath in order to ensure fairness," Akari sighs. "The trial will start as soon as we have all representatives present."

"Do they know how Evory is doing?" I swallow thickly. "I know you said she's comatose, but..."

"Isabella has been working on healing her and Darius has been helping. He refuses to leave her side," Akari smiles sadly. "And Clea does what she can, but she can only do so much. Essentially, Clea is trying to heal Evory's soul while Isabella is trying to heal her body."

"What's wrong with Evory's soul?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"While her intentions are pure, she feels cheated out of life," Akari sighs. "She was always the one to take care of everyone, and she loved so much with her whole heart, more than anyone else ever could. She feels like she did everything she could to the best of her ability and that this can't be the end, but she's bitter. It's understandable. All her life, she's been selfless. Now, justifiably, she wants to be selfish. Her entire purpose in life was to literally give herself to others. She just wants something for herself."

"Yeah...that's understandable," I breathe out. " Have they heard anything about Merrick?"

"No," Akari frowns, her eyes sad and full of regret. "I don't know where he went, but I'm sure he had a good reason."

"Yeah," I laugh dryly. "Let's hope so."

"Everything will work out in the end," Akari frowns, her expression turning serious. "I promise."

"Yeah," I breathe out, my eyes meeting hers. "I believe you."

***

In the nighttime, when the torches are lit in the hallways and there's no voices around, I notice a shadow looming around the corner of my cell as a faint click repeats, the foreign noise coming closer and closer every second. I watch as Miroslava comes into view with a cat-like smile spread across her red lips, her brown eyes glinting in the darkness behind her glasses. Once she reaches the front of my cell, she squats down and places her hands in her lap, her long red hair flowing around her.

"I hear you've been asking about me," Miroslava hums, and my eyes widen. "Don't worry, I'm not here to bite your head off or anything, if that's what you're thinking. Tell me something, do you believe everything happens for a reason?"

"Of course I do," I say. "Even if it's something that really sucks, I believe that everything happens for a reason and you find out that reason in time. You can't have a life without having both good and bad times because unfortunately the bad times have to exist just as much as the good ones do. There's a lesson and a purpose to everything. But..."

"But?" Miroslava raises a brow.

"I also believe that we're the ones who shape our own destinies. We can't always control our fates or what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it. We can also choose to never give up on the things we love. As long as we try until we can't possibly try any more, then we know we did our best and the outcome that happens was meant to happen. I don't believe in idly sitting by and letting the people you love drift out of your life simply because you refuse to fight for them. But, if you fight for them and you still can't keep them, then maybe your time together was only meant to be as long as it was," I finish.

"How wise of you," a knowing light gleams in Miroslava's eyes before she stands up. "You know, Sora. The Oracle is the one who keeps the balance of light and darkness, evil and good, in this world. Similarly to that, there are those who keep a balance of destiny and fate. Ending up at this trial was fate for you, but it isn't your destiny."

"What does that mean?" I furrow my eyebrows. "And why are you suddenly taking an interest in me?"

"Oh, Sora," Miroslava smiles, her expression morphing into one of almost pity. "I've always had an interest in you. You just didn't know it. Make your choices wisely, Sora. Your life may depend on it."

"Why are you visiting me now of all times?" I ask. "I thought you weren't even allowed back here."

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Miroslava shrugs and places her arms behind her back before she leans over and paces around, almost like a carefree child would outside on a sunny day, her eyes flickering over to my face before she grins. "I go wherever I please whenever I please."

Miroslava's eyes flicker to Raciel's necklace around my neck and she hums as she stands up straight before she sighs.

"You've been given a great gift, Sora," Miroslava says, her eyes meeting mine. "Don't waste it."

"Most often times, the gifts that seem like curses are the best ones," I say quietly as Miroslava walks away, her footsteps slowing to a halt at my words, the flames from the torches flickering and casting on the back of her red dress and hair.

"Indeed," Miroslava breathes out. "You're more right than you may ever know."

With Miroslava's fading steps and the clicking of her heels echoing in the distance, I'm left alone once more with my thoughts and the flames.