To Be Wanted

Solar Stones

      I frantically run about, losing my absolute mind. My worst insecurity proved to be true, I had always feared that I was relying on Jet too much, that I couldn't take care of myself. And now... I can't even speak, I've become so lost.
      Jet had always been the one to guide me, he would figure out what our next move was and we would plan things out, now I am on my own. The more I sit and mourn, the more it seemed to confirm itself, the more time passed and he hadn't returned, the more it hurt.
      I sit by his body, head in my hands. Is this how mom felt after losing dad? This sort of unbearable hopelessness?
      Sometimes, I think that it would be hard for me to be closer to her than in this moment, she cared so deeply for someone and they ended up having their life taken and she was to just move on because they were never really meant to be together.
      That's how I feel right now, because as silly as it is, I think that I was starting to fall for Jet. I know he was gay, I still kick myself on that part, I just can't help it, how do you expect me to not notice the one person who was truly kind to me, especially since everything else in my life has seemed to be a lie up until now.
      I gather up pieces of cloth that are scattered about the place, ready to cover up Jet's body in memorial, but it was almost as though my heart stopped as I began to drape the cloth over him.
      I couldn't bring myself to do it, I still didn't want to believe that it could actually be possible, and if I treat him like he is dead, then it becomes real and I can't ever bring him back.
      "You know, child,"
      I jump out of my skin. Out of anyone you would expect to appear, Altridem, my parents, perhaps even another Jet would make more sense to me than who did in fact appear.
      I seriously considered pinching myself, perhaps I was in another dream state induced by the Snow Pendant and that is all this day has been, however, it seems that things can never be that simple.
      "It is not as impossible as you might think, Serrima. After All, I am the queen." She smiles.
      There she was, Queen Taima, somehow here and standing over me, or at least I think, for all I know it could have been a simple trick of smoke and mirrors set up by Altridem to give me false hope.
      No, it couldn't be, she appeared to know exactly what I was thinking, how was that in itself possible?
      "It is alright, my child. I am here to help." She tries to soothe, kneeling beside me and wiping away my tears.
      "What can I do? How can I save him?" My voice breaks for the millionth time upon trying to speak. "Is there even a way?"
      "Of course there is. You are the queen too, you know?" She says with a slight laugh. She places her hand on my shoulder before pacing around, trying to find the right words to say. "You know, of course, of the twin suns that bring light upon our world, however, do you know of their origination?"
      "Uh... I didn't really pay attention in history class?"
      "I am unsurprised by that, you children nowadays... At the start of my reign some five thousand years ago, there once existed a third sun, a triplet to the ones you know now."
      "A third sun?"
      "Yes, child. This was long before documentation came to be, at the very beginning of my existence. The second sun was born of white fire which burnt too hot, hot enough that it burnt the matter around it.
      When the sun finally died out, it infused a form of magic into a rock of the burnt matter, which then fell to the world which was closest to it. Ours." She begins to explain. "Now, it is said that if you were to find what is now known as the Solarium Brimstone, the stone which fell to our world, and hold it over one who has recently passed, it has the power to bring them back to life."
      "Alright, well, where can I find it?"
      "My child, there is a catch. Using the Brimstone during the day is very dangerous. Upon a spirit leaving the deceased's body, it leaves a shadow in its wake, a tormented one, if the body is resurrected with the shadow still within it, the body shall be brought back controlled by the shadow."
      "What happens if a shadow controls a body?"
      "Well, my child, this is how Hades came to be." Wait, what?
      "So, what do I do?"
      "Tonight, the moons shall be in alignment and the world shall darken, as dark as though it were an eclipse, when you use the stone, the shadow shall be purged from Jetimel's body and will be drawn into the stone, allowing Jetimel's spirit to return to his body when resurrected.
      The reason for this is that light is poisonous the shadows and living bodies produce a barrier of energy that protects the shadows against the light, however as a spirit inhabits the living body, the shadows are unable to take refuge until the spirit has vacated, upon the person's death and the spirit has left the body, the shadow has two days to lurk before the barrier breaks down and it becomes dangerous again.
      During the peak of alignment or eclipse, the shadows believe that the body has been buried, which upon burial, the rest of the energy is soaked into the soil, so the shadows exit the body to find a new one to inhabit, that is when you will use the stone."
      "Okay, and how does the stone draw the shadows in?"
      "Once the shadow has left the body, the stone causes the body to glow, bright like a flame, much brighter than the moon's glow.
      Then, the magic in the stone acts as a sort of vacuum which sucks in the shadow, trapping it inside. To find the Solarium Brimstone, you must go to the place opposite the Snow Pendant."
      The place opposite the Snow Pendant? Wait a minute, Jet once told me that Mount Eikilleanas had a twin located on the Veltsen side of the world, Mount Vettaelisa, and given the opposite of ice and snow is fire and ash, it would be pretty reasonable to assume Mount Vettaelisa is a volcano, the perfect place for something such as the Solarium Brimstone to be located. Wouldn't you agree?
      "I've got to go to Mount Vettaelisa?"
      "Yes, child. But be warned, you may be a child of both fire and ice, Veltsen and Sevitan, however this will still be no easy task. Not even a Veltsen can survive the heat of the mountain, only their creator, Hades, would stand a chance against the boiling temperature."
      "I've got it."
      "Good luck, Serrima."
      I nod, taking one last look to the poor god as Queen Taima disappears. I was seriously contemplating whether or not this task was true as she said "It is said" which leads me to believe that not even she knows, it might very well only be a legend, it might all be false.
      Regardless, I have to try. I fly off, soaring my way through the sky, watching the buildings and people disappear into the night the further I go. And I could tell, as I got closer, that it began to grow hotter, almost as though I were flying into an oven.
      Smoke and embers begin to fill the sky as the blinding light of the volcano illuminates my view, the molten orange, bubbly liquid below was as beautiful as it was dangerous, one touch could lose you a limb.
      I land on the lip of the rock, my skin already feeling like a bad sunburn as I stare down at the glowing lava.
      Along the wall of the mouth of the volcano was a path leading to a cave just at the base of the lava. I carefully trudge my way down, the path was narrow and quite slippery despite the intense heat.
      A few falling rocks narrowly miss me on their way down from the cliff of the mountain, splashing into the lava, sending blobs of the stuff everywhere, I had to play a form of dodgeball but with lava. I was nearly toasted a couple of times.
      The cave wasn't too big, about a couple feet above my head, however, it was long with long pools of lava running along the walls, illuminating the path which had become charred and black over the years.
      At the end of the cave sat a small pedestal, it seemed natural, as though the rock formed that way and just so happened to work as a pedestal, and atop it was a small, white oval stone which glowed like the lava around it.
      It had a wavy, intricate design chiseled into it where light could be seen emitting from. It seemed rather suspicious that this stone was just out in the open, there had to be a catch like the ground would drop out from below me and I would burn in the lava.
      Unfortunately, though, I didn't have the time to just stand about, afraid of the unknown, Jet was dead and tonight would be my last chance to save him for who knows how long.
      I run over and snatch the stone from its pedestal, not wanting to waste any more time and I quickly realize just what the catch must have been. My hand is suddenly filled with searing pain, causing me cry out, I guess it had not quite occurred to me that, because this thing is in a volcano, of course, it is going to be hot.
      I keep telling myself that I don't feel it, that it is mind over matter, however, the pain is still so excruciating that tears quickly drip from my eyes, I will just have to get used to it though.
      I rush back out, the hairs on my hands and arms, even some of the feathers on my wings, already starting to singe with the heat, and my stomach twisting in knots, the heat exhaustion growing quickly.
      Focusing my mind on flying helped the pain a little, but I was sure to have quite the burn on my hand later, something Jet was sure to end up freaking out over, telling me "Oh, you shouldn't have hurt yourself to help me!" but like, of course I am going to do that, you did it for me dude.
      As I return to the High Grounds, I let the stone drop by the campfire and quickly check out my hand, seeing how bad the damage that stupid thing did to me was.
      I honestly half-expected my hand to be black and charred and much more painful than it already was to touch, however, all it was was red and swollen, something that could be healed over time, just with much care and supervision.
      I wait as the last shreds of light from the sky disappear as the moons begin their alignment. The way things just got darker as the moons aligned was actually quite ominous, and it kind of creeped me out.
      I look around, hoping to see Queen Taima reappear to instruct me further on what exactly I was supposed to do, however, she seemed to be a no show so I am left on the assumption that waving this stupid enchanted rock over Jet's lifeless body will work.
      Something in my gut told me that there was another step. It then occurred to me that the Snow Pendant and the Solarium Brimstone are quite similar in design, except that one resembled lava and the other resembled ice. Much like their mountain counterparts, they too were twins.
      Upon the moons hitting their peak, I instinctively take off the Snow Pendant and place it on Jet's chest, where it begins to glow.
      My eyes widen and I smile, grabbing the Solarium Brimstone in my burnt hand, ignore the once more searing pain, and hold it over him and the Snow Pendant, causing Jet to glow as well, even brighter than the Pendant. A dark shadow circles around the Snow Pendant, seemingly examining it, perhaps the light from the Snow Pendant and from Jet doesn't affect it as bad as the light from the suns.
      It then notices the Brimstone, hovering closer to it. A flash of light flickers from the Brimstone and the shadow begins to get sucked in. I think it tried to escape however the Brimstone was too and it is pulled into it with a slam.
      Both the Snow Pendant and the Solarium Brimstone begin to fade their glow, with the Brimstone changing color from it's bright white color to completely black, which I suspect was because of the shadow. I toss it aside and watch Jet.
      A few minutes go by with complete silence, then the Snow Pendant glows again, as though it
were calling Jet's spirit back. A small ball of white light drifts through the air, landing on the Snow Pendant. As the glow dims once more, Jet begins to open his eyes and I could already feel myself starting to cry.
      He pushes himself up with his arm, looking at me. I probably looked like a mess, hands over my mouth with tears dripping from my eyes, I looked as though I just watched him die all over again, but this time I was just elated.
      "Your majesty?" He speaks and I leap forward and hug him, squealing as I do.
      He appeared shocked, however, he wrapped his arms around me. I don't think he realized at first what had just happened, but then when it finally clicked, he seemed truly baffled. When we part our hug, he looked as though he were trying to form a sentence but still couldn't fully process it all.
      "You-... You brought me back? How? Why?"
      "Because I'm not letting you go that easily. I just... I realized, as I watched you die, that I can't live without you. You are my best friend." I sit next to him, looking away shyly. "I couldn't speak, or process what to do. I felt like I was lost. When I learned that I could save you... I had to do it."
      His eyes then drifted to my hand, which I had been holding towards my face to try and hide the mark from him, however, I think that part of my burn stuck out as he quickly grabs my hand and examines it, eyes widening as he freaks out.
      It made me laugh. Smiling brightly as I sniffle back my tears, I missed his over-protectiveness. He seemed to be going over every possible reason that my hand could be in this state.
      "What happened to you?!" He exclaims, causing me to laugh again. He furrows his brow, did he think that I was making fun of him or that he missed some sort of joke? I reach over and grab the now cooled black stone that trapped the shadow within him. He takes it and just stares. "You went and found the Solarium Brimstone?"
      "Yeah, I didn't even know it existed until-"
      "Queen Taima, she appeared for you. She was the only one who knew about this aside myself. But how? Neither of us knew how it worked, otherwise..."
      "Otherwise you would have brought her back, and I would not be here right now." I pick up the Snow Pendant, which has slid off of his chest when he sat up and landed beside him. I hold the Pendant in one hand and the Brimstone in the other so that he may compare them. "Look."
      "The Snow Pendant was part of the equation. How ever did you figure that out?"
      "Just felt right..." I smile, then see his look of amazement. "It is great to have you back, Jet."
      "And it is great to be back, my queen." He smiles, proceeding to bandage my hand up.