The Sapphire Mages (discontinued)

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 13

The Pegasus Cavern was huge.

The opening of the cavern was tiny, but after several twists and turns it opened to a large chamber filled with pegasi feeding on small crystal-like berries.

"Those are del'yma berries," a cloud explained. "They can only be grown in the caverns of Zoldrikh, which is why there is such a large pegasus population here."

The cloud flew over to a bush and came back carrying some berries.

"Try them!" it said.

I grabbed a couple and put them in my mouth. As soon as I bit down on them and tasted the purple juice, I was knocked out.

....::::**•°✾°•**::::....

I was walking through the forest. The cool air tickled my skin and autumn leaves fell around me and were crushed beneath my shoes. The morning sun wasn't harsh and it cast a warm glow in front of me. Patches of green could be seen through the red and orange when the wind blew them off the ground.

A girl walked past me. She had ocean blue eyes and curly blonde hair that cascaded down her back.

"Elizabeth!" called a voice. I spun around and saw a man with a gold crown on his head walking towards her. He wore a regal white suit that shimmered in the morning son.

"Elizabeth, it is not safe here," he told her. "You must leave."

She frowned. "Why? You know the forest would never harm me."

"It is not the forest I am worried about. Please, you must go before it is too late."

Elizabeth sighed, "Fine."

He led her out of the forest, then he turned to me, and instead of a young man, I was looking at the girl who had led me to the binder room.

She put her finger to her lips and smiled, "Soon you will know."

It felt like an invisible hand had closed around my forearm and yanked me back to the cavern. I looked at the others who were taking berries of their own and eating it like nothing was wrong.

As I mulled over the encounter in my mind, something became certain:

That girl, Elizabeth, was my sister.

....::::**•°✾°•**::::....

Storytime: I wasn't always an only child.

That night on December 19th, my mother had given birth to two kids. I was born six minutes after my sister, Elizabeth.

According to the doctors, she was born with an anomaly in her heart. The best my parents could explain to me was there was something growing in her heart and it was slowly killing her.

Three days after being born, she passed away while we were sleeping. My mother said I'd started crying as soon as it happened, as if I could sense something was wrong with her.

I couldn't remember any of that, though. The only part of her I had was a single framed picture of the two of us in matching tiger onesies, staring at the camera with wide blue eyes.

Now the question is why did I see that vision of her?

....::::**•°✾°•**::::....

I need your help."

"What a surprise," Paris deadpanned.

I'd found her sitting on the roof of the hotel with the journal in her hand. Her platinum hair blew softly in the wind as I sat next to her.

"I've been having these visions—" I started.

"No."

"You didn't even let me finish," I whined.

"You don't need to," she nudged my forehead with her finger. "Les you know I don't do that stuff—"

"I want to know who's messing with my head and making me find the binder room and dream about my deceased sister—"

"Wait, that's how you found the room?" she asked.

I nodded.

She bit her lip and stared out the window. "It's been awhile since I did this and whoever got into your head and placed these memories must've been really powerful..."

"But can you try?"

"You're sure you want me to do this?"

"Don't mess with my thoughts too much."

Her index and middle fingertips glowed blue as she placed them on my temples. Her eyes changed from emerald green to an electric blue.

Suddenly nothing mattered anymore. I was floating. I didn't need to think about anything. Someone else could always come to deal with Killian. I could just exist—

The sensation began to falter. I could think straight again. A bead of sweat trickled down Paris' forehead. Then her eyes snapped open and returned to their usual green.

She groaned, "I wish Nick was here, that idiot could never stop meddling with people's heads." She shook her head, "It's weird. It's like there's some kind of wall that's blocking me from accessing these memories. That or your incredibly thick skull is getting out of control—"

"Hey, in my defence I figured out you were a Mind Shatterer within a week of knowing you and yet after five years I'm still the only one who knows."

She sighed, "I hate it when your arguments make sense."

I decided to change the topic instead. "Speaking of Nick," I nodded to the journal that was left open on the desk, "has he been saying anything?"

"Just updates on Killian," she said. "He's been losing it lately. Hasn't shown up to meals in a week and sometimes Nick can hear him breaking things. They got Ms Hillery to come back too."

"How did they cover up the fact that Killian murdered Romulus," I asked lowly.

"Said he'd fallen sick. I got Nick to keep an eye on Bella; she's taken my room."

"Does she know the truth?" I asked.

Paris nodded slowly. "Nick said she didn't seem surprised. I have a feeling she might be enhanced too..."

"But that means Killian would know," I said, now more alert. "He'll come after her—"

"He might not," Paris said quickly. "He doesn't know about Nick and I, that's why our powers were at 8 in the binder. And I'm not totally sure Bella's special anyway so she may be in the safe zone."

"But if he does learn about Nick—"

"He's powerful," she argued. "He'll be able to twist Killian's mind. He's strong enough to protect himself and the others. He— He has to be."