The Pure One -✔- Book Two of the Phoenix Trilogy

Chapter 8 The Crystals

"Haaahhhh!" Venus was gasping for air when she finally woke up after a day and a half of slumber.

"Here, drink some water. Thank goddess, you're finally awake." Daphne was fast in helping her up and guided her hands with a glass of water towards her mouth.

Venus slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by worried faces of the people whom she called family in this realm. They were all there.

She blushed when her gaze landed on both Aldrik and Marcus. She was a stuttering mess when she started to speak with a croaked voice, "Um, h–hi? Yay! E–everyone is here. Um, how y'all know that I. . . Ummm. . . Gonna wake up now?"

She darted her eyes around, questioning everyone but she avoided looking towards the two princes' direction altogether.

"Not exactly. You were shouting and crying at the same time in your sleep. I sorta panicked and called everyone," Daphne explained while twisting her hands on her lap.

"It doesn't matter. What matters now is you're awake and hopefully longer this time, eh?" Master Xerxis joked as he approached Venus. He gave her shoulders a light squeeze while Mistress Vulca, who was standing beside him, remained in her place and smiled warmly at her.

"It's really great to have you back, Vee!" Amelia beamed at her while Agnus, who was lazily leaning on the wall, only waved 'hi'.

Rufus on the other hand sat down on the right side of her bed beside Daphne and held her hand fondly.

"You're back to your other form dear, I think it's better this way so the sorcerers will not be able to know of your awakened angelicum side. Oh, welcome back again!" Queen Sylvie butted in. She stood beside the chamber's door with Lord Ronheild and Master Balto who both gave her fatherly smiles.

"I noticed that you all don't wear your hoods up. What gives?" Venus asked out of the blue.

"Well, the threats of sorcerers had been deduced to non-alarming state. We're at the calm before the storm time, but, nobody really knows when the storm's will hit us." Queen Mystyq said. She was seated on a couch on the left side of her bed.

"Oh! About that, I kinda' talked to my mom? She. . ." She was cut by the ringing of voice inside her head---her uncle specifically---and shouting from the room, especially from Queen Sylvie. It all came to her at once that all she heard was a collective, ear shattering sounds.

"Ahhh! Stop, stop, stop! Geez! What's got stuck in your butts!" Venus screamed while clasping her hands to her ears. Her face as red as tomatoes.

Automatically, Queen Sylvie halted, confusion was written on her crimson face, "Nothing is definitely stuck on my behind. What made you think of that. That's not a proper word, was it?" She asked as she rotated her gaze to all from embarrassment.

"Ahahhaha! Opps!" Amelia laughed but instantly stopped when she recieved glares, "Sorry! Peace!" She made a peace sign with her fingers and attempted to smile innocently but definitely looked like she was cringing.

"Your majesty, it's Venus way of saying 'What's got into you? Why you're shouting like something was stuck in your butt!' Um, it means like that." Daphne explained while trying to imitate Venus' voice but remained as formal as she could muster.

Amelia chortled, her hands clasping her mouth tightly on trying to suppress her mirth. When she felt that everyone was giving her an eye. She tried to pretend that she was plucking something from her uniform and shrugged to them.

Their attention was directed back to Venus when she shouted, "What the heck, Uncle! Slow down! No! Please, no more sleeping."

She was suddenly changed to her angelic form. The crystals on her forehead were glowing brightly. Her eyes were closed, blonde brows were furrowed from obvious deep concentration.

Nobody from her audience made a sound, breaths hitched from their throats. A rare occurrence for them and a sight to behold. Angelicums had an enigmatic and trance-like effect on anyone, not even to powerful beings such as them.

"Uncle? Yes, that's all. Thank you. And oh! Yes, I will." Venus said afterwards after a long pause. Then she opened her eyes. Striking lavender orbs seemed to stand out more from the effect of the glowing crystals on her forehead.

The brightness was reflected on her eyes. Her hands went to touch it curiously when Queen Sylvie asked, "You talked to Nuscha? She's okay?".

Lord Ronheild hugged her, as he whispered on her ears comforting words along with the lines of letting the topic go for the moment.

The queen's words fell on deaf ears as Venus was totally fixated on what was on her forehead. She gasped, "What is this? Goodness!"

Queen Mystyq murmured something and a mirror materialized on her hands. "Here child, look for yourself."

The moment Rufus handed her the mirror, she wasted no time in checking herself, "Ahhhhhh! Holy guacamole! The crystal in the Angelic Realm got stuck in my head! Was it from the fall? Hey, Uncle! Uncle? Don't go on hide and seek now. I need answers!"

Venus was hyterical. She was very scared and confused, but a tap on her shoulder made her calm down. When she looked up, she saw it was Aldrik. Her eyes immediately darted towards Marcus' direction but he was not there anymore. She caught a glimpse of his retreating back before he disappeared from the door.

"Um, thank you Adrik. I'm okay now. Can somebody explain to me, please?" Her pleading eyes landed to Queen Sylvie.

The faerian Queen approached her slowly and sat on her side. She held her hands and gave her a comforting squeeze before she spoke.

"Remember the Opaque Temple, dear?" She locked gaze with her then continued when Venus nodded. "Well, that powerful crystals are from your mother, Nuscha." She sighed a very sad sigh upon remembering her Angelicum friend.

She smiled at her sadly, "She gave it to me to look after it until its real mistress will come and claim it, and it's you Venuscha."

"Wait, hold on a sec. How come it's me? You sure? Maybe not me," Venus was on denial for everything. She feel like she was being forced fed with all of these powers and responsibilities that she didn't even want.

How could life be so unfair. Yeah sure, almost everyone would be ecstatic about having all these powers and coolness. Like one could say, 'dude I'm super, yeah!' Well almost everyone, but Venus surely didn't belong in that. All she wanted was to fit in. Meet friends. Be happy. Have a normal life. . .

"Well, I'm sure as I can see it embed on your forehead, dear." Sylvie replied with a hint of a smile.

"You have it too? The crystals in your body, I mean? I didn't noticed it," she asked with uncertainty.

"Yes, I had it on my shoulders but now it's gone."

"Great! I could had it in any place else but forehead? Like seriously? I look like a clown," Venus sighed as she whined. "What to do now?

"On the contrary, you really look awesome and wicked with that crystals, Vee!" Amelia interjected excitedly which earned chuckles from the rest.

"Now, you have to call upon it and win its loyalty." Sylvie said in serious tone.

"This can't be good. With the tone you used, I feel like it's about to get ugly." Venus was biting her nails in anticipation while Daphne spoke her mind.

"Well. . ." Sylvie hesitated for a moment and looked at Lord Ronheild's direction. She continued when he nodded, "The temple will basically ask you to do a perilous quest to gain its loyalty and when I say perilous, it means. . . There's no guarantee of your safety perilous"

The group gasped in surprise while Venus paled and her eyes bulged out of the sockets while mouth hanging wide opened.

"C-can I p-pass? The temple is all yours!" Was all Venus replied before she fainted.  Again!

"I think she means pass out?" Mistress Vulca spoke for the first time which made everyone else laugh hard.