Kale, the servant of Zephyr, the storm stallion stood tall in the starlit expanse of the zodiacs' Abode, his blue eyes sparkling like twin sapphires under the cosmic glow. 'Walk to the door that calls you the most', he said, his voice resonating with a faint celestial hum. His gaze shifted to Lunare, who stared at the three ethereal doors, his pink eyes flickering with uncertainty. 'What door appeals to you Lunare'
Lu jerked softly, startled by his name, a mix of surprise and confusion etching his face. Amara and Sophia exchanged glances, their lips curling into playful, mockish chuckles at his flustered reaction.
'uhm-' Lu began, but a voice- not his own, like a whisper like wind through starry branches- cut through his thoughts, exactly, but a call, sharp and clear, pulling him towards the white door encrusted with prismatic gems. Before he could decide, the door swung open with a sizzling hum, revealing a vid of inky darkness that pulsed with an unseen rhythm. Lu glanced at Amara and Sophia, his eyes brimming with hope and expectancy. They nodded, their silent encouragement steadying him. Without a word, he stepped forward, swallowed by the darkness.
Amara and Sophia exchanged final glances, their own paths clear. Amara walked towards red door, its golden knob flaring with fiery courage. Sophia approached the black door, its silver knob shimmering with shadowy transformation. With a synchronised cackle and without confirmation through magic, they opened tier doors manually and stepped through leaving kale alone in the starlit silence, his hooves clicking softly as he watched them vanish.
Lu emerged in a vast, shadowed forest, its towering trees spaced far apart, their gnarled branches clawing at a sky where the sun barely pierced the canopy. The air was heavy with a scent of damp earth and decaying leaves, a faint hum of ancient magic threading through the undergrowth, in the centre of all this stood a weathered cabin, its wooden walls scarred by time, four children darted around it, their laughter echoing as they played a game of tag. A pink eyed boy, a chasee, sprinted from the circle, his figure blurring as he zoomed past Lu, who stood among the trees, as translucent as a ghost.
'Don't worry, this is just a memory' said a voice, stern yet melodic. It was the white crow, same one that was used to summon Lu, it perched on a branch tree above, its ghost feathers speckling, eyes glowing fixed on Lu. Right below her stood three other figures, a blue crab, unusually big and tall, it had a pearlescent shell that glinted in the sun, beside it an ember ram, with fiery mane and a dream whale, unusually too shiny almost as if a ghost, floating and gliding in the atmosphere. 'You're as solid as a ghost here' said the whale with a soft feminine voice, ' I am Myrith, you know me as Aquarius' she added,
'I am Ryghar, you may know me as Taurus' said the ram with a deep strong voice that shook Lu's inner core.
'And I am Luneth, Cancer' said the Crab, it had a variety of voices a deep and feminine one layered on top of each other.
Lu didn't respond, his mood was heavy, his pink eyes distant. 'I remember this place….' He murmured, stepping forward towards the cabin, the zodiacs stood. He reached for a black haired girl with pointy ears and oddly colored eyes, but his hand passed through her.
'Rhea', he whispered, his voice cracking. 'This was when I was eight'
'What happened that day' asked the ram, Rhygar. Lu's face crumpled. 'I...I killed them. My friends.' The memory unspooled like a reopening wound. The four children- Rhea, the girl with pointy ears, Lu and two others Edgar and Jake were heirs to the order of Gaia, the earth witches elite rulers. That day, Lu's parents had arrived at the cabin for a holiday, the adults locked in urgent talks about demonic threat. The children were told to stay within the cabin's enchanted circle, but during their game of tag, Lu had bolted into the woods with excitement, his friends followed giggling and screaming his name.
As little Lu hid among the trees, his magic surged uncontrollably, blooming flowers in vibrant bursts and reviving wilted plants. The forest responded to his power and so did something darker. He had heard Rhea's voice high with excitement calling after him and then a blood curling scream as she ventured into the gloomy depths of the forest, silence followed, heavy and unnatural. The blooming flowers withered, their colours bleeping into ash.
'No!' older Lu cried, tears streaming down his face. The Zodiacs stood unmoved their gazes piercing. A thud echoed, and young Lu turned to see Rhea's lifeless body, drained and brittle, her soul stolen. Quick footsteps followed, and Lu's remaining friends appeared, only to be ensnared by vines that erupted from the earth, their bodies wrapped in gruesome embrace, unresponsive and dry, their soul drained, it was a scream less death.
A voice, cold and slithering had sounded then. 'Young bloomer, what are you doing in the green realm's lonely woods?' A woodwynch- a masquerade spirit, its form a twisted mockery of bark and shadow emerged, its eyes glinting with demonic hunger.
'I will let you off, so little and yet so powerful, come back to me when you have grown , I would love to take that power for myself' it said as it let out a devilish giggle, withdrawing into the shadows within the trees. Young Lu fell down, he had fainted from the whole experience and that was the end of the memory, everything went dark.
'I couldn't' Lu sobbed. ; I couldn't save them, if only I was stronger, if only I was in full control of this power, I still can't get a hang of it till now' Lu said, sobbing, he was now on the floor curled up in the dark space.
'You let that guilt, shackle your powers for a long time, even before then you were always feeling guilty for one thing or the other' said Aquarius her dreamy voice stopping Lu's sobs momentarily.
'Your biggest guilt was being too powerful. You were always guilty of your power, you felt like you didn't deserve it' she continued
'You need to learn to let go, but before that you need to face your fears' this time it was the Ram, Taurus talking, his deep voice shaking Lu up so much so that he had sat up right and had stopped crying completely.
' Even till now, you know that the demon left you because you were too powerful to devour' said Cancer her layered voice distorting Lu's attention a bit.
'This is our verdict, face your fears, Lunare and be one with your powers' they said in unison, a blinding light caused Lu to seep into a trance.