Rnlaip ignored the question. Like he didn't know how to respond.
Well, Aysu gathered that silence was his friend. Fine, she could grudge him that but she needed some answer. She looked at him and finally, he responded.
"We are efficient."
Aysu huffed and turned away from him—and gasped.
They were on an island, floating in the waves. The waves glittered, undulating. It was entrancing, it…was an ocean. That expansive mix of blues and greens, fathomless and sublime. Wondrous.
How could she dream up this…beauty? How? The colors she had known from birth were dry reds and black and that sick gold of the sky. Never this…blue.
This was real. So the mansion across the island was real.
It was made out of gems, murky teal and gold glimmers. Crystal spires touched the clouds, and a paradisiacal light glowed from within. Prismatic waves splashed out with every passing ray of the sun; with the partly cloudy sky, it made the mansion seem alive.
There was so much color; it would bleed someone's eyes out. There was a curious court-like structure right in front of the giant mansion—yet its peculiarity did nothing to distract her from her awe.
But they weren't there so it was numb. So numb.
Rnlaip gestured to the gates and she quickly followed. The crystal was transparent from the inside and gave beautiful views, though it was inhibited by the intricate carvings.
No. It was enhanced.
Warmth was tangible. Sweet. Beauty met her everywhere she turned in forms of trees with fringes of white and the tall, golden stems bearing pink blossoms
Floating stairs ascended—and they were made of crystal. The opening in which the stairs spiraled had enough open space for a girl to fly down, slamming into the floor in flaming light.
"Hello. Welcome," she said, shining and strong. Her voice was crisp and sharp, clipped on certain sounds with a harmonious tone and a pronunciation that made it seem like her tongue was curled back.
And…she had orange wings…but they weren't wings. It was a collection of light spreading along her on her lower back with ripples of a scale-like texture and wicked points. Aysu forced herself to look elsewhere—to look at the girl.
Long, golden-brown hair, wisps of hair tinged darker. Her hair was alight, smoldering, each divine strand producing earnest compliments. It was restrained in a braided bun on the back of her head. Still, the strands escaped, brushing plump, full lips on olive-tan skin. Then those teal eyes, enhanced by thick brows. Her mix of features was exotic and those wings.
She was sexy. She gave a kindly smile.
"Whoareyou?"
"Lislan Aranlis. I assume you are Aysu?" Aysu didn't need to answer; it was obvious.
Her voice was sweet and perfect—like the rest of her. It was soft and feminine, lilting. The perfect princess. In a splash of light, she shot up, disappearing in orange-gold.
Those stairs were redundant.
"Do I have wings?" That sounded stupid out loud.
"They are called Halos."
"I think I might call it wings. What makes it different?"
"You don't fly from flapping. They…elevate you with their magic. Halos are not within my expertise, but you should be able to summon them. You are past the age." He scrunched up his eyes and made a show of "summoning the Halo" as if a crude example of another species was the key to figuring it out.
After a couple tries, she said, "I won't be surprised if I don't have wings."
"Very well. This mansion has stairs." He mused, "No one told me."
No one told me, thought Aysu, restraining her urge to roll her eyes.
Aysu was going to be an inconvenience, wasn't she? Only her parents would be fine with it. Only them. To others, Aysu was a burden, she decided. She chewed her lips, pressing it into a thin line.
Her self-pity was forgotten when four lines of light slammed to the floor in varying measures of…gentleness, shocking her. The orange and teal lights had slowed down first before landing, but the silver and gold just fell.
"It's easy to summon your Halo," a low voice said, belonging to the one with golden wings. Her warm-brown hair twisted in a loose, side tail, flecked in sparkling barrettes, reflecting the aquamarine in her eyes. She was full-figured and shorter than Lislan but Lislan and the boy looked similar to her, if not in body shape. She was elegant as she stepped over, tapped her fingers on Aysu's back, and summoned…something.
Aysu twisted her head, and found dark-blue and silver wings behind her, refracted shafts of watery light reflecting off its feather-like appearance. She brushed it with her fingers. It blurred then reformed—like a ripple returning to calm.
"It's supposed to be natural, isn't it? We should not—" a smoky voice said, musical.
"—Noran, don't." Dark-brown hair swept with jeweled beads, porcelain skin, and dark teal eyes sparkling with silver charm. Clipped on his ears were sparkling, feather-like earrings that gleamed shell-pink and pastel-green.
They all had the same accent. The inflections made each word sound brilliant and kind even though they weren't. Why was every voice beautiful!? Compared to them, her voice sounded rough and pathetic. So pitiful and repelling.
She snapped a glare at Noran.
Noran had sharp features like Lislan's. Dark-brown hair with long bangs reached towards his tanned face, strands long enough to reach his brows. He crossed his arms; a very defensive posture. Noran had a queer mark on his left hand—it looked like a scar in a crescent shape. Perhaps a birthmark. Like Lislan's, his eyes were flecked with gold, as if they were charred with light.
"Hon, I'm going to be your foster mother; I hope we shall get along. Oh, your eyes are so beautiful, like Tatlis—I mean, Aylin. Oh, you're so thin," she fussed, eyes creasing.
Aysu frowned. Yes, they were all taller than her and she was a great deal thinner. Lanky, now that she thought about it with her ragged, choppy hair, silky as it was. She brushed it back—
So stupid! So, so stupid. She was glad that she wasn't one who blushed easily, for how foolish would she look if she did that?
Some wise old weary voice of reason demanded her to just stop. She hadn't cared before; she didn't need to care now what others thought about her.
Everyone was ugly and everyone was beautiful. It was the most annoying, fucking paradox.
"I'm Lidaen and he is Eldreran. Your parents were great friends. Got into quantities of trouble—courtesy of Eldre and Lis—but, well, it was a good time. I'm so sorry, I could never imagine dealing with what you have to do…"
"Okay," Aysu mumbled.
"Rnlaip, her Attunement?"
Her…what?
"Very strong Attunement to Water," Rnlaip answered. At her startled look, Rnlaip added, "the signs point to it. A Water-Weaver—your connection to an Aeon."
Okay.
Sure.
"Uh. What?" Aysu asked.
Lidaen smiled. "Every being has an Attunement, where we have more connection to an Aeon through our…creation. I'm an Air-Weaver, Lislan is a Fire-Weaver, and Noran is a Shadow-Weaver. Eldreran is a Light-Weaver."
"Sure. Sure." What was one more thing she didn't know? None of this made sense.
Lidaen wrung her hands. "I believe Lislan will brief you on those things; all you need to know is that you are a saint—a wonderful saint—and now, you can do endless things by the Aeons' grace."
"You expect me to know what an Aeon is."
"Oh, lis!" Lislan swore. "You don't know this? They're a form of divinity. Ones of intense power who guide our lives," said Lislan, "and bless certain beings with power. Even Mastery! Y'get it?"
"I follow but don't understand. But I got it."
"Stay out of water for a little bit. Normally when you stay in Nixthys for a long time and come back, your power level doubles or triples. Well…your case is slightly different. Don't worry it goes down normally," Eldreran said. "Normally."
Her eyes widened and she crossed her arms. "Really. What makes me not normal?"
"The other cases…had at least a little bit of time…here before living in Nixthys. How old are you?" Eldreran continued.
"Fourteen."
Rnlaip said, "It means nothing."
Rnlaip was an atrocious liar.
"You'll be in the same rank as Lislan and Noran. They'll lead you around the school. They'll help you, and you'll get along like family. Right?" Lidaen directed the question to Noran. Once he nodded, she gave a satisfied click of her tongue.
"We'll need to alert the headmaster." Eldreran noticed her flat look. "Not for any bad reason—I swear—but for you to find a tutor for your Attunement," Eldreran said.
Rnlaip tilted his head, losing himself in a trail of thought. "I have to go now."
"Um…thank you, Rnlaip."
Rnlaip faltered.
"You're welcome. You'll see me around." Rnlaip glittered away. Shiny.
"Great, Lislan will show you your room." Lidaen looked up, regal. "Tomorrow comes, Aysu, and until then, you should rest. Today was already a trial; tomorrow holds endless potential for worse or better. Lislan? Show her to her room."
Lidaen and Eldreran left, leaving her alone with…the siblings.
The one who was brilliant and gold and everything good in the world—like she never knew cold winter or death—and the one who had a surly, suspicious disposition. Oddly enough, for reasons totally irrational, she preferred the former.
Aysu turned towards Lislan. "How do I fly?"
Noran scoffed, "Seriously? It's supposed to be natural." He looked at her then looked away. She glared at him.
There. That was her irrational reason.
Lislan tugged at Aysu's hand, grinning. "Focus. Relax. Ignore how you feel."
She focused. She relaxed as much as she could considering recent events. The air tickled her cheeks as she bit her lips, aware that her feet were not touching the ground. Cracking open her eyes, Aysu nearly had a meeting with her face and the ground.
"Careful. It will feel normal, eventually," Lislan laughed, flying over Aysu's head like the wind.
None of this should be possible. None of this. Aysu stared at them, petulant.
As they flew, Aysu got a good view of her new residence. Corridors were endless with entryways of varying aspects. Most doors were grand and gargantuan with fantasy-like attributes. A minority of them were pleasingly plain.
The higher they went, the more circular each level was. The first ten were rectangular, the last ten were circular. The ones between that were a mix.
They landed on the top floor. It was…spacious of a sort. It was half the size of the entrance hall, with four, equidistant embellished doors. It felt empty, like this floor wasn't meant for those alive. Worse, there was a giant hole taking up most of the room in the center and even worse, there were no railings.
"This is your room, right next to mine." The doors had platings that listed their names. Lislan's plating had an elegant, stylish text whereas Noran's and Aysu's were simple.
"Go in! Don't worry. Dining room, eighth floor. It will find you."
"Is this mansion…living?"
Lislan's blank square equated to a no.
"Oh, sorry." And here's another dumb question I'll ask. "How do I make my wings go away?"
"The same way you got them," Lislan said kindly, entering her room.
Eight increasingly frustrating tries until she commanded her avian-like Halo to leave. An annoyed sigh as she swept open the door, replaced by a gasp when her gaze fell on the luxuries residing within the room.
The walls were a rippling seascape. The floor was of pearly tile with waterfalls running down the walls before spiraling up. There was a little nook of books, outfitted in cozy chairs and rugs. Near the nook, a serene-looking canopy bed was settled. It looked so soft. Little opalescent orbs pulsed and gave off multi-colored light.
Oh. Beautiful.
There was a door at the far end of the room. Aysu walked in and little glowing orbs swarmed her. In a blink of an eye, all of the ash was gone. Aysu glanced at the mirror provided. She was gaunt compared to everyone else. Hollowed. Pale. Scrawny.
She looked away.
There were racks of clothes of elegant embroidery, shining and soft with such variety. The clothes seemed intent to smother Aysu's sanity with all of the frilliness and shimmer…and the beauty made her feel lowly.
The mirror was pristine, unlike the one at home. It showed her…her. Black hair, hanging flat down to her chin, slim nose red, and the scars underneath her brown eye making her look rough. She looked…plain. Fitting, really.
A variety of loose garments appeared, within reach. Each one was detailed and stupendous, dreamy on every level. Shaming her…but once she put it on…
A wrap-like garment with swirling, pale, blended colors. The sleeves fell to the floor or appeared to, but weren't a burden. It covered her entirely; it was like the…horned lady's attire. It wasn't one whole thing, but multiple parts.
It looked like…no, that was stupid. Like it listened to some inner command, the command being: make me look better. And she did, at least.
She took a deep breath, then another.
Profound silence. Only her.
Alone.
Her hair drifted into her mouth as she lay down on the bed, and she brushed it out. For she had no one else to curse at, she cursed at herself and her hair slipped back into her mouth.
She clasped her fingers, staring at the bejeweled ceiling of lights.
One thought after another flowed with her mind.
Dead. Dead. Dead. They are dead.
And she dissolved into tears, lights blurring in her eyes.