These nights, the City of the Dead truly is a city, look how pilgrims hustle about and merchants gather. Ah, I have gotten distracted, I apologize. In the middle of the city is the Guardian’s Temple where the Princesses of Darkness, Karasu Kurai and Karasu Phantisma, and Koriath the Guardian Emperor of Darkness, have just finished preparing their minds for astral flight. The two have been apprenticing their father since they had their twentieth hatch-night. Koriath, Phantisma, and Kurai have prepared their minds and offered prayers before beginning their sacred call tonight.
"This mission will be dangerous." Koriath's expression is as solemn as the temple room.
"More than any other mission?" Phantisma raises her bone-white brow.
"There is an extra-dimensional library with a multiverse of knowledge. There, in a section not known to the public, were books on all six elements, everything about each element. The books are self-writing and eternally scribing, even this conversation may be on its pages.”
“Is that why you’ve never spoken of it until now?” Kurai’s ruby eyes search his face.
Koriath makes eye contact with both of them and nods his head. “Our book on darkness has been missing."
"Is the increase of peoples using dark matter and dark energy technologies when they should not be on that level of technical advancement tied to it?" Kurai questions.
"What does your heart tell you?" Koriath's tone is ominously soft.
"It bears a sinking hurt thinking about it." Kurai's fae eyes close as she puts her glacier blue half corvid, half hominin talon over her heart.
"There is undermarket trade for this type of information. After a few ages of searching, I finally got a lead to follow."
"Understood, let’s not waste time." Phantisma nods, her garnet eyes sparkle heroically.
"Moonstone, Nightshade." Koriath’s garnet eyes mirror opposite his daughter. "You two may face grave danger. We do not know what our lead knows. They could hold the book itself, or have been sold only what information they need to create and power a starship. Only accompany me if you feel you are ready. If you feel unsure, please stay here. There is no shame in it.”
Before the warrior princesses can say anything, their father opens his arms and wings wide. Koriath pulls them both in for a quick yet mighty hug. Understanding their individual affection tolerances, Phantisma gets a kiss on the forehead and Kurai gets a shoulder pat. Both met with equal love and warmth.
“I would rather come home to both my princesses alive and safe. Yet, if you feel the call of the guardian's mantle and you are ready, then let us go forth.” His wings fold as he pulls away from them.
"Dry your eyes, I'm ready." Kurai stands proudly, wings puffed with confidence.
"As am I Aw’ddy, Let's go." Phantisma put her talon on Kurai's shoulder.
Koriath smiles, full of tears and pride.
"Actually wait!" Phantisma clutches her waist belt nervously.
"What is it Moonstone? You just said you were ready." Koriath’s smile remains, but the pride wanes into confusion.
"If one of us becomes the guardian, are we going to have to wear something similar to your guardian uh… it's not armor… outfit?" Phantisma's smile tries to laugh off her unease.
"If that is the case, I'll stay home. I like having all my skin covered." Kurai’s stomach churns, her toelans point inward as she holds herself.
Koriath rolls his eyes while burying his face in both of his talons. "For Gadzin's sake you two.” He pulls his talons from his face and shakes his head. “No, mine only looks like this because of my soul energy. Guardian armor depends on the heart, mind, and soul of the bearer. Instead of armor I have chosen this instead. I can move easier, it goes with my fighting style." He then folds his arms across his chest and starts to laugh. "Flaunting my body off can also be a great and strategic distraction to my enemies."
"I want no further part of this conversation. Let's get going." Kurai winces her eyes, stomps her foot, and raises her voice as she speaks.
Koriath laughs it off. Phantisma pulls herself from her confusion. They morph into their shadowy ethereal forms then travel through the darkness of the multiverses, being careful not to rip a single seam in space time. Graceful immersion of becoming one with all the dark, in all its times and spaces, as they fly past nightmares, void creatures, and gentle nights.
They arrive on a ship traveling through a stellar void. Kurai and Phantisma have never seen technology such as this, Koriath is all too familiar. He motions to them with his talon to keep to the shadows. Carefully they tread down the corridor, silently they stalk toward the control room as darkened mist.
Entering the control room they see two humans and an average control panel. The humans sense their presence but not see them. Koriath motions with his talons to Phantisma and Kurai to stay hidden while finding the power source in the ship's hull. The twins both nod together, then haunt off below this floor.
"There is no need to panic or fear. Your distress call has been answered. Help has arrived." Koriath speaks calmly as the shadows slowly bring him into his physical form.
"We've sent no distress call or beacon." One human calmly states.
"You are not authorized on this channel." The other grows defensive.
"This voice is not on coms, it's here in the room with us." The calm one whispers.
"Show yourself" The other pulls a blaster from its holster at his waist.
"You have not sent a distress call yet, your future selves have." Koriath continues in a deep and soothing voice.
"Who are you, and how is this possible?" This one with his gun drawn points it at the guardian of darkness.
Koriath put his hands up in the way most humans of that dimension signal surrender. "You do not need my name, and I do not need yours. However, you carry and utilize technology that you should not yet use. I advise you to ground yourselves or turn around before you fly any further into space."
"What do you mean ground ourselves?" The calm one takes the arms of the defensive one and moves him to lower his weapon.
"Either turn your ship back to where you came from or stop to prepare your minds to find out what lurks in the darkest depths of space." Koriath warns with his talons still in the air.
"We cannot turn this ship around. By the time we do, our home planet will have become too hostile to life as we know. Our cargo is the biological seeds of all living organisms of Earth that we could rescue. We cannot stop either, as we travel to the Triangulum galaxy."
"How did you come across the resources to do so?" Koriath presses.
The two human pilots looked at each other.
"Science." Said one.
"We aren't at liberty to delve into details." Stated the other.
Koriath slowly lowers his talons, placing one around his chin as he analyzes them. Speaking softly as he searches their eyes. "You poor people. In a desperate attempt for survival you grab what you can and fly away from home." He turns to the jumpy one. "You, I know you. You are like me. You put on the tough protector act, yet on the inside, you are scared. You have so much doubt. Not just self-doubt, you doubt your government. You doubt your fellow man. Your stench of doubt makes this room rank."
"What are you?" The calm one interrogates.
Koriath unfurls his wings and displays just enough power to gravitate fear and awe, not wanting to harm the space-faring Earth apes. "I am the Guardian of the Darkness that dwells in hearts and minds, the Shepherd of the Night, and dancer of the cosmic wastelands. Head my warning mortals. Your cargo is priceless. If you do not turn around, you will be fighting interdimensional demons to keep your mission."
The jumpy one falls to a bow, the calm one stands with courage. He slowly picks up his comrade and questions Koriath. "Why should we believe you?"
"How can you not believe- him, I presume?"
Koriath nods silently with a gentle smile.
The jumpy guard pulled the calm one aside. "Can you not feel his power? Have you not read the logs of old astronauts, the Earth mythos of the past? How do you not believe him?"
"Because I do not believe in gods or fairy tales."
"I don't either. However, this one isn't claiming to be one. What if the word demon is just a translation error on its part? He boarded our ship like nothing. We both felt this creature enter, but no sensors went off."
"Oh. You mean like it's an unregistered alien life form or something?"
"Exactly! Look, it said earlier it got a help transmission from us. Maybe his kind is one of the altruistic kinds? Maybe he is, but his kind aren't? What if there are hungry, hunting life forms out there in the coldest, darkest, depths of space?"
"Oh please, if I hear any more of your Fermi paradox talk, I'm going to expel myself."
"Your co-pilot is correct, there are hungry creatures in the voids. I am not amongst the hungry ones. My people are like humans, so I extend my talon- hand to you. I imagine among your cargo is your friends and families, all those without the skill to run as crew are asleep?"
They both nodded silently as he asked them.
"You bear a terrible burden, friends. You have the technology to cure the illnesses your planet has become plagued with. You have the power to make a new home among other star clusters. Do not leave your galaxy. There is still time before your galactic collision, which even the Triangulum will not be safe from. Do things right, turn around. Your politicians and those who buy them are asleep, no need to wake them. If I were you, I would not put my family at risk crossing this dark and turbulent sea."
As Koriath says this, Phantisma manifests beside him. Simultaneously as Phantisma appears, an alarm sounds off. The pilots fly to the consoles at the sound.
She clutches her father’s arm tight and screams in Dimperial Common. "Aw'ddy! Aw’is stuck!"
"What do you mean she is stuck?" Koriath asks in their tongue.
"Just great, now there are two weird aliens." The calm one grumbles.
"There's an anomaly in Gate Drive C." The other human reports.
"Is that a nuclear reactor?" Koriath asked with contemplative concern, while gently freeing his arm from Phantisma’s grasp.
"No, dark energy."
Koriath's skin turns from eggshell blue to ice blue.
"Phantisma. The situation changed. Go home." He whispers as he tries to hide his face from her.
"No, I'm staying to help." She stomps her armored open-toelan boot.
One of the humans activates the intercom system. "Alpha team to Gate Drive C. Protocol Black."
“Go home Phantisma. I will not risk your life.” Koriath stares sharply.
One of the human pilots interrupts the two. "You said you wanted to know how we got the resources, to explain how we got our science? You came to help? Go help the nerds. They may exchange aid for information."
"Thank you." Koriath bows his head to the pilots.
He draws his energy back to himself to fly as fast as teleportation to the location. Phantisma follows him through feathery mist and shadows.
Kurai had followed the strange energy into the ship’s system, and found herself stuck inside the reactor. Something else begins to open in here with her. She tries to weave out through shadows and feathery mist flight, but space itself seems to be contorted to only exist in the fuel chamber.
Koriath's body starts to manifest into the room the reactor is in, alongside panicked engineers.
"Where is this excess fuel coming from?" One of the human engineers says to their crew as they work the controls and systems.
Koriath places his talon on the outside of the machine and turns his head towards them, speaking again in their language as earlier. "One of my daughters is stuck in your machine."
One of the engineers, while trembling in fear, turns her seat toward him "Your daughter? Moments before you got here, an alarm activated that there was too powerful a fuel in the chamber. This machine takes the dark-”
Before he could say anything else, Kurai bangs on the chamber wall crying in Dimperial Umbrial. "Aw'ddy! Aw’is! I feel myself becoming part of the ship! It burns!"
The engineers discuss among themselves wondering what was going on, who were these strange creatures and how did one get stuck?
Koriath wastes no time waiting for the humans to get their act together. "Nightshade, how did you get in there in the first place?" Koriath presses not just an ear, but half his face against the chamber metal.
"I was following the darkest of shadows and then I got sucked in. I can't go out the way I came. Please help me Aw'ddy! Something else is coming!" As Kurai says this, the whole ship quakes. The terror in Kurai's scream breaks the light bulbs.
Phantisma watches with silent panic as she summons her body into the room.
They went into the void after all. Koriath worries. Emergency generators kick on. He withdraws his talon then turns his head again to address the humans. "What happens if this dark energy reactor system is destroyed?"
"We lose the life support of our sleepers." One pipes up.
"Safely shut off?" Phantisma tries to ask them in their language.
"It is one time use. Once we shut it off, it will awaken everyone."
I not only expose the ship's passengers to demons; I have to doom all of the humans of this universe to save her. Koriath put his talon back on the chamber wall, the darkness behind the heartless metal reveals an unconscious corvapian heartbeat from within. He grips his talon on the chamber fiercely as he tries to analyze the machine.
"Please don't do it." One engineer begs.
"Shh. My banana sister." Phantisma still struggles speaking the humans’ language.
Koriath ignores them both. Taking a deep meditative breath, allowing his hand to become ether, and reaches in past the metal. Just as he does, there is a second rumble of the ship, followed by a great flash of heat and light. This distracted the humans, opening the shutter on their window, peering out. Explosions ringing out like fireworks amidst the black.
Remaining focused on trying to find Kurai. The machine drains his essence in his arms as fuel as well. His talons search as if for someone in a fire when the putrid hot ash chokes your senses.
Explosions around the ship and rumbles continue.
His talons delicately weave through the dark, not holding onto anything, only hoping to find her. Separating her from the fuel should be enough. They do not have to die, and neither does she. Contact. Her body is starting to fade, but it is still tangible. Kurai is still alive. Thank the gods.
As he pulls her out of the reactor, something else reaches up and grabs him. A foul energy not of darkness or void, but something further black.
Nightshade said there was something else with her. Why did it have to be one of these? He dives into the energy of the reactor himself. The humans watch between the fighting outside their ship and in the room with them. Phantisma looks on, torn and confused.
The bipedal void-like creature is cruel smelling, death a sweet perfume compared to it. It has long gnarly fingers, like the shadow of branches in the stormy wind. Dropping Kurai from its grasp, it pounces toward Koriath instead.
As the creature drops Kurai, Koriath gently catches her by her shoulders. In a desperate rush, he flings her out of the reactor. Chanting under his breath as some of his own life energy permanently rips from him to protect her. Her unconscious body materializes once it hits the safety of the air.
Phantisma catches her sister as she falls. "Oh no." Setting her down gently as she started to spin the dark emotions of the humans into bandages healing night. "I got you Aw'is."
Three of the humans look on with fear and awe. Two more are fighting everything on their control panel to keep their equipment from breaking. Another four are stuck in a trance watching the cosmic terrors outside the ship.
Back inside the reactor, there is not enough time for Koriath to defend himself, the fiend pounces on him and grabs him by the ancestral collar necklace of dark guardians. It pins him against the containment of the reactor.
This is no low void demon. His own essence is now prey to the machine, just as Kurai’s energy and life force was being drained from her in the fuel chamber, so is his now.
"What do we have here? Betrayer of The Prophetess." It snarls with glee.
"Unhand me demon." Koriath's commands with the regality and faith of a priest king.
"No. I was sent to deliver The Gift to my mistress, but I think The Most Terrible would far more enjoy you Oath-Breaker."
"I've broken no oaths. Let go of me." Koriath's solemn tone shakes the space.
"Oh but you have Night Shepherd. You just broke a taboo to save your little ewe." The void creature grasps tighter as it brings him closer. "Pathetic shepherds like you are not feared by wolves like me." Now engulfing its branchy fingers around Koriath's neck in a tangle of a strangle.
"The most Alpha of wolves is outside this ship." Koriath drives his knee into the creature with conviction. The force of the impact drops him from the ensnare. "And she is one of the people I cherish. As for my use of the cup, I should have used that power the second time your Prophetess betrayed me."
"Why not the first?"
"That was unexpected, and I am forgiving… for the first time at least."
Both Koriath and the creature begin to rise within the small space of the fuel chamber. The creature stares at his neck, drooling. Koriath put his talon gently to where it gazes and gasps. The necklace of guardians is fading from him.
"Accept the consequences of your actions. Soon you will be mortal again. Night Shepherd no longer. Leave guardianship to one ewe, your crown to the other. Come quiet."
"First of all, my daughters are not sheep. Secondly, with my last act of guardianship, you will tell me everything I ask you or I will force it out of you."
"You have no space here to dance." It laughs.
Koriath smiles sweetly at the creature, as his heart begins to beat like a war drum. Toe-lans keep tune, his head bobs as he calls back some of his essence from being drained into the ship. "You underestimate me."
The void creature growls as it tries to ensnare his toelans. The dark guardian tap dances over its roots, parrying with a rhythmic palm strike. The creature blocks with a shield of its own arm. The Dancer and The Corrupted Tree are entwined in battle and continue conversing as their combative dance blooms.
"I have a good idea who The Most Terrible is. Confirm it for me."
"That is my mistress, The Evil One sent her to retrieve The Gift. She passed the task to me. She said she had something important on her table."
"Tell me the name of your mistress." Koriath demands as he grabs the demon’s arm.
The demon smiles. "You gave her the name Raven Fiend."
Koriath pulls its arm from its socket. The fiend retaliates by grabbing Koriath by his face and slams his bird-faerie body into the reactor wall behind him. As his black feather wings shatter, the guardian's necklace fades from him.
"Why is her mother trying to give her to Evil again?" Koriath forces himself up past the pain to continue the darkest of dances as a mortal. “Hokulani and I freed her soul.”
"The Gift is already declared. It was stolen and just needs to be redelivered."
"My daughter is not an object. You will not refer to her as such." Koriath’s back talon slaps the demon across its face with the force of his anger. The same slap that he almost hit his ex-wife with on Planet Eris all those ages ago. Now fermented, refined, and aged like the very wine he drinks.
The creature is knocked so hard it flies outside of the reactor, passing the ship, and slips back into the depths of the natural cosmic void the humans had just ventured into.
I overdid it. Koriath falls to his knees, still trapped inside the reactor, unable to continue keeping his dark energy. Silent tears fall as he tries to keep conscious. He refuses to heal his wings, so the pain would help keep him awake.
"Hokulani is right outside. Either Phantisma or Kurai is the guardian now. I must stay awake. I trust Chaos. I surrender, with trust in the unity of Darkness and Light." He prays as his tears continue to fall. The Black Lotus Crown now adorns his head as the emperor of darkness continues his prayers.
Outside the reactor, Kurai sees herself outside her body, her head lying in Phantisma's lap. An orb of every dark color, swirling with the beauty of night, and the fright of space. It's darkness emits a holy gravity like no other. The orb descends upon Phantisma's aura, as if scoping it before it floated itself to encircle around her crown energy then travels down to her pineal gland. Here it stays, swirling and twirling for a few moments. Then it enters her through her forehead.
“No stop that tickles!" Phantisma cries as she shrieks with uncomfortable laughter.
The orb immediately leaves her body, to examine Kurai's in the same way. Kurai and Phantisma both watch as the orb travels down from her pineal gland to her heart. It exits from her heart like gentle passing energy, flying down along her spine, then back up again. It swirls around Kurai's throat. Kurai feels its gravity pressing down on her as she watches the guardian's collar necklace form around her own neck.
Then a deep, dark, most soothing voice speaks to her. Neither male nor female, neither young nor old, neither dead nor living, it simply is. "One of my own. One of my blood. One of my darkness. I call to you, Karasu named Kurai."
Kurai's eyes water. "Why me? Why not my sister? She is stronger than me. She has the eyes of a Karasu. My eyes are ruby, they are only half as night. I fear I might be my mother's child. I fear I am the evil one of the dancer's twins."
"You are enough. You are worthy. You are my first choice."
Kurai starts crying.
"Look at those beautiful tears, they glisten with a beautiful soul. The same soul that makes those rubies regal. The kind of darkened soul the multiverse needs. Your sister is certainly the more powerful one, but I do not need The Moon-Song of Night right now."
"What do you need then?"
"The Raven of Righteousness. The Night's Left-talon Blade. Your father served as a right hand, your grandmother a left, and so it goes. The gods of Night and Darkness are sometimes one in the same. They are the other hand that the guardian does not bear. The guardian is the flesh half of the dark divine."
"I have never met the gods, I'm not sure I fully believe in them."
"There is no need for forced devotion. You have ancestors that were guardians of both left and right paths who believed in no gods. Believe in yourself. Believe in the multiverses that you will be protecting and serving."
"I can believe in the multiverses. In Chaos. In Love, and a night's good rest."
"Then form your armor guardian." As the voice says this, an ancient awe of darkness and night envelops her body.
She imagines it wrapping around her like heavy armor. A deep darkness that protected her body from the elements, as she imagined what battles and terrors she may face, knowing her body would serve others as their fighting force. Yet, as it was forming, she thought about the blissful light feeling of flying with her own wings. Beneath the dark frightening of plates, lines the softest silk. Her armor would be powerful to be perceived in, but light as feathers for her to wear. The only gap in the large plates, above a warrior goddess's silk under robe, the guardian's necklace, the true weight of the armor, sits proudly on her clavicle.
Phantisma watches speechless as her sister's body rises off her lap and stops the healing.
Kurai looks around the room, now fully conscious and in her guardian armor. However the armor could not protect Kurai from the strength of her sister's hug.
"I'm so glad you're ok! Wow that orb was freaky huh?"
"I did not feel it. I was outside my body."
"You're so weird Aw’is." She laughs, then composes herself, letting Kurai go. "The Materi Guardian came and evacuated all the humans."
Kurai's eyes widen, her talons grab Phantisma's shoulders tight. "What about father? That machine harvests the darkness that our bodies and souls are made of! He went in to save me, he is no longer immortal!"
"Calm down. Look for yourself. Lady Hokulani is working on it."
Kurai turns her head, she sees the Light Guardian with both of her paws on the reactor, Hokulani turns her head. "We almost broke him out together, he just passed out! If I break this alone, my light could kill him."
Both of them run over, Kurai stands in the middle of Hokulani and Phantisma.
"Kori, can you hear us?" Hokulani’s voice does not hide her worry.
There is no response.
Kurai puts her talons on the reactor. Phantisma hovers hers just above it, beginning to swirl darkness around her talon-tips. Hokulani charges the reactor again with her light.
"It's an umbridium alloy, but also not." Phantisma says with confusion.
Kurai tries punching the reactor wall to no avail. Phantisma runs to the control panel.
"Charge it with me Kurai. Put your talons like my paws, then flood it with darkness. We need to put the same amount together."
"You could not do that with him?" Kurai follows along as Hokulani leads.
"We tried. We almost had it."
Phantisma finds a manual and is trying to figure out how to read it, just by going off the pictures and funny looking symbols.
"We will not lose you!" When Hokulani declares this, Kurai's heart unexpectedly beats with hers. Darkness bends Light, and Light radiates Opposition, Gravity bends for Salvation. Both elements share the drumline of Love.
The heartless reactor disintegrates into a fine powder. Phantisma flies from the controls back over to them, creating a thick shield of the darkest color of space over Koriath. The reactor’s end transforms the shield into the thinnest veil of night.
Hokulani quickly summons and raises her war shield over them, barely keeping the powdery ash from Koriath and Phantisma.
"Thank you Aw'is you saved him from us." A single tear drips down Kurai's ice blue cheek.
"What do you mean from us?" Hokulani laughs as she shuts off her light and dispels her shield, then kneels beside Koriath.
Phantisma flips her cascade of curls, smirking toothily while keeping the healing. "Yea, I'm awesome. I suppose you two helped a little bit."
"You're overdoing it Phasi. At least when Lady Hokulani does it, she is actually funny."
"I'm going to cry. Does that mean you like me?" Hokulani tries not to glow from her smile, though her wagging brown tail reveals the spectrum of her joy.
"I tolerate you, as long as he does." Kurai teases.
"Speaking of, we need to get him home, he will heal faster there." Phantisma says.
Hokulani looks over Koriath with concern, then something catches her eye. "Phantisma, can you please focus your healing on his wings. I think they're broken."
Kurai kneels at his other side and checks his wings. "He was fighting the thing that tried to take me."
"How was something else in there?" Phantisma asks as she shifts the healing over to his wings.
Hokulani shakes her head. "Let's not talk about it right now. They could come back."
Time marches on. Phantisma seems to have healed his wings. The three continue conversing with each other, waiting for him to awaken.
She- she came to my aid again. I- I cannot repay her. I cannot tell her of all the life depts I owe her. Koriath's trembling talon wearily reaches for Hokulani's paw. Worst of all, I cannot tell her of these feelings I have awakened with. Is this- well it is not a love spell. Maybe I am just excited for my rescuer. Then again, the girls helped too. Near death is weird. Yet, I have to tell her. She probably will not get hints, so that is the safest way I can tell her.
She gracefully reaches out, gently taking his talon in her paw. He softly slides the finger part of his talon past her hold, down her wrist, to her forearm. Her paw mirrored his talon upon his arm. They hold each other firmly by each other's forearms. Koriath starts to open his eyes as Hokulani starts to pull him to sit up.
He in turn abruptly pulls her toward him. "Never snuff your light for me. Stay ever radiant."
"Only if you stop overworking yourself to death." She returns his warm smile.
He chuckles, letting go of Hokulani. Now putting one arm around Kurai, motioning to Phantisma to join.
She makes her way to sit beside him, as she bends her knee to sit, Phantisma starts lip speaking to Kurai. He's lost his marbles.
I don't think he had any to begin with. Kurai lips back.
"You both know I can read lips, right?" He hugs them anyway. "I am so proud of and so grateful for both of you."
Hokulani waits for their moment to pass before adding in. "Come to think of it, I don't think he ever had marbles either. He has cards up his sleeves instead."
"But he never wears sleeves."
"Phasi shut it."
Koriath smirks. "Hokulani does not have marbles either. It is all a roll of the dice up there." He playfully points to his own head with an index talon.
"Better than a coin flip." Hokulani's tail wags.
"You guys are both flipped in the coin." Kurai groans.
"Oh before we go home, Aw'ddy, the guardians probably need to know what you learned fighting the demon." Phantisma’s sense of knowing presents nonchalantly.
"Wait, that was a demon? It didn't feel like one." Kurai looks concerned.
"I'm not sure what it was..."
"I don't know, but The Guardian of Fire was originally here with me. He went to chase down whatever you sent flying. Something about redemption. The fruit did not fall far from the tree on that one."
Koriath sighs heavily. "Whatever it was, it was working for Her."
Hokulani investigates Koriath's eyes, and then gazes at Kurai's, then back toward him with her ears back and tail still.
Koriath lowers his head and wings toward Hokulani, then softly nods. She opens her arms for a hug. He runs to her, holding her tight as he starts to cry.
Whispering to Hokulani in the Elysian tongue. "I never told them. I never told Kurai about that night she was stolen, she does not remember it. Thank you for not telling her."
Hokulani responds in her native language as well. "Koriath, you're going to need to tell her. She is still being hunted, isn't she?" Crying with him as she nuzzles his chin, then puts her head under his.
Phantisma whispers over to Kurai "I think this is how they talk to each other."
"I feel like as guardian I need to know, but I'm not sure I want to." Kurai whispers back to Phantisma as they keep talking. "Wait, you are right. Listen, they are speaking to each other. What language is that?"
"I have no clue. I have never heard it before. Aw’ddy seems to know it well though."
He beat his wings once.
Hokulani sighs. "Kori, your daughters are older than you were when your mother left you the throne. In fact, you were married by their age.”
“That is exactly why I have to protect them. I am not going to force my childlings to bear such heavy burdens when I can still carry them. I will not have their adult youth robbed of them like mine was.”
“Koriath, I understand that. You are a good father, you love them deeply, and you have done an excellent job at keeping Evil away from them. They have healthy minds and hearts. However, it is time to close that chapter my friend. Trust that you have raised them well.”
She gives him a tight hug as his tear falls on her golden curls. He holds her shoulders tightly, refraining from hugging. “Just because they are adults, does not mean I stop being a parent.”
Feeling his heart drum against hers “I am sorry if that is how my words came off. That is not what I meant.”
Koriath sighs, softening his hold on Hokulani’s shoulders. “I know. My apologies for being defensive.”
Phantisma stands trying to understand their language while Kurai tries to figure out how to leave her guardian transformation.
“Koriath, I know this is not easy to hear, and maybe since I don’t have children of my own, maybe I should not be saying this. Yet as your friend, as an equal, I feel like someone has to tell you this. Kurai is the guardian now, she won't be home very much. You know what this job does." She pulls from under his chin, looking into his deeply garnet eyes with her golden gaze. Her ears and tail shoot straight up. "They are not hatchlings anymore. You cannot keep them safe in an umbridium tower all their lives. Tell them."
His wings arched and his feathers puffed out, his grasp on her shoulders trembles loose. "How?” He purposely speaks with a self-mocking tone. “Hey, my princesses, guess what? When you two were small, Kurai was kidnapped by your mother’s command and trafficked to Evil Incarnate?”
His sarcasm surrenders, his natural voice now trembles with the gravity of the situation. Tears cascade from his eyes. “Is that what I tell them? Do I tell them that they are the only ones of their siblings to survive their mother? You were trying to protect me when I was having their egg, am I supposed to tell them how we both failed that? Do not ask me to break their hearts, they already feel chasms within just from having Her contributing to their genetic ether.”
“Beautiful friend, these questions come from your pain. Where is your hope?” She sighs softly. “I’ll help you carry the burden of hope if you wish it. Love, I see it is out of love that you shelter them. The same love for them that gives you the strength to bitch-slap their hunters through dimensions. You do not have to tell them everything. However, their hearts will be broken when illusions shatter. Koriath, you know that anguish. Please, tell them. Is it not better to hear bitter truth from their loving father, than the servants of their malicious mother?”
He sighs, looking at the floor then back into Hokulani’s eyes. “I am sorry. I know you are right, but I do not know how to go about it. The more I plan, the faster time flies."
Kurai sighs with frustration, as the twins watch them going from holding each other, to holding shoulders, as they talk. "Hey, if you two need a room, me and Phasi can leave. Unless you found out something about the book."
"I will be right with you both. One moment. Turn around if you are bothered." His tone shifts again, still gentle, but trying to hide his true emotions.
Hokulani gently lifts Koriath's talons from her shoulders, holding them in her paws, her tail and ears relaxing. His shoulders twitch as his wings return to their resting position.
"I'm not bothered, I'm trying to learn this language. It seems like it's half words, half body language."
"Close Phantisma, the language of me and my sisters is one third words, one third body language, and one third feeling the emotions of those in communication. If you want, I can teach you a little bit some other time." Hokulani responded in their language.
"I'm ok, I don't want to get sunburned."
“It does not hurt that bad.” Koriath smiles at Phantisma, then turns back to Hokulani, speaking slightly softer and slower. “It is more like sun kissed.”
Did he just try flirting with me? No way. Hokulani shakes her head to escape the thoughts. Plus, this is clearly not the time. Refocusing on the situation at hand. Speaking softly to him back in her own tongue. "Start with the easiest secret."
"I think I can do that. I will even throw her a party, hopefully it will go over well."
"I hope so, for all three of their sakes."
They hug each other again, his wings fully relaxing, her tail softly wagging. Drying each other's eyes. Letting go, Koriath starts healing his skin.
"My princesses, I have bad news and worse news." He says in Dimperial Umbrial.
"Bad news first." Kurai cuts off Phantisma before she can say anything.
"I did not get to ask about the book. The fault is mine, I got too emotional."
"What made you emotional Aw'ddy?" Phantisma asks.
"The worse news."
"Which is?" Kurai pressed.
Koriath takes a deep breath, his body tenses up.
Hokulani stands beside him and nods her head to him.
"This situation on our hands has something to do with Evil Incarnate and Her. Kurai, She will be sending her forces out toward you. Now that you are Guardian of Darkness, you may have to encounter Her or Her minions."
"Maybe we should talk about it back home then." Phantisma looks at Kurai with concern.
"That may be for the best. But as of right now, let us take some rest." Koriath smiles lovingly towards both of them.
Hokulani speaks up in their language. "I'm sorry for burning you Koriath. That's why I always shut my light with you, I don’t want to hurt you."
"No need to be sorry, it is natural. I do not mind it. Never did. Look." He shows her his arms. "See, all healed up as usual. No need to worry about me." He smiles warmly.
She smiles back at him, then to the twins, her tail wagging softly. "You three take care."
"Bye Lady Hokulani." Kurai waves.
"Take care of you and yours Lady Hokulani." Phantisma bows her head.
"I will talk to you soon Lani." Koriath gives her one last hug before walking back to Phantisma and Kurai.
The three of them envelop in the night, then fly off to their home world.
Hokulani watches them leave this plane. Once they are gone, she whispers to herself before leaving as well. "Gods, I'd do anything for them. Good night my far-family."