Due to Destiny

"AURA"- The Lost Soul

Ava, Chris, and I started looking around.

Amara - “Ava, you stay here and keep an eye on the surroundings. Alert us if you see something dangerous or anything we should see,” I instructed.

Ava - “Alright! All the best!” She replied with a determined nod.

Chris took out a device from his backpack.

Amara - “What is this?” I asked, curious.

Chris - “It’s an EMP meter. It can detect any Electromagnetic Pulse,” He explained.

Amara - “Switch it on,” I directed.

Chris started the device, and it started beeping very loudly.

Chris - “Oh my god! The EMP is too high here. What could it be?” He exclaimed, his eyes wide with alarm.

When Chris said this, it took us only a couple of seconds to figure out what it could be. I looked at Chris.

“The Oracle Stone,” we both said in unison.

Amara - “Let’s go, find the directions,” I urged.

Chris - “Okay, it is coming from that left side of the alley,” He pointed.

Amara - “Got it, I’ll lead, follow me,” I said, taking charge.

Chris nodded.

We traveled through the dark alley. I was not stumbling upon the branches and other obstacles, but Chris was finding it difficult to walk straight.

Amara - “Be careful, Chris. You don’t want to sprain your ankle and miss this adventure,” I chuckled.

Chris - “Hahaha, it’s not funny at all. How are you walking so easily? It’s like you’ve been here many times,” He retorted.

I didn’t acknowledge his remark and continued following the device’s direction. Chris found it suspicious.

Chris - “Amara, you’ve been here before, haven’t you? You know where the Oracle Stone is. Did you find it before?” He questioned, his tone probing.

Amara - “Chris, I’ll answer your questions later, but first we need to get that stone and get our asses out of here,” I responded firmly.

Chris - “Why? No one is here. We can spend some time, I can take some pictures and uncover the ancient history,” he said excitedly.

I stopped and turned to him.

Amara - “No, Chris, we can’t stop, and you can’t take pictures because once we take the Oracle Stone, the whole temple is going to collapse within a minute or so. So, we need to hurry up,” I explained, my tone urgent.

Chris gulped, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

After two minutes of walking, I saw a bright light emanating from something floating in the thin air.

Chris - "The Oracle Stone," He gasped.

Amara - “Chris, start walking back and alert Ava. We need to get out of this place within a minute once I touch that stone,” I instructed.

Chirs - “No, I won’t leave you here alone. What if you get stuck or fall down?” He protested.

Amara - “I don’t think you need to worry about me getting stuck here or falling down. Remember, I know this place, as you mentioned earlier,” I reminded him.

Chris - “Yeah, right!” he said sarcastically.

Amara - “Shout once you reach the end of the alley. I will grab the stone, and it will take only five seconds for me to get out of this temple. Once you’re out, take Ava and back off from this place at least 150 meters away,” I instructed.

Chris nodded.

After ten minutes, he shouted,

Chris - “You can take the stone now!”

Because of the empty space, his voice echoed through the temple.

Amara - “Got it! Now get the hell out of here.” I shouted back,

I waited for ten seconds before touching the stone. While I waited alone, I felt an Aura. It was very familiar, very soothing, and I felt peace for a couple of seconds before realizing that I needed to get out of there.

Once I touched the stone, I saw glimpses of a boy playing in a park, the same boy writing something on a blackboard, the same boy crying very loudly at someone’s funeral, and finally, an adult touching this stone.

Suddenly, I felt the whole place rumbling. I started running, dodging the sinkholes and rocks sliding towards the core of the earth. Somehow, I managed to get out of the temple before the earth swallowed the entire temple and the surrounding area of 100 meters.

Dust and branches covered the entire scene. I saw Ava and Chris standing approximately 40 meters away from me. I walked towards them.

Chris - “Are you alright?” He asked.

Before I could answer, Ava interrupted,

Ava - “I never doubted you. I knew you could make it.”

Amara - “Thank you for trusting me, Ava. And Chris, I’m fine. Now let’s go. We have a long road ahead,” I said.

Before returning to our car, we turned around to see the place, but to our surprise, there was nothing that looked like a sinkhole. In fact, there were trees and bushes just like the rest of the woods.

Chris - “What? Where did that sinkhole go?” He exclaimed.

Ava - “Beauty, isn’t it?” She remarked.

Chris - “How can you both be so calm after all this? And Ava, you didn’t even believe in this when I told you earlier,” He said.

“Because we know things you don’t,” Ava and I replied together, laughing.

Ava - “Okay, I wasn’t sure about the Oracle Temple and Stone, but yes, I’ve seen other places doing the same magic trick!” She winked at him.

Chris - “I have so many questions. Do you want me to go and ask someone else?” He asked sarcastically.

Ava - “Don’t you dare,” She warned.

Chris - “Fine, then give me some answers, please,” He pleaded.

Amara - “Let’s get back to the car, and once we check in to our hotel, I will give you answers,” I assured him.

Chris - “Where are we going?” He asked.

Amara - “We are going to Worthington State Forest,” I replied.

Chris - “It’s only 105 miles away. Why are we checking into a hotel?” He questioned.

Amara - “Because, first, we cannot go there at night. Second, I am hungry and tired, so is Ava. Third, I need a drink,” I listed.

Chris - “Okay, got it, got it,” He conceded.

Ava - “No, no, she can go on if you want her to,” She teased.

Chris “No, I’m fine,” He quickly replied.

We walked towards our car and started driving.

Amara - “Ava, call TownePlace Suites Clinton and book three rooms, please,” I instructed.

Chris - “Why? Can’t we share rooms? That hotel is expensive,” He complained.

Ava - “Shut up! I’m calling them, Amara,” She said, rolling her eyes.

Ava called the hotel and booked three rooms for us. She knew I liked to be alone most of the time.

Chris - “Amara, where is the stone?” He asked.

Amara - “I have it. Once we reach the hotel, we will freshen up, and then I’ll show it to both of you. Because I love you both, I will give you one chance to ask questions. So, I hope you will use the opportunity wisely. Especially you, Chris. I think you will get all the answers about yourself if you really want to know them,” I said.

Chris and Ava nodded.

The rest of the drive was silent. Dark clouds started covering the entire city, and thunder rumbled, but there were no signs of rain. This was strange yet calming for me. I loved these kinds of days when no sunshine could reach the ground, and everything felt soothing along with the loud noises of thunder.