The Different Shades of Flame

4: Sunset

 "About the Charm, how did Celal do that?" I ask, hesitantly.

I'm sure there is a scientific explanation about it. If scientists have found a way to do that, wouldn't there be some kind of conflict? One country makes a scientific weapon, and the other one tries to copy it or something. The two countries stay at war and so on. Or maybe, there is a war going on, and I just don't know about it. I'm sure Ahsen would have mentioned it before. Although, we haven't actually had a real conversation about what exactly is going on. That's because of my speech anxiety and because I'm an introvert.

I wish I wasn't dragged into this. I haven't really digested the whole part about us being on another planet. It's hard, but I'm trying to take it all in.

Not looking up from her food, Ahsen answers me; "That is something all phoenixes learn to do. At the age of 15, they get their magical abilities, but control completely depends on how much it has been practiced. The more you practice, the better you get. Of course, there are special schools to do that. Charm isn't allowed in most places. There are selected places adult phoenixes can use it, but not a lot. It is basically a compulsion. The kind you could read about in a book." She explains, her voice soft.

"Wow. That is uh- unbelievably amazing." I say.

Wait a second. I'm 15. Won't that mean I've got it? Well, who said I'm a phoenix anyway? Ha!

"Yeah, it is. You need to get used to the idea. Evren is going through a war. The phoenixes are battling against the siren and the sirens against the phoenix. It' i a mess. Fire going against water. Young children are dying. Planets are being destroyed, either burnt or flooded. Innocent people are dying because their leaders refuse to listen to their pleas. My mother is among them."

I gasp. That is horrible. "Ahsen, I'm so sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Ahsen finally looked up to meet my eyes. She gave me a sad smile but continued, "You don't understand. I need to tell you this. Whether I want to or not. A whole universe depends on it. Let me tell you a story first." She smiles.

"Ahsen, I really don't know if it's the best ti-" I am interrupted by her.

"Nope. It's the perfect timing." She argues.

"Alright. Go ahead." She's too stubborn for her own good.

"Yes! A long time ago, there lived a queen. She was a true beauty. Men would fall on their knees just to have a glance. Women loved her as much as they envied her looks. She was not only beautiful but also wise. Although, her beauty was the only thing most people saw in her. She had a soft heart, but she was a conqueror too. Although she never left the planet where she was born, she had control over several. Her reign was the greatest one seen in Evren." Ahsen explained.

"She can't just rule over several planets. She is just one person. How the heck-" I interrupted her.

"Shush!" Ahsen says sharply, her eyes blazing.

I guess she does not like being interrupted. Vowing not to speak for the rest of the story, I lean back against the cave wall.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," she glares at me. I grin back sheepishly.

"Her name was Serene. Queen Serene. She had the power to see the future." She says.

I open my mouth to ask her how she had that power, but Ahsen's glare stops me.

"She was a fairy. That's how she got her power." She continues like she read my mind. "Only a few royal fairies can do that. She could. She saw a vision where a fire was battling against water and water against fire. But in between was darkness. An evil of some kind. It spread. Infecting water and putting out the fire. Both were gone like ashes and smoke. Now you may be wondering what the darkness is. It is a symbolical reference to the Dark Lord."

"Sounds creepy." I interrupt. Some vows are meant to be broken.

"Eek! Shush up." She shushes me before continuing with the story.

I am fascinated by it. I've always been a fan of books and stories.

Who is the evil guy? Sounds like a good book. I'd love to read it. "You may already have guessed this. The fire is the symbol of the phoenix, while water for siren and mer-people."

In awe, I blast her with questions, "Mer-people? So, mermaids and mermen exist? Wow! Can I meet one? What about the siren. Are they as evil as they say in legends? Do mermaids have the same powers? Wait. Do mermaids have any power at all? And Siren?"

Giggling, she says; "Slow down. I appreciate the interest, but I told you not to interrupt."

I smile.

"Alright. Before I was so rudely interrupted yet again," she says as I wince, "I was talking about the vision of the Queen. It has come true already seeing as the war is still ongoing."

"What?" I screech. "How did I not know?"

Ahsen smiled, "Well, the last time you were outside, you had so much Charm on you that you couldn't see straight. I had to bring you here."

Right. Of course.

"Anyway, she says that there is only one person who can stop the three from destroying all of Evren. That person is a Tribrid between fire, water, and fairy. You." she revealed.

" Wha-?" To say I'm surprised is an understatement. "Why me? Why can't it be you? Why not Celal? I'm a what?" At this point, my voice is breaking, and all and any adrenaline is fading from my system. I feel tired, overwhelmed, and sick.

"Thing is, hybrids are rare. Very rare. Tribrids are even more so. There are probably only three tribrids, excluding you. "

"Why?" I can't even talk in a complete sentence.

"Simply because most hybrids are not fertile. So, they can't really have kids. Although, they do still have other attributes of both species. Just not fertility." Well, that sounds like a mule. I need to stop getting off-topic.

"So, I am here because I'm a Tribrid, born from a fertile hybrid? What am I a tribrid of? I thought I was a human." Fertility is something I think I'd preferably not find out right now. Yeah, I'll leave that out. I'm way too frustrated and tired now. All of my good mood is gone.

"Well, you have siren and Phoenix genes at the moment."

"At the moment?" I echo, unsure. At this point, not much can surprise me. I'll just be surprised later.

A thought sent me into panic mode. Didn't she say something about being 15 and getting the Charm?

Nope. I'm just really tired.

Another universe. Another planet. Phoenix. Magic. Oh, wait. I think I forgot all the other mystical creature Celal mentioned before.

This is way too much to take in. I have a headache.

All my life, I didn't even know that I'm not a human.

I groan internally.

"Yeah, your third side is a story for another time." Ahsen sighs.

She said I'm a fairy. A darn Fairy. With wings and pixie dust. I don't have those. I really can't be one.

The thoughts from a few moments ago come back, and I shake my head, denying it. I can't have magical abilities.

"Take a nap. We have a lot to talk about, and I don't feel like it. We'll talk later. I'm sleepy as well." she says with a yawn.

My good mood is gone, and I deserve a break from this mess. "K." I reply as I turn over, hesitantly at first, and wait for sleep to come.

Ahsen and I had been eating some 'fruits' she picked. They looked similar to dragon fruit but tasted like oranges and chocolate. Not the best combination, honestly. The 'Fruit' fit perfectly in my palm.

I wonder what else they've got here. I really want to know why I have to hide so bad. It can't be too serious, or can it? I really want to know more.

Ahsen's soft snores fill the cave, so she must be asleep.

That was fast.

I sit up and survey my surroundings. Ahsen said that Celal went to clear our next destination, so except for Ahsen, there is no one there. I still haven't told her about my dream. She also told me not to step outside the cave in case I'm seen. By who, I do not know.

Despite the warning, I step outside to see the most beautiful deep red sky. It looks like the sky is bleeding. The horizon looks a bruised purple, and I can see a white dwarf star setting. It looks glorious, like a sunrise, but with heightened color. I smile as a fresh breeze tousles my hair. It smells like Earth, like home.

I stretch my arms above my head and inhale again.

I sit down at the cave entrance, angling myself so I can see Beozi house far away. It looks like a white blob in the distance. I shiver as I think about it.

Since the cave is high above the ground, no one can see me from down there. I think. The crazy part about this is that the piece of land I am on can literally float a few meters above the ground. The floating areas of land are called lofte. I don't know how Ahsen brought me here. It's a long way down.

The one I am on is one of the smallest lofte. Ahsen told me it is normal here for land to break off the planet and float away. Usually, it floats around in small bunches, but every once in a while, lofte could crash and explode, causing destruction. I was against staying here, seeing as a random piece of land could crash into us, but Ahsen argued that the patrol could stop it before a lofte comes even close. The patrol is several people who make sure that no lofte accidents happen. I like to imagine them as human scientists sitting in a lab or patrolling like human police or something.

The entrance of our cave is nicely hidden by red-pink vines, so I sit down comfortably, looking out at the beautiful planet before me. The place that I have been kidn*pped into and brought away from my home.

I wonder what my mom and aunt must be thinking right now. I've been gone for almost three days now. Two days were spent in Beozi house, and I was unconscious during the first. Then there is also my little brother to think of. He's only five. I've always been the bread earner after my father passed away. I don't know if mum can really get a job herself. I know I won't be able to forgive myself if something happens to my little bro. I let out a long sigh.

The sunset, if I can really call it that, has faded. The bruised purple color on the horizon I saw before has spread. It is darker, so I can see so many stars, and it's barely twilight. The stars look like tiny fireballs in the sky. They are larger than I thought.

Those aren't stars. Those are something else.

What the heck is that. Could it be...?

Shit.

I know what those are.

I haven't seen any before, but I just know.

Phoenix.

Lots of them.