“The Crystal”
“The Crystal”
“The Crystal"
The continuous chants and prayers rang in the non-believer’s ears, her heart full of scorn. She stood a distance away from the large crowd of believers in the middle of the capital city square. She stood tall and proud, yet the Believers were hunched over, kowtowing to their God. To them, the Crystal was everything. Everything they needed to live a happy and peaceful life.
She wore a hooded cape that kept others all around the city square from seeing her detestable scowl. To be a non-believer was blasphemous to these Believers of this large the woman saw. Such thoughts and feelings towards the Crystal that gave them a better future equated to the end of the lives they wasted. The Believers saw the Crystal as a Mother - one who gave life and peace. To smack the hand of the Mother was unforgivable and those who did such deserved death.
Yet these non-believers had no opportunity to leave the country. Had no chance to immigrate to their only neighboring country, Hereitis. Forever to dwell in the country that was to become their new hell - Juprimi, a country whose borders were nearly surrounded by salted water.
However, the people the woman watched were the Extremes, those who devoted their life to praying and praising the Crystal. Those who praised the Crystal yet lived their life to help benefit their country were named Neutrals. And the people who believed in the Crystal, yet never prayed to the Crystal the way the Neutrals had - were known as Lowers.
The woman felt disdain towards all of them - from the Extremes to the Lowers. They were all foolish to her, and never stopped to think otherwise. To her, the only ones who were worthy of her respect were other Non-Believers, Nons as they were commonly called.
“Claramae,” a man called out to the woman, his hand in his front pocket. Unlike her, he wore no hooded cloak, he was able to mask his feelings for the Crystal. But he couldn’t mask his annoyance by the Non woman who watched the Extremes. Her attitude always found a way under his tough skin. He gave her a glare of his own, “Let’s get going.”
“Look at them,” Claramae softly scoffed so no one could hear her, no one but the man when he found his place beside her, “They pray and bow, degrading themselves for things that will never come to them. It’s... pathetic.”
“Of course you may think so,” he watched them as she did, “and I don’t blame you. They lack a personality. No interest in anything but the Crystal.” His oceanic eyes examined every crevice of the Crystal he could find from such a far distance. He found no interest in the Crystal as the Believers did, yet he did find it strikingly beautiful. There was no denying its beauty, only the power that those claimed it had.
“They allow themselves to be dictated by everything the Crystal tells them, from punishments to heavenly acts worth of praise. Lynching Nons and putting up borders between this country and Hereitis.” The more Claramae thought about the havoc the Crystal had caused, the angrier she had become.
The man beside her noticed that her aura of mood had changed and with a gentle hand, he dispelled her angry might with a pat on the head. Even with a hood covering her hair and face, the man could tell she had calmed. “Thank you, Arllyn.” He replied with a short nod before finding his way to a back alley tavern, away from any Believers’ eyes. Claramae followed him from behind, leaving the Extremes behind her.
⟢ ⟡ ⟣
“Clarie!” A small child ran to Claramae’s hip, embracing her in a tight hug. Claramae awkwardly patted the young girl’s head, unsure as always when it came to physical contact. “I thought you were caught by Bells!”
A term that meant Believers - it did not matter to the Nons what kind they were. Lower, Neutral, Extreme - they were all the same in their eyes. To the Nons, they believed that all Bells wished for the Nons to go away, to perish from the eyes of their Crystal. However, there were a very small group of those who believed in the freedom to choose one's religion. They were known as Liber Bells.
“No, Cherise, I was not taken by any Bells,” She reassured the small girl. Cherise’s eyes were as big as opals and bright as the ocean blue. Her hair golden as the morning sun, gently touched by its rays of light and purity. Cherise was known to be the happiest child any person saw; many Bells believed she was blessed by the Crystal’s light.
“Instead, she was openly hating the Extremes and Bells in general. It’s a wonder she wasn’t taken,” Arllyn stood near his kid sister, his hand resting on the top of her head.
An older woman who appeared to be in her late sixties showed her distaste for the younger woman’s actions, “A mask is always needed for a Non in every arena, sanctuary or enemy territory. And we are certainly near enemy territory.”
“Irelia, you speak as if we are to battle the Crystal itself.” Claramae grounded herself against their group’s leader.
Irelia nodded, her tired eyes showing her old age, “that may be true, but the fact of the matter is that we cannot let our guard down. No matter what.”
“But-”
“NO MATTER WHAT.” Irelia’s voice grew in power from each and every syllable. It shook the insides of each of them within the small tavern. The bartender, a fellow Non, stood far away from Irelia as he could, afraid of what she would do to him.
Claramae didn’t dare raise her voice against Irelia, for she knew better. Claramae didn’t care for the Bells, but she did know how to respect her elders. Irelia would always say that she had more knowledge than Claramae could ever wield.
Arllyn didn’t care for the tension that made his younger sister uneasy, “Who are we waiting for again?” He wanted to remind them the reason for their coming here, a place so close to the Crystal it was unbearable.
Irelia came from the outskirts of this city near the Crystal, so she had not felt the fear Arllyn had. Arllyn and Cherise had lived in the countryside of Juprimi, away from most of the population, in a small town named Danti. It wasn’t until Claramae’s arrival in Danti as well as her passionate desire to escape this country that truly urged the siblings to follow this woman. They had heard about a Non woman who knew the way to freedom and left to find her. Fortunately, they did. They stood with her now as she guided them to their continuing survival.
Irelia set her gaze onto Arllyn, still stern from Claramae’s current behavior, “his name is Drugo. He’s a trader of the country, even before the Crystal. He travels to many places for his work. If there is anyone who would be able to smuggle us out of the country, it would be him.”
“Is he a Non? Like us?” Cherise’s mouth was instantly closed with the use of Arllyn’s hand. “Cher...” he growled. He had hoped no one had heard his thoughtless sister’s words.
Irelia shook her head, “he is a Liber Neutral; He doesn’t believe in the holocaust of Nons. Besides, he’s an old friend.”
The thought of the era Before created a smile on Irelia’s face. Drugo was a dear friend of hers, as well as her late husband’s. She could remember the days that they would drink and attend the city’s festivals together. Drugo’s attendance was necessary for all events and festivals to sell his family’s wares. Trading had been in his family for many generations. Such a thing was inescapable for him, but it didn’t seem to bother him.
Claramae crossed her arms, seating herself atop of one of the tavern’s tables. It was a small place, with a small bar and several tables for smaller parties. The place was well designed and well kept. For that, Claramae was thankful. The entire place had been empty for the remainder of the night, for it was past the twenty second hour of the day, and past Cherise’s usual bedtime. But for tonight, that was to be put aside. Tonight, they were going to feel true freedom. At least, that was the plan.
“How much longer do we have to wait for this guy?” Arllyn grew uneasy; the thought that if they were to be betrayed by this old friend of Irelia’s grew in his mind. The mere thought of it frightened Arllyn, for he knew what would come should they be found. He was only twenty years of age, and had not felt that wonders of marriage and life that could have been offered. But he feared for his sister more so, who was only eight years of age.
“I’m here! I’m here!” An older man with graying hair and a full greying beard approached the group of mismatched people. He was tall, having to duck under the door frame to keep himself from hitting his head. Drugo exuded an aura of dominance and power that almost intimidated Claramae. Almost.
“Drugo, how nice of you to come,” Irelia’s words were dipped in poison, irritated that Drugo made them wait for such a long time. It wasn’t unusual for him, he was always laid back when it came to anything but his trading business.
“Yes, yes Rel. I know I’m late.”
“How nice of you to notice,” Arllyn spoke underneath his breath. Just by the first glance, Arllyn knew he didn’t like Drugo. But he wasn’t going to tell their “savior” that. Although, Arllyn did the same thing when meeting Claramae. There were times when he believed her to be heartless, foolish and even apathetic. But he slowly learned that Claramae was anything but. She was perceptive, optimistic and even a little analytical. She was a logical thinker - the type of person that Arllyn felt comfortable entrusting the fate of his only family and himself in her hands. He knew not why she felt awkward with affection, but he believed it was due to her upbringing.
Her coldness came out once more, “you should not have been late. Your shop is not far away, nor was your business busy on this day.”
Drugo was surprised by the woman’s ice-cold demeanor when she spoke, “How..?”
“I saw you in the town square, selling your wares to a large amount of Bells. Extremes, mind you.” Claramae’s eyes never left the man whose help they were about to receive.
Drugo sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, very uncomfortable with the tension Claramae had created in the room. “They make good business. The makings of crystal necklaces have risen in demand. How could I refuse to sell them for such a profitable gain?” In the past, Drugo’s family had sold the more fine things than silver-chained crystals he was doing now. However...
That was all in the past.
Irelia stood in the path of Claramae’s line of sight, “You should not be so questioning to a person who is willing to risk life and limb for an ‘enemy’. It will be your undoing.”
“And it will be your’s for not being as careful as I am now, Irelia.” Neither’s voice rose, which frightened Cherise all the more. When the two were calm, exchanging cold words of poison, they were rumored to be the most frightening of Nons.
“Rel, it’s ok. I understand,” Drugo’s lips were curved into a smile, he could understand as to why someone such as a Non would be so questionable towards any Bell in Juprimi. “I expected this when I knew I was going to be late.” Irelia’s eyes softened when she beheld the sight of his smile, warming the heart that had been forced into the Arctic Tundra.
“Will you be able to take us to Hereitis, sir?” Little Cherise asked amidst the chaos of the adult world.
Drugo smiled, “Of course, little lady. You will be able to taste the freedom of Hereitis and drink all of its wonders.” This made the small child smile with such radiance, Drugo felt jealous that any of his children didn’t have such a smile. To him, the girl truly did possess the Blessing of the Crystal.
Arllyn held his kid sister back closer to him, “How do you plan on taking us there?”
Drugo took notice of Arllyn’s hostile nature, but could not fault the boy for feeling such a way. He was facing religious hatred and prejudice at such a young age. And his sister even more so! It amazed Drugo as to how such a young girl like Cherise became a Non. No one but her older brother knew the reason why. But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was his plan to come to action, here and now.
“Everything in this world has a weakness, be it people or things.”
“Be specific,” Claramae was growing more and more irritated as their window of time closed by every second.
“Forgive me.” He apologized, “Perhaps I’ll explain the plan on the way to our destination?”
Irelia felt more at ease with the idea of being on the move as they planned their escape, rather than waiting for the Extremes to find them. “That is the best idea you ever came up with in my time of knowing you, Drugo.”
“What, besides selling necklaces to Extremes?” He chuckled as he gestured to the exit of the tavern. All followed him, Claramae being the last one out. She didn’t know if she could fully trust the Neutral. Even a Liber Neutral. But with the situation getting worse and worse, she felt that they had no choice.
Drugo offered everyone his help to get into his horse drawn cart, full of little trinkets, jewelry, furs and blankets. Only Irelia and Cherise had taken his help. Arllyn and Claramae refused it and got onto it themselves. Drugo understood that they were tense and frightened all at once, so he paid it no mind. So he jumped onto the front and urged his horse to move on.
⟢ ⟡ ⟣
The wind outside of the city was more brisk than the party had expected, even Drugo. Each of them wrapped themselves in a blanket - Arllyn and Cherise shared a single one together. The young girl’s head rested on her brother’s chest, her breathing pattern steady. Irelia stared at nothing in particular, listening to the clops of the horse’s hooves and the whirling of the cart’s wheels. Arllyn watched Claramae as her eyes scouted for any sense of movement in the distance.
Her focus was to the sides and back of the cart and not the front. For straight ahead were a small group of soldiers. Not just any group of soldiers, not even the border patrol soldiers, but Templars of the Holy Crystal of Light. The darkness shrouded them well from the sight of the party; should Claramae have had brought her attention to the south, would have seen them.
But as fate would have it, she had not. And they were ambushed thus.
The Templars had stopped the company in its path, calmly inquiring Drugo where they were going. Arllyn didn’t dare wake his sister up - he did not want her blatant fear to give their secret away.
“We are going to the place, of course,” his normal, kindly smile quickly turned sinister. Only the Templars could see his expression, but Claramae could feel it. She could feel his hatred, his greed, his true malevolent nature towards the Nons.
“YOU TRAITOR!” Claramae’s near-demonic words came from her gritting teeth, cursing not only Irelia but herself as well when she realized that this man was no Liber Bell.
He was an Extreme Lucrum - those of which sold out any Nons to the highest bidder. It was legal for a normal citizen to take it upon themselves to execute a Non. Some formed smaller, nonprofit groups. Yet this bidder happened to be the most ruthless group of Bells of them all.
She thought to herself, knocking back a hand that had reached for her arm. A bloody, idiotic Templar, no less.
“Why, my friend?” Irelia’s voice cracked midway when she fully understood her old friend’s betrayal. One of the Templars held her in place for the other to tie rope around her wrists. “We spent our childhood together; You were at our wedding; You... you...”
The leader of the Templars handed a large sack of what clinged and clanged, the iconic sound of gold. The sack was larger than one would expect an Extreme Lucrum to obtain, especially one from the government itself.
“Rel, Irelia, Irelia,” Drugo echoed her name, as if he wanted to savor the name before it was gone. “It was you who betrayed me. I never wanted to be a merchant. I hated working and I still do. But I still did those days to see you, to shower you with gifts to see that beautiful smile of yours. But you still choose him. He who did nothing for you the way I did. He only had to look at you for you to melt like a moron.”
He counted each piece of gold within the sack as he spoke without even stealing a single glance at his first and only love. He didn’t miss a single piece nor had to recount them - a multitasking skill he learned over the years. When all was accounted for, he finally turned to Irelia.
“But the Crystal told me to move on. To release you from my heart. It knew you were a Non-believer! But how could I? How could I bring closure to my heart? So when you finally contacted me from hiding, I found my opportunity. So goodbye, Irelia. We’re even now.”
Drugo climbed onto his cart and urged his horse in the direction that they came from, back into the city. Back into his normal life with a wife he never loved. All while he listened to the drifting cursing from the only woman who captured his heart as her and her company were taken away in a metal box carriage, following behind him. Back to the city they once came.
⟢ ⟡ ⟣
Drip
Drop
Sniff
The sounds reverberated in the isolated fortress of stone, metal bars, metal chains and death. Le Chateau d'If, the only prison that mattered in Juprimi - the prison of Non-believers and treasoners. The four were separated in two different rooms, the siblings in one and Irelia and Claramae in another. Cherise, late into the night of complete darkness, was wide awake and crying all of her tears away.
The Templars had given no kindness or mercy towards the young girl, pure as she may appear. Her eyes had closed with the beautiful thought of leaving this country behind her, yet opened them to see the exact opposite of this. Her small, frail body shook in her brother’s arms, her tears wetting his tunic.
Claramae paced within their small, confined space, wracking her brain to figure out a way to escape. Irelia sat in the corner, listening to the sounds of all around. All but Claramae knew that no one escaped Le Chateau d'If. It was an impossible task. Claramae didn’t believe those rumors, “Everything in this world has a weakness, be it people or things.” Those words from a traitor rang true in Claramae’s mind.
Once she thought a feasible plan was forming, Cherise looked up at her brother with her tears streaming down her cheeks and off her chin, “What’s going to happen to us, Ari? A-are we going to die?”
The plan within the hooded-woman’s mind ran from her, “Fuck! SHUT UP over there! We will die if you won’t let me fucking think!”
Arllyn kept his mouth shut; he didn’t want to further worry his baby sister by telling Claramae that there was no escaping from this place. Yet he also didn’t want to lie to her, he thought it to be cruel to fill her with such hope. Arllyn calmly sat with his sister in his arms, feeling like such a failure.
“Protect your sister, Ari-baby”, He recalled his mother’s words before her untimely death. Cherise had been too young to remember their parents before the Templars took them away for execution. Thankfully, the family knew of the Templars’ arrival and sent the two siblings, one carrying the other, away. After a month in hiding, Arllyn returned with the toddler Cherise to their home and continued to maintain the farmland that was left behind. Arllyn was the only parent that Cherise had ever known. A part of him wished they’d never followed Claramae. Yet he knew they’d be in this position eventually, it was only a matter of when.
Several hours passed by, the sky slowly turning from its darkened purple color to a warm red-orange color. None of the company could see this transition, but they knew it was happening from the slivers of light reaching into their cells. None of the company could sleep even an hour’s amount of rest - their nerves unable to rest for what was to come. What fate had in store for them.
For the first time in hours, Arllyn was able to see his sister’s frightened face. How heartbroken he felt to imprint this image into his heart, against his wishes. Never in his life did he ever want to see such a sweet, innocent girl like Cherise fear for her life. But whatever true deity existed out there in the ether, It did not give this girl mercy.
He was also able to see Claramae huddled in a ball; her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees. He knew she wasn’t asleep, for her body shook in terror. It was the first time Arllyn had ever seen her so frightened before. He only knew her to be strong and confident without a single worry. He apparently was wrong in his analysis of her character. She was just as scared as the rest of them were.
Not long after his thought did two Templars enter their small hall of cells. They were the only prisoners in this section of the fortress. They wore finely made chainmail with a white surcoat adorned by a design of a large crystal in the center. Not a smudge of dirt or blood was found on the Templar’s garb. For each, their right hand held a lance and the other a shield.
But what caught the company’s attention was the shorter, more frail man in between the two. He wore a pure white robe that matched his equally white hair, with a green and blue clothed belt adorned by small crystals hanging off of it. He also wore a large hat accented with various gems and jewels.
The small man walked up in front of the cell where the siblings resided. Arllyn held his sister closer to him, nearly covering her with his entire body. He knew this man. There wasn’t a Non or Bell who didn’t know this man.
“Is that small one the One?” The frail man asked. Not fazed by the glare he was receiving from Arllyn.
“According to the trader, she has the Light.”
“Excellent. Take her and prepare her.”
Each of the company’s eyes widened as they realized what they had meant. Irelia removed herself from her self hatred and begged profusely for them not to take her. Claramae had cussed them out, telling them how horrid they were. Cherise begged for her brother’s assistance as she buried herself deeper into her brother’s arms. Arllyn was the only one who said nothing as he tried fending them off, keeping her away from their grasp. Yet two had overpowered one, and under the orders of the High Priest, the Templars had taken Cherise away. Her screams and pleads echoed throughout the halls as they left, slowly drifting away from the company’s ears.
They would later find out that they were needed too.
⟡
It didn’t take the Templars long to gather the other three, tying them up on three of the fifteen stands of logs that encircled the Crystal. Irelia knew these stands well. She had seen many Nons be killed in order to please the Crystal. But neither Claramae nor Arllyn knew this particular tradition, for their time in the capital was always short.
In their line of sight, they were able to see a small body chained and tied to a slab of stone near the Crystal. Her body shook in fear as she looked up to the large, blue-ish translucent mineral that she had no faith in. It was the same stupid thing that took the parents she never met from her. It was the reason why her brother was never able to relax and find a woman to love, being so young.
The High Priest of the Holy Crystal of Light stood in front of the stone slab Cherise was set on. He opened his arms wide to the large crowd of Extremes, Lowers and Neutrals who watched this ceremonious tradition. All around, encircling the Crystal, they chanted words of encouragement to the High Priest - the one who had taken them from the darkness forty years ago into this new age of peace they all lived in.
“Fellow Believers! We are gathered here today for a momentous day! Today, the Light, our Crystal’s Light, shall be returned.” He gestured to Cherise’s struggling form, “this young girl has harbored it! We must give it back! The Crystal has been gracious to her - now it is her time to be gracious to our protector.”
“The Light”
“The Light”
“The Light”
The Believer’s continuing chants encouraged the High Priest even more so than before.
“The Crystal also demands the souls of these Non-Believers and their darkness to be purged from this world.”
“Heretics”
“Heretics”
“Heretics”
The only ones who shouted against these encouragements were those stuck on the log stands. All watched as the High Priest moved in front of the Bearer of Light, the youngest Non of the company. From his belt, the priest produced a dirk dagger, its hilt decorated in twists and knots. Cherise’s eyes widened as she watched this man lift the dagger high up.
Arllyn watched in horror and screamed for his sister, tears falling down his cheeks. His heart breaking from this sight as he was witnessing the nightmare he had come to life. It was at this moment, and this moment only, did Arllyn wish they were born as Believers, as those who believed this rock.
Claramae shouted for the High Priest to stop, struggling against the rope that held them there. Her heartbeat ran rampant as they witnessed this event. If they were to survive this, Claramae vowed she’d hug Cherise as much as she wanted, until she was asked to stop.
“Stop!” A loud, angelic voice boomed in the capital city square followed by a surge of wind that emanated from the Crystal itself. The wind was strong enough to pull down the hood of Claramae’s. The Templars tried to remove it from her before tying her up, but found themselves unable to by unknown causes.
From the large wind that surged behind the High Priest, he stumbled and fell over Cherise - the knife still pointing down as it made contact with her stomach. Her painful scream was heard throughout the area for the first time. Normally, no scream would be heard - only cheers.
Claramae turned her head to the side of the Templar that heard her heavenly scream, “Get me off of this thing,” her demonic voice came out. Afraid, the Templar did as he was told. Claramae gestured to the others and the Templar followed her instructions. First Irelia was released, then Arllyn.
They both were in awe as they finally beheld their companion’s true appearance. Her hair was a radiant bob of pure white and her eyes were glowing in a blue color of light. Her complexion was pale and her head in the shape of a teardrop - reminding her companions of a pixie.
Arllyn snapped himself out of it and ran to his little sister, there would be more time for his questions to be answered. If they were to survive this horde of Believers behind them. Claramae followed behind him, as did Irelia.
When they reached the slab of stone, the High Priest was aback from Cherise’s pained body in horror with himself. Her screams of pain had never ceased, the blade was still in her stomach. Arllyn’s hands encircled the hilt of the blade but neither he nor the frail, old man didn’t have the strength of heart to pull it out of her.
But Claramae did.
Blood fell out of the hole in Cherise’s stomach and just before more could, Claramae’s dark hood was being pressed firmly onto the young girl’s wound. Irelia took the dagger and cut the rope that tied Cherise to the slab. Her small head tilted slightly to the side, up at the woman who was helping her stay alive.
“...Y...You’re much... prettier than I thought...” Cherise softly said.
Claramae smiled as Arllyn held his sister’s hand with one hand as their other gently caressed her soft, golden hair to soothe her.
“My grandmother,” Claramae started, “was much prettier than I. She was perfect. She was as perfect as... a crystal."
Claramae gestured to the large gem behind the small child. In turn, the girl looked with her to it. It was beautiful. She was never allowed to look at it when they were in the capital. Her brother forbade it. But no person in this world could deny its beauty, and Cherise was no different.
"Did your granny... cause this world to disappear?"
Claramae held the golden-curled girl, caressing her cheek to soothe her worries, "No. She didn't cause it to disappear. She made no world. It was society that made this world. But she knew she was the catalyst for it."
"What's.... a catalyst?" Cherise's voice grew increasingly weaker, it was breaking Arllyn's soul each time.
"Hey," he started, "don't' talk. Save your strength." Tears were welling up in his eyes.
Claramae nodded, "he's right. You should save your strength. And when you are better, we shall go to a new home. One where we can live for ourselves and never fear. That would be nice, yes?"
Cherise nodded, her blue eyes still gazing upon the Crystal. The sun hit it so perfectly that it started sparkling, like the ocean she had wanted to visit for their new home. She found oceans, rivers and streams to be the most majestic thing in the world.
But she knew what was to come for her.
"In my next life... I hope... we can... all be..." her voice trailed off until all life dwindled from her eyes.
⟡
As a courtesy to the party for the death of the young Cherise, they allowed the Nons to proceed forth, out of the country. The same could not be said for any of the other Nons in Juprimi, much to Irelia's dismay. But that didn't matter to Arllyn. He lost all that mattered to him. All that he lived for; the reason for his need to escape.
Claramae did as her grandmother and mother before her did - she guided and protected the ones close to her. Although she didn't exactly mean to. Yet she was remorseful that she couldn't save them all.
Arllyn never blamed Claramae, even when she blamed herself. He went so far as to marry her, as they found themselves with similar feelings for one another. Together they found a home on the ocean coast, overseeing a beautiful view for sunrise and sunset. They took care of Irelia in her more elderly days.
But Irelia was forever grateful to live through the days with the two of them as well as another. A little girl Claramae had given birth to. A girl with pure white hair and ocean blue eyes. They named her Cora, after the coral reefs. Cora looked so much like her mother, but there was something in her that felt familiar to the party. A soul so pure, so beautiful that pained Arllyn. But they all kept this from each other, and more importantly from Cora as she grew up.
Cora grew to be joyful and curious about the world. She wanted to know more about Juprimi and it's followings of the Crystal. But when her parents revealed the nature of said followings, Cora kept silent about the country.
When the day came that it was Irelia's time to leave the world, Cora's questions about the country they all came from continued coming. It wasn't until she was eighteen did she reveal to her family that she wanted to save the country from itself. But her parents never allowed it. Cora, against their wishes, left for the Juprimi capital. Leaving behind only a note.
No letters would come for Claramae and Arllyn about their only daughter. Not until a year had passed.
---
Mom! Dad!
I was able to do so much in a year here! Sorry I wasn't able to write, but there was just so much work to do! I found some friends, some Nons, as they call themselves. And I also made friends with some Bells. or Believers.
I found out that about 20 years ago, the Crystal just dissipated after some people left the country, the only ones to leave. But it came back alive and rebuilt itself just recently. Pretty cool, right?
So I'm working on a plan to make the world better for the Crystal, possibly making it an energy source for the people! But it still didn't fix the Non verus Bells problem.
But I found a way! Like I always do! Dad says I'm a smart girl, haha.
When the Crystal dissipated, the Bells went ballistic. They didn't know what to do. So they had been just going about without another care in the world. The Extremes (the more devoted of the Bells) were the ones so lost.
So when the Crystal came back, their faith was still somewhat crushed. So I spoke to some and they're more willing to talk to a Non about how they live their lives.
It's a long process that's only going to get longer. But I know I can do it! And I know I will make you proud. As well as Aunt Cherise. (Don't be mad, but Granny Irelia told me about her.)
I will write more! I promise!
Love,
Cora
---
She fulfilled her promise. She wrote to her parents every month about her progress. But that progress slowed as she fell in love and started her own family, passing the torch of responsibility to her own daughter. Who then passed it down to her own daughter and so on.
Claramae thought about what it meant to be a Crystal, yet never found an answer. She never told Cora about their connection to the Crystal. And never thought it to be important to do so. It only brought more sadness and more anxiety to Claramae. But after each letter Cora would send did she slowly find her answer.
The power you hold brings responsibility to do something good with it. Perhaps, Claramae thought, Cora knew all along about her family tree. And she knew the answer much better than Claramae could ever understand. It brought pride to her heart, as well as to her husband's heart.
Perhaps... I shouldn't have run away. Maybe I needed to fight for my home. My country. Cora is their future.
As I was their past.