By: M Monroe Casey
Part 1
A soft thud sounded off on the magical road as no dust or air moved though in the progress I made. My friends followed closely and quietly behind too as an eerie silence filled the many gaps in our speaking. The great black vastness of space huddled too all around us as we went along, knowing that an undetermined fate now sat in front of us. Deeply unknown yet oh so necessary.
With all of this happening, it still made all the sense in the world that everything was going to change once again and somehow become even more unpredictable now though because as I made my sixteenth step onto my bridge, I heard it. Or more accurately, I heard them.
There were even more voices in my head now.
Not “The Voice” from before yet not mine either.
But instead a slew of different older women and one younger.
Not taking place in the outside world amongst me and my friends but inside to the contrary, a whole chorus of their vivacious conversation rang throughout my brain and different neural pathways. 6 different and unique voices in total went on and on. All of them talking about one thing and one thing alone.
Me and my “dangerous power.”
Stopping for a second while Heldum “Dumes” Luisa began to face off with her younger sister, KJ in a bout of Six Point, I could barely focus on the sister-vs-sister matchup due to the “walkie-talkie-madness” currently rattling around in my noggin.
Firstly, the original voice defended me while another began to prosecute me.
Secondly, the youngest sounding defended the accoster while thirdly, the mid-aged one then defended the defender and the original voice.
It was almost like I was crashing a group meeting or something between age old friends.
Someway, somehow.
Not saying anything back yet of my own, I let them go on though as Heldum brought the bombardments to her younger familiar counterpart, citing how her cowardice was fully displayed in Los Angeles. Mainly how she and Baleigh refused to defend me against the clear and utter disrespect I was unfairly subjected to. With this as her angsty fuel, Heldum was moving on to dang near unstoppable herself and it was definitely showing now.
In a brief response, KJ used her alphabet based cards to power up her Unstoppable Character based upon each letter “A” on the board while Dumes merely took the hit and brought one back of her own.
Back and forth they went, hit after hit, like the seemingly best friends conversing inside my own psyche. Some were words and some were made with gameplay but all the while, it was the same between both of the groups. Each with the same goal.
They clearly were just trying to figure out how “monsterous” or “heroic” I truly was. Much like everything and everyone else lately it seemed.
Looking past KJ’s short, brown-haired and brown-eyed form, I could see the couple hundred foot tall citadel-like structure in the distance. Exactly where the bridge ended. Made from white-stone marble, it looked truly impressive as I knew something in my wild destiny was there for me. It just had to be.
The Voice said it was being held in a place called the “Lakes of Lightning.” I didn’t see any lightning and At-Las mentioned how this doesn’t look anything like the Pyroclastia that he saw before in the many photos and more but maybe it was being held beneath it or something.
Maybe Pyroclastia itself changed… yeah?
The Voice wouldn’t lie to me. No… that isn’t possible. Not at all. No…
Well, either way, that’s near where my bridge ended so it had to be there. Everything I was given pointed there. I just needed a little more power to get there. A little more power to add onto the bridge…
Then, with my perfectly timed luck on full display, Dumes finished her job and I did mine too immediately after by stopping KJ where she once proudly stood. Being the youngest donor yet, the contribution of “Possiblites” proved to be much larger than the others and exactly what we needed to finish our transport, all the way to our final goal.
Charging forward with a new sense of vigor at finally reaching our destination and somewhere I’ve personally wanted to visit for so long, I simply opened the seemingly conveniently unlocked front door and waltzed right in.
Scene 2
Walking into the twenty-eight meter tall atrium, a single white sign with black lettering hung on the front and center balcony for us.
Reading it aloud for all Windowsill-Watchers to hear, Monica and CJ gazed at each other with a complete intrigue as I completed the phrase they only just recently read.
“… Welcome Lillie… What the…?”
As the excessively large door closed behind me, I saw them all around gathering in a completed circle. Every last remaining member of the “16 Crew,” my own teammates and six newcomers.
All of them stood around with me in the center. Much like Crowopolis now sits in our Cosmos ring, I was now the center of attention too. Gazing around with a frustrated look slowly growing on my tired face, the blonde haired young woman around my own age made eye contact first.
Her sky-blue with my snow-white ones.
Ummm… what’s all this? Explain yourself… NOW.
“Hello Lillie, my name is Jessica Maddy…”
STOP. NO. NO. NOOOO. YOU. ARE…
“Yes, my amazing friend… it’s me. I’m the Voice. I’m so happy you are here…”
STOP IT. YOU LIED TO ME. YOU. ARE. NOT. IN. DANGER. HOW DARE YOU?! Why?!?!
“Please, just listen to me… Yes, I deceived you and I’m sorry for that but I am the Goddess of Acting so I merely acted with you. That’s it. But I promise you this, it’s nothing bad. It was all for a good reason… I can explain everything. As to where we are though, this is my Citadel. It’s called the ‘Citadel of Plays,’ and it was here that I wanted you to come…”
WHY?! No. NO. First, just tell me… was it all a lie?!?!
Clenching my fists harshly, the power began to swell its normal golden brown color as I was nearing my usual resolve it took to unleash the freezing frenzy I’m known to sometimes do. Holding off for now, Jessica continued on in her explanation.
“No. It’s not all a lie. You are truly meant for great things, Lillie LaDestino. You and I were able to communicate all this time through our Goddess communication network. The six of us can all do it and being you, you can too. You are still indeed the Heir of Crowopolis and with that, you have access to an immense amount of power…”
Oh, I know. So… finish your explanation quickly then before I use it to pause you for all of time. GO. ON.
“Please just hear me out… So, with that immense power, you are actually a lot like us. An equal. I believe you already met the homeworld of our very own Goddess of Beauty, Nathaly Queen. Then, we have your teammate’s older sister, the Star Goddess, Baleigh Sofia Luisa. Joining us three are the Goddess of Design, Lenna-Anna Nicole, The Goddess of Lighting or Vittoria Ivonee and The Goddess of Accessories, Delaine Evelyn. So, with those introductions made, isn’t it obvious, strongest dragon of all? We needed to see your wit, resolve and power in action. We mainly needed to simulate a crisis and see how you would respond to it. This really has all just been your initiation test… and you did so good! I’m so proud of you. You’re in.”
Wait. Stop. So… so, this was all just because you wanted me to join your little group? Sorry, but I’m already in my own rock band and I don’t team up with liars… I’m not interested…
“Welllllll… sorry to ruin this then but technically, we’ve all been on the same team since the very beginning… well, besides that ‘punk princess’ Bubbles. She does exactly whatever she wants to do regardless of any teams but even so, she provided the perfect instigation for you so I can’t complain too much…”
Ummm… wait. So, what are you saying? I WANT ANSWERS.
“And I’ll give you the answers you seek so please just remain calm but yes, it’s true. They are actors. All the rest of them. Merely actors convinced by me and my power to fight for or against you. Each member in your quest so far was just part of the exam…”
STOP. YOU MADE THEM LIE TO ME FOR YOUR SICK GAME?! SO… THEY WERE NEVER MY FRIENDS OR ENEMIES TO BEGIN WITH… AT-LAS… DA-Q… DUMES… MJ… Okkkkkay. That’s it. I’ve heard enough… exam or not, I do not care. GRAB YOUR CARDS and prepare yourself. Prepare for THUNDER.
“No, Lillie. Don’t you see?! It’s actually a good thing! None of us were in any real danger and you passed the test… you can become the seventh Goddess!”
I don’t think I want to. I really only want to make you pay for lying to me… How about that instead, you manipulative jerk bag… how about you prepare to join the others who defied me… I really think that sounds better to me. But don’t worry, old buddy, I got a special smackdown brewing for you. My real friends will help me see to that…
“Ummm… I don’t think you understand me… I’m saying you don’t need to keep them locked anymore, there never was a reason to freeze them anyways, Lillie, it’s over. The test is done… You can release everyone now… you passed…”
With my power swelling like flames from my palms, I smirked knowing my vengeance was coming soon. My impossible was somehow possible but that doesn’t mean I can’t put the last bit of this rage at being played like a “grade A fool” to good use. One last time before I now go and conquer the universe or something else that’s hugely dramatic.
Ha-ha-ha… well… they are my trophies, just like you will be, soooooo… no.
“Lillie… please…”
I said no.
With the small group that formed my infamous circle of shame prattling on about how it was all truly a test and they were sorry but I should release the others and give them their “Possibilities” back, the mid-section of Jessica began to glow softly in anticipation. Gazing into my eyes of intensity, her defense mechanism was in full swing as I screamed my retort to their comments in the echoing structure. Letting it be heard one more time, just how fed up I was with it all.
EEEEEENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With a wave of halting power befalling almost all in there, only Jessica Maddy and her power of a convincing gut survived the magical onslaught.
With Baleigh and Heldum joining their sister outside, all the others in the room did the same too.
Every last one of them completely silent like the organic collection of statues they now were.
Making eye contact with Jessica, I issued my challenge through gritted teeth and with a fury I’ve never quite known before. Still feeling the support of Thunder though, I knew deep, deep down that this is what I must do now. For his sake and everything we went through.
This can’t be the end of our journey.
I simply can not allow these leaf people to control me ANY longer.
You. Me. Match. Now.
Scene 3
Grabbing my six first cards, I drew for the first turn then played a few weak Characters onto the field. A devious smirk boasting on my face as I did it.
So, tell me… what else isn’t real in my life? Am I even named Lillie? Or is that a part of your twisted game too?
As Jessica responded to my sassy comment, she played a few snakes of her own with a slightly higher power total than mine before stopping herself mid-turn, “No… your name is actually Lillie. I truly am sorry for lying to you but we needed to be sure.”
Oh yeah, of what?
“That you could emotionally handle being a Goddess and joining our ranks but after this whole and complete meltdown, I’m not sure.”
Excuse me, a meltdown?! I just learned I’ve been cast in a play I didn’t even know existed for the last year or so… how else would or could I react to that?! You USED me!
Declaring a bombardment and taking the lead from me early in the match, Jessica then replied to my sour attitude with a comment that left me completely and utterly speechless, “… Lillie, you got it wrong. We all did this because we believe in you. I always have… it’s why I planned it all. The other trials we tried, and failed I might add, weren’t nearly quite as elaborate but that’s because none of them are you. I said it before, you are a dragon among leaves and I mean it.”
Yeah?
“Absolutely and you are my friend. I wasn’t lying about that either. I never wanted harm to befall you and I always wanted to see you succeed. So, on my grandparents honor, I swear to you that I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Taking a deep breath, I didn’t say anything back but I did nod. Not seeing her midsection glowing this time, I knew there was no deep or mysterious magic at play. Just a few of my medium strength dragons as I passed the turn back to her.
Jessica – 3, Lillie – 2.
“Well, here are a few more of my snakes and a wonderful Location for you… so yeah, thank you for believing me and hopefully forgiving me. Well… if it helps, I can tell you exactly how it all went down, yeah? So, you remember that silver masked dude, right?”
Wait… no. OMG. That guy?! The lifeless-basically-a-zombie dude? He was part of this?
“Oddly, yeah. He always weirded me out too. But he’s kind of sweet deep down honestly. Anyways yeah, Sixth is a Doenca. They are like this other lifeform but we’ll get to that later. So, it was his job to be my secret unofficial liaison between this portal scientist/ rewriter dude named Chuck Smith and a timeline shatterer named Marche Tadala. You know, make sure they didn’t interrupt the trial too much and all. I’ve basically been planning this for a few timelines now…”
Marche? I remember Da-Q told me about him… and wait, what? A few timelines?
“Yeah, Marche Tadala. He was the one who traversed time and space on a mission to change his life but before he did, he completed this horrible, horrible mistake.”
What happened? As we paused the match to continue talking, I periodically looked down at her midsection to see if I was being played again but yet nothing came of it. So, slowly letting my guard down with a growing smile, we just continued on and on like two age old friends reconnecting to see just how their beautiful connection began to happen in the first place.
Scene 4
“Well… Marche was jealous of his brother and was part of a revolution on Pyroclastia to overthrow him but it wasn’t just that. Udo overstepped his brotherly boundaries back in the 1980’s and stole his girl too.”
Oh snap!
“Yeah, totally. Then, Marche basically rammed a sword through his chest in his anger after doing a bunch of other bad stuff across Pyroclastia City. Then later, to forget what he did, he tried his hand at a magic spell but it went horribly, horribly wrong and he created a new lifeform through the numbing of his emotions. The Doenca. Or as you know one of them, Sixth. So, that was all in the Old Past. But my friend, this wasn’t the only Old Past we had. There was even more before that. You remember that rewriter dude, I mentioned? Chuck? Well, he rewrote the timelines over and over again before that because he was a bit of a perfectionist with a mad scientist vibe. So, eventually, we ended on that timeline I just told you about with Marche doing his mistake and the Doenca being created.”
Okay. Fair enough.
“Yep! Now, because of a fight there between our very own lovely Baleigh and Delanie, when Delanie went all power hungry and broke off from the overall mission, their powered up selves collided which sent out a wave of magic known as the Abby-Addison “Giggles” Dawson Effect. That Effect was spread throughout the entirety of the space-time continuum giving anyone who was hit by it the ability to make a wish and it would come true. If they wished at that exact moment, of course. To this day, we know of a few wishes that were made. Now, there may be more that we don’t know about but we do know these ones for sure. Three by the Luisa sisters, one by Delanie, one by Bubbles and one by Marche. So, Bubbles wanted to spread her favorite game across the Cosmos so she was given a chance to do that by being sent back in time, which is why our game here is the ‘law of the land.’ At least as far we know. Meanwhile, Marche merely wanted to change his life forever and rewrite the ending of his situation through correcting the errors of his past.”
Got it. Wild.
“Yeah, totally. So, essentially, Chuck’s rewrites and perfectionist vibes were stopped hard by Bubbles and one of the Doenca’s Santi. Then, Santi was taken from her and that’s why Bubbles’ went all ‘punk princess.’ So, without Chuck’s machine to rewrite things again, we are stuck in a universe/ timeline now that Marche and Bubbles rewrote to create. Which is why we have the game basically everywhere and why all four Tadala brothers are still alive and well on Pyroclastia.
Makes sense. So, I owe all my power to Marche then?
“Yep and kind of but not fully. He merely opened up a smoother and less bloody opportunity for you is all. What we found when talking to our High Goddess, CJ and her girlfriend Monica, is that Crowopolis falling into the center of the Cosmos and the Heir of his aforementioned Crowopolis rising was inevitable. From it, there would be a new Goddess and that’s all we knew. We didn’t know if she was good, bad or the other. Just a new Goddess would be coming from the result of that ‘giant floating rock in the sky’ landing in the center of a ring of planets.”
Ah okay. So… this really was all just to see what kind of person I was?
“Exactly. But naturally, I really had to make sure it lined up how it did because yes, obviously, having a seventh Goddess is nice but I have a personal stake in this adventure too.”
What do you mean?
With Jessica gearing up to explain herself even further, it was truly evident now. Everything that angered me before seemed to almost fall away completely and become so much less important as we conversed more and more within the drafty and cold atrium full of her motionless actors.
Scene 5
“Well, Lillie, you know how you created a bridge with your power in Antofagasta, right?”
Yeah because I found it on the instructions. Did you write those too?
“Yeah, that was me too. So, remember when I said Sixth was my liaison? Well, back in the older days of our current timeline, Sixth found himself in a library in Pyroclastia City looking through some old books about portals. He knew he had to get to somewhere on Earth to complete his weird dreams of eliminating all desires from everyone but it was then and there that I knew he would be the perfect vessel for our little trial. So, I hijacked the Windowsill stream to find all of this out, jumped back in time with Delanie’s help to write a book about the subject, then put that exact book into a library in Pyroclastia City. I know, a bit overkill. Haha…”
Woah… honestly, stalker level weird but I’m glad we are friends, I guess?
“Noooo… I don’t mean it to be like that! I was just making sure that Sixth found that and eventually made this way to you in Antofagasta, that’s all. Basically, like an unofficial and unaware messenger of mine.”
Oh okay, wow buddy… soooo, is there any other universal meddling I should know about?
“Ah, some stuff here and there but mainly just like getting the Goddesses to do their stuff with the War for that Effect rippling to happen like I told you about and Chuck to plant his murder tree in Crowopolis. I felt that if Crowopolis had Brinay when it fell, it would be far more of a big deal and people would care more about it. Leading to this whole ‘rising of an Heir,’ storyline drama.”
That’s fair. Then, you put all of that in place but obviously, people made their own choices throughout?
“Yes, of course. You included. You never had to pick up your buddy there and play the game. It was mainly just to see if you had the guts and the call-to-action to do so. That’s all. Then, if you did, I wanted to see if you could build the bridge successfully because that’s what you do, Lillie. You are a bridge builder.”
A bridge builder?
“Yeah, your power can literally unite the Cosmos again. You can help people who grew up like me, the lonely and misunderstood beings. I eventually did find a home though at a place called Castle Johnson with some odd Count guy who just was just super lonely and wanted to farm roommates. In practice, it was super weird and pretty unethical but he made a pretty valid point. People are lonely, Lillie. You can help change that. You can help them feel like they truly belong somewhere. Just like you wrote in your Six Point bio and just like the person you told me you wanted to be. The Adventuring Kind. Back in the Old Past, there were bridges that connected the planets together but they were hidden from plain sight. Interplanetary secret highways, if you may.”
That’s sweet! I never knew that…
“Yeah so with your power of “Possibilities” there, being the Heir and all, I guessed that your quest could give us a wonderful side effect doing just that and bring those back, as well as you becoming my new bestie or whatever.”
Okay, fine. It’s all kind of sweet actually. And Thunder?
“Thanks and what about him? That’s not anything to do with this trial. That’s you and him. That’s a bond I could never fake. Honestly, it’s the same with all of your dragons. That’s what makes you a Goddess and a new member of our amazing band, as you called it. You are a bridge builder in more ways than one. You always have been. Oh and yes, before you ask, the 27 other dragons are real but I truly have no idea where they are.”
Awesome and wow… you read my mind. Like always. Hahahaha
“Of course, I try. Haha, love you buddy.”
Love you too.
“So… Do you forgive me and understand it more now?”
Yeah and I do. We’re all good, my incredible friend.
“Good, my amazing friend. Well… huh, lookie at that… it looks like our Power Amplifiers powered down from lack of use… So, I guess we tied?”
Yeah. So, there is only one more thing to do then…
Taking a deep breath then snapping on my left hand then my right, I maneuvered my “great and massive” power to do one more thing for me before I could feel it slowly exiting my exhausted core and form.
It was time to shatter the frozen-ironclad time grip that it once held on every last living statue I made on my way here.
Scene 6
Watching and feeling the power do just that and release all of those I once trapped, I saw it then go off and out the opening door of the Citadel. Out into its own quest to do something that I would have never expected or could ever guess would be its natural desire. But to see that happen and to see where this would lead next, all of us actors in that little play trial took to the outside. Back onto my bridge we were, high above the remainder of the Cosmos, with a beautiful top-down vantage point across the multitude of stars and souls below.
Standing in a line with Jessica and I next to each other, I could feel a soft embrace from two souls that I knew would now be with me forever. One in my hand and in the other in my heart. Then, as it hit me in the feels like a freight-train, I knew it. I finally found it.
My Hiraeth.
Because after all, it wasn’t a place and honestly, I don’t think it ever was.
From when I felt the most alone I’ve ever felt to the exact opposite later on, they were both there for me. Yet, deep down in my soul, I knew that these other five Goddesses would have done dang near the same for me that Jessica already did. I didn’t even have to ask, I just knew it. Resting my head on the shoulder of my friend though, it was then and there that I felt another new sensation. It was a feeling like eight eyes were watching me. Not creepily. Not weirdly. But more like a sort of silent support from afar.
Looking up to the multitude of the endless universe above me, my snow-white pearls looked directly into the gentle gazing eyes of the Windowsill and I smiled. Knowing that even those four watching on the other side had some part to play in the peace I now felt.
Bringing my gaze back across the others on that structure we built together then down, I saw the power of “Possibilities” do the exact same thing to every planet in the known Cosmos.
Reassembling that series of beautiful bridges from one to the next. All over again.
The End.
