The Spirit

A Discovery

1548. It was a normal day. I was sitting in my classes along with many other children. The room only being lit by candles, I could barely see the strings on my lute. instructor leading the lesson, who's teaching career had taken a toll on him, with his greasy brown hair, sour face, and wrinkly skin, put down his lute and walked up to me.
     He took me by my faded gray dress and white apron, and lifted me out of my chair. I dropped my lute in shock. I knew what was coming. "Miss Lucidia…" He said in a deep, gravely voice. I looked down at my knee high white socks and shiny black buckled shoes. "You look at me, child!" He said. He grabbed my shiny black hair and looked me in my ice blue eyes. He slapped my cheek, leaving a red mark on my fair, pale skin.
     My name is Lucidia. Im fourteen years old. My life is pretty normal, which sometimes I refuse to accept. I always feel like I was meant for something special, and that confidence is rewarded with being rumored of being a witch. Thankfully, that rumor hasnt reached the king, or else he would have had me burned by now.
     My whole family is dead. The only reason I get to go to school is because I claim to be the daughter of another family whose daughter tragically died. They haven't told anyone yet, however. So my whole life wavers on that fact. I need to rob fruit stands to get my meals for the week. So if anyone rats on me, my life is in the hands of the king, at his pleasure. And I doubt he would be merciful.
     "Look me in the eyes, you disgraceful child!" The instructor yelled at me. All of the children put their lutes down and turned to me. "Y-Yes sir…" I muttered.
     "You are a disgrace! I ought to throw you out of this academy!" The instructor dropped me back into my seat. "Pick up your instrument!" I did as he bid me. I was quivering in shock and fear. "You are going to play it correctly. Do you understand me?"
     I nodded softly. I adjusted my lute so I could pluck the strings easier. I exhaled. The instructor lead us all into the song. I was going steadily, until one part of the song where I had to pluck three strings at the same time. I couldn't focus, and Plucked the wrong string.
     A dozen thoughts ran through my head as the instructor stood up and took me by the hair. He pulled me out of the room and to the door. He then threw me outside into the snow. I knocked my head against a building. "Never come back, you wench!" He slammed the door shut.
     I was in pure shock. Did he find out I was faking an identity and was just looking for any reason to throw me out of the academy? Was I going to be taken away to be burned any second?
     Suddenly, I was lifted from underneath my arms. I felt blood leaking out from the back of my head. Everything around me was dimming and going black. I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.
     When I came to, I felt a soft material underneath me. I opened my eyes and saw a bright light above me. Was it the Sun? Id never seen a light so bright before. The only light other than the sun Id seen was that of fire. Why was it above me? It had to be the Sun.
     That's it. I was lying on a cloud, lifting me towards the Sun and into the Heavens.
     But when my eyes adjusted, that wasn't it at all. I was on a bed, which I haven't felt in years. It was the most comfortable bed I'd ever been on, and I stretched.
     Hang on, where am I? I sat up quickly and I felt a jolt of pain in my upper back. I groaned and flopped back onto the mound of pillows that had been placed under me. "Oh, her Grace is awake!" I turned my head. There were two women rushing to my bedside.
     "Where-" I started to say, but a woman with fiery red hair, dark skin, and green eyes clamped her hand over my mouth. I pushed her away and breathed in angrily, ready to reprimand her. "Shh! We mustn't wake the castle!" She whispered. "All will be answered in time, your Highness."
     Your Highness? What? I looked at her, confused. The other woman, a younger, sweet-looking girl with bright blue eyes, pale skin, and, strangest of all, blue hair, giggled. What is happening? I had never seen blue hair before.
     Suddenly, it came to me. "You're… You're witches!" I sat up with a jolt. I tried to move away from them, but the pain in my back struck again, and I gasped in pain. The women looked surprised. "Oh no, your highness, we are not witches." The woman with red hair said. "We are… shall I say… Good witches. Fairies, perhaps, you would call it."
     Fairies? "Fairies are just witches with different names!" I stuttered. "You have kidnapped me and are going to use me in one of your potions, aren't you?" I was frightened. I could barely force the words out. "Ohh.. It can't end like this!" I mustered enough strength to throw myself out of the bed and onto the floor with a thud.
     I felt one of the women lift me up by the underarms and place me softly back into bed. I noticed that they were not walking, but floating about an inch above the ground.
     The woman with red hair sighed. "Perhaps we have to show you?" She waved her finger and a bright, sparkling light shot out of her fingertip. It landed on the ground, and a blue jay appeared. It chirped and flew out of a tall window behind the bed I was in.
     I was in shock. What the..? This had to be a dream. My real body was probably in the tower right now, and the guards were probably waiting for me to wake up so I could be burned at the stake.
     I shuddered at the thought. "Just wake up... I want to get it over with..." I muttered.
     The girl with the blue hair giggled. "Your highness, this is not a dream. This is very real." She said in a light, cheerful voice. "If it is not a dream, prove it!" I said. She sighed. "Forgive me, your highness." She reached over to my arm and lightly pinched my forearm.
     I gasped. It felt so real. "What's... Happening..?" I muttered. "Please… explain."
     "Of course, your highness. I'm sure this is all very confusing for you." The girl with the red hair said. She took a breath.
     "We have been looking for our queen for centuries. We had been told she had unusual looks, and stuck out like a sore thumb among crowds. She was also told to have a magical aura, and emit a beautiful white aura, while others emitted a purple or blue aura. We had been searching the Fae Dimension for years, and then, we found a strange portal among the clouds. We entered it, and we were transported to a whole new world! Your world, to be exact. We then searched around your world. We had thought it was useless, when finally, we saw you get thrown out of your school, and you had that beautiful white aura! You had hit your head, so we carefully took you to our dimension, but we ended up accidentally dropping you once or twice, hence the pain in your back. Whoops!"
     It was all so much to take in. I was in a different world? Was this all a figment of my imagination? I'm dead! That's what I thought at first. "Am.. I in Heaven?" I muttered. "That must be it. I hid my head and died peacefully in my sleep, right? Or was I burned and you don't remember your death?"
     The girl with the red hair sighed. "You are not dead, nor dreaming. This is all very real." I leaned my head back and rubbed my temples. I sighed. "Really…?" I murmured.
     They didn't answer. I heard them stand up. I opened my eyes. "What are you…-" I was cut off. "My name's Ahriel, by the way." The woman with red hair said. "Im Knighla." The woman with blue hair said.
     "Alright… nice to mee-" They both suddenly waved their hands over my body, silencing me. It was like the air was caught in my throat. I closed my eyes.
     I saw a beautiful, green land. It was like the grass and trees were coated in a thin layer of glitter. The sun shone bright over a town with people of all different sizes and nationalities. They all had some magical trait about them, whether it was having wings and flying, having magic powers they use to help people, or having the ability to grow and shrink. It was beautiful.
     I saw four people. They seemed to be in distress. They looked frantic, as if they were looking for someone.
     "Those are the four spirits of the universe. Water, Fire, Earth, and Air." A voice called to me. It was Ahriel. "They are looking for the fifth spirit, the embodiment of all spirits. The spirit of Galaxy."
     But then, it all went to waste. A beautiful land in turmoil, dead bodies of former citizens in the streets. People trapped in thorn bushes, all at the mercy of one man. He had flaming clothes, and a devilish look on his face.
     Then it all went black.
     I opened my eyes with a gasp. "That is what has happened to our world. We are currently in the center of a large force field, invisible to Him, the personification of madness and malicious intent, Malaght." Ahriel said. Knighla sighed. "The shield's strength is weakening. We don't have much longer to prepare for his onslaught. If we don't do something about it, this land will be cursed with eternal damnation."
     I nodded. "But why me? Why are you showing this to me?"
     Knighla and Ahriel looked at eachother. "Because you are the one we need to stop all of this madness. You are the Fifth Spirit of Galaxy." Ahriel said.
     I was shocked. I couldn't be this special. That wasn't true. I'm just a street rat without a life!
     "No. You've got the wrong person. I'm a nobody. I'm no "Fifth Spirit". Just send me home so I can be burned."
     They both chuckled at my disbelief. "Well, maybe this will convince you." Knighla said. She waved her hand over my forehead. I saw a castle made of ice, and a woman standing behind a barred window with a somber look on her face. She looked familiar. My view got closer. She was barely recognizable. She looked clean and confident, yet sad and guilty at the same time. Her hair flowed among her shoulders like a dark waterfall. Her bright blue eyes twinkled.
     It was me.
     It was true.
     I am the fifth spirit.