Memories of Gaia: A new day is dawning
Chapter 17 Nihonal

Valeena felt as though her entire body had been filled with small, tiny insects. She opened her eyes to discover she was on her knees, rubbing her arms. Her left ankle was sore, the pain throbbing with the odd sensation of bugs in her skin. They had landed on a floating grassy hill, the grass oddly silky under her fingertips.

“We should not be here,” Aurory said in a soft voice, glancing around nervously. “The living should never enter Nihonal.”

“Whoa,” Valeena gasped as she lifted her head and took in the beauty of Nihonal. It was as though they had been shot into deep space. The sky was a dark, black with ribbons of color that reminded Valeena of the Northern Lights pulsing brightly. Thousands of tiny stars twinkled above as a faint, yet noticeable glow seemed to stay just at the edge of her vision. Patches of rich blues and reds were smudged in the darkness, mixing with greens and yellows. Objects floated above them like asteroids, leaving dust particles in their wake.

“It’s gorgeous,” Valeena said in awe as the insects began to settle down and her skin was once more feeling normal.

“And dangerous. Mortals are not suppose to cross into Nihonal. Do not touch anything! We do not know what could happen to Gaia!” Aurory warned, shaking her head.

She then pointed to the lights above them as she said, “Those are memories. When we die, we are nothing more than memories of Gaia. Touching those lights could affect the soul of a person if they are still among the living. Do not go near them!”

Valeena nodded, feeling ashamed of herself for wanting to touch one of the lights now. She wondered if the different colors meant anything and if she’d know which one was hers. A deep growl echoed through the night colored sky as Valeena peered around.

“Shhh, do not move,” Aurory whispered, holding out a hand as her eyes searched the sky.

Valeena was about to ask why when a six-winged, two-headed beast soared above them, weaving around the lights. It had no legs, but a long slender body that ended with a forked tail. It seemed to glow from within itself, giving it an eerie, white aura. Valeena held her breath as it growled again, sounding like an angry dog warning you to stay back.

Once it was out of sight, Valeena released her breath and looked at Aurory. “That was Aster, the wandering star. He guards Nihonal. If he discovers we are here, we may never make it bake alive. We have to find Thanos now and get out of here!”

Valeena nodded quickly, spying patches of the silky grass that appeared to have been burnt. A sticky, purple substance was fading away as the blades moved in their own wind. Valeena had a strong feeling that Gaia was injured.

One of the pulsing lights in a white color swayed low, coming closer to Valeena’s right arm. It had a soft, warm feeling, like a candle flame welcoming you home. The light made her feel safe, happy.

“Do not touch it!” Aurory warned, holding up her hand as Valeena felt her muscles flex. She had nearly reached out for it, as it seemed to call to her.

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“Why not?” Valeena asked, staring at the ribbon of light as it rippled in the sky.

“That belongs to someone else. It is their memories, not yours. If you touch it, you could tamper with their past or future. We do not alter peoples memories.” Aurory said in a grave tone, shaking her head. Valeena sensed she was holding something back, but knew better than to ask. She looked away, shaking her head softly.

“Let’s go,” Aurory demanded as she brushed a single tear from her cheek.

Valeena nodded as she tried to pull herself to her feet. “Oh,” She moaned as pain shot through her left ankle, causing her leg to buckle under her.

“What is it?” Aurory asked, her eyes wide in actual, genuine concern.

“I think I injured my ankle when we tumbled through the gateway,” Valeena informed her, rubbing her ankle gently just above her boots.

“Great, now you are useless AND injured!” Aurory groaned, shaking her head as she threw her arms up into the air.

“Aurory, stop. Just give me a minute,” Valeena responded as she gently put pressure on her hurt ankle.

“We do not have a minute! Or did you forget about Thanos?” Aurory hissed. She was doing her best to keep her voice low as she had no idea how well Aster could hear.

“I’ll be fine,” Valeena said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. She tried once more to push herself up on her feet, her ankle shaking from the effort.

“Whoa!” Valeena began to windmill her arms in a feeble attempt at keeping herself from falling to the silky ground. Her fingertip on her right hand slashed through the ribbon of white light, transporting her into the stream.

It was as though she had blinked and somehow moved from one place to another. One minute she was standing in Nihonal, and the next, she was by the beautiful sea. There was something off about her surroundings, however. The world was rippling like heat waves in the distance, distorting her vision just enough to annoy her. Valeena could see someone sitting by themselves by the edge of the water, drawing with a stick in the pale, tan sand.

The girl was maybe in her early teens with wild red and brown colored hair. She drew a heart in the sand with the tip of the stick around two letters; an E and an S. The girl sighed softly as the green ocean water washed the heart away, leaving behind a smooth, clean surface. The girl smiled to herself and climbed to her feet, fading away with each step as Nihonal reappeared.

“You just do not listen,” Aurory scolded angrily. She had her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at Valeena, her eyes narrowed.

“How long was I gone?” Valeena asked as she felt her heart pounding in her chest from excitement. She had no idea who the girl was, but she felt as though she should know her.

“A second. Memories never last long. What did you see? You did not talk to anybody or touch anything did you?” Aurory glanced around, her eyes wide in fear. “You could get us trapped here!”

“No, I did not. I saw a girl drawing in the sand. I did not speak and she never glanced at me!” Valeena shot at her, not realizing that she was finally standing on both feet. Her anger had overridden the feeling of pain, putting it out of mind for the time being.

“Good. Do not touch them again!”

Valeena nodded as she bit her tongue to keep back the rude comment that burned at the end of it. She followed her sister to the edge of the hill, peering over it.

The ribbons of lights pulsed and danced in the starry sky, as small orbs of light floated here and there. It reminded Valeena of moonlight dancing on a flowing river. Further down, a single, glowing, white light could be seen. It was as if all the light was flowing towards it.

“How do we get to there?” Valeena asked as Aurory chewed on her fingernail in thought.

“We need to call upon a being who is able to travel from their realm to here,” Aurory said as she watched the different shades of light.

“What about a phasma?”

“A phasma is a ghost bird, they are no different than Wisp. But,” She continued as she peered over the edge of, spying several other floating rocks below. “I bet Spira could help.”

“Spira?” Valeena questioned, but Aurory did not answer. She instead, closed her eyes and moved her lips as she silently said a spell.

A spark of pink and gold light erupted as a strange creature emerged. It was as large as a horse, with the head and legs of one. Its body, however, was long and almost transparent. Instead of back legs, it had a tail similar to the one you would find on a mermaid. The mane was a large, spiny dorsal fin. The beast had slender, dragon-like wings that curled near the tips.

“Spira is able to travel between realms due to its fluid body. It is the soul of a slain Goddess and searches the realms for its killer. I believe it will help us.” Aurory said as she cautiously approached the transparent beast. She had one hand outstretched and make slow deliberate movements.

“We need to get to the center of Nihonal to stop Thanos. He has Gaia and may very well kill her.” Aurory was saying softly but firm. At the mention of Thanos, the eyes on Spira flashed and the creature reared up on its tail. It released a cry in the night, that reminded Valeena of a horse imitating a wolf. She quickly glanced around, searching for Aster.

“Whoa,” Aurory said in a calming tone, “Easy,”

Valeena watched as Spira lowered itself down, indicating that it was alright for them to climb on its back.

“Let’s go.”

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