6. The Chosen One

Whispers, he, sweet promises. When you succumb, he will suck the soul into his cauldron of dirt and darkness. – Bloodsongs.

*

(Lyka)

Lyka stared at the man in front of her. The music pounding in the bar was too loud, so was the smoke congealing everything. "It is stupid, you know, they will not even believe this. We can only sense her right now because they are closer, now, but she doesn't even have any magick, yet. Kids these days want scientific proof for everything. And what we are going to say... it is far from scientific. Shit, I wouldn't even believe it if I hadn't known it from the seed."

"Aurora will believe it. Arthur already had the magick. He is so full of magick, and it would be easy to convince him, but we can convince her, too. She is the key, she is the key to all of this and her hidden knowledge will come to her." Shalom said with a pensive look on his face.

This girl, this girl who didn't know about magick was the chosen one. She would be the one who could save the world from darkness. It was sick, the prophecy. She was just a little girl.

"Aurora will understand all this. It is in her blood and she already knows it in her bones. The time has come, Lyka and they had to do it, or we have waited a decade and more for nothing." He said with a thoughtful look on his wizened eyes. "And the world would..." he didn't finish as his eyes scanned around. The people were cheering for nothing. If they knew what was coming, no one would be laughing.

Shalom's eyes were guarded, old and full of secrets unknown to people walking past him. He had seen the darkness unlike no one, he had seen the bloodshed, the destruction once, and it was beyond the imagination, beyond even the cruelest of nightmares. And it was going to happen again.

"This is our last and only chance. We have lived so long, so long for this. Too long. This time, we have two people, right in the same place, two people with magick, we have Aurora... and we must do all that is possible to help them and only they can help us pass this lengthened life." The quiet in his voice was ancient, full of knowledge, longing.

"Do you think they can win this? He is so powerful, and they are so young. So new to all of this. I still don't understand this, I still don't want this for them." Lyka's voice was sad and angry. She really didn't want these two teenagers to go fight a dark sorcerer with blood magick.

"Arthur has Isaiah's blood. Arthur will be a warrior just like Isaiah." Shalom said, his face twisting in pain. Shalom and Isaiah had been best of friends and losing Isaiah two hundred and fifty years ago, and then living all these years without him, feeling guilty for not saving Isiah was the most painful punishment for Shalom.

If it wasn't for his love for Lyka, and the promise he made to Isaiah and Sameera and his friends to defeat Théoden, the darkness, Shalom would have refused this burden of life.

"But Isaiah died fighting in that battle, Shalom. Isaiah was a warrior, a sorcerer just like Théoden, and still Isaiah died fighting. It was destruction, it was mayhem. How can these two kids overcome his darkness, his magick? How can they survive? Two young, fragile teenagers with magick, yes, but their magick was nothing compared to his, Shalom! What stupidity is this? What fate is this?" She sighed, her eyes sad and lost and so full of pessimism. "What kind of deranged prophecy is this?" Lyka's voice was a desperate hiss. She looked up as if she was asking the question to God.

She didn't want those two children to die. She wouldn't let them, not on her watch, but what option did she have?

They were so precious to her, even though they didn't know her.

"They will, Lyka. I believe in them. They are two strong individuals, and when they are combined, they will be explosive. The explosion we need to extinguish him. Only they can defeat him and his darkness and find the light that lurks in the shadows. If he lived, he would spill his black blood and turn this world into a pile of grime." Shalom took a sip from his glass of wine and wrinkled his nose. "I had never liked this red alcohol."

"You are too old to enjoy modern things like that." She said with an easy smile.

"And you are not?" He challenged her, suddenly looking too young and mischievous. She loved him so much. He was the one good thing about living too long, too many years. She spent it all with him.

"I am not. Want to bet?" She gulped the entire glass and wagged her eyebrows at him. "I hope you are right, Shalom and hope those two will live after that."

"We will make sure they live." Shalom said, but his voice held a tinge of doubt.

***

(Aurora)

Aurora started at the food in front of her. It was too much. There was sweet corn soup, baked chicken, chicken lasagne, cheese quesadilla, tortilla wraps filled with veggies and meat, mashed potatoes, and the brownie she had bought from Sweet Tooth for dessert, and she was so hungry. Yes. Food was her guilty pleasure. Always had been, always will be.

Kristy who sat next to her was still talking about her school. Aurora enjoyed the little girl, her pool of happy bubble. It was a welcoming friendship, something she could easily enjoy without feeling so alien.

She loved this little girl with chocolate brown eyes that was full of miracle and magic, stories filled with childish wonders and naivety.

Aurora envied this girl of her innocence, but she promised herself that she would do anything to protect that innocence. No matter what, Kristy would be a child, until she naturally grew up.

She didn't know why or what, but she felt overprotective of the little girl.

Her gut told that something or someone was coming for them. The man with fangs... she was sure he was coming back. It was an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

A storm warning. A violent storm, it would be.

"Come on, eat up, Aurora. It is delicious. Janessa is a great cook." Her dad said as he piled his own plate with food. She had a healthy appetite–just like her dad. She didn't scrimp on food, and she never feels shy about eating whatever she wanted to eat.

"Oh, I will." She said as she piled her own. "When has I ever said no to food?" She chuckled.

"Did you meet Art at school?" Jonah Hennessy asked as he pointed to the brooding guy next to him.

"No, I didn't, not officially, but I have heard a lot about him. He is the lucky guy dating an OOT, umm, what's her name, yes, Julienne Craig. He hit the jackpot four months ago." She smirked at the guy and shook her head.

He glared at her, eyes so green, so beautiful-she wouldn't admit it out loud, but yes, his eyes were so damn beautiful. Captivating.

"Oh, you met me alright. When you bumped into me." He said to her and she bit her lips.

"Oh, it was you. Sorry. I was-" she started to apologize, but he cut her off.

"For a newcomer, you sure knew a lot. Gossip much?" He gave her a thinly veiled look of irritation.

"I am not. In fact, I avoid gossip like I avoid people with big heads." She threw a pointed look at him, "I was given a brief lecture on OOT's and you. Oh, I also have a date tomorrow. One eager Zach Brandon, oh, that's the news reporter who told me all about someone I didn't really want to know, you... and he wants to date an out-of-towner, as well." She chuckled.

"You are no out-of-towner, honey." Janessa said with a smile. "And Zach is a nice guy. He is our Art's best friend."

"Oh, but I am, and I kind of dig the popularity." She frowned, her words dipped in sarcasm.

Nobody noticed, but Art. His eyebrows raised a millimetre before he shook his head at her with a frown.

"It will fade with time." Art said, almost as if he was comforting her. She stared at him, and then wondered why she so liked those lips of him and those magical eyes.

They were so beautiful, those eyes. It kind of pulled her in like magnet and... made her lose her common sense, which she liked so much. She was usually a rational girl.

"I like your eyes..." she said. Yes, those eyes were also trouble. They made her do and say things She wouldn't normally do like blurting things out.

'Oh shit. Earth, please, have mercy and eat me now!'

She surprised and shocked herself when she said that, but she did more than shock the guy sitting opposite to her.

Art choked on whatever he was eating and started to cough as his mom patted his back with a smile. Four pair of eyes glued on Rory's face-Kristy was busy eating-and they stared at her with curiosity.

Aurora wanted to get under the table and hide forever. Her face flushed and her whole body burned in embarrassment.

"I mean- umm, ha-ha, Kristy's eyes are beautiful, too and his eyes are like Kristy's, except they are different colors and... God. It is a compliment. Why are you all looking at me like that? Like I have three eyes and two horns?" Aurora rambled on and they all turned away and went back to eating.

Art was still choking and when he was finally done choking, his face was so red. With a small bashful smile, he shrugged at her.

"Umm, I-uh, thank you." He stuttered, and looked away from her, his face turning a slight pink, and she smirked a little.

So, Art Hennessy was shy!? Who would've guessed?

"You are welcome. You can say my eyes are beautiful, too." She smirked at him, suddenly feeling brave, and he choked again.

"Wh-what?" He asked and she gave him a shrug.

"Your face- it is funny. I am just joking. You don't have to tell me anything." She said with a chuckle and her mom and Janessa laughed at Art. Art glared at his mom.

"Your face is funny." He snapped with a scowl and she laughed merrily.

"Art, you crack me up."

He gave her a frown and put the water down, as if he was afraid she might say something else and he would choke again.

"Aurora..." He said after a few minutes.

"Yes?" She looked up at him with a smile on her face.

"Have anyone ever told you that you are such a pestering creature?" Art asked with a shake of his head and she smiled and bowed at him.

"Of course. Only all the time!"

___