The Crystal Eye Prophecy: Part One

      Many years ago, a prophecy that would decide all of Neopia was being made. Now, one thousand years later, the prophecy is coming true. Will Neopia ever be the same?

      Today's the day, Jhudora thought silently, not knowing if she was happy about it. It was the day the Queen Faerie, Fyora, had invited all of the faeries in Neopia to the Hidden Tower to discuss The Crystal Eye Prophecy. The prophecy about the fate of Neopia and the fight between good and evil.

      Jhudora scowled. Of course, she had not been invited. The prophecy stated some sort of evil and the faeries couldn't risk anything from the dark faerie. Jhudora, of course, knew the prophecy. She had been studying it for many years and had memorized every line. Bringing back memories, she repeated it quietly.

     "A fire in the corner, ready to ignite,

     Will be the first sign shown in the fight

     A golden reflection of sorrow and light,

     Will then bring the Orb on the dark, misty night

     And in the gathering, one will betray,

     And darkness will conquer through night and through day

     The usual dark, will then become light,

     And then will search and join in the fight

     Will the world be safe, different or same?

     The Crystal decides what will stay and will change,"

      Jhudora had tangled with the prophecy for years and every time she thought she understood it, something still didn't make sense. Now, it was her time to figure out the prophecy and nothing would stop her.

      Gathering up some shadows, she flew into the night, welcoming herself to the darkness around. With fog drifting in, it was even harder to find the Hidden Tower, but eventually, she reached it, her figure covered in dew.

      Getting to the entrance, she slipped in behind an air faerie. A couple times, the air faerie turned around, sensing someone behind her, but seeing only darkness and shadows, she moved on.

      Making their way through the tower, they eventually reached a tall set of sturdy wooden doors. Using her power, the air faerie created a spiral of wind that pushed the doors opened.

      Show-off, Jhudora thought.

      Slowly, the dark faerie glided her way into the council room. It was a large room with wooden walls and bright chandelier lighting. A long meeting table went down the center and tall golden mirrors hung on the walls. A stone fireplace was also in the corner, its golden-red flames radiating heat.

      Jhudora crept to the corner opposite the fire, behind a chair reserved for some faerie. Staying in the shadows, she watched as the room filled up with faeries from all over Neopia, all of them whispering nervously. Suddenly, the grand doors opened and in walked Fyora.

      That goodie two shoes... Jhudora thought. Jhudora hated Fyora more than anything, but she couldn't let her anger overpower her magic. If the shadows melted away, her cover would be blown and she needed to watch the meeting. With the prophecy at play, anything that happened could be a clue to who would betray the rest of the faeries and Jhudora wasn't going to miss a second.

      Taking her seat at the head of the table, Fyora smiled. Although her grin was bright, you could tell she was hiding what she really felt behind her pearly whites.

      Settling down, she greeted all 13 faeries. Everyone from the Space Faerie to the Soup Faerie was there, and they all politely returned her welcome.

      Getting to business, she started. "I've called you all to this meeting to regard The Crystal Eye Prophecy. As you know, Neopia has come to a time of great danger and darkness and it's up to us to save it."

      She then paused, letting it all sink in, and then continued. "The prophecy vaguely describes signs that should help us prevent it from coming true. If we do as it says, we should get off easy. If not, we'll just have to fight the darkness and bring back light to Neopia."

      Blah, blah, blah! Jhudora thought. Who does she think she's kidding? They all know it's not going to be that easy. She'd have better luck skipping the act and telling them all that they're doomed! However, as Jhudora thought about it, she couldn't help herself from being a bit nervous. This time, it wasn't her causing havoc, it was going to be someone else.

      Quieting her mind, Jhudora continued watching the meeting.

      Fyora had just excused herself and left the room to get something, so, for a few moments after her departure, all the faeries remained silent. However, the silence eventually turned into the whispering of 13 nervous faeries. Jhudora could just make out a conversation between the water and fire Faeries because they were near her.

      "Do you think it's true?" the water faerie asked quietly. "About how one of us is going to receive The Crystal Eye Orb and use it for evil?"

      "I don't know anymore..." the fire faerie replied in a flat tone. "I just don't know..."

      Jhudora scowled. The two faeries didn't know anything about the powers of the Eye. The user cannot only turn Neopia into good or evil, but can also possess powers greater than anything ever seen. Powers that would rush through your body until magic sprang from every pore and allowed you control over everything. Powers that bury themselves so deep inside you that you feel nothing but unimaginable feelings of perfection. So full of good or evil that anything you do rings might and you possess every power imaginable. Everyone knows and fears you and you feel yourself drawn to go and explore the powers you now manifest. Jhudora knew about the Orb, alright, for she had possessed its powers one thousand years ago. Once the powers left her, however, she never felt the same. The only thing left was a hole inside where the powers used to dwell and an unquenchable thirst that would never go away. How much Jhudora wished to hold the Orb again, its crystal eye reflecting power and how much Jhudora deserved it, but it was too late. She had her chance and now it was time the Orb was passed on.

      Staying in her corner, she listened to the endless worries of the faeries for about ten more minutes. Finally, just as Jhudora thought she was going to lose it, Fyora walked back into the room with an old piece of parchment gently floating in front of her.

      Ah, the original prophecy! Jhudora murmured.

      The manuscript was very old and fragile. No one could touch the tender page without it crumbling into dust, so magic was in play as Fyora gently unrolled it with her powers. The old script written on it was tiny and spider-like, and, in a way, gave off the sense of danger and urgency.

      Fyora, keeping the scroll floating in the air, turned her attention to the meeting. Pointing to the prophecy, she said, "Now the work begins. I think the first thing we should do is try to stop the prophecy from coming true." She then read the prophecy aloud.

      When she had finished, everyone thought about it for a few moments. Finally, a light faerie spoke up. "When the beginning discusses the fire, do you think they're talking about the fireplace in the corner of this room?" They all thought about it and then agreed that her theory made sense. Quickly, the water faerie snuffed out the fire.

      The room got dark and cold very quickly, so the light faerie and fire faerie worked swiftly and silently lighting the sconces that hung on the walls.

      When they all could see again, Illusen pointed out another part of the prophecy. "You know the part about the golden reflection? I think it may be talking about the golden mirrors hanging on these walls!" Once more, they all agreed that the suggestion made sense. Illusen, the air faerie, and the water faerie all started covering the mirrors, Illusen by allowing thorns to block its view, and by the water faerie and air faerie working together to freeze magical blue ice on the glass.

      Satisfied, the faeries all sat down and pondered a little more about the prophecy. With no other suggestions, Fyora left the room in order to return the prophecy to its magical vault. While she was gone, however, tension was building throughout the faeries. Jhudora observed each one.

      The Battle Faerie was nervously played with her sword while Taelia and Jhuidah were nervously whispering. The Gray Faerie was sobbing into her worn dress (which wasn't unusual) and the Space Faerie was wobbly levitating in her seat. The Soup Faerie and the Tooth Faerie seemed more concerned with the poor Neopets that needed them while the Negg Faerie was reminding them of how much more important this meeting was.

      On the other side of the table, Illusen was twirling her finger on a long blade of grass she created and the air faerie was blowing a pebble around the table. The light faerie had nervously set the table aglow with a bright light and the water faerie had accidentally soaked the entire table when water had sprung from her fingers. As for the fire faerie, she made a fire to dry out the table but was more focused on the table itself, most likely in deep thought.

      As Jhudora observed all of this, she felt that something wasn't right. It took her a while to realize it, but when Fyora walked in she suddenly understood. Everything in the prophecy now made sense. She knew what faerie would turn on the rest and she now knew that she was the one to tell the rest who the betrayer was. But is it too late? she wondered.

      Hesitantly, she burst forth from the shadows.

      "Jhudora!" Fyora shouted. "Explain yourself, faerie! How did you get in here and what are you doing?"

      Talking quickly, Jhudora shouted, "No time to explain all. I know who will betray. I understand the prophecy! A fire in the corner, golden reflections... it's the fire faerie! She's the fire in the corner! She saw her reflection in the golden lit water on the table! She is it! She is the next heir of the Crystal Eye Orb!"

      With that, everyone turned around to look at the fire faerie, but it was too late. A shining bright light was escaping through the watery table. Eventually, the Orb came through from the other dimension. The crystal eye was clear, but reflected all the faeries in the room in it, and the stone was held onto a tarnished obsidian chain by a silver claw. It seemed to talk to the fire faerie, whispering words that only she could hear and offering her power beyond dreams. A few times, the nervous faerie looked at her friends, but the Orb would always remind her of the power she could obtain. Finally, with an evil grin, the faerie accepted the power offered and the light from the Orb escaped and headed toward the faerie. As the light merged with her body, she screamed a sharp shriek and her body fell to the floor with a loud thud.

      The lighted torches on the walls had gone out and complete darkness filled the room. The light faerie created a soft light and in the dimness, you could make out a body on the ground. A whimpering cry came from the Gray Faerie, but besides that, all was still. Everyone thought the Fire Faerie was dead, but then she slowly stood up. The air faerie whispered, "Fire Faerie, is that you?"

      Smiling sweetly, the fire faerie said, "Yes, of course it's me, but now... I'M STRONGER THAN EVER!" Her voice grew loud and fire sprung from the ground. All the faeries shook and Jhudora, for the first time in her life, was truly scared.

To be continued...