NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Let the spirits reveal what they will
Now the witch's interest was piqued. She shifted in her seat, and Mika thought she detected a glimmer in those shadowy eyes. "A vision? Tell me more."
Mika took a deep breath. "A couple of months ago, I saw the mountain princess in a dream as clearly as I can see this candle before me now. She was beautiful, but she was in danger. The perilous wind swirled around her, howling as it tossed her hair. She needed help."
Mika's mind drifted back to the vision as she was speaking.
Aiko was in the heart of the ancient forest. The storm was bending the tree branches, shaking leaves off and scattering them around. Aiko stood tall in the midst of the chaos. But there was fear in her eyes.
"I could sense it very clearly," continued Mika. "Her eyes were filled with such sorrow! She was looking right at me, as if she knew something."
"And then?" asked the witch.
Mika felt the same heaviness that she felt in her vision looking at Aiko's face, as beautiful and perfect as a painting. The moment stretched on, until Mika heard something. She didn't see Aiko's lips move, yet a deep and commanding voice reached her from the heart of the storm. "The time is coming for you to act. I lost my chance, but you… You are the only one who will get the second chance to change everything."
Mika's breath caught in her throat. She wanted to speak, but no words came. She could only watch as Aiko's form shimmered in the mist, fading in and out like an apparition.
"There is only one time, one chance," heard Mika. "You can change your future… and my past… and many other lives."
The forest around Aiko grew darker, the shadows lengthened, pressing in from all sides. Mika could feel herself trembling. Was the message really intended for her? What did Aiko mean?
"You are the one who can mend what was broken," the voice reverberated. "But this moment… this chance… it will not come again. If you fail, no one will ever have another chance to set things right. The time is here. Do not let it slip away."
With the last words, Aiko's form flickered and dissolved, the gusts of the storm sweeping it away as the darkness consumed the mountains. All Mika could hear was the cacophony of the wind. Then it grabbed her as well and threw her away, ending the vision.
"So that's what Aiko told you?" the witch's voice jolted Mika back into the present.
Mika touched her forehead. She felt like she was burning. "I never saw Aiko speak," she whispered. "But I heard every single word I've just repeated. Every detail is so clear in my mind, as if it wasn't a dream at all."
The witch stirred. "Well, maybe it wasn't."
What?!
"What do you mean?"
Mika's renewed terror ran through her entire body, from needles in her back to throbbing of the temples.
"Your aura appears to be left ajar—that tells me you have been approached by the spirits. You wanted to understand what Aiko's words meant, didn't you?"
Mika could hardly breathe. "Yes."
"Then the only way to do so is to call upon them," the witch said slowly, moving two crystals in front of her. "Now, let us see…"
The air thickened with an eerie energy as the witch whispered incantations, her voice weaving through the dim room like a fragile thread. The flickering candlelight danced in rhythm with her words, casting elongated shadows that seemed to pulse in response.
Mika noticed a new object on the table – a shallow dish filled with a strange liquid that was beginning to bubble in rhythm with the witch's movements. The liquid shimmered with hues of deep emerald and swirling silver, creating a captivating spectacle. A pungent aroma wafted through the air, sharp and sweet, stirring something primal deep within Mika.
What's happening to me? What's this desire that mixes with fear?
"Close your eyes, child. Let the spirits reveal what they will," the witch instructed, her tone both commanding and soothing. Mika obeyed, her heart racing.
Reveal what they will.
The witch placed her hands over the bubbling liquid, fingers splayed like the branches of an ancient tree. With each word, the fluid began to glow, illuminating her cloak in a ghostly light. The air crackled with energy, and Mika felt a tingling at the back of her neck—as if unseen eyes were watching her.
"Spirits of the mountains, of the winds that howl, hear my call," the witch intoned, her voice rising in intensity. "Guide this child to the truth she seeks. Show her the fate of Aiko, the mountain princess."
As she spoke, the bubbling intensified, sending up wisps of steam that curled toward the ceiling. In the depths of the liquid, shapes began to form—ethereal silhouettes swirling and merging. Mika felt herself dissolving into the sensations and shadows enveloping her.
"Allow the spirit to lead you," the witch urged.
I'm no longer me. I'm one with the universe. I'm but an open door into the time and space.
Mika thought she was beginning to see flashes of Aiko: her graceful figure, the sorrow in her eyes, the storm that raged around her. Whispers echoed in Mika's mind, fragmented and elusive, yet filled with urgency.
I'm coming, princess! I'm on my way.
The witch's voice faded into the background.
Mika's thoughts spiraled, her heart pounding in rhythm with the energy swirling around her. Then, with a final rush of sensation Mika had a feeling of weightlessness swallow her.