Empire Island, Exile the First

Chapter 31

The glowing magic reached the brim of the well but didn't stop there. It bubbled over, flowing along the ground and reaching the edge of the cave floor. It traveled up the walls and to the ceiling where it coated every nook and cranny of the sacred cave. In the illumination, I saw trash that I hadn't noticed before. There were plastic goddess figurines, plastic beads, carved wooden fertility charms, some clothing, and a myriad of other baubles and bits scattered around the cave.

I was sure the new age cult members had meant well enough, bringing offerings to the well source, but it was all trash. They didn't comprehend the magic behind the glowing well and had tried to force their own views onto it, so their ignorance had become violence against one of the world's oldest and most sacred sites.

The magic covered it all, thickening and brightening until I didn't see anything underneath. Not the greasy stain that remained of Mara, none of the graffiti on the cave walls, none of the bloody paintings of the demon girls, and none of the garbage left behind. Calla, Day and I grouped together next to the well source, watching in silent reverence as the magic did its work.

It was beyond sacred, being this close to so much of the magic as it erased the invasive creep of outsider energy. I felt lighter the longer I watched, and I stepped away from my aunts as the magic reached the point where it almost hurt to look at it. I stood halfway between the well source and the smooth cave wall farthest from the entrance.

"What are you doing?" Calla asked, taking Day's hand. "Come back with us, it's not safe over there."

"It feels like I need to do this," I replied and lifted my head up, looking towards the ceiling, feeling energy surge through me. I opened my mouth and a low keening noise came out, like the background noise on a sleep machine. I couldn't help myself, it flowed from me, matching the rhythmic pulse of Empire magic.

Day and Calla gasped and I looked down, realizing I was inches off the floor, floating on a cushion of magic. It was incredible, I extended my arms and legs, tilting my head back to open myself up to all things Empire. It was almost impossible to fathom I'd ever rejected this feeling or this amount of energy using my body as a conduit.

It was addictive. I'd felt shitty for so long that I'd forgotten how good it felt to have energy, power, and luck. Empire had given it all back to me, despite my overt rejection of everything the island stood for. I didn't deserve it, but having Empire take me back brought me to tears again. Not the wracking sobs of defeat from earlier, but simply my eyes welling up with gratitude that I wasn't being left out in the cold.

"You're glowing," Calla said in a hushed tone. "Look down, you're lighting up."

"I've never seen that before," Day said, her tone equally hushed and astounded. "What's happening?"

I looked down the length of my arm and every hair on it stood on end with Empire magic dancing along my flesh. Each miniature spark ebbed and flowed, blinking on and off, a miniature flock, a murmuration of beauty and power.

"I don't know but it feels...it feels like me again," I exhaled, closing closed my eyes. "It feels like I'm supposed to be here like this. I'm exactly where I'm meant to be."

I sunk to back down to the floor of the cave and felt the earth sizzle beneath my feet. I felt everything alive and buzzing with all the energy and wonder of creation. I felt roots stretching down into the nourishing earth, the microbes that existed in a single inch of soil, trees, plants and flowers. And I felt animals, from insects to mammals like the curious fox sitting twenty feet outside the cave entrance watching us with open, but wary eyes.

I felt it all simultaneously and it was beautiful. I was everything and everything was me.

It faded quickly, that perfect magical moment lasting just a few brief, glorious seconds. And suddenly, I was back to being Kairos Empire, a simple human body with a connection to the well source.