Aria stood awkwardly in the chamber, playing with the edges of her new clothes. The soft silk shirt was smooth against her skin, yet left her feeling chilled in the cool air. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and studied the room around her.

It was large and well lit from giant bay windows along the far wall, but everything in the room seemed to be decorated in cool colors, silvers and blues and pale purple. It took her a moment to notice the lady standing towards the back of the room, since her long silvery hair and white-washed coloring made her blend perfectly with her surroundings. Aria drew in a sharp breath -- it didn't take a second glance for her to see that the lady was Rhathian, and the most pristine woman she had ever laid eyes on.

The woman smiled, and it was like melting snow; her face and skin seemed to glow with an ethereal light. She took a graceful step forward.

"Aria," she said, in the most soft and melodious voice Aria had ever heard. It flowed over her skin like cool water. "Welcome to my chambers."

Aria was frozen to the spot, unsure of how to react, and finally tipped into a clumsy bow.

The lady laughed -- laughed! -- and held out her hand. "My dear, there is no need for that," she smiled again. Aria felt the knot of tension soothing from her stomach; something about the woman's presence was all-soothing.

"You're the Lady Requiem?" she finally stuttered, hating the slightly choke-sound in her voice.

The woman laughed again, low and flowing, and walked forward once more. As she grew closer, Aria's eyes were drawn to the pearl-white stone that was embedded in her forehead, and the long, silvery braids of her hair. She looked like an ice goddess, with large, luminous, deep blue eyes.

"You have traveled far to be here today," the Lady said. "How is Wraith?"

Aria's eyes widened. She hadn't realized the woman knew the Magus. "I guess he's... okay," she said. "Actually I haven't seen him since we got back... but his Shadow is right outside."

"Yes," the Lady said, nodding slightly. "I do not allow them in my chambers, their magic is... distracting."

Aria didn't know what to say, so stayed quiet.

"Do you know why you're here?" the Lady asked.

"I take it there's something amiss with the Omegas," Aria said, finally feeling on more familiar ground. "Luz is awakening?"

The Lady nodded. "Yes, and we must ensure that it does not happen. I have summoned what Rhathians can be found around the mountain, given them Wisps, and seen that they are informed of the situation...." she sighed. For a moment Aria saw a look pass over the woman's brow that was old and tired. "They are not as I had hoped."

Aria flushed slightly, unsure of whether to be insulted or just curious. "We've been scattered for more than a century," she murmured, unsure of why she was trying to make excuses.

The woman smiled at this again. "I know, child," she said quietly. "But you see, it is not just any Rhathian I am seeking... I do not suppose you have heard of the great Legends?"

Aria frowned, thinking back to the stories of her people that her mother and father had told her. She had been so young when they'd died, it was hard to remember exactly. "I'm not sure...."

"It is a simple story, really. In the beginning of things, the Omegas were formed, and the Rhathians made by the gods to look over them. We were given Wisps, the embodiment of the Omegas' dreams, so we might access some of their power by song-casting. The strongest of the Rhathians, however, were those of the royal bloodline... their power given by the gods, they more than any other Rhathians were the direct caretakers of the Omegas. They were the only ones with the ability to speak directly to the great beasts... and sing them to sleep, or to waking."

"To waking?" Aria asked, listening intently. It was not just a story of a forgotten culture, but a story of her own people, long lost. She was already filled with questions.

The Lady Requiem waved her hand in the air, as though shooing away a fly. "Yes, but for now that is not important. What we are looking for is a member of the royal bloodline."

Aria waited for the Lady to continue speaking, but when she stayed silent, she prompted, "Why not just check the headstones? Don't they point to lineage?"

The Lady didn't meet her eyes for the first time. "The color of the bloodline's headstone has been lost... forgotten. No records or portraits exist that mention it; it was such common knowledge from that time period that apparently no one thought to write it down, and so many things were destroyed...."

Aria nodded, realization dawning. "And that's why you have the testing, yes? To see which Rhathian it is?"

The Lady nodded again. "If any of them."

A cold chill went down Aria's spine as she thought of what those words implied. Perhaps there was none of the royal bloodline left. Perhaps they were all destroyed, as their history indicated. Then the Omega would surely awaken, and no one would be able to stop it, or find out why.

"What happens when the Omegas wake up?" Aria asked softly.

The Lady Requiem had turned to look out one of her windows, lost in thought, but now she turned back. Her eyes were grave. "It is not altogether known... but what records that are left are hard to interpret. There are beings that exist in the realms of the gods that do not belong on mortal soil, yet if the Omegas were to awake, then the boundary between the mortal realms and those of the immortals would deteriorate."

Aria frowned. "But what of the Omega of Light? Surely the gateway She guards would lead to the Lighter Realms and to good things?"

The Lady Requiem didn't respond immediately, then pursed her lips. "There are just as many evils that lurk in the Light as there are in the Dark, my child," she murmured. "Immortals care not for the wellbeing of those who walk on this earth, no matter their creed."

Aria wasn't sure how to respond to this. She clenched her fists instead, her palms sweaty, once again growing nervous. It seemed that everything was spiraling out of control with devastating consequences -- she did not fully understand how Luz guarded the gateway to the Realm of the Gods, or if She was the gateway itself, or exactly how those dynamics worked; only that it left a cold chill in her gut.

And it all rested on them finding one of the royal bloodline.

"Go now, young one, I have other duties to fulfill," the Rhathian said, gently holding out her hand. "But we will speak again soon. If you see Wraith, tell him... tell him thank you for me."

Aria nodded, not fully understanding the woman's request but respecting it anyway. She took the hand and clasped fingers with the Lady, then bowed clumsily again, turning to take her leave.

"Oh, and my dear?" the woman called after her.

Aria glanced over her shoulder.

The woman's eyes were twinkling. "Release the worry from your brow. You are safe here."

Aria gave the woman a grateful smile, surprised by the wave of relife that flooded over her, the release of the tension she hadn't realized she'd been carrying. The Lady Requiem smiled back, then lightly waved. Aria turned and exited the door.

When she entered the passageway outside, Shadow was gone. She shrugged to herself, unsure of whether she was relieved or concerned, then turned down the hall that she thought would lead to the ballroom she had walked through earlier. The maid had invited her to explore the castle, and after Requiem's words, she needed some time alone to think.

Whisper bobbed next to her shoulder, having been uncharacteristically quiet during the entire meeting. "She is an incredible being," he murmured, his voice sounding stunned. "And her Wisp... he was old. An elder."

Aria nodded, remembering that she had spotted the woman's wisp hovering at the back of the room -- the bright light had been so large she had almost mistaken it for a lamp of some kind. "I'm worried, Whisper," she said softly.

"Me too," he replied.

They continued walking in silence, each lost in their thoughts.

Snippet just for fun.
____________

I used to stare at the sun for hours, waiting to go blind.

Although I knew that I wouldn't, some part of me kept hoping that I would. As though if I just gazed long enough, perhaps for half a day or more, the sun might pierce through me and change me back into what was supposed to be human. Change me into something that belonged in nature.

I would try other things, growing up. Fall out of trees on purpose, landing at odd angles in an attempt to break my legs. I thought of throwing myself in front of cars, but I didn't want to hurt anyone accidentally, so I threw myself off of bridges instead, or rooftops, or anywhere that was high enough really. It never worked. I would hit the ground - or cement, or metal - and still I would stay the same. Not even a break in the skin.

The kids all knew I was different. The adults did too, though they did a better job of hiding it. Who would want to be friends with a freak, anyway? That's why I would watch the sun; because maybe if I went blind, I would at least know that I was normal. Human. Just one of many. Then I could go to the hospital or the clinic and feel like I belonged there, like I needed help just like everyone else. That it was okay to be vulnerable, because I was built that way. Instead I find myself observing life rather than experiencing it, watching as others run back and forth, fearing for their loved ones and then loving all the more. And then me, on the sidelines, pathetically trying to learn what I cannot feel, and which comes so easily to others.

The doctors told me I was a miracle. That if God had made a perfect human, it would have been me. That if evolution had a peak, I was its apex. If only I could feel the same way.

If only I could be blind.