Page 34 of Gift from the Stone

“No, Ultima unum, you’ve done no wrong. You’ve done exactly as you are supposed to. And I’m so very proud of you.”

“Okay, this suspense is killing me. Firstly, that was incredibly sweet. Thank you. Secondly, that was Elema Lingua Vetus, but I don’t know what it means, and you’ve said it twice now. There’s another nickname someone calls me that’s in the language that I don’t know either. Why is that? Thirdly, can you tell me why I’m here?”

Elementra laughs again, sending a wave of vibrations through my body, and the musical hum causes my hair to blow behind me. There’s no way to describe the sensation of the realm’s creator laughing at something you said. It’s both loving and petrifying.

“Your spontaneous curiosity has always been my favorite trait of yours. Even now, you speak like we’re old comrades catching up rather than you speaking to power as old as time.”

Swallowing, my body freezes in fear for a second as my mind catches up to what she just said.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve been so discourteous. The thought didn’t occur to me. I can feel the tremendous amount of power pouring from you, but it wasn’t an intimidating feeling. It was welcoming, loving even, so I just felt so comfortable speaking freely.”

It’s easy for me to slip right into the posh, polite manner my father forced upon me. I know better than to speak to someone so superior in this way. Great, I’m about to get myself killed.

“Do not apologize, Willow. You have nothing to fear from me, nor do I want your uncandid mannerisms. I enjoy the less serious candor, anyway. Life is too long to be so serious all the time. What a boring existence. We have things to discuss and no time to worry about the way to navigate speaking to one another.

“As for Elema Lingua Vetus, I let the language die out and adapt to others because the language itself is a power. And it was being neglected. Only the most well-aged natives of mine, such as your Ancient one, learned the language and passed it down to their loved ones. There are many words that I have eliminated from the vocabulary.

“Why you are here is because you’ve met the great evil that’s plaguing Elementra. They’ve shifted the balance.”

“My ancient one? Do you mean Gaster?” Fuck, I might find out his age.

“Yes, Gaster. No, I will not reveal his most treasured secret.”

Damn.

“And by the great evil, you mean the Mastery? Aren’t you the balance? Why can’t you just, you know, poof end them?” I ask, dragging my hand across my throat in an exaggerated way to get my point across.

“Yes, the Mastery. I can only interfere so much without throwing the balance off even more. Total destruction would ensue if I stepped in completely. The system of Elementra has thrived because of our delicate balance. I knew when I created the beings of me and the inhabitants of this realm, that I wouldn’t be able to walk, talk, or live amongst them like I’d want to, so I made sure to create a perfectly balanced realm so all would have what they needed.”

“You mean the Nexus bonds?”

“All bonds. All the bonds work toward a balance. Everyone and everything has a role, a purpose, a gift, and an element. All working together to keep the cycle of life in Elementra on track.”

“But I have multiple elements and a gift, maybe more than one gift depending on that vision I just had. Am I messing with the balance?”

Am I going to destroy Elementra? Do I have to leave? Did she bring me here to kick me out? Oh my God, the guys. I can’t leave them. I can’t go back to the nonmagical realm.

“Calm yourself, Ultima unum, you’re not going anywhere. You’re exactly where you should be at last. Your thoughts aren’t silent here. Everything is heard. Nothing is private.”

“So what does this have to do with me? What can you tell me?”

“There is much I cannot tell you, Willow. I know that’s frustrating for you. You’ve heard those words many a time before, but that’s the way it works. To tell you everything would run the risk of the realm failing.”

My heart pounds in my chest. Those words I have heard before.

“My stranger. You know who they are? Did you send them to me?”

“Yes, I did. You needed them then and you will continue to need them now. The rest are secrets you must reveal on your own. I can only tell you about a few things for certain. Your lullaby is not just that. It’s the first of many instructions they left for you to follow. And your stone has almost everything you’ll need, locked away. When your fire and dragon emerged, it was because the bonding was the key to unlocking the restraint the stone had in place. Not every lock is withholding a memory.”

“As in them, you mean you. You had to tell them what to do to get to me. You had to allow it. The portals were closed. Why can’t you unlock everything for me and just tell me what to do and I’ll do it,” I beg. I’m getting so frustrated with not knowing everything. It’d be so much easier if I did.

“I know you would, Willow. You’d do the right thing. You are, and always have been in near perfect balance, knowing the difference in black, white, and gray. Fearful to Fearless. Loving to Hating. Dominant to Submissive. Bored to Intrigued. Curious to Cautious. You know the importance of start, middle, and end. As for the one I sent you, just as you will have to do, they had to figure it out as well. They went through many obstacles, sacrificed many things, and they succeeded. And just like them, I’ll be here for you as much as possible.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Is this your discreet way of telling me I’ll have to save the realm? Me?”

“I’m not telling you to do anything. Everyone has a choice. Every choice has a consequence.”

“Oh my God. You basically just said I could choose to save the realm or not save the realm. That isn’t a choice. Are you serious? I don’t have the first clue how to save anything. I couldn’t even save myself. Gaster had to do that. Shit, I’m going to throw up.”

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