Page 49 of Celestia, Year Three

I sat up taller and took a deep breath, deciding I needed to hide my own insecurities until this talk was over. "I believe so. Before I arrived at Aslan, I met my brother once. He told me not to hate him for what was about to happen, but I didn't understand it. As twins, we can feel when the other is close by. I don't know if it's the same for all twins, like Cairus and Caio, but when I was younger, I could sense Odion. Sometimes I could even talk to him. However, after my dad sent him to be trained because he was becoming a little problematic, that connection vanished. I couldn't sense Odion, even if I tried my hardest. That connection rekindled when we met before Aslan, and at times I feel his presence but can't see him. It doesn't matter if I try to track him down, I just can't find him." I did my best to make them understand what I meant.

"Do you feel him now?" Magnor asked

"No. I haven't felt him since he ambushed us during the exam."

"It's going to be a problem if he's after Celestia," Hellsin declared, his voice rock hard with a hint of anger.

Finn and I looked to him and saw his darkened eyes.

"It seems like everyone in the room agrees with that, but I feel we're missing something," Finn stated.

"I know the general understanding of what a Blessed Child is, but what makes Celestia so important? Not to mean she's not important to us as a person, but with how serious you've all become, Celestia seems to be...the key to something?" I was determined to get more information, and I felt as if they had the knowledge we needed.

Finn ruffled his hair and added. "Celestia's seemed to be targeted on many occasions. From the snakes in her locker back at Old Aslan to her being included in every Trial thanks to the Council, or Odion? Who knows. Either way, I feel we're putting the full blame on Odion when there could be a bigger picture here. We don't have enough information to judge Odion for specifically being the cause of the Darkness targeting Celestia."

Celestia’s parents exchanged looks before Charlotte spoke up. "I understand your debate." She rose and walked to the head of the table, grabbing the attention of all of us.

"Whatever is said right now, stays here, Finn and Orion. I know you trust your team, but I have yet to meet them and don't know if they would be able to keep this information between your group."

Finn and I exchanged looks and nodded. "We understand," I vouched.

She glanced at her husbands, and they all nodded for her to continue. With a calming breath, she went on.

"The Darkness can't get a hold of Celestia. It's not because she's a unicorn shifter, but it's in regard to her being a Blessed Child. Her creation not only meant she was born solely with our combined powers, but also that we had to ask Mother Nature herself."

"What?" I exclaimed, my mind already beginning to piece together what I hoped she wasn't going to state.

"Hold on...you mean like..." Finn trailed off. Not many species knew about the details surrounding Mother Nature and how her contribution to shifter life could determine how strong a shifter could be.

"In order to finalize Celestia's birth, we had to travel to a place that's a little outside of Aslan's soil. New Aslan, for your understanding. I doubt either of you has gone there, but there's a sacred dimension within the forest. It's hard to find unless you fly around and explore the area, but the entire forest will change into a colorful paradise when a Blessed Child enters."

She bit her lip, struggling to say the right words to explain what I now knew was exactly what Finn and I were thinking about.The tales we'd heard about the fate of Blessed Children chosen by nature themselves.

"Celestia was born on those lands, particularly at the bottom of the lake that is the border between Alpha Pure’s land and New Aslan’s. It was a water birth at first, but minutes before she arrived, the waters swirled around us, and we were lowered to the very bottom of the lake and protected by the water. None of us understood it at the time; then we researched it."

"She's a Queen..." The words sounded forbidden to my ears, but I couldn't keep the thought inside my mind. It was like I had to speak the truth out loud, and my eyes only widened when Charlotte nodded.

"Celestia's birth was blessed by Mother Nature, and with that included her chosen right to rule when the world is in crisis."

"Is that why you guys wanted to do your best to hide her from the Council?" Finn asked, looking just as shocked as I.

"Yes," Harrison said with a serious tone. "If we had kept things as they were regarding Celestia, they would begin to dig into the details of her birth."

"When you obtain Odion's file, you'll see how detailed some of the documents inside are, some aspects revealing things you may not know about yourselves," Hellsin added.

Orlando sighed. "If they found out what Celestia was, they would have eliminated her as fast as they could. An 'accident' if you will,"

"Because they don't want to give up their positions," Finn concluded.

"Exactly. Now that we know a glimpse of what Celestia experienced as a kid, I'm thinking maybe they do have a hunch as to what role Celestia will play," Hellsin whispered.

The others looked at him with confusion.

"What do you mean?" Harrison asked.

"This is a theory I've been considering, but after hearing about what happened with Celestia, why would a whole town go against one child over her being a unicorn shifter? Think about it for a moment."

Hellsin stood and stroked his chin as he began to slowly pace, looking deep in thought. "Some of the townspeople are not young. They've been alive for decades, and before the hunting of unique species began, many lived in Versa. That was the reason why we chose it to be Celestia's new home when we felt that Alpha Pure would be too risky. How could they go from knowing about unicorn shifters and even seeing them as tourists and visitors, to bullying Celestia for being one?"

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