A U R O R A PART 2: THE PAST

“What is this thing?” Aurora asked as she stood frightened.

“I will explain everything later, but now you have to come with me. Hold my hand,” the woman said.

Aurora wasn’t sure about whether she should go with the woman, but she had no choice, if the woman was the only one, who could tell her about her visions. She grabbed the woman’s hand and went through the portal. The portal had a mixture of colors, as she walked through; it was aesthetic. Aurora could see the opening of the portal. She moved towards it, and the next moment, she was out of the portal, in a large hall.

“Where are we and what was that?” Aurora asked.

The place looked quite old. People wore obsolete clothes and had weird tattoos on their hand.

“We are at the headquarters,” the woman said.

“What headquarters? Why did we come here?" asked Aurora

“Will you stop asking so many questions. You will get all your answers, just stay calm.”

“Hello, Isabel, who is this lady?” a man asked.

“She is my friend, a special one. Could you tell me where is dad?” the woman asked.

“He must be in his cabin,” the man said.

“My dad is the head of this place. Follow me, only he would be able to answer all of your questions,” said the woman.

She took Aurora to a room. It featured walls with unique designs on them. There stood an old man, with a wizened face. His eyes were mounted by thick white eyebrows and his silver- white walrus moustache extended to the sides.

“Hello dad, I am back,” the woman said.

“I had told you to stay in the headquarters, but you always disobey my orders!” he screamed, in a hoarse voice.

“I just went out for a walk, but I have brought someone with me. This is Aurora, a very special friend,” the woman said.

The old man looked at Aurora.

“How dare you bring a human to me and how can she see us!” he screamed.

“That is what I am telling you dad. She is special. She can see all of us. Believe me, I sensed something different in her!” the woman said.

He moved towards Aurora and held her hands.

“What is he doing?” Aurora asked.

“He can see people’s past, when he touches them. He might be able to tell things about your past too,” the woman said.

After a while, the old man started quivering. He took back his hands and bowed in front of Aurora.

“What are you doing dad?” the woman asked.

“I am doing the right thing, even you should,” he said.

“Aurora, could you please give us a moment?” the woman asked.

“Sure! Why not,” Aurora sighed.

“Who is she? and what did you see in her past, which freaked you out?” the woman asked.

The old man smiled at her. “The queen is back,” he said.

“What do you mean by that? Could you please explain things clearly?” the woman screeched, loudly.

The old man explained that long ago, Aurdesta, their kingdom, had a queen. Her name was Aurora. She was fierce and ruled the dark world. Dark forces were embedded into her. Every hair of her was a snake, who were possessed by her. Her eyes had a reddish green hue, which would transfix a person. She wore an unflattering black dress, which was ludicrously tight and her round boney face, was unforgettable. With a buttoned nose, she had thin red elongated lips. Her crown was made up of an Eagle's skull, which made her look horrendous.

Aurora was a great queen, until one day, she fell in love. The queen of Aurdesta- the dark world, had fallen in love. The guy's name was Michael. They first met in her court. He ouldn’t stop staring at her. She didn’t have feelings for him at first, but later on, as she started spending much time towith him, she fell in love with him. The instances of time were as such, that her attraction towards him kept on increasing, regardless of the consequences that she would suffer.

Falling in love is strictly prohibited in Aurdesta. When the Satan got to know about this, he ordered Aurora to publicly execute Michael. Aurora had no choice but to follow the Satan’s order. And so she executed Michael in front of the whole kingdom. Aurora was devastated. She held a scourge in her right hand and whipped it hard across her body, feeling its knotted tails slashing into her as she loudly recited the Pleasis. The Pleasis is a prayer to be recited when one commits a sin in Aurdesta. She screamed out loud, but making noise as the queen of Aurdesta wasn’t permitted to her, and so she kept the screams within her. Wincing against the agony that each moment bought, she kept the weapon back to its place. Her hands, as a reminder that the slightest of the sin, called love, had to be paid for with pain. Despite of punishing herself, she still couldn’t resist her feelings. Nothing had changed after Michael's death, but Aurora became more weaker than she was before. She cried and wanted to avenge the death of Michael. Looking at this, the Satan was furious. He had given her another chance to prove her loyalty towards Aurdesta, but she’d lost that too.

“You are no longer eligible to be the queen of Aurdesta. You have betrayed your people by falling for a guy and despite giving you another chance, you still couldn’t handle yourself. With love in your heart, there is no place for you in Aurdesta,” said the Satan.

He maledicted her to be banished from Aurdesta, until no love is left in her heart. It is then, that she can rule Aurdesta again. He erased all of her memories and sent her to Earth. He thought that living here would make her forget about love, forever, so that she could return someday.

“So, she was our queen?” asked the woman.

“Yes, indeed, but she doesn’t know it yet,” replied the old man.

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s go and tell her everything.”

“No! that is against the rules. She would remember it herself, as soon as all her love is demolished. Her heart would then explode and overpower love, forever.”

“What should we tell her now? She is demanding answers,” screamed the woman.

“That is your job. Tell her something and make her want to stay here. She would be safe here. Till then, let me think of a way which would destroy all the love she has in her heart,” ordered the man.

The woman walked out of his room, exasperated. Aurora stood right there, when she came out.

“What is going on? You said that all my questions would be answered, if I met your dad. What did he say about my past?” asked Aurora.

“He saw that your past was very depressing. You have been through a lot and as a result, you are getting these visions. This means nothing.”

“What about seeing those tattoos on people’s body and in the air.”

“Could you please not call them tattoos. They are symbols, which depict peace and unity. You are one of us, Aurora. That is reason you can see us and these symbols,” said the woman.

“I am nothing like you all. You kill innocent humans,” Aurora screamed.

“You have misinterpreted us. Our group is known as ‘The Revolution’. We are gifted with superpowers to kill creatures, known as Madlebs. These creatures take the form of humans and are a threat to humanity. We have to kill them before it gets too late,” said the woman.

“How do I believe you?” Aurora sighed.

“Come with me,” the woman ordered.

She took Aurora to a room, where sunlight couldn’t reach. It was dark and Aurora couldn’t see anything. She followed the path, quietly. As she walked, she reached a door. The woman opened it and as they walked through, the lights turned on, and in front of them, stood a creature. Its eyes glistened with a baleful fire. Its ghastly face had a pernicious, expressionless stare and its body was full of scars.

Aurora fell unconscious, as she saw it. When her eyes opened, she saw herself in a room which was uncomfortably large. The rustic and dark furniture seemed quite old fashioned and the rich velvet curtains hid the large windows. Besides her stood the woman.

“You passed out, when you saw a Madleb,” said the woman.

“So, it’s true, you all are Madleb hunters. But what was that Madleb doing there?”

“We had run some tests on it, just to understand some new features they now possess. Now, do you understand that you are one of us too. Seeing symbols, was a sign that you belong here. You are meant to be a Madleb hunter,” said the woman.

“I have a whole life in the human world, how could I be a Madleb hunter?”

“You are safe, as long as you are here. Don’t think too much about it, you will be fine here,” the woman said.

She held Aurora’s hand and looked in her eyes.

“Join our group”, she said.

TO BE CONTINUED

- Kahyl Soaz