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I'll be posting my story here as well!  If you're interested in it, please feel free to follow my other account: ManuWrites
Thank you if you take the time to read it!

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Next Chapter:

All Chapters HERE.

CHAPTER 38: A STEP

                “Since you’re too stubborn to know what’s best for you,” Kadem kept talking as if her sincere crying had been an optical illusion, “at least allow me to guide your inexperienced reasoning.”
                Malia was still coming to terms with what she had seen and felt from the silver witch: their willingness to stay by her side and help unmake the spell had moved Kadem deeply, causing her consciousness to overflow for the briefest of moments. In that instant, Malia had recognized the relief and gratitude of a child terrified of being left behind. The temptation of hugging her would have been too strong to resist, had the woman not buried that moment of weakness with such speed as to make Malia question her own perception.
                Kadem stood proudly before them as always, mighty and patronizing. Only the wet sleeves of her dress affirmed that tears had been shed and wiped away. “It’s true that undoing a curse whose effects are so vast would be hard to conceive, which is why my brothers left behind the words of the spell. Arian and Argent were skilled enough not to require any words to channel their magic… if they used a spell it must have been for the sole purpose of making it easier to reverse what they were forced to do.”
                “…You know the words of the spell?” Malia finally caught up with the moment.
                “We all do.” Kadem rolled her eyes, “The white maiden wasn’t joking when she said the letter contained enough clues.”
                “Ah!” Malia searched the pages for the words she already knew, and when she found them she read them out loud, “Three are the races. One to rule. One to protect. One to serve.”
                “Is that it?” Gorken eyed the parchment, “It sounds pretty simple.”
                “It is.” Kadem sat among them at the table, “It’s mortifying to think about, but… Maybe their intent was for me to able to figure it out, even as a child.” She inattentively played with one of her silver curls, “I’ve kept them waiting long enough.”
                Once again Malia felt the dissonant urge to hug Kadem, but Bayard’s low voice halted her, “If immortals rule, and humans serve… Are demons the ones who protect? How so?”
                “Now that’s mortifying!” Hedera grimaced, “To be mere pawns in a human scheme… Don’t make me explain it!”
                “I can explain it.” Licorice said, “You talk more than enough as it is.”
                “Don’t pretend it’s not humiliating!” Hedera retorted.
                “Pride is for the vain.” Licorice replied softly, “To answer your question,” she turned away from her sister, “Only demons with a level of consciousness on par with humans were affected by the spell; neither what you call animals nor ancient demons were within its reach. But in spite of being stripped of their purpose, fallen demons kept their natural aversion to magic and were drawn to even the slightest hint of it, propelled by the remnants of their role as protectors of balance. With immortals safely hidden in their fortified castles, the fallen preyed on any human ‘awake’ enough to have an individual will, and thus the stench of potential magic. That is how the fallen ‘protect’ this blasphemous state of affairs.”
                “But nature doesn’t discriminate.” Hedera forgot her interest in staying quiet, “Bayard, Aldous, Gorken… You guys, the rebellion, are proof of nature still seeing humans as part of itself. Nature protects life, nature seeks balance… In an environment in which possessing magic became a premature death sentence, humanity began to change: mankind threw away the potential to use magic, all in order to keep the ability to think and feel. That’s what you guys are,” she pointed at her friends, “the ‘awakened’, the exceptions, are just humans able to have individual will and unable to use magic. Nature values the survival of your kind as much as it values what makes you human.” She gazed at the ceiling dramatically, “The irony of it all!”
                “So we have the words of the spell,” Malia was excited, “and the last silver child and Nature on our side. We can actually undo the curse! We can free the people bound by it!”
                “Should we do that though?” Aldous’ question chilled the air.
                He pierced the short, confused silence he got as a response, “Why risk our lives to free people who won’t free themselves? We have picked up awakened children during our raids. Some old ladies regain their will after a lifetime of mindless servitude, all on their own. I’m nothing special, nor in my convictions or in my strength… and I’ve been conscious since I was young. How passive are those still bound by the spell, then? They have had the same time to adapt and evolve as the rest of us, have they not? Why fight for them?”
                “I will not be fighting for them, boy.” Kadem shook her head, “I will act to honor my bothers’ memory, and their wishes. It’s my fault things turned out this way, so I’ll fix them. That’s it.”
                “I’m not fighting for them either, I think.” Malia was nervous to meet Aldous’ stare, “I want to change the kingdom because it doesn’t make sense to me, as an immortal and as a human. Now that we know all this, I can’t just do nothing… But I get what you’re saying. I value your lives more than those of strangers. I just… I don’t know what the alternative would be. Isn’t this the right thing to do? To pursue justice?”
                “Of course.” Aldous agreed emptily. The right thing to do. Maybe his friends were heroes, and he was not. To them knowing the proper path came naturally. They didn’t know how to behave differently; they saw no option but to follow their moral compass, even when it pointed at their graves. Or maybe it was Aldous alone who saw the graves, while his companions glimpsed beyond them at something that eluded him. He had been honest, and that was what hurt the most. “Sorry for interrupting. I’m probably just tired.”

                Gorken patted Aldous’ shoulder reassuringly, and Bayard held his sole hand affectionately. Their kind comfort only made it worse. But then and there, he said nothing.

Description
I'll be posting my story here as well!  If you're interested in it, please feel free to follow my other account: ManuWrites
Thank you if you take the time to read it!

Previous Chapter:
Next Chapter:

All Chapters HERE.

CHAPTER 38: A STEP

                “Since you’re too stubborn to know what’s best for you,” Kadem kept talking as if her sincere crying had been an optical illusion, “at least allow me to guide your inexperienced reasoning.”
                Malia was still coming to terms with what she had seen and felt from the silver witch: their willingness to stay by her side and help unmake the spell had moved Kadem deeply, causing her consciousness to overflow for the briefest of moments. In that instant, Malia had recognized the relief and gratitude of a child terrified of being left behind. The temptation of hugging her would have been too strong to resist, had the woman not buried that moment of weakness with such speed as to make Malia question her own perception.
                Kadem stood proudly before them as always, mighty and patronizing. Only the wet sleeves of her dress affirmed that tears had been shed and wiped away. “It’s true that undoing a curse whose effects are so vast would be hard to conceive, which is why my brothers left behind the words of the spell. Arian and Argent were skilled enough not to require any words to channel their magic… if they used a spell it must have been for the sole purpose of making it easier to reverse what they were forced to do.”
                “…You know the words of the spell?” Malia finally caught up with the moment.
                “We all do.” Kadem rolled her eyes, “The white maiden wasn’t joking when she said the letter contained enough clues.”
                “Ah!” Malia searched the pages for the words she already knew, and when she found them she read them out loud, “Three are the races. One to rule. One to protect. One to serve.”
                “Is that it?” Gorken eyed the parchment, “It sounds pretty simple.”
                “It is.” Kadem sat among them at the table, “It’s mortifying to think about, but… Maybe their intent was for me to able to figure it out, even as a child.” She inattentively played with one of her silver curls, “I’ve kept them waiting long enough.”
                Once again Malia felt the dissonant urge to hug Kadem, but Bayard’s low voice halted her, “If immortals rule, and humans serve… Are demons the ones who protect? How so?”
                “Now that’s mortifying!” Hedera grimaced, “To be mere pawns in a human scheme… Don’t make me explain it!”
                “I can explain it.” Licorice said, “You talk more than enough as it is.”
                “Don’t pretend it’s not humiliating!” Hedera retorted.
                “Pride is for the vain.” Licorice replied softly, “To answer your question,” she turned away from her sister, “Only demons with a level of consciousness on par with humans were affected by the spell; neither what you call animals nor ancient demons were within its reach. But in spite of being stripped of their purpose, fallen demons kept their natural aversion to magic and were drawn to even the slightest hint of it, propelled by the remnants of their role as protectors of balance. With immortals safely hidden in their fortified castles, the fallen preyed on any human ‘awake’ enough to have an individual will, and thus the stench of potential magic. That is how the fallen ‘protect’ this blasphemous state of affairs.”
                “But nature doesn’t discriminate.” Hedera forgot her interest in staying quiet, “Bayard, Aldous, Gorken… You guys, the rebellion, are proof of nature still seeing humans as part of itself. Nature protects life, nature seeks balance… In an environment in which possessing magic became a premature death sentence, humanity began to change: mankind threw away the potential to use magic, all in order to keep the ability to think and feel. That’s what you guys are,” she pointed at her friends, “the ‘awakened’, the exceptions, are just humans able to have individual will and unable to use magic. Nature values the survival of your kind as much as it values what makes you human.” She gazed at the ceiling dramatically, “The irony of it all!”
                “So we have the words of the spell,” Malia was excited, “and the last silver child and Nature on our side. We can actually undo the curse! We can free the people bound by it!”
                “Should we do that though?” Aldous’ question chilled the air.
                He pierced the short, confused silence he got as a response, “Why risk our lives to free people who won’t free themselves? We have picked up awakened children during our raids. Some old ladies regain their will after a lifetime of mindless servitude, all on their own. I’m nothing special, nor in my convictions or in my strength… and I’ve been conscious since I was young. How passive are those still bound by the spell, then? They have had the same time to adapt and evolve as the rest of us, have they not? Why fight for them?”
                “I will not be fighting for them, boy.” Kadem shook her head, “I will act to honor my bothers’ memory, and their wishes. It’s my fault things turned out this way, so I’ll fix them. That’s it.”
                “I’m not fighting for them either, I think.” Malia was nervous to meet Aldous’ stare, “I want to change the kingdom because it doesn’t make sense to me, as an immortal and as a human. Now that we know all this, I can’t just do nothing… But I get what you’re saying. I value your lives more than those of strangers. I just… I don’t know what the alternative would be. Isn’t this the right thing to do? To pursue justice?”
                “Of course.” Aldous agreed emptily. The right thing to do. Maybe his friends were heroes, and he was not. To them knowing the proper path came naturally. They didn’t know how to behave differently; they saw no option but to follow their moral compass, even when it pointed at their graves. Or maybe it was Aldous alone who saw the graves, while his companions glimpsed beyond them at something that eluded him. He had been honest, and that was what hurt the most. “Sorry for interrupting. I’m probably just tired.”

                Gorken patted Aldous’ shoulder reassuringly, and Bayard held his sole hand affectionately. Their kind comfort only made it worse. But then and there, he said nothing.