Within a short amount of time, images and foreign murmurs of languages filled her senses. A pressurized weight overflowing with too much running water threatening to drown her with relentless information.

That’s enough. Said Me’ren. Any more will break your mind.

She exhaled a deep sigh, I can take it.

No.

The fuck did I just say?

“I said no.” He said, standing next to her. A blast of wind pushing her hair back, finally unravelling the poor attempt of braiding she did this morning. “Do not be stubborn about this. Your mind will strain under pressure and it will break eventually. If you truly want what you want, you will get them in small doses.”

“Fine. I’m holding you to that.”

Russ’lo lumbered back from another room, “Aren’t you from dark tribe, the one who is selling all those ultra-soft sweaters and artistic candles.”

Me’ren faced him with an arrogant incline of his head. There was an air of pride around him like he had a rightful entitled place at the skies. She wondered how nobody else suspected that their dark tribe gatekeepers were actually from god tribe. They certainly look like they were made from the heavens.

“I make them.” he said. “But it’s my brother Na’reem who makes the candles and perfumes.”

Russ’lo nearly bounced on his heels “My family and I are very fond of his creations.”

“The most pleasant scents.” Said he, looking pointedly at River “He captures it well.”

“If you’re here for the snow princess, I’m afraid she has gone amiss. The eternal beast has awakened.”

He nodded, “I can help.”

Russ’lo was taken aback, startled “I hardly think you’d know how. How will yo—“ As he spoke, Me’ren lifted her again unto his shoulders like a freaking firefighter and “winded” away towards the end of a hallway with large double-sized hardwood doors awaiting in front of them, slightly ajar.

“As a big girl,” she mumbled more to herself “I’m not sure how to feel about getting carried around like baggage. On one hand it’s flattering. On the other, it’s undignified.”

Me’ren’s shoulders heaved, cheeks creasing as he failed to attempt at suppressing his laughter. “Yeah.” He said airily, “You’re big.”

“Don’t mock me, oracle. Look at my curves, I am big.”

He raised a brow, eyes falling half-mast as he glanced at her curves. The way he raked over her was almost consuming, devouring as if he was looking his fill like a man starved. It was eerie, unsettling. Especially if the man in question had eyes full-blown black like the devil’s. “Sure.” He said in a dry tone, licking his bottom lip. “You are big.”

“Mock me again. See where it gets you” She warned, placing a palm over the door and pushing it ahead of him.

Me’ren ate up the steps she took in one graceful stride and forged on ahead of her. The visage of the grumpy man she first met gone. In his place was someone arrogant, confident as he winked at her over his shoulder.

On the other side of the door she opened was a large domed interior with a glass chandelier in the middle emitting glows of blue light. The paved ground began to sink in the middle, recessing downwards at the center with a few steps of stairs. The room was a type of greenhouse filled with succulents and creeping vines. The strange alien foliage grew in abundance, too much so that it looked wild and disastrous. Lann’a stood right under a specialized glass chandelier, her notable hair buns on top of her head with streaks of purple. Her eyes were clouded over, mouth hanging ajar as she stood still frozen like a statue. A blade resting against her throat held by Holden.

“Stop! What the fuck, Holden. Don’t you dare!”

“There’s no other way. I’m taking on her curse. She can’t take it.”

“There is no need to make drastic measures. I can take it. It’s what I’m here for isn’t it? To heal curses.”

Frustration had him growling as he shouted. “Do you suppose you could take a whole galaxy’s worth of curses? Not a chance. You’re changing, River. I can see it. I can even feel the three of them moving in you. We can’t take any more chances. Not when there’s a whole tribe in danger because of this damned eternal beast.”

“Let me try to reach her, at least.”

Jor’lan stood in the way, blocking her. “My dark majesty will release my friend of this curse.”

“You can’t let her die. He’s going to kill her!”

Me’ren held her by the shoulders.

The brown-haired teenager’s stare dipped to the floor, speaking through clenched teeth “She will be released from this curse.”

A wolfish growl burst free from her throat, sudden authority commanding the room. Without taking her eyes off Holden, she said “Me’ren, get Lei’la I need her with me to sing. Holden, don’t you dare do it or so help me I’ll hurt you myself.”

Lann’a the snow princess, Jor’lan the teenage boy, and Me’ren fell down to their knees in the next instant, opening up their necks in submission.

Holden hesitated, locking eyes with Me’ren.

The damned oracle groaned against what sudden power River was wielding “The dark prince is right. You can’t take anymore curses. Remember what I told you about small doses? There are 3 eternal beasts inhabiting your spirit, River. No more than that.”

“You can’t tell me what I can or can’t do” She tasted the power rising in her. It had the burning force of the sun and she can feel its energy buzzing under the skin of her hands. Pushing her hands to Holden’s direction, she extended her invisible influence to him until the force of him was under her control.

The knife he held cluttered to concrete ground.

“You are not breaking this curse.” Holden struggled against her force. “I know what little control you have in this newfound power of yours. You got no idea what the hell you are doing.”

She ignored him. “Come to me, Lann’a.” The girl’s eyes were marble-like, opaque. It didn’t seem like she heard her but then she started crawling on her knees and hands.

“My majesty,” Jor’lan whispered. “Save her, please.”

Holden let out a beastly roar that disturbed the air around them. Dark brown fur bursting through the pores of his skin. “That girl is mine to save!”

“No.” She said, her voice barely human. It now resembled to that of a bear’s. “She’s mine!” An unnatural rumble sounded through her throat, a roar that matched his bear who was struggling against the restraint of her power.

Me’ren grunted in his efforts to break free, veins popping out on the sides of his temples. His arms and thighs shook like he was resisting an invisible force keeping him in place. Fangs bared and teeth gritting, the man looked wild. Near madness. Wings unfolded behind his back, arching open in a magnificent way that defied all known oppositions. A godly visage that cut through her power in less than a second.

Meren. I got this.

His chest heaved from the exertion. He won’t think twice to hurt you.

He won’t be the first. You need to calm down. I can do it.

Then who worries for you, behagthi? If not me? I’ll care for you. Let me.

Moisture prickled at the sides of her eyes. The infuriating man had seen her past and was now using it against her.

Holden even in bear form was struggling against the restraints of her power. “Don’t you dare order me around. Your sovereign across all lands!” His features crinkled, eyes blowing pitch black to madness. “I am king!”

Doubling her efforts, she gathered round the strength of three animals who were happy to be called into action. Magnified power brimmed in the enclosing space, sounds dropping down until muted. Total silence.

Everyone dropped to the floor saved for River. It looked like a sudden weight was bearing down on them as they pressed their faces next to the floor. “Rise, Lann’a.” She ordered and the snow princess followed her prompting.

The sweet scent of pastry that was Me’ren’s thoughts began spearing into her. Listen to me. If you break every curse, the balance of this universe will be impaired. Something as much as hideous will take its place and we won’t know a damn thing how to manage it.

“I am what tribespeople call behagthi. I can’t fix until I can break it down for parts.” She waved an arm, “Let me welcome you to a school of thought called science. Sometimes you have break things apart to get to the heart of things.”

Foolish behagthi. He tried to break in again, produce a stronger connection inside her mind but it got pulled away at the last second by three animals pacing around River in a circle.

Bear, eagle, and wolf.

This is it.

The time for what they had desired for all of forever but got lost in the imperfect jagged paths. Their anticipation a silent symphony that saluted the start of a dance. She made a step forward and three beasts pulled back a step.

And a step backwards from her had them prowling forward.

Their push and pull of dancing had the energy around them crackling in electricity.

But did she really think she could dance with beasts whose corruption has long loomed over tribes for thousands of generations?

She tired out easy. And they had powerful stamina. Once she weakened and they prowled a little bit closer, she saw that they had changed during the dance. They glittered with a holy aura, liquid gold and shining sparks of stars. Emanating too bright a flame that it sent searing heat at the backs of her eyes. It was impossible to look at them directly now. The room they were in left muted, devoid of sound.

The past oracle was right. Foolish of her to think that she could make it out of this alone. The last time she tried to use her powers alone, she was sent here. Far from the one she wanted to get sent in. But nobody was on her side. It was a three for one. And she had to use the one power left in her arsenal.

In exhaustion, her knees gave out under her weight, strength leaving her body. She began to sing, “I lick their hands clean of bark and bite, so they can sleep deep at night. Oh..” drawling out, “All my girls like to fight.”

At that, smoke came drifting in. Encasing everyone in the room with a heavy fog. Massive shadows were overarching skywards pulling the room around them into a claustrophobic space.

Back in her world, she had a roommate whose job was to style food for their cooking blog. The girl was a food stylist and she could go on and on about the play of shadows and light in her pictures. She had mentioned how it worked in nature.

“See how weird this is?” Her roommate asked, pointing to a landscape picture in the morning light. “I thought it weird at first. See how the sunshine makes any objects it touches into gold? In art, we call that a bullying principle. The warm sunlight literally bullies anything it touches to be colored just like them.”

“That makes sense. In this picture the grass is green but in some patches it’s colored yellow like sunlight.”

Her eyes glittered, nodding “Yes! Yes! Isn’t that interesting? Sunlight are bullies. Who would have thought?”

“I guess?”

“It just made me love the shadows some more.”

“So if warm light bullies other colors to be just like them, what does the shadows do?”

She visibly took a mental step back, calming herself yet her fists shook with eagerness. “Okay. Get this. Shadows reveal true colors of objects in nature.” She squealed.

“I’m sure that’s true.” she replied offhandedly, underwhelmed by what her roommate had just said.

The unnatural sound of portals tearing out in the open air had snapped her attention into the present. Several swirling masses of energy with images of different landscapes started to materialize but with a whisk of her hand, it blew away like dust in the wind.

Holden backed away slowly, his upturned gaze glued to her throat and his thoughts were clear even if he hadn’t spoke. He was contemplating cutting her throat again.

Darkening shadows had put a damper on the three beasts. Their true colors glowing blue, yellow, and red.

I got this, said Lei’la. The steps she took into the enclosing space didn’t make a sound. A mute silence all around. And the weaver looked like she had just come out of bed. The moment she stepped into place, her mouth formed to make words but no sound came out. I heard you sing. But you didn’t finish so I thought you might have gotten into trouble. Looking around seeing the unstable portals and primary-colored beasts she said. I was right. What do you need?

I need to continue singing to Lann’a. Do you think you can manage three eternal beasts?

Lei’la locked eyes with Me’ren before she nodded at River. The oracle made me understand my powers. It’s more than I imagined to be but.. she scanned her surroundings. I’ve been here before. I’ve seen these beasts before.

You have?

In my dreams that were more than dreams. Visions. I was told before by my elders that it was only ever wild hopes of a weaver girl pretending to become shaman. But it’s real. No one used to believe me. Yet now Me’ren believes that what I truly have are far rarer than shamanic visions. They are a weaver’s dreams. My power is real!

She smiled from Lei’la’s excitement. I believe you, weaver girl. You are more than what others say you are.

I am! By Brumcia, I am. Then she twirled to face the eternal beasts and started to dance with far more grace than River could ever have dreamt of. Each movement of her arms emitted glowing shafts of light, the heat of it flowing like ribbons as she moved. The dance between her and the beasts were methodical, calculated, and done with the knowledge of a weaver with a mastery of colors.

The four of them, girl and beasts, were dancing in a pattern of phantasmagoric ribbons like colorful shafts of light to piece together a wider, bigger abstract image.

River took a step back and gawked at the bigger picture. It was a masterful weave of light and color. Mesmerizing.

River? Lei’la arched a brow at her in mid-flight. The weaver’s robust stamina was able to keep up with predators. Not a sweat in place. You were going to sing?

Oh right. She snapped her jaw close and cleared her throat. Facing a statue-still Lann’a, she continued her song. “Fight, fight, fight, fight. All my girls like to fight.”

Bit by bit the chorus she sang had notched the intensity of power-build up to such imperious heights that it was tearing out fabrics of dimensions, opening portals left and right. Hundreds of them, taking extra maximum effort to close using the sheerest focus of willpower. Who knows what will come inside from the portals if she got distracted?

As the song ended, the foggy smoke filled every conceivable space. It was humid, refreshing like the crisp breeze of autumn air. But blinding. River couldn’t literally see her hands in front of her through the gray smoke.

A shrill voice echoed. “River!”

It was U’tu. Younger and vibrant, his voice filled with excitement. “I knew you would come. We have been practicing for so long, you have gotta see this. Lann’a thinks she has got the pitch perfected but it sounds a bit off to me. Head on over. We have been waiting for you.”

What? Blinded, she reached out besides her and felt the stone-cold statue of a corrupted snow princess. Lann’a. The song hadn’t helped her.

“River, over here! See what I can do.” The bubbly, chipper voice of U’tu rang out in echoes throughout the wild foliage room.

Finally, she turned around and found a sun tribe portal right in front of her with a young, vivacious U’tu wearing a wonky grin, waving openly. He was inside the image of a swirling portal, forming a vision around him that resembled the battle arena in their sun tribe. He was at the center middle of glittering sands where groups of children were singing in chorus. A competition was taking place, and U’tu found her before she saw him.

“River!” He yelled triumphantly, rushing headlong over to her as the kids next to him followed along. They stopped inches apart from the transparent force of the portal threshold. “Right on time, River. We celebrate this festival in your honor.”

She looked up farther on their amber sunset sky and then twisted back to find the strange central hearth of a dark tribe greystone igloo. Lann’a was breathing harshly next to her, seeming lost and confused in a terror inside her mind. What ever is she dreaming? River thought.

Behind U’tu in the battle arena were familiar faces from the snow tribe, most of them reddened and shy. Some of their expressions piqued with curiosity. And some of them observing in her direction with fear.

“U’tu.” she said to him, bending low on her knees to meet his green eyed-gaze. So open, trusting. Nothing like the world-weary, disillusioned U’tu she met in this universe. “Someone I know is in trouble. We need your help.”