Meivara’s Light Magic Epilogue 1

Kirsty Canillo

The Woodlands were alive with summer bounty. As she tended her gardens, Meivara wondered if she had ever seen such a fruitful year. Fruit rained from the sky, the children said, and her three-year-old daughter River was now among them, scrambling to pick up the windfall.
___It was nearly four years since Erenessi had fallen, and Fay life seemed to increase with each season. Many Divinae, birthed from Meivara’s Light Magic also stayed within the woods, scattered among the trees like earthly stars. Long gone were the days that dark creatures haunted the shadows and long nights. So, at least, it seemed.
___A flash of pure-white light heralded the arrival of Meivara’s oldest friend, dear Irina. The unicorn mare’s moon-bright, star-light horn shone with all the radiance of the summer sun, and the children sensed her entrancing presence even before Meivara could greet her. Irina was quickly surrounded by ten excitable and very sticky children. River hurried to keep up, two fat apricots in her chubby hands and pale orange juice smeared over her face. Her scruffy brown hair flying everywhere, Meivara couldn’t help but laugh thinking that she looked a lot like her father.
___Knowing it would be a while before the frolicking mare was released from all this attention, Meivara returned to her gentle work, pulling up weeds and pruning dying branches from the trees. Now and then she glanced up at the children; Honey had at last taken pity on her young sister and lifted her up on her shoulders to bring her closer to the unicorn. Even mischievous Laurel had decided to help Pimya and Rubera’s two-year-old son, Swallow get a closer look.
___“Honey, you’ve got to take turns,” Laurel said very responsibly, trying to do a better job of looking after the little ones than her.
___“I’m not the one who keeps pushing, Laurel!” Honey retorted.
___“Don’t shove, you’ll knock Swallow over!” Laurel protested.
___“That wasn’t me! You’re not even watching where you’re going!”
___“What, do you think I pushed myself?”
___“Probably!”
___Tossing her head and whinnying, Irina at last bounded free from the children. She played a little game of chase with them before finally settling into a walk, swishing her tufted tail friskily and setting her sights on Meivara. As the mare ceased to play, the children soon got the message and returned to their fruit picking, or rather, fruit eating. It was Meivara’s turn now to put down her work. She wrapped her arms around her dear friend’s slender neck.
___“It’s good to see you.”
___Irina didn’t answer, but started with a brisk snort into the woods. Meivara knew very well she was expected to follow.
___The tranquility of this day, with its fair, fine weather, and delicate, cooling breeze to breathe away the summer heat, seemed unsurpassable. Meivara admired it for a while in silence, enjoying the warm fingers of sunlight that streaked between the dancing leaves. But her friend was not fooled. Eventually, Irina prompted her to speak.
___You seem troubled. Something has been bothering you recently.
___With a sigh, Meivara brought her gaze back down from the glistening canopy to the shaded, tepid ground. “Yes,” she admitted. She paused a while, unsure of how or where to begin. “I can’t say I know for sure what has been going on… It’s only that I’ve been thinking a lot about Arcas recently. Sometimes I even feel as though…” She couldn’t finish. She didn’t want to voice just what she had been feeling.
___You feel as though he has been trying to communicate with you, Irina finished.
___Bitterly, Meivara grimaced. “Yes,” she confessed. “I despise the idea of it, but that is exactly what I feel.”
___The unicorn came to a standstill and faced Meivara. Meivara could feel her sensing her out as lightly, the unicorn touched her with her horn.
___It appears that is exactly what has been happening, her friend at last concluded placidly, continuing their easy amble through the woods. Meivara’s stomach churned and she became squeamish in her disgust.
___“Why?” she demanded. “He has no hold on this region anymore! Why does he not just leave us be? Is he intent on gaining revenge or is his desire to hurt others simply insatiable?”
___Be calm, Meivara. He certainly has ill intent, but as things are, he has little ability to harm you. The lingering feelings you have towards him, the painful memories, even your disgust, these hold traces of connection to him that he can use to forge a magical pathway back to you. But with your Light Magic flourishing as it is, there is little he could do with such meagre traces.
___The only way he could strengthen his connection with you would be by causing you to fear or loathe him far disproportionate to his power. And even then, if he managed to project himself back to this world through such a connection with you, your Light Magic would dissolve that projection with its mere touch.
___“Then why does he bother if he can do little more than aggravate me?” she grumped.
___Be calm, Irina insisted. It is easy for humans to view malevolence as both the means and the end that creatures lost in darkness desire, but I believe you must try to see this with clearer eyes. Arcas is a creature born of darkness, and though he cannot actually harm you, he persists in trying to form a connection with you. ‘Why?’ is certainly a worthy question, but the answer is simpler than you may think. He tries to connect with you because you have something that he needs, and he does so with ill intent because he knows no other way. That is all this is. So let go of your disgust, allow what remnants of pain you still carry with his memory to heal, and see him impartially. We both know that given the freedom and resources to act as he wishes, Arcas would create terrible evil, but he has neither of those things anymore.
___Though she was still squirming inside, Meivara heeded all of Irina’s words earnestly and tried to soften her scowl, breathing out her tension. “What is it that you suppose he needs from me?” she muttered in a low voice.
___What any being lost in a mire of pain wants: healing.
___Wretchedly, she laughed. “I very much doubt Arcas sees things that way.”
___He undoubtedly doesn’t, but his actions speak volumes.
___Meivara gave herself over to silence, sighing deeply and disliking all of it. Nonetheless, she yielded. “Alright. I will try to do as you say and consider him as little more than a creature in pain that wants to heal. How I might help him heal, I have no idea. We are not even living on the same world.”
___If there is a way you can help him, the answer will come to you. You needn’t dwell on it.
___“I won’t,” Meivara muttered, casting her gaze up wearily at the sky beyond the canopy. It was certainly not something she wanted to spend a great amount of time thinking about.

The light of the swift summer sun woke Meivara early the next morning. Her bed was empty. Her husband must have snuck out before her.
___Donning her furs, she entered the dining room, but her man had not gone far. He was sitting at the table, River on his knee, his sleek black hair falling forwards across her shoulder.
___“And these ones are?” he asked, pointing to a collection of tomato seeds.
___“Tomatoes!”
___“And these?”
___“Pumpkins!”
___“Good girl, you’re getting it.”
___“Good morning, my love,” Meivara said to her fair husband, granting him a kiss. Arcas beamed and pulled her down onto his other knee.
___“Did you sleep well, my darling?” he asked in smooth, musical tones.
___“I did…”

Meivara snapped awake. It was the middle of the night and she was blind in the darkness. Sitting bolt upright, shaking all over, she felt sick to her stomach. The nausea soon overwhelmed her. Falling out of bed, she fumbled in the darkness for an empty flower pot River had been playing with that evening, and retched into it.
___“My love, are you alright?” Moments later, Bayar was down next to her, holding her hair and rubbing her back.
___Her body continued to heave, though there was nothing in her stomach, and she couldn’t speak. Ever so gradually, with Bayar’s hand soothing her gently, the fit passed. Panting, she straightened up, rested against him, and the rapid rise and fall of her chest gently slowed.
___“A nightmare,” she finally said. As she leaned into his embrace, love activated her Light Magic. Shining now with golden light, her queasiness and distress delicately drifted away. “You know how I said Arcas has been trying to connect with me? Well, it seems he’s managed to go as far as interfering with my dreams. I dreamed he was here. He was my husband, and he was sitting at the table with River on his knee.”
___The recollection brought such fierce revulsion with it that she almost began to retch again. But she tried to master herself, remembering Irina’s words. Arcas was trying to get to her, but not for malevolence’s sake. He was a demon, a creature born of darkness and pain, and whether he knew it or not, he sought healing from this state.
___Bayar kissed and comforted her, but after a while Meivara’s ill feelings passed almost as suddenly as they had come. Inspiration struck.
___“I think I may know what to do next…” she said.
___“What is it?”
___“I’ll ask Irina first what she thinks…”
___“Not right at this moment, I hope?”
___“No, no, of course not,” she murmured distantly, mulling over her idea. “Let’s get back in bed…”
___Bayar helped her up and lay holding her. Calmed in his tender embrace, she quickly fell asleep.

In the morning, for a few blissful moments Meivara almost forgot her nightmare. Then it came rushing back, but so too did her plan.
___Bayar still lay asleep, his arm relaxed across her abdomen. She wriggled out as carefully as she could, gave his sleeping face a kiss, and headed for the kitchen. Bustling about, she warmed last night’s leftovers, a hot venison soup, laying four bowls of it on the table. She was just tucking into hers, when Honey and River came charging out of their room, already playing with the carvings of villagers and Woodland animals that Bayar had made them.
___“Sit up and eat while it’s hot,” Meivara said between good morning kisses. They sat, but they were not much focused on their food. Knowing their father would see to it that they finished their breakfast, Meivara guzzled down the rest of hers, gave them each another kiss and hurried into her gardens. There, she called the unicorn.
___“Irina!” The energy of her call passed through the ether, carried among the Woodland Fay. Knowing she wouldn’t be waiting long, she peered idly upwards, assessing the weather through the clearing in the canopy. The sky was a patchwork of turquoise and bright, billowing cloud. The air was cooler today, but it didn’t look like rain was coming.
___A gush of joy and wilderness filled the ether as the unicorn arrived, shining as brilliant and vibrant as a falling star. Irina bounded playfully before her, exulting in the fair morning. Laughing, Meivara wandered with her into the woods, waiting a while for the mare’s gambolling to be satisfied before she spoke. When the unicorn had at last finished kicking out her legs and tossing her mane into the wind, she trotted briskly back to Meivara, waiting in silence for Meivara to begin.
___“I had a nightmare about Arcas last night, but the whole incident gave me an idea. It’s not something I could do without your help though.”
___The unicorn shook her head and whinnied friskily, as yet saying nothing.
___“Arcas is trying to forge a way back to me through our lingering connection… Well, what if I reversed that and went to find him? It could be done, couldn’t it?”
___Irina snorted and pawed the ground, her playful mood turning thoughtful.
___Do you mean you wish to project an ethereal version of yourself onto his world?
___“Something like that.”
___What do you hope to achieve by this?
___“I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think he’s going to stop bothering me if I do nothing. Perhaps if I see the world he comes from, I will understand him better.”
___The idea is possible; I could help you to channel an etheric projection of your energy, including even your Light Magic, safely across that connection. But as you already understand, it could only be done safely with my assistance.
___“I know. I would never attempt it on my own.”
___With your Light Magic coupled with my own magic, Arcas will not be able to prevent us from finding him, Irina continued. Our magic combined is too strong and too pure. So you must be certain that this is what you want before we begin.
___“I feel inspired to try it,” Meivara said, though her hands had begun to tremble slightly with nervousness. “I’m not sure what I’m going to find on the other end, but I don’t want to sit here while he repeatedly distresses me. I think I must take the preemptive.”
___Then call on me again when you are ready.
___“Thank you.” Relieved that the unicorn was so open to the idea, she set her course back towards her home. “I’ll talk to Bayar about it first, then I’ll call for you.”
___Rearing up and whinnying, jubilant once again, Irina pranced back into the woods. Meivara meanwhile brought the sober conversation back to her husband.

Meivara clicked the front door shut behind her. She watched her husband disappearing into the woods, leading their two children solemnly to the village. He glanced back at her, and she at him. She offered him a weak smile.
___“Irina!” she called. The unicorn returned, glittering in the sunlight. As Bayar’s footfalls faded into the forest, Meivara said, “He wasn’t happy, but he saw the sense in trying to act first.”
___Bowing her head, Irina said, Come then.
___Meivara followed her into the bright centre of the clearing. She supposed the unicorn sensed her own wishes: if she was going to deal with something as wicked as Arcas, she wanted to do it in the full light of day.
___Kneeling down, Meivara made herself comfortable. Irina lay next to her and touched her with her horn, connecting with her ethereal energy.
___There is not much of a connection between the two of you, and the more you reconcile the events of the past, the weaker this connection will grow. Perhaps there is an opportunity here for you to erase the connection entirely.
___“I would like that.”
___Then go with compassion.
___Nodding, she replied nervously, “I’ll do my best.” She couldn’t help but notice how fast her heart was racing.
___Stay here calmly and activate your Light Magic. I will form a protected path for you there and back, and I will also add my own protections to you. You will be safe, and if I sense anything is going wrong, I will bring you back.
___“How will I come back if I wish to?”
___You will still be able to sense me, and I will sense you. You will be able to follow me back.
___Nodding, Meivara took a deep breath, stilled herself, and let her Light Magic flood through her, a golden torrent. Radiant light spilled into the clearing, and sparks flashed here and there within her aura, giving birth to new Divinae life. Meivara felt quite calm in this space, and even her pounding heart slowed.
___Are you ready?
___“As I’ll ever be.” Rallying her courage, she allowed Irina to cast her spell. Her mind went dark; she let herself fall into the sensation. Then, slowly a scene formed around her. It was little brighter than the darkness in her mind, but it was a thousand times bleaker.
___Batting her eyes, which she soon figured she didn’t need to do, Meivara tried to recognise what was around her. There were crumbling stones strewn all around, but amidst the ruin she believed she could see the remnants of some kind of collapsed structure. There was a ceiling above her head, not just the roof of a cave, and the floor was more-or-less smooth. To one side, a hole in the wall appeared to be a deliberately carved window. Other than her golden Light Magic, this was the only source of light in the room.
___She was about to head over to investigate, when movement near her caught her attention. An ethereal shadow moved in the darkness, seeming to cause a ripple in the air, but she couldn’t make out its form. She well suspected who it was.
___Looking about once more, appraising this desolate scene, Meivara felt her fears begin to abate. This place appeared tragic more than frightening. Seeking out the shadow, she squinted at the rock forms before her. One of them even looked like it could have been the corpse of a toppled throne. Upon this, the shadow appeared to be seated. She advanced undaunted, unimpressed.
___“Hello, Arcas,” she said with a slight sigh. “Do you care to show yourself?”
___The shadow shook, like a current was passing through its body, but it didn’t immediately take form. Eventually, as if reluctantly, a semblance of Arcas’s former humanoid image appeared. His black, silky hair framed his deathly pale flesh, but the left edge of his face looked as though it was rotting away, or deformed. His lean limbs also didn’t appear half as long as they used to be. He was smaller and by far frailer than when she last saw him. Indeed, diminished as he was, he was the one who appeared afraid.
___“This is a surprise, Meivara,” he answered, his voice ladened with a deep, dead quality to it. There was no sign of his usual smugness or his smirk. He was not pleased to see her.
___“You invited me, did you not?” she answered, taking a further step forward. She could see her approach was unnerving him.
___“I don’t remember making an invitation,” he muttered, abandoning his throne and retreating further from her.
___“I’m sure it’ll come back to you.” Frowning slightly at him, she had to admit, he was pitiable in this state. Far from the creature who went to such lengths to hold such power over others, his true weakness now lay clearly before her. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she decided to change tactics and altered her course, heading for the window.
___“This is your home world?” she asked.
___“It is.”
___Gazing outside, the state of this place sprawled out sadly in front of her. This world appeared to be little more than a dead rock, the occasional remnants of life that used to be dotted here and there, stone ruins like the one she was standing in. Far above, the stormy sky mirrored the dark grey of the earth, brightened occasionally by flashes of lightning.
___“What happened?” she asked, her eyes still scanning the forlorn horizon. She felt him move slightly closer to her, but she resisted the urge to turn her gaze back upon him.
___“This world was once like yours,” he answered. “But the balance shifted and life collapsed. Now the only creatures born here are reflections of the world’s death.”
___“Were you born that way?” she asked, keeping a casual tone.
___“Yes.”
___“So you never saw the world before?”
___“No.”
___“That’s rather sad.” Finally, she turned away from the window and faced him again. He was standing a few safe paces away, but his eyes had changed. Undisguised hunger was carved into his pallid face. He looked maddened, starved. Pretending she hadn’t noticed, she asked, “Are there many others like you?”
___“There are.”
___“And do you all seek worlds beyond your own?”
___“If we can.”
___“Why?”
___“There is no food here…” he answered quietly. It seemed his hunger was beyond his control to hide. His lips were trembling and he was almost baring his teeth at her.
___“I see,” she said evenly. Appraising him, it seemed clear what she was to him: a tantalising meal, and completely beyond his reach. “So you came to my world looking for food?” Remembering rather bitterly what this had meant, not just for her, but for hundreds, even thousands of others, she had to exert herself to remain calm and steady. Exhaling heavily, she breathed the foul memories away again.
___“What else could I do? The starving are not well fed by the starving…” He moved closer again. She wasn’t sure if it was his confidence returning to him or simple, desperate hunger driving him towards her.
___“It certainly does seem a pitiful state of being,” she replied, striving to keep her impartiality, just as Irina had said. Indeed, when she looked at him now, everything seemed clearer. He was a creature born starving and living upon a world whose energy had collapsed so completely that it could not nourish any of its children. From what she could see, its children appeared to be little more than the final manifestations of the planet’s pain, perhaps the last lingering traces of life before the planet died entirely. This was the backdrop of the havoc Arcas wreaked upon her own lush, fertile world.
___She sighed, but understanding was helping to alleviate her own sense of grievance. She turned her thoughts to wondering how she could help, if at all.
___“I suppose I’ll leave you then,” she finished. An idea was budding inside her, but she wanted to go home to think about it.
___“Goodbye, then.” Hungry as he was, she knew he wasn’t unhappy to see her go. The touch of her Light Magic would dissolve him entirely.
___Glancing at him one last time, frowning, she called in her heart to Irina. The unicorn answered and immediately drew her back. Light and life flooded through her senses once again, and bright sunlight momentarily blinded her. She was home again and glad to be.

Meivara told Irina all she could of the world of starving creatures she had found, then returned to her gardening, pensive for much of the rest of the day. That night as she wandered in her dreams, she saw Arcas again. This time he shrieked and snarled at her, attacking her with such savagery she supposed he wished her to be frightened; except that his hands dissolved within her Light Magic and he could not lay a finger on her.
___When she awoke, she was little troubled by the dream. Its message read loud and clear: Arcas wanted to scare her out of returning to his home world, perhaps because her presence had been so threatening to him. Part of her wondered if this little fright she had given him would be enough incentive for him to leave her be. But the greater part of her felt that this was not over. There was a sense of inspiration brewing inside her, right on the verge of taking form.
___That morning, Meivara was glad to have some time alone to work her gardens, as her mind was far afield and she did not wish to be disturbed. Even as she gathered the ripest of her plums and apricots, she halted frequently to gaze into the distance. Eventually, entirely distracted and even a little frustrated, she put her baskets down. She felt as though someone, or rather something, was trying to speak to her, and she needed to simply still herself and listen.
___Taking a breath, and a moment to feel the breeze and the patchy sunlight upon her skin, quite suddenly, her Light Magic popped out. Sparks shot through her golden aura like electricity, but interestingly, these didn’t give rise to new life. They dispersed again into her aura, then reformed shortly afterwards. She couldn’t help but feel even they looked agitated.
___“Is it you who wants to speak to me?” she asked her Magic. “What is it you want me to do?”
___Good morning, Meivara.
___She jumped. She hadn’t even noticed the unicorn appearing behind her.
___“Oh, good morning. Sorry, I’ve been… preoccupied.”
___Irina lay down tranquilly in the dappled sunlight. You are puzzled, she stated simply.
___“Yes,” she admitted with a laugh.
___What do you feel?
___“I feel…” It was a little hard to describe. “I feel like something wants to birth through my Light Magic, but for some reason it can’t. I don’t know why.”
___How does the energy feel to you?
___“It feels… I don’t even know. It’s not like anything I’ve ever felt before.”
___Give yourself some time. Listen quietly. It is trying to tell you everything you need to know.
___Meivara did as she was told, but her Light Magic had never done anything like this before. It was entirely new. Shaking her head, shrugging her shoulders, she gave up on trying to understand, and just listened.
___As soon as she did, the sea of confusion began to calm until it became as clear as a still lake. Understanding gradually awakened within her. “This energy doesn’t belong here…” she said.
___No, it doesn’t.
___“This is the wrong place, the wrong…” She gasped, wondering if it could possibly be. “This Magic is meant for Arcas’s world.”
___Exactly. If it is to birth, you will need to go back.
___“But I don’t even know what this is. It feels so strange to me…”
___Of course. Arcas’s world was not home to the kind of life you are familiar with. But you only need to allow it to and it will spring to life just like any Divinae from this world.
___She nodded, silent in her amazement and trying to discern exactly what kind of Divinae life form wanted to come through her Light Magic. It was a little difficult to visualise, but ultimately it appeared most similar to the seed of a great tree that wished to sink its roots down deep into the planet, cleansing out the thick layers of decay in the ether and making room for light-filled life to take hold again. Life wanted to boom again on Arcas’s world.
___“I think the Divinae that wants to come through my Light Magic wants to help life start over on Arcas’s world… If it succeeded, that would be incredible…”
___Then help in what way you can, and let the power and essence of life do the rest.
___Humbled and awed, Meivara nodded. “I will go back then. I’ll call for you this afternoon…” Gazing down at her sparse fruit baskets, she shook her head at herself. “I really must pick some more fruit for the village.”
___As you wish. Irina closed her eyes restfully, her delight in the dancing sunlight radiating serenely into the ether and bringing a smile to Meivara’s face.
___Meivara however, was unable to keep her own mind upon the sweet woods surrounding her. Half-distracted, she slowly filled her baskets, her thoughts roaming across the stars, pondering the world that sought her help and her anticipation to try.

When afternoon came, Meivara was both nervous and excited, but her Light Magic had settled down into a brilliant, full glow. It was ready.
___Meeting Irina in a glade, the unicorn assessed her connection to Arcas once more.
___Your connection to the demon is waning, but your Light Magic is calling out to his world. I should be able to send your projection over, and perhaps this time you will not need to encounter Arcas at all.
___Meivara was grateful for this. She had no wish to speak to him again. “Alright, I’m ready,” she announced. Whatever her Light Magic wanted to do, she knew all she had to do was let it.
___Closing her eyes, she let Irina propel her image and ethereal energy into Arcas’s world. When she appeared this time, she was outside in the open air and there was less cloud cover than before. The rocky, dusty earth was illuminated by a foreign star, and in the bright, intense light, she could easily imagine this world teeming with life.
___Inhaling peacefully, she let herself go and her golden Light Magic took over. Her aura swelled and buzzed with vigour, as though excited by the task ahead. To her surprise, a number of strange- looking Divinae burst out first and dispersed, flying across the barren landscape, as if equally enthusiastic at the potential that lay before them.
___Standing still and calm, Meivara continued to let the joy in her Magic flow through her, and one after the other, Divinae sprang into life. At last, the seed from her visualisation began to take form in front of her, slowly growing in size and splendour.
___Meivara’s eyes widened in adoration at this beautiful seed that held so much promise within it. It hovered before her, about the size of a dinner bowl, and she cupped her hands around it, but did not dare touch it. Feeling its vitality, she was filled with a magnificent sense of new life, new hope and dreams of endless bounty, enough to fill a world, she prayed. Touched and happy, she let the beautiful being sink down into the soil to take root in its new home.
___As the seed touched the ground, a chorus rang out from the strange Divinae that were scattered around the landscape, and a shoot crept up from the earth while the roots dug down. Suddenly an earthquake-like tremor rang through the blackened ether, stirred up by the music and the seedling. Her Light Magic at last calmed and returned to its normal state, no longer giving rise to enthusiastic new life. Her work it seemed was done. She could go home.
___“Meivara!” A furious cry met her ears. She whipped around to see Arcas, seething and snarling at her. “What have you done?” But scarcely a moment after the words left his lips, Arcas’s gaze became distant and his features eased completely. Pain and hunger disappeared from his face and a moment later, his body dissolved in a breath that almost sounded peaceful. Staring in shock at the spot where he once stood, Meivara could feel waves of light energy already beginning to course through the planet, gently starting to melt away the thick, black energies.
___“Irina,” she whispered, somewhat stunned. Seconds later she was back on her home world. The stony planet was replaced by the tranquil woods and the unicorn lying next to her.
___I sense that Arcas is gone, the mare said.
___“Yes… He is…” Meivara answered. For a moment, she could not speak. The sun danced through the forest canopy. The animals and forest Fay went about their lives. Arcas was gone and his world was striving for another wave of life.
___Sighing, still rather bewildered, she turned her gaze to her trees. “I guess I’d better gather some peaches for everyone…” Shaking her head at it all, she rose to her feet and returned home to collect a few baskets.
___Verdant grasses and crisp twigs snapped beneath her feet, colourful baby Fay darted here and there as they played in the sun, and young birds followed their parents around, twittering for food. The Woodlands were abound with life, and Meivara breathed it in deeply. And now and then, a newborn Divinae sprang jubilantly from her golden Light Magic.

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