“What?” Kirin and I asked in unison. “What prophecy?” I asked, tail swishing nervously. Kirin stared at me as I suddenly transformed back into a human, still wearing what I had worn only that night. It startled me, and I pondered about what had happened, then my thoughts went back to losing my parents. The thought brought tears to my eyes, but I fought to keep the sobs from coming out. “Come with me. Both of you,” Ane said, turning to head off towards her home on the outskirts of the Mistlight Village. My steps were quick, keeping pace with the Mistlights that surrounded us. Even though I would always be taller than a Mistlight as a human, I was actually short for a Mistlight my age. When we entered the home, which was a large, ancient, hollowed out Tirra tree, I was stunned to see a large slab of stone sitting directly in view of anyone who entered. On it was the Prophecy. Now I need to continue on with something much more pressing. The subject is the present. This is the extent to which I will speak of the past, until more time comes along and I’m able to say more. For now, there are more pressing issues. … “An Echo is the spirit of someone you were close to. They [the Echo] may be of a still-living person, only caught by an enemy or far away. The Echoes always show up at random, giving advice and showing the correct path. Echoes can choose when they come and when they leave. The person Echoes choose gain a bond with a special creature, called a Mistlight. “Mistlights are like pets. They stay with whoever they have bonded with. A Mistlight lives for as long as their Bonded, guiding them, eating with them, playing with them, learning with them, and speaking with them.” I raised my hand, head still facing my paper and still writing down my notes. My red curls hid my face. “Professor,” I said, hesitant to halt his monologue. He immediately stopped to answer my question. “Yes, Arialle?” “Well…” I mulled over my question for a few more seconds before continuing on. He nodded his head, ushering me to continue. “What would happen if your Mistlight dies and becomes an Echo before you die? Would you get another Mistlight or would it just prevent another Mistlight from Bonding with you?” “Tha—that’s absurd!” he huffed, dropping his scrolls. “No one knows what happens. It’s because it never happens.” He looked at me in exasperation, green eyes flashing, and started to pick up his scrolls while everyone else whispered to each other. “I was just curious,” I mumbled, blushing slightly as I heard my voice a few times, and not in a good way, either. “When will the stupid questions stop, little miss deviation?” griped one of the girls, who I recognized as Triatelle. She never really paid attention in class, always mimicking the professors or doodling hearts with “I love Rykor” in them. Triatelle was madly in love with the guy, even though, truthfully, he was a major jerk. The reason why was his looks: chiseled jaw, perfectly-cut platinum hair that he valued, snow-white teeth that could blind you in the sunlight, malignant violet eyes, the perfectly formed body, brilliance, and the height of a boy any girl would want. But the guy was bad new because of his actions and his sharp tongue. I cannot see why any girl would fall for him, but I favor no guy anyways. “Yeah, cutie. Keep your mouth shut and your head down and maybe you’ll fit in with the girls. Maybe you’ll make someone, besides me, fall head over heels for you.” He smirked, flashing his blinding teeth. If Rykor thought I would ever try to fit in with the girls, he was dead wrong. His good looks and all that would not ever make me do that. School Legend is that he can tame even the most tomboyish girl into conforming into a girly-girl, but he’s unsuccessful with me, and he knows he is beat. “Let’s continue with our lesson,” Professor Stormsurge interrupted, preventing me from telling Rykor off my hide. “Now where was I…? Oh, yes. Many Mistlights have strange abilities, and they can sense those in their Bonded. Latent abilities are activated as soon as the Bonded and Mistlight’s hand and paw touch. And—”
