Princess Cari Publove Sky Arc Part Four

Lethal Happiness

Ryo remained silent as they left the island. He sometimes took glances at Cari, who had been almost inseparable and was worried about him. Part of her knew why he looked at her like he did but there was another part that did not wish for her to even entertain the idea. It was barely worth it and it was all too clear that they all had moved on from all of that. Ryo even said that he had forgiven her.

But did he? Did he really forgive you? Or has he pretended to forgive you, just so that we all could focus on whatever it was that we all have to focus on?

I don't know, maybe...

“Ryo, you can talk to us.” Scar said as she placed a hand on his.

He looked away, completely unmoved . Cari could not blame him.

They could feel the temperature drop as they fell below the clouds. They spotted that the next miniature planet was the not only the size of a small moon but they could hear singing and cheery music. All the villages lights were all on and, as they landed they all could feel themselves getting, somehow, happier, like all of the cheer around them had started to infect them.

They could see that there people dancing and laughing in the street There was not one person without a smile on their faces, but their smiles and dancing and merrymaking could not hide the sweat on their brow, coming down like rain. Then there were their faces, they were deathly thin and their clothes were hanging on their bodies like the sweat was the only thing that was keeping them on their skin. They then spotted that even the necks of those that must have been obese before, whatever happened to this place, where now already halfway down their shoulders. And then they saw decaying corpses in the street with smiles on their swollen faces.

“What is going on here?” asked Oran as her eyes fell to them her face turned blue.

“It seems like we found out what this crystals' effect is. Now we need to get there.” she said as they galloped to a chapel. It did not look like the rest of the village, nor did it look like anyone had been here for a while.

“This way!” ordered Shighron as he clopped to the table in the centre of the stage and pushed the table aside to reveal a secret flight of stairs. As they went lower and lower they all felt happier and happier. They felt their hearts beat like they were beating along with a song. They all even started to hum and they too started to laugh. Even the Chronicler even looked like she was happier than usual.

“The low and high points of my life,

My struggles, problems and my strife,

Still led to something great and more

Though, I was pushed out the door,

Parents so far, far away

Alone feeling like a stray

There raised by their hand

Doing as they demand

Oh my true name,

My forgotten name,

Dawn of my life

Dawn of my strife

Will I ever gain

You ever again”

“That's a really old song.” Cari said as they spotted the yellow crystal.

It pulsed like as if it too was beating to a rhythm. They all looked at the crystal and giggled like children.

“Do we have to destroy it?” sang Ryo.

“Yeah, we do.”

“But why?”

“Because it's evil.”

Am I?

Came a lyrical voice from the rock.

“Yeah!”

But I give out so much joy!

“But people have died.”

They died happy.

Scar looked aside as she realised where this false joy. She looked at Shighron and placed a hand on his back.

“Horn of my unicorn give your power to this one!” she shouted.

“Stop it!” the others moaned as the beam of light hit the crystal.

“He doesn't like it!” said Ryo as he tugged weakly at her arm.

“Please, it's hurting him.” said Cari as she too started tugging at her.

“This is the happiest I have ever felt!” whined Oran.

She looked at the girl. She looked into her eyes. For a moment her heart went out to the girl. What right did she have to take away her happiness and joy? She felt that her hand was about to fall off his back, but she heard a neigh of Shighron.

“Don't listen to them. They will say anything to stop you. This was how I lost my rider.” he said. Scar nodded and closed her eyes so that she could not see their faces and eyes.

“Why are you doing this? Don't you like it?”

Yes, I do, but I know that it's not real. She thought, but she knew that she could not say it out loud in order to concentrate on what she knew that she had to do. She also knew that if she started to reply to their words they would used it to distract her.

“Come on! Can't you feel this joy and happiness.”

I wish that I could, but I prefer the real thing.

“I want to dance, but I want you to dance with us. Don't you want to dance?”

Yes, but that's the problem. If I did then I can't do this. Which it what I should be doing this.

Then came the crack. It sounded like a moment of relief. She opened her eyes and spotted the crack in the crystal. They then looked up at the crack. She could see that whatever the crystal was doing was wearing off. She saw more and more cracks and then smash.

They looked at the shards, almost as if they didn't know what to do.

“Come, let's get out of here.”

But then Ryo walked over to the shards and picked five up. He then walked over to them and gave them all a shard, first Cari, then Scar, the Chronicler and finally Oran.

“On these shards, let us not fight like this.” he said as he used his magic to put a spell on it.

“Agreed.” Cari said.

“Agreed.” Scar said.

“Agreed.” the Chronicler repeated after some thought.

“Agreed.” Oran said strait after.

They then left and for the next month they were helping the villagers recover and recuperate.