Chapter 4 | revues

revues

Journals

"This is not going to work. We need something more powerful to track them down. I can't believe this!" I shout.

I have never been so frustrated my entire life. Two days have passed since my aunt Hasel came to us to report that her husband has been missing. I have worked every possible technique known to me to track them down, but there was no clue. Our magic wasn't strong enough to penetrate through the magic that hid them from the other's eyes. This was unheard of.

I have to be the most powerful witch among the Rubies so that I can balance magic world with everyday life. I would become more powerful when I have the Henrietta flower but that is not going to happen anytime soon. Who could be more powerful than me right now besides of course, my mother?

My patience was on a test, and let's just say, it wasn't going well. I haven't slept in two days since the realization came to me that there is someone out there who possesses more powerful magic than me. I was deeply worried about how was I now going to protect my family and kingdom from that witch. I had to think of something.

Who can be the one to help me through this? I could go to mother but she seems... distracted these days. A name pops up in my mind but I simply ignore it.

It has been two days since that kiss with Guru and I can barely shake off the feeling of his lips against mine. It had felt so real and right. I longed to be with him but I dismissed the feeling. I had more important problems to deal with right now.

I leave the Magic room and head towards the library. It's not that I haven't read all those books about magic kept there. I know them by heart. But there was one thing I hadn't touched just yet. I had always intended on reading it but I was just too busy to do so after my training was completed. The Book of the War of the Five Kingdoms. It was my father's account of the war. It was very personal to him but he had felt the need to show it to me and my brothers so that we can refer to read it in future.

An Arminda opened the door for me and I was greeted by the familiar smell of the books. The library is the largest room in the entire palace and maybe one of the most important. The many books kept on its marble shelves were the source of immense knowledge for us Rubies.

Especially for the royals. Our ancestors record their times as a ruler in these books for the future generation. I needed a solution to this problem today itself only. The more I wait, the more danger I will be putting others in.

I walk to the aisle of the Ancestors and look for the section that belong to my father. I could have just asked him but something tells me that I should just let him rest. He seems vulnerable to me right now and I haven't seen this side of him since a long time.

I spot the book I require and take it out of the shelf. It is a thick green diary with Orrin, my father's name written on front. It looks very old so I am careful with it's pages. I don't want to ruin it.

I settle down on the couch kept in the library and carefully start reading the journal. Apparently he started this journal when he had visited the war front for the first time since he became the king.

I am not ready for this. I can't be a king in times like this..., it read. My heart gasped. My father was scared to be a king? I can just imagine that. I haven't heard once father claiming that he wasn't content with his life as a king. I mean he had us, his family. I guess I was mixed up with myself that I forgot that my father had a life too. My heart sank. I wasn't a good daughter to him. I don't deserve a father like him at all.

"The front is more horrid than ever. The trees are covered with blood and you can smell death in the air. There are no animals seen and the birds refuse to leave their nests. The water is red and horror spreads everywhere. No one is safe.

I want this to end. I want all of this just to end."

I continue to read the journal and it feels so real to me. It felt like I was in the war. It was as if I was a soldier on the front. Tears come rolling down my eyes as my father describes his fears. How he feels guilt running in his veins every time he kills and enemy soldier. He hates killing people. All of this was because some people couldn't contain their greed.

It is no mystery what the real reason for the war is.

The Diamonds were the first of us. They were the children of the God of Spirit and the Goddess of Earth. The God of Spirit had other children with other Goddesses too but they lived on other planets. They had their own dimensions which rarely connected with ours. There were three of them originally, Ember, Kai, Aither and Adamina. They are called the First Four. They lived alone on the earth for a long time, learning the ways of life. Their mother helped them but they were keen on seeing the earth with their own eyes. They learnt everything we know right now. They eventually grew tired of being the only ones of the earth and craved someone else's company. They performed rituals to call upon their father and once, he appeared they expressed their grief.

Their father gave them the blessing to give rise to more life with the help of their blood. The four of them spent a long time shaping the perfect child of theirs with sand. When they were satisfied, they sprinkled some of their blood on the sand figures and the next day, they were alive. They were children, four of them, having each of the First Four as their respective parents. Ember was the mother of Ruby, the red eyed girl. She possessed magic in her veins, a gift bestowed upon her by the God of Spirit. Kai was the father of Sapphire, the blue-eyed boy. He was the master of water. Aither was the father of Amethyst, the violet eyed boy. He possessed the power of wind. And finally, Adamina was the mother of Emerald, the green-eyed girl. She possessed intellect way beyond her age.

They taught their children the way of life. They learnt to control their powers and use them for the greater good. With the help of more blood, the First Four gave rise to more Diamonds. But they weren't like their first born, in fact, they were just like the First Four. They had silver eyes and white hair like the Diamonds themselves. They had the same abilities as their parents.

As the first born grew up, they were bullied by their own siblings for being different. Soon, the First Four decided that their lives have completed their purpose and that they were ready to go to drift into a long sleep. They claimed when the time will be right they will wake up. After they drifted to sleep, the situations become worse for the first born and they decided to leave the Home of Diamonds. It was a continent located in the center of the earth and they wished to explore the world. They parted their ways eventually.

Ruby went to the frozen continent. She had never felt more powerful presence of magic than there and decided to build her home there. She built ice sculptures and sprinkled some of her blood on them, and the kingdom of Rubies was born.

Emerald went east, the climate there provided her the warmth she craved and she had decided to stay there. The place offered her wonders and her mind craved for knowledge. She then gave rise to more of the emeralds.

Sapphire chose the sea has his home. He settled on an island known about by none. It is still a mystery. The water shaped more of the sapphires.

Amethyst settled west and gave rise to more amethysts. He was never happy with what he got, he longed for north so that he can harness magic. He longed for the east so that he can explore the wonders of nature. The west was beautiful, but greed overshadowed his eyes.

Years passed by, the kingdoms thrived. Men and women mated and married to give birth to others like them. They learnt to harness their powers. Every twenty years for a span of two months, the kingdoms will meet to know about each other more. But mating between members of other kingdoms was strictly prohibited so as to not disturb the balance of nature. Mutations were considered a bad omen. The First Borns knew how bad it is to be different. Everything was going on swiftly. The First Borns too drifted to sleep and passed their throne to the most appropriate leader. The royal families were hence formed and a new order was formed. Changes were made but nobody complained.

Until a certain Amethyst king decided that it was time to take what they assumed was rightfully theirs. The infamous King William. He knew what his ancestor, Amethyst, had carved for but never got. He used his brain and devised a clever plan. During the meeting of the Five kingdoms, he seduced Iris, the daughter of King Henry of the Emeralds. He told her that he loved her. His cruel brother, Prince Harold did the same with princess Sophia of the Sapphires.

Within a span of two month, they had made them fall head over heals with them. When they hoped to marry their lovers, their fathers agreed out of love of them. They were hesitant but their love for their shadows overshadowed their intellectual. The Rubies were obviously against such a marriage but they had a little say in the matter. Our ancestors feared that a curse shall be bought on the kingdom by the First Borns for not adhering to their commands.

They manipulated them, told them how they carved for to rule the north. They would stay in the lands of the Emeralds for months, neglecting their own kingdom. The royals misused the resources of the Emeralds, but they were too naive to notice that. The kingdom of Amethyst thrived with the riches bestowed to them by the Emeralds and the Sapphires. Soon their wives become pregnant but their greed kept on increasing. Their children were never like one had seen. They had black eyes, one that was never seen before. There was terror everywhere. The earth shook and the sea was violent. The First Borns weren't happy with their birth.

The Rubies had to do something because the hands of the other kingdoms were tied. They were too much in love with the children to notice anything. Both King William and prince Harold were blessed with sons, born on the same day.

The Rubies approached the Diamonds for help. All these years, the four kingdoms had stayed aloof of the Diamonds, but now the Rubies had no other option to concern the Diamonds about the same. The Diamonds were angry with such an incident and called upon the spirit of the First Born. They were scared when the first-born radiated anger, too strong for them to bear. They quickly visited the Kingdom of Amethyst.

They claimed to give blessing to the newborns but as soon as they were left alone, they murdered the children and their mothers in cold blood. This enraged the Kingdoms of Emerald and Sapphires and they declared war against the Diamonds. King William considered this the perfect opportunity to gain control over the kingdom of Diamonds too.

The Rubies knew that they would come for them the next, so they decided to help the Diamonds. The Diamonds were surely powerful creatures but they lacked the art of war. With Diamonds and Rubies combined, a powerful army was formed. But they were less in number. They war of the Five Kingdoms lasted for decades. There seemed no end to it. Ultimately, my father dethroned the then King of Amethyst, grandson of King William. Even though his wife was murdered and he didn't love her, he had to have an heir to the throne.

The Kingdom of Sapphires finally came with peace with us because they had suffered heavy losses and no longer longed for war. But the Emeralds were doing everything possible to ruin the lives of the Rubies. Their anger was not known to us. It is still a mystery how my father one day, out of the blue declared that the war with the Emeralds have ended. They had offered peace and we accepted. The Diamonds granted us gifts for supporting them with the war and everything ran smoothly. The rebels weren't much of a problem back then, than they are right now.

It's truly a mystery how things turn around in a day. My father refuses to speak about what happened with the Emeralds, but my mother knows. The Emeralds overthrew their then king and a new king claimed the throne. He was the son of a friend of the then King. But we no longer wander in their business. Staying away from each other is the best. We all, but, meet once when the new king has been crowned in all the kingdoms in the kingdom of Diamonds. So, I shall meet the other rulers of the kingdom when all the kingdoms have crowned a new ruler.

It is a wonder how things work out the way they do.