Luna Star, Part 14

“Yep, he talks. No need to make tea, it isn’t much after noon after all and I already had lunch. However if you want to make some tea for yourself I can wait a little bit.” Said Luna.

“Ah, no.” Sibyl stumbled over her words like she didn’t really know what to say.

“You want to ask about why I am here with my talking cat?” Asked Luna.

“Ah, yes. It, um, isn’t every day that someone comes over to your house and wants to talk with you and they have a talking cat. At least I don’t think it happens a lot. I guess it might happen to you because it is your talking cat after all and…” Said Sibyl.

“Your babbling now.” Said Luna firmly and Sibyl stopped talking. “You mentioned that I was the person from your dream. What do you remember about that? It is important so try to remember as much detail as you can.”

“Remember my dream, well I can try. Let’s see, I first remember standing between a bunch of trees just as it was beginning to snow. It looked like it was a park but I don’t go to those very often so I couldn’t recognize which one. I could hear or feeling something crackling near by and something big was moving through the woods just outside my vision. I followed the sound and found the lake. The snow was getting even harder and I could still hear the sound but it seemed to be coming from beneath the lake.”

Luna nodded as Sibyl told her story.

“I walked toward the sound and soon found myself standing on top of the lake. It was still wet and I could see the ripples beneath my feet. I could see a large animal beneath the waters, a large reptile of some kind. I couldn’t make it out completely though. Then I could feel something from the forest. Something was coming toward me. I turned to see a girl, you, standing near the trees. Then I, I…”

“You said something didn’t you?” Asked Luna. She remembered seeing Sibyl’s mouth moving that time but she hadn’t been able to hear it.

“Yes, but, it doesn’t make sense. I said, ‘The Queen of Light is being devoured by the Queen of Darkness.’” Said Sibyl. “It must be because you were glowing in a pale light and there was some dark creature following you about to devour you. I think I woke up screaming after that.”

Luna frowned, “Strange, that is almost how I remember it too except that there wasn’t any beast behind me. The only monster there was that creature in the lake.” Luna considered Sibyl’s statement but her thoughts were interrupted.

“So it was you? Way that real? Were you really there in the park last night?” Asked Sibyl.

“Yes I was there in the park. I was there to fight the monster that you saw in the lake. They are creatures called Elder Shadows. Me and Joy are basically in charge of defeating them so that they can not hurt people.” Explained Luna.

“Then my other dreams, are they things that have happened too?”

“You have had similar dreams before?”

“Yes, many times. I thought that they were all nightmares. After all such horrible things couldn’t be really, except, except,” Sibyl gulped, “Things happened, news reports kept saying things that were really close to what I dreamt. They were close enough that I was always afraid that my dreams might be real. Now you are saying the are real?”

“I really don’t know.” Said Luna, “But since your dream really did correspond to what happened last night then your dreams probably are turn. That must be horrible to see things like that and not being able to do something about it.”

Sibyl nodded with tears in her eyes. “I tried doing things. Sometimes my dreams didn’t complete so I thought I would be able to change something. Yet those times nobody accepted what I had to say. Of course they wouldn’t, I’m just a deluded high school student who is sick so often she does whatever she can for attention. I did everything that I could to try and stop it but it didn’t work”

Blackberry jumped onto the table, “Would you like to change that?”

“Change? How? I’m incapable of doing anything. I want to help people, to save them but.” She help up her hand which was scrawny and thin, “I don’t have the strength. I can’t stop my dreams and nobody believes me. I thought getting good grades and being something useful like a teacher or a doctor but nobody would hire a sickly person like me for either of those careers.” She had a look of despair on her face.

“There is a way to fix that. There is a way to gain the strength that you want. You can save the people that you want to save. If you join us then I can give you what you want. The strength to protect and to achieve your dreams. Isn’t that what you want?” Said Blackberry.

“A way to get that power? How? What can I do?” Said Sibyl but there was a new look in her eyes. A flame that was burning in there where before was only a desolate emptiness.

“It is dangerous though,” Said Luna in warning, “You will have to risk your life to protect though around you. Are you willing to do that?”

“I don’t mind,” Said Sibyl with a firm tone in her voice something that seemed unnatural for the petite girl. “I risk my life already. I have a weak immune system. Every time I catch a serious flu there is a possibility that I die from it. Compared to living with that I am more then willing to risk my life if it means that I can do something about what I see in my dreams.”

“Good then.” Said Blackberry. Luna stood up and took a few steps backward for Blackberry to have some space. “Now tell me your full name so that I can begin.”

“It is Sibyl Times.”

Blackberry moved toward Sibyl and as he did so a circle of light began to form on the floor around her. More circles formed and runes began to appear between the circles. Lines and diagrams forming complication symbols. Then they began to rise up off the floor and begin to rotate around her.

“Sibyl Times, hear my call. Let the light inside you envelope. Let your powers awaken. Let you soul break free of it’s shackles. Awaken the magic inside of you and become reborn. Let it be so”

The light from the runes continued to grow brighter and brighter. Soon nothing more then a glowing outline of Sibyl was visible. The light began to swirl around and around growing tighter and tighter around her. Then with a pop and a sparkle of light the glow broke up into mots spinning through the air.

There was a blue flickering glow as Sibyl’s feet came to rest on the floor. She was wearing a long blue skirt which met up with her equally long and pale blue stockings both of which were embroidered with white runes. She had a long sleeves shirt and a dark blue vest that went over it. Her hair seemed to be longer then it was before and it was tied into pig tails by blue ribbons.

Sibyl stood there is shock. There was a flicker in the air where she was standing like she was a television experiencing static. “This, this is?” Stammered Sibyl.

“Magic?” Supplied Luna. “Or power? Perhaps it is both.”

Sibyl looked down at her strange clothing and lifted her arms in front of her face. “I feel strange, like I am light. It feels like I could do anything. I don’t think I have ever felt that way before.”

“The effects of the magic on you.” Said Blackberry, “It is reinforcing your body and is compensating for your sickly body. It will probably take you some time to adjust to the changes. Given a couple of weeks you will eventually get used to it. By then your magic will be settling into filling in for your weaker body. There will probably be some exhaustion too which will be the result of unstable and inexperienced magical flow.”

Sibyl looked over toward Blackberry with a look of surprise and dawning delight, “You mean that I won’t be sick anymore? That I will be able to go things like a normal girl?”

“Sure, as long as your keep your magical usage to a minimum it will keep your body healthy. You should avoid running your magical supply dry like Luna here however. Doing that could cause a resurgence of your sickness but if you use your magic wisely then you should have to worry about it again.”

“And this is permanent? It won’t vanish when I turn eighteen or something will it.”

“Permanent, at least until you die. It isn’t like I’m giving you my power or something. I’m just awakening and focusing the potential that was already inside you. If your case your partially awakened dream talent in the foundation of your powers. Also that potential has probably been keeping you alive through your sickness the best that it could.” Said Blackberry.

There was another flicker of blue static and Luna reached out her hand to grab Sibyl by the arm, “Sibyl, you need to be careful. Your power seems unstable. It is like you are flickering in and out. I’m not really the person to say this but you need to take a few deep breaths. Release the image of your magic in your mind.”

Sibyl looked at her questioningly and then did what she said. After a couple of deep breaths there was a popping sound and in a blue flash Sibyl was back in her pajamas. She teetered back and forth for a moment and then collapsed into Luna’s arms.

Luna looked toward Blackberry, “Her power is very unstable isn’t it. I may not have the greatest magical sense but even I could tell that.”

Blackberry nodded, “Yes very unstable. I didn’t want to tell her while she was conscious but her potential is lower then Joy. Her young talent had been straining to keep her alive despite her weak immune system. Even now her powers are having a hard time coping with her body. It will get better with time and eventually she could be strong enough to help you and Joy but…”

“That could take a while.” Luna nodded. She lifted Sibyl the best that she could and began carrying her through the house. Sibyl was very light and small for someone the same age as Luna. After checking a couple of doors Luna managed to find Sibyl’s room and laid her down on the bed.

“Yes, unfortunately while she does have magical talent I don’t think she will be of much help to you and Joy in fighting an Elder Darkness. Regrettably I think we will need to find another magical girl. I’m sorry that your lead turned out to be like this.”

“Nah, it’s fine. Looking at it one way we probably saved Sibyl’s life. Even if her magic isn’t enough to help us at least it should be enough to allow her to live a normal life. She will probably be able to make most of the rest of the school year.” Luna rested her hand on Sibyl’s head. “Well, I’m going to head back to school. When she wakes up tell her where I went and how she can contact me. Then tell her it will take some time for her to adjust to her power. She will be able to help us when that happens.”

“That is basically a lie.” Said Blackberry.

She shrugged, “You never can tell with magic. Plus human desire it not something to be ideally dismissed.” She waved at Blackberry as she left the room. Blackberry heard the front door shut.