Morph
40. Risen

Free, I hold every element in my hand, water, fire, and earth and I set Ecladen free. The volcano erupts, lava flowing out of it so I create a ring of fire to keep it in one place. Then we all watch the volcano overflow and be drenched in malted lava, the winds roar around me and rain drizzles from the sky to mix with the fire I’ve made in the middle of it all.

Time seems to still as the volcano stops pouring lava into the small space I’ve made for it and instead starts to glow purple, then green, then brown and so on like Callene’s eyes. I’m thrown back and all works drop as well as the air on the corners mouths and their restraints, I see this as they all gasp and run to the volcano.

I hold the gash the ground made to my head, staring at the now frozen over purple lava and I wait, and wait. We all wait, but nothing ever comes and so I stand up confused with dizziness evident on me. “Where is he?” I look accusingly at the corners who seem just as confused as me, more so because Daelortoze hasn’t come out yet. “Daelortoze, Ecladen, come out.” Nothing, silence.

Kelenimen laughs. “Oh you stupid girl, you really thought his word was his life? You don’t know your own grandfather enough to know that he has no life, you will never replace him, or stop us.” His voice drips with a satisfied malice.

Grandfather? First I replace out my mother isn’t my mother and now the corners are suppose to be what, my uncles and aunts? So I laugh, right in their faces with my hand still held on my pounding wound that I feel blood drip from. “You know none of you were ever good jokers.”

“Whose joking?” Repoeine now speaks and I finally have my defense as I look at him.

“You tried to keep me for yourself, that’s incest.” He laughs.

“Darling niece, David would kill me if I actually meant that, it was for entertainment purposes. I liked seeing the depth all riled up.” A lump as big as my fist is in my throat. “Have you ever seen his power? He’s the greatest of us all.”

“I’m quite jealous of him actually.” Callene interjects. “He gets to be the oldest and live among humans, let’s not forget he didn’t have to be in those dreadful corners with us.”

“Enough about David. I have always hated that dreadful human name he gave himself, should have been a Ethan or something.” I look to a giggling Analexania only she’s not a purple small floating creature, she’s a woman. Changing eyes like her brother and strawberry blond hair, towering a few inches over me. Can this bring anymore surprises, I don’t know what to do first.

Do I alert the others of Ecladen and Daelortoze being on the loose? Do I think of how my fathers entire life is a lie? Do I trap them? I don’t know and all this stress is making my wound pound more. “Can you all pay attention to me.” I snap.

“Don’t sound so bratty Ren.” Kelenimen smirks, his eyes settling on a bright burgundy that makes my heart stop as I examine them, the familiarness of them. Many times in my nightmares I would see those eyes on a man who would sit with me in the darkness of my mind as I watched my mother get high. He smirks a knowing smirk. “I’ve come along way from dream land, I am still your favorite uncle, yes?”

Teleportation maybe? No I can’t do that. Well yes I can I can morph scenes but only they are threats and without dear grandpa here it should be fine, right?

“We have bigger things to take care of, come on you nitwits.” Callene saves me the speech.

“Sure thing brother.” Analexania vanishes after these words, then Callene, then Repoeine, then Kelenimen winks at me once before vanishing as well leaving me alone and confused in the space of the volcano, but for some reason even without Ecladen I still feel that this place is a threat.

--

“It was a choice for my people, I make choices in their favor and he promised an efficient one.” Impatience and validation is all I feel.

“Yes but you should have came here and thought this through you should have never locked us up, you can’t make choices based on promises Serenity.” Libra defends.

“If I wouldn’t have done it that way both of you would have been in the way, you let your heart blind you. Don’t forget that you are rulers before anything.” I whisper harshly at him. His mouth hangs open and hurt flutters through his face but Gemini bursts in before anything can be said.

He doesn’t even bat an eye at me, which hurts, he instead looks to Libra. “He is here.” He says before walking out, him, my father is here. I gave strict instructions to have him here as soon as possible, I have many bones to pick with him.

Libra nods at me, leaving me where I sit to deal with the devil alone and soon he walks in with a look of regret on his face. “Serenity, I-”

“Father, sit down.” I try not to let my anger overtake me, the feeling of betrayal. He sits, running his hands through his hair. “I have had hell in this place.” I laugh, standing up and letting my hand rest on the bandage on my head. “Hell, do you hear me?” He doesn’t look up.

“I’m sorry for that but this is what you were born for.”

“This is what I was born for?” I yell. “No, no I won’t accept that. Everyone is born with a choice and maybe I made this choice without realizing it but this is not what I was born for, not what I signed up for, David.” Now he looks up, his blue eyes flashing with hurt, well look at that, now we’re both hurt. “Or is that even your name?” I whisper.

“My name is Ezelene but I am still David, still your father.” He says softly, his eyes begging me.

“Turns out my mother is a psycho queen who preserved herself for god knows why all because you broke her heart, turns out I am a morpher queen, turns out there’s a whole other world that I have to save and turns out that I have been fighting against my own family this entire time. When I thought I didn’t even have any other family, turns out my father is a lie, my life is a lie..” I trail off.

“Your fight is not against them, your fight is with them Serenity they are your family.” He says, the audacity, the nerve.

“With them? These people here in this manor are my family before any good for nothing but chaos corner could ever be. These people who have been with me through all of this and fought beside me, not against me and you want me to switch sides?” I gape. “The morphers are my family, this manor is my home.”

“My siblings are your family, their children are your family not these people you’ve grown attached to.” He says.

“I’ve set Ecladen free, your father.” I tell him and watch his eyes grow wide. “If he is a problem I will eliminate him, and your siblings without a second thought about it. None of them were there for me, I grew up in a lie and its too late for the truth now.” I nod once at him before hearing the deep chuckle of Kelenimen.

“I see they let an uninvited guest in, Dorraine slacks these days.” I growl.

“Ren be calm, I only wish to see my dear brother.” He walks toward us. “Ezelene, its been reins.”

“Kelenimen.” My father nods, his eyes gleaming with- tears. He breaths out, standing up and encasing his brother in a hug that even makes my heart swell in a weird way. “Brother.” They both breath out, shaking their heads in disbelief. I clear my throat to break up the moment, all eyes turn to me.

“Ecladen, I want him here or I will raise hell.” I say simply, meaning every word. “If his word is his life like he says it is, he’d better own up to that.”

“Serenity you will not speak this way, especially not of your grandfather.” David gasps, scowling at me.

“David, please.” Betrayal, betrayal and more betrayal, its the strongest feeling I’ve had on this journey. “I will choose my people, and my family over everything, father.” His eyes soften at the title, he is still my father, he will always be. No matter how hard the lies sting he has always been there and he made me who I am, I love him and he is my father.

“We are her family.” Gemini’s voice cuts off my every thought. “If you all are done here, Serenity, your mothers are fighting in the animation forest.” I had forgotten all about them, my father’s eyes go wide and Kelenimen chuckles.

“Mother’s?” He looks around.

“Yes, as in the lovely Emilia and Danielle.” I confirm. “Gemini please get them back to wherever it is they belong, I don’t want to see them.” I press, I’ve dealt with enough family matter today.

“Of course.” He replies. “The morphers are settled in the meeting room, they’re looking for their queen.” Is all he says before leaving.

“I’ll leave you two to it.” I nod at my father and Kelenimen. With that I leave to tell my people of the drastic changes we are going to go through, I go to assure them and let them know that I make choices in their favor.

To be a queen is to be a safe haven, I’m hoping I succeed in this task alone.