97: Star Child: A Keepers Ascension I

Tolapo village, Niger

Present Day

I opened my eyes as the tornado of flames dissipated, the purple embers sinking into my skin and momentarily glowing before disappearing. I found myself back in the village, surrounded by hundreds of eyes staring back at me. With looks of sorrow and disbelief. I stood in the middle of the massive circle of villagers, unsure what to say or do. My soul still raw from the whirlwind of emotions I just relieved.

I looked through the crowd and my eyes met Jane and Iris. Their eyes wet and puffy from crying, they looked at me with understanding. Without a word they bolted from their spot in the circle and surrounded me, pulling me into a tight hug.

I froze, unsure how to react or what to even do. Jane hugged me from my right side and Iris hugged my left. Their embrace was almost painful but was comforting somehow.

"I'm so sorry Chase…I'm so sorry!" Jane whispered softly in my ear. Hearing the sincerity in her voice broke whatever wall was keeping the whirlwind of emotions back. My tears flowed freely then as I hugged them both back tightly and I let out a loud rib shaking sob.

"It's okay Star Child, we're here." Iris whispered through her own tears. I buried my head in Jane's shoulder and sobbed, my knees suddenly felt too weak to hold me. The three of us fell to our knees and continued to sob, holding tightly onto one another.

I felt a kind hand on my head and looked up to see Elder Luna standing in front of us. Her cheeks were wet with tears as she wiped away my tears.

"Auntie Luna…" I started but Elder Luna hushed me with a single finger pressed to my lips.

"It's alright Starlight, you don't need to say anything." Elder Luna said. Hearing Grandma Lulu's nickname for me hurt but felt oddly comforting. Looking into Elder Luna's eyes I saw a woman who was hurting trying her hardest to comfort me.

'Man up!' I thought. With a sniffle I looked to Jane and Iris and smiled at them, silently thanking. The girls both wiped their eyes and then the three of us stood. The didn't leave my side when I found my feet. They both hooked their arms in mine and stood by at my sides.

"Sorry…didn't mean to lose myself there…" I said flashing Elder Luna an awkward attempt at a smile. She gave me her own sad smile and brushed her hand against my cheek then turned to address the village.

As I looked out to the faces of the villagers I saw not a single dry eye among them. I expected to see them looking at me with pity for my loss or shame for not being able to do anything to protect her. However what I saw wasn't shame or pity, it was understanding.

"People of Tolapo! We have witnessed the trials and tribulations of Chase Kingston as seen through his own eyes, now he must be judged!" Elder Luna exclaimed, she made large sweeping motions with her arms to motion to everybody. "My people! What say you, is there a soul among you that believes that Chase handled that crisis poorly, that he could have done more?"

I expected to see people's a lot of people's hands go up saying that I could have done more but no body moved. Instead purple flames ignited on random parts of my body and flew towards people in the crowd. The flames hovered over a few villagers heads, signaling what they thought. There weren't as many as I thought there would be, only ten, among those Dwarm'moo was the one that stuck out the most. Everyone else in the crowd scowled at the ones that thought this. The normally austere Dwarm'moo looked a little sheepish for once.

After a few moments the flames crackled into embers then disappeared into embers in the wind. Seeing this Elder Luna smiled.

"Who here believes that he did everything in his power to resolve his crisis and protect those closest to him?" Elder Luna asked. No sooner had the question left her lips my purple flames erupted all over my body. The flames swirled into a violet tornado before shooting like stars to the remaining members of the tribe. I looked on in disbelief as I saw thousands of reassuring eyes staring back at me.

"Of course you did all you could Chase, anyone that honestly believes that you didn't is full of shit…" Jane whispered softly so only I could hear. Hearing her curse shocked me but touched me as well, she believed that so strongly it overrode her ingrained propriety.

All of a sudden the purple flames all shot into the air and collected into a stream that flew towards my crystal. The moment it touch a shockwave of pure mana burst from my chest and sent Jane and Iris flying away from me.

"FUCK!" I screamed as I gripped my right hand. The flames continued to stream into my crystal, making it feel like my whole body was on fire. A purple light glowed under my skin and started to keep up my arm to my chest and spread to the rest of my body from their. When the last of the flames entered my crystal the light began to condense and concentrate into thin tubes similar to veins.

The entire time I am screaming bloody murder and convulsing in a way that made me feel like I was being possessed. It felt like these tubes were burning their way through my flesh. For a moment I squeezed my eyes closed and almost begged for death, anything would have felt better than the agony I felt thrumming through my body.

Then suddenly I felt hands on my cheek, comforting and familiar. I opened my eyes expecting to see Grandma Lulu cradling my cheeks in the palms of her hands ready to tell me everything was going to be okay. That feeling felt so familiar that I forgot that she was gone. Instead I saw Jane and Iris, both determined and worried.

"Black crescent moon so high…" Iris started in the softest voice. My eyes widened as realization hit me what she was singing. Almost immediately Jane's voice combined with Iris's flowing seamlessly together to create one sound. "…in this dark and lonely sky. An ocean of obsidian tangled in your light. So make a wish now upon this shooting star and watch it fly across the night into heaven's arms."

As they finished the first verse other voices joined. Hundreds, thousands of voices, the entire village coming together to sing one song as one voice and all for me. The pain was all forgotten as I gave myself to the sound.

When the song ended I felt the last of the purple flames burn out and leave me. I felt a surge of mana flow through my body, not creeping through every cell as it had before but pumping through the newly constructed mana-veins. I felt more acutely aware of how much mana I had flowing through my body like I'd be able to tell you how much I had down to the last drop. The ritual was a success.

Seeing I was no longer in pain Jane and Iris gave me a soft smile.

"Thank you two…" I said softly.

"Anytime Star Child." Iris replied.

"You'd do the same for us." Jane said.

"Of course!" I replied and meant it.

"People of Tolapo!" Elder Luna exclaimed as she turned to address everyone around us.

"Chase Kingston has completed his Waloiki but we are not done! It is tradition that on the night of a child's birth he is given a name by which the tribe shall know him and a name that his ancestors will call to him. We all heard the echoes and screams of the dead! Tell to Chase the name that hos ancestors will call!"

"SHO'LAJAH" The tribe's voice echoed.

"Sho'lajah! Blessed Starlight!" Elder Luna echoed. "May the day our ancestors call be far and peaceful. May the star shard light bright!"

"BY THE STARS ABOVE!" The tribe roared.