Page 19 of Celestia, Year Four

Even if I hadn't known him for very long, he was easy to read thanks to my time with his brother. He glanced over to Esme as if needing her silent permission to tell me and she gave him a nod.

"When a unicorn shifter obtains rainbow wings, it means they are blessed by Mother Nature herself to be the next ruler of the sacred lands, which is the forest that’s outside of Aslan. The designation as ruler entitles you power over the entire dimension. It's currently the High Council’s position." Odion explained.

"BiBi...BO?" Momo turned in my lap and stood up, trying to reach for my back like she was looking for something.

Odion rolled his eyes. "She doesn't have her wings out, Momo."

"Bo..." Momo looked back at him as if she was giving him an evil glare and he sighed.

"Alright, you can search as long as you want. Don't cry to me later."

I ran my hand down Momo's head to get her attention and she looked up at me with curious swirling eyes. "Bi?"

"We're indoors, Momo. I can't take my wings out, even if I wanted to. Maybe when we go outside, I'll try, and you can see them, okay?" I reasoned.

"BiBo!" She jumped up and down in agreement and returned back to sitting in my lap. Once she was comfortable and quietly entertaining herself with the remainder of the food on the tray, I turned my attention to Esme and Odion.

"So, let me get this straight. After my Awakening Ceremony, I obtained rainbow wings? Doesn't that make me NOT a unicorn anymore but an alicorn? Also, that means I'm Queen?! And the High Council is in the current position of ruling when it’s supposed to be one individual? Hmm, this is going all over the place." I felt as if the conversation was going back and forth just like when I'd woken up the first time.

Odion moved to sit completely on the bed, crossing his legs to face me.

Esme made her way over to stand to the right end of the bed, giving me a remorseful expression.

"Let's do this in order because there is far too much information to give you at once. Let's start with the Dark World. Then that will lead to the past and the High Council's purpose. Then we'll take a break," she suggested.

"Alright," I replied with a nod.

Odion also nodded in acknowledgment. "Sounds good."

"I'm sure Odion has explained what the Dark World is, but to elaborate more, this is like a reflection of the world above. We refer to it as the Light World since that is the world that receives the sun's adoration and grace, versus this world that has never seen sunlight."

"Night 24/7? Do you see the moon… or stars?" I inquired.

She gave me a sympathetic smile and shook her head.

"We do not. We are the reflection of your world, but out of pure darkness. We use magic to help lighten the outdoors if we need to travel through our own realm to get somewhere, but we only have a few living areas and travel to the Light World if we need specific food we can't make with our own magic."

She moved to the window and opened the curtains for me to see.

I expected to see stars of some kind or any type of light, but it was completely black like parts of the walls in the room, making me wonder if there was a plank of wood on top of the window, blocking the sight of the outside I envisioned in my mind.

They seriously live in complete darkness...

"Don't look so sad, my Queen," Odion whispered and got out from his crossed position to crawl towards me.

I blinked my eyes a few times, trying to fight the tears that were attempting to fall.

How could I not be emotional when I find out Odion, Esme, and Momo have been living in pure darkness? In fact, who else could be living in these conditions for so many years?

Odion sat in front of the tray, just opposite of me, and reached out to brush away the tear that began to roll down my cheek.

"It's just how it is." Odion shrugged with a sad smile. "It's a little scary at first, but you get used to it."

"That's not fair though. The Dark World wasn't meant for you." I was theorizing now, trying to put the pieces together.

Esme walked over to the bed once more and sat down on the edge, turning to face Odion, Momo, and me.

"The Dark World is almost like a safe haven for those individuals who are discarded to die." When she dropped that bomb, I couldn't even reply, rendered speechless at her words. She continued.

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