"And it was then that the Primal One gave up the elements. He did not set them free as before, but instead gave each element to a keeper, creating the four Wild Ones.
"With the powers broken apart, the Primal One felt his connection with the Fae fade away, but what he saw was incredible. They began to develop thoughts and ideas of their own.
"They were given free will.
"Now, they did not fight as one mind, but hundreds of thousands, and together…
"They defeated the Darkness.
"It was then that they realized it could not be destroyed, only beaten, and so the Primal One tamed the Darkness like he did the elements, and bestowed it upon a new Wild One, creating the first High Fae.
"The Druids were linked, so that the power of the elements could keep the Darkness at bay. And the Darkness would keep the elements in control, keep them from consuming the world in chaos.
"Years of peace followed, and happiness, and sorrow. But it was happiness and sorrow created by free will. And after many, many ages past, the Primal One gave up his rule, and left the world, leaving his children to be truly free."
I pull my hand away from the wall, the story finished.
Dean frowns. "How is this different from the original?"
I turn to him. "In the common tale, the Primal One grows lonely, yes, and he divides up the elements creating free will, yes. However, he retains a connection to them all, and thus manifests Yami, who is all. And thus, the Primal One becomes the first High Fae. Eventually, he leaves, and his children, the next High Fae, continue to rule."
Dean raises an eyebrow. "So if this tale is true, then…"
I look at the dragon on my shoulder, his scales gleaming with stars. "Then there is a darkness within me. A darkness that can consume the world."
Dean notices my grim face and chuckles. "Don’t give yourself too much credit, Princess. I, for one, have already destroyed a world. Well. I helped. There is no way to know if this story is true. If any of them are true."
"You’re right," I say, sighing, letting tension escape me. "These tales were probably just created to explain creation and the beginning of life. In my world, there are many old religions that used stories to explain what can now be explained by science."
"Exactly." He snaps his fingers, and for a moment we don't say anything. Then Dean smiles devilishly. "I have a confession to make. I'm the one who let Lopsi out."
I throw my hands up in shock. "You freed that creature! Why?"
He shrugs. "I needed a way to get you to my realm. It was the only real solution."
I groan, rubbing my temples. "People got hurt. Someone could have been killed."
"But they weren't, were they? Hey, how about we focus on something else? Like that. What's that?" Dean points to something in the wall. A handprint covered in spikes.
I step forward. "I know what that is. I’ve seen its kind before."
"Well, what—"
Before he can finish, I stick my hand onto the spikes, letting my blood flow into the stone. The glyphs begin to glow silver, and then the wall with the story begins to open. Not a wall then. A door.
And behind it there's a smaller courtyard with a pedestal in the center. Upon it sits a shallow bowl of gold filled with clear water.
Dean looks into the vessel, his eyes lighting up. "This can’t be. It can’t."
"What is it?" I ask, walking to his side, and then I see it, my reflection in the water, and I understand.
I see myself in the water, back in Portland, at a graduation. My graduation. From law school. I see Es and Pete congratulating me. I see us go to dinner at a restaurant fancier than I could afford, and there is someone there with me. A man, tall and handsome, whispering in my ear. I laugh at whatever he says, and then we kiss.
I reach to touch the water, grasping at the droplets that run through my fingers, at the images that seem half memory. I can almost feel—
Dean yanks my hand away. "Do not touch the water. It’s said if you do, you will be swept away into another reality, another existence."
I blink a few times, and the visions begin to fade. I begin to feel more like myself. "What is this?"
Dean looks at the bowl. "My Keeper told of such a thing, though even he thought it myth. The Mirror of Idis. It is said, at the deepest of his despair, the Primal One wept, and his tears created a pool, a mirror, showing how things may have been if he'd chosen differently."
So that could have been my life. If I had never taken the contract. If I had followed the path I was on. I could have been a lawyer. I could have been safe and happy with my friends. I could even have love.
But I could never have my mother.