Aura - The Pure Truth: Princess in the Mists [1]
Feb 15 00:25:36 2005

A solemn hush lay over the little glade-like clearing that also
play home to the great tree that took up the vast majority of
it. Aura stood only a few feet away, bearing the look of a girl
who had thought she knew everything, only to realize how untrue
it was. Though she wanted very desperately to speak, try as she
might, she could not find the words. Her mind, however, was
spinning so fast that she had to fight just to keep from passing
out; the whole shock of her current situation was almost too
much to bear.

My... all this time, my mother... she was... all along...

The circle of dryads stopped their little dancing ring around
the base of the great trunk, falling motionless as the entire
surrounding area seemed to come alive, foliage and vegetation
alike waving in an unseen breeze as a deep, maternal voice
filled the glade.

"I wondered how much longer it would be before you came to
see me, my child. I am truly, truly sorry that you had to
see everything in this way, but it had to be done. The
balance of the entire world cannot be set aside for a single
soul, even if that soul belongs to my daughter."

The meaning held in those words was not at all clear, but at the
moment, it was the leastmost question in Aura's mind. With a
frown seemingly locked in place, she took her stance, defiance
in all its glory, but for a single handful of words.

"... Why? Why all this? Why did it have to be hidden from
me?"

The voice sighed, one who knew how hard it must be on the young
girl before her.

"I sent my spirits to look after you once I found out what
had happened to you, Aura. For the longest time, I only
wanted to make sure you were safe. Even if it involved
keeping the truth hidden from you. I knew, however, that
there would be a time when you would return here to learn
the truth. It was simply a matter of being more later than
sooner. And for this, I am truly sorry, again."

Aura didn't know what to say. What to think. How to feel. The
very idea that the person who had given birth to her so many
years ago was the ultimate core of mana energy left her feeling
as hollow as one of the nearby logs along the muddy ground. The
tree must've sensed this, for she sighed once more.

"You were born in the village, like any other girl conceived
from a descendant of the Mana Tribe. The only difference
between you and the rest of the Tribe is that you are the
child of an outworld father. While I was born, also, in the
same village, your father was a scientist from the outside
world, whom I fell in love with purely on a chance meeting."

Aura's face rose, looking upon the tree with misty eyes as the
latter gave her the long-awaited explanation she had so longed
for the whole time.

"The entire village was against the conjoinment. But that
didn't stop us; I held a place of considerably authority
within the village council, and I exercised my right to the
husband of my choosing. Though they still did not approve,
we were married; it was not long after that you were born."

The voice paused, almost as if for deliberation.