155 Fields of Red (1/2)
Lycster's was the first to drop. The stick fell out of his cylinder and hit the wooden floor. Yini picked it up and moved towards the side of the altar. There was a huge wooden cabinet filled with rows and rows of small drawers.
Each drawer was filled with small slips of paper that explained the fortune you received on the stick. Yini examined Lycster's before she placed it back into the bamboo cylinder. Moving over to the wooden cabinet, she traced each of the drawers with her pale bony finger.
Under her breath, she mutters to herself as she looks through the labels on the drawer until she finds the right one. She opened the drawer and took out a piece of paper. Yini read the paper before she handed it over to Lycster.
Lycster looked at it and was instantly baffled. The words written on it were not in the common language. But as soon as Lycster concentrated on the words, the words rearranged on their own.
He read it through multiple times, but he still could not quite understand what it met.
Yini smiled, she walked up to him and whispered into his ear, ”The spiral will empower you. But it divides you. Dark clouds gather and fester. Rain will pour, flood will follow. Separation is imminent, but so is convergence.”
Lycster looked down at the words on the paper as he heard Yini's whispers. He did not quite understand everything she had said. But looking on at Vy, he knew he could figure it out. Vy's stick finally fell from its cylinder.
Vy picked it up, only to realise that there was nothing written on hers. Every stick in the cylinder had something written on it, except for the one that fell out of Vy's. Looking back at the statue on the altar, Vy realised something.
When her eyes met Yini, it confirmed her suspicions. Regardless, Yini still took the stick from her and found the corresponding drawer swiftly. She took out a piece of paper from it and handed it over to Vy.
Much to her surprise, the paper was not blank. But, it did have a line of advice.
”It is your decision to make,” Vy whispered to herself as she read the words.
In an instant, Vy and Lycster realised that they were no longer in the main hall of the shrine. They were back on the path, surrounded by red spider lilies. When they turned to look back at the entrance of the shrine, Yini stood at the door of the main hall.
With a smile, she bowed to both of them. Just as she did so, two foxes appeared from the sides and sat down next to her. Their piercing eyes never left Vy and Lycster's gaze. Getting the hint that it was time for them to continue on their path, they bowed to Yini and took their leave.
Finally, they arrived at the strawberry field. Emerging from the forest, the siblings were greeted by harsh sunlight and an open field covered in ripe strawberries ready for harvest. The scent of fresh strawberries surrounded the fields.