A Connection to the Ruins

     “How will I decide where to go first?” Irisali asked, while mindlessly flipping through the pages of Altadorian Archives. There was no one in the room with her, so her question went unanswered. She soon realized she wasn’t retaining any of the words she read and slammed the book shut with a loud sigh. She got up from the large burgundy chair she had been sitting in and went to put the book back on the shelf. As she placed Altadorian Archives in the empty spot for it, something else caught her eye. She quickly pulled out Deep Sea Explorations and returned to her chair.

     She was mesmerized by the story, and suddenly she knew where she needed to go. The Maraquan Ruins. Irisali wasn’t sure why she was drawn to the ruins, but for the first time in a while, she was filled with hope. “Maybe this is where I’ll find my first big clue,” she thought to herself. Irisali wasn’t sure if she used to act on impulse, but she was ready to jump in head first. She might have been a little too ready to jump in head first.

     Irisali stayed up all night, planning her trip to the smallest detail. The only detail she was caught up on was how to safely travel to the ruins. She wasn’t certain it could be done in her existing form. “I could save up for potion…” she thought. “That will probably delay the trip though.” At that moment, she felt defeated. Exhausted, and defeated. Was all that planning wasted? She wasn’t prepared to explore the ruins, certainly not as a Brown Blumaroo.

     She shook her head slowly in defeat and left her desk. She proceeded to the bathroom, where she splashed some water on her face and then looked in the mirror. She gazed back at the Brown Blumaroo in front of her, and her heart sank. This just isn’t me. She grabbed a white towel sitting on the counter and started patting her face dry. When she looked up again, she realized the face staring back wasn’t a Brown Blumaroo, but a Maraquan Buzz? She brought her hands up to her eyes to rub them, she must be delirious from her all-nighter. Then realized instead of two small fists, she was now rubbing her face with two large pincers.

     “WHAT!” She loudly exclaimed. “Bu-bu-but h-h-how?” She gazed down and realized her entire body had transformed. “I didn’t drink a potion?”

     Irisali quickly rushed back to her study and began to pull out many books on the shelf. “Something has gotta explain what’s going on!” She muttered, until her eyes locked onto Sinsi: An Autobiography. “A-am I… Am I a-a-a shapeshifter?” She exclaimed. Did she unlock a significant clue about who she is? She couldn’t think of any other reasonable explanation. She rushed back to the bathroom and concentrated on herself in the mirror. “Blumaroo!” she thought to herself, over and over again, but nothing happened. “BLUMAROO!” She boomed, but again nothing.

     “I can shift… but not on command.” She quietly noted, her heart sinking as she spoke. “I am a shapeshifter… but I don’t know how to shapeshift… how inconvenient” she snorted, before bursting out into laughter.

     Her sudden revelation put her in a frenzy, and she managed to expedite her plans. She had her first real clue into her past. If she could shapeshift, what else could she do? There were endless possibilities and this both terrified and excited her. Neither sea nor space was out of the question. She could have hailed from Maraqua, for Kreludor, or Virtupets and now she had a chance to see if Maraqua had any information that was relevant to her life… and the day had finally come, she was here.

     Irisali had thought long and hard about how to begin her quest. Within the city of Maraqua, where she could talk to the locals or go to the ruins, inspired by her reading of Deep Sea Explorations. Logically, it didn't make sense to start in the ruins but Irisali couldn’t help herself. She was following what she was hoping was unconscious intuition. As if there was a part of her who remembered, but she couldn’t directly share.

     Irisali stood at the entrance to the ruins, her jaw dropped in awe. She felt something deep within her body, it was cool and prickly. Irisali couldn’t shake the feeling that the pirate curse still lingered, even though the whirlpool had subsided. She extended her left pincher out, inspecting her arm to make sure the feeling inside her didn’t trigger her to shapeshift. She let out a sigh of relief, realizing that whatever she was feeling didn’t cause her to transform. The feeling still lingered, but she didn’t let her stop.

     “I feel connected.” She thought.

     She wasn’t sure if she believed this or not, but she was going to think about it. Maybe she could feel something but she wasn’t going to stand around and wait for it to appear. She quickly darted and headed straight toward the bubbling pit. This hadn’t been her intention when she planned out her visit, but she felt compelled to do so. As Irisali approached the pit, she noticed a large wooden sign that read:

     WARNING - DANGEROUS PIT.

     While her brain contemplated stopping in her tracks, her body kept moving closer and closer until she stood at the edge. Her gaze went up, following the bubbles, and then down to the source. ”I know it said danger, but people come here all the time. I’ll be fine,” she thought to herself. She studied the pit for what seemed like hours. She seldom blinked her eyes; it was as if she was in a trance. “Well then!” She suddenly exclaimed as she turned her back to the pit, “I know exactly why I am here.”

     Irisali moved to her west, following the crack in the pit as she moved. She kept a long distance between herself and the bubbling pit than when she was in her trace, but she was still uncomfortably close. One heavy current and she’d be falling straight into the depths of the pit. At last, the pit ended, and Irisali was surrounded by sand and kelp. She stops suddenly and moves north. Something has caught her eye, “What is that?” She asks out loud, but nothing but the silence of the ocean surrounds her.

     She cautiously moves closer, there is a disturbed kelp bed here and an impression in the sand that still hasn't washed away. She turns her head to the left, puzzled. This is exactly where she wanted to be, and yet she didn’t understand. It was just an empty kelp bed. She reached her pincers forward, trying to clear some of the sand away and it instantly felt hot. She instinctively pulled it back but quickly noticed her pincer changing into a bright green fin. When she extended it back out to examine her new fin, it reverted to its pincer form.

     “What in the name of Fyora…” she gasped.

     She put her pincer back on the sand, and the hot feeling returned, except this time it was so powerful that it melted away the cool, prickly feeling that had been looming inside of her. “I am connected to whatever is here, I am sure of it!” She thought, this time believing herself, without a doubt. “I just need to find someone, or something, that can tell me more.”

     Irisali no longer felt a reason to stay in the ruins. The intuition that guided her to this place was telling her that there was nothing else to find there. The answers were in Maraqua, and away she went. It wouldn’t be a quick journey, but it would give her time to come up with her questions. She was sure she would look crazy, but she knew someone could help her.

     She loses track of where she should go when she arrives in Maraqua. Her gut feeling that had been guiding her journey, poof! This frazzled Irisali, and it made her unsure of what to do next. Suddenly, her stomach made a large gurgle and she realized she couldn't remember the last time she ate. She glanced around looking for food and spotted Kelp.

     “Kelp!” She thought. “There’s no way I’ll get in. That place always needs a reservation… or so I’ve heard.” She couldn't remember why she knew that, but she was certain she hadn’t read it. Maybe someone mentioned it during her travels, or maybe she used to come here! She made her way towards Kelp - what was the worst that could happen? They won’t let her in? “That’s not too bad,” she thought to herself.

     She opens the door and approaches the stand where the host is waiting with a smile. “Reservation?” He asks.

     “Oh uhh - I’m unexpectedly in town” she stammers, “I don’t have one, but is there any way you could fit me in?”

     The Scorchio refers to the clipboard in front of him and then ponders for a moment, “Absolutely.” and then gestures for her to follow.

     “You wouldn’t by chance know of anyone who studies the ruins, would you?” Irisali asked as she followed him past some tables.

     “Actually,” he says, gesturing to a Kiko two tables away, “He is.” He puts his arm down and then points to the table in front of them. “Here is your table, our waitress will be around to take your order shortly.” As he is speaking he sets a menu down in front of her and then returns to his stand.

     Irisali scans through the menu, but her gaze keeps moving to Kiko the host had gestured at. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she gets up from her table and moves toward the Kiko.

     “Excuse me,” she says, as she approaches. “I understand you study the Maraquan Ruins?” The Kiko nods. “Would you have a few seconds to chat?”

     The Kiko nods again, this time with a wide grin! “Absolutely, please sit! I haven’t ordered yet, so you could join me for dinner if you’d like.”

     Irisali didn’t hesitate. “I’d be delighted to!”

     Irisali quickly dove into her story, and how she couldn't remember who she was. She explains waking up one day in Neopia Central with no memory of who she was, and in a body that didn’t feel like her. She explains the books she read, and the flavours she tried, all to try and jog her memory. Yet it wasn’t until she touched that Kelp bed that she felt like she was getting somewhere. She left out the details about shapeshifting, not wanting to reveal all her cards.

     “Ahh, the empty kelp bed,” the Kiko says slowly, still grinning. It’s peculiar you are drawn to that spot. “The Darkest Faerie’s statue used to be in that spot, but she vanished during the Wraith Resurgence.” He studies her for a long moment, “Something tells me you’ve got a bit of magic in you. No, I’ve spoken to has ever felt that way at the kelp bed.” He shook his head, “And if it’s not magic in you, you must have some other connection.”

     The Kiko dives into what he knows of the Wraith Resurgence, though it isn’t much. They both speculate as they enjoy their meal together. Irisali still didn’t have many answers, but she knew that the darkest faerie had some part in this. Irisali left Maraqua with more questions than answers, but she knew more than before. Perhaps she would head to the Haunted Woods, or maybe she would venture to Faerieland. Someone, in either of those places, would have to know more and if she was lucky, maybe they knew who she was.

     The End.