Millions of hourglasses were whittling down fate when he walked into the room, papers stacked neatly in his hand. Staring at the dripping sand was a rather beautiful woman draped in a soft, amber dress made of silk that yielded to even the non-existent wind. Even after all these years, with all his prior experience, he still could not get used to working with this particular goddess. Long, flowing blond hair that touched the floor in a mass of waves and eyes that shone a bright chestnut brown, Aurora was definitely one of the more beautiful of the celestial beings. However she, whose image was mirrored in the millions of time pieces that lines all the walls and ever other surface of the vast room, had a personality as unpredictable as she could predict the lives of others-- and even more contradictory to her appearance. Slowly, he coughed, gathering the goddess' attention towards him. Her head whipped towards him, and she gave him a beautiful smile.

"Loren! You're here at last," the goddess exclaimed, getting off the sole mahogany desk in the room and moving towards her obedient servant, placing her arms around him in a chaste hug. The aforementioned Loren tried his hardest to suppress the blush that threatened to creep to his his skin and quell his ever fast-beating heart. His mind was forced to go to different places than it wanted to go. Awkwardly, he broke the hug, handing her the papers without a single word.

"Excellent! Thank you so much, Loren, you're a life saver" she beamed, looking through the thick pile of papers. After a quick look through, she selected two sheets and tossed the others aside, where they scattered unceremoniously all over the floor. Side beside, they rose from her hands into midair as she studied them, brows furrowed and mouth pulled entirely thin. Her trademark smile, however, was back on her lips in a matter of seconds as her eyes darting from one page to the other. Clapping excitedly, Aurora turned back towards her servant before saying, "Loren, do you have any idea why I am ecstatic right now?"

"No, I have no idea milady," Loren mumbled, wondering what could be said about her mood. Loren Goddess of Fate was always happy, even when many hated her and cursed her name. The answer to this question, therefore, was very difficult to answer for the sole fact that it could be absolutely anything. His eyes flicked over her shoulder to the papers that were floating merrily along. All he could see were two pictures, one of a small girl with blond hair and a rather empty face, and the other of a dark skinned demon who could very well be the maddest person Loren has ever seen in the world. The words that surrounded them, however, were too small for him to read from where he stood.

"Well, besides dear Ian finally succumbing to his own particular fate (even if somewhere in the long and distant future,) of which I am very happy about, it is soon to be the time of the Red Moon! Isn't that wonderful? I've been waiting for a long time for this time. It's my favorite time of the millennium." Aurora replied, turning around, grinning like a child in a candy store. Loren bit his lip, unsure of what to say. While he had never himself been alive for the ceremony, he had heard plenty of stories-- most of them gruesome-- that revolved around it. Tales of murder, jealousy, and vengeance all for the gain of what was supposedly a heart's one true desire. Most gods and goddess' treated the time with a cold shoulder, offering their protection to their followers just case any were unfortunate to get swept into the utter and true mess of the time.

"I see, Aurora. What, might I ask, do you plan to do this time? Assuming, however, that the Goddess of Fate has a plan for what she wants to happen."

The Goddess of Fate merely smiled, taking his arm and dragging him towards a wall of hourglasses. The pieces of paper followed her, flying through the air before coming to a stop right underneath two respective time pieces. With her index fingers, the goddess pointed at two of them.

"Normally, as you've undoubtedly heard, dearest Loren, I let whatever happens to happen. It really is a lovely time, I get to sit back and watch as things unfold in the temple. People are so intent on getting what they presume to be want they deserve. I've put murderous kings on the throne, given entire kingdoms and lands to a certain individual, even made one a demi-god. That last one is long gone, though. This time, however, it must be these two particular people who are in that room when the red moon rises over the temple. This girl, and this demon whose life are so intertwined with the other there has never been more unbreakable a fate. These two people, however, need a little push. They need to go on the journey together if they have a chance at a future. It is literally written in stone."

"Why would they not go on the trip together? What is so special about them?" Loren asked, turning towards the Goddess. She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Because they have no idea the other one exists."

--

The wind whistled through the trees, rippling the waters of the lake. Aurora saw Sarah kneel down, looking at the fish that swam luxuriously in the water. Idly, Aurora figured that this particular girl was trying to figure out how the were able to survive in the water, something she could not do. What else could the blond haired girl be thinking? The Goddess of Fate moved towards the small teenager, whose bright blond, braids were dipped unceremoniously in the water and whose hem of her brown skirt was getting soaked on the bank. Aurora was just about to say something to catch the girl's attention when something brown caught her eye. The brown thing, as it turned out, was a stick, whirling through the air, smacking itself into the water after narrowly missing Sarah. The fish, with their blue and yellow scales, scattered instantly away from the danger before anything could hurt them. Another stick soon followed, this one hitting its intended target.

"Get out of here, witch! Leave! No one wants you here! Everyone hates you!" a child yelled. The Goddess turned towards the rascal as she resigned to watching from the sidelines as the girl rose up to look at her assailant. The stick-thrower, by the looks of him, was only about twelve years old--stuck in the vile space between childhood and manhood that many call puberty. In his hands were several things: rocks, sticks, and random bits of metal. His face was dirty, with several row of clear, clean streams running down his face. It was his eyes, however, that got Aurora's particular attention. They were on fire; these were horribly mad and anguished eyes. The goddess wondered what in the world the boy could be so furious about before something else caught her eye up above on a hill. Ian nodded down at her, holding the struggling soul of a woman who definitely had a resemblance to this firey youth by the arm. Her friend leaned down to whisper something into the departed woman's ear and she calmed down, instead collapsing into tears. This far away, Aurora had no idea if the tears were sad or serene. She never would find out as the couple disappeared moments later. Aurora sighed, turning back to the scene before her. 'So that is what happened,' she murmured.

"I have no where to go so why would I go anywhere else?" Sarah said simply. Aurora studied this girl's face, and was completely surprised. How many times had she heard of this girl, heard of her condition? Nothing, however, could have prepared her for the true product of such an anomaly. Never before had Aurora seen such an emotionless, expressionless face, or such empty, void green eyes. In a matter of moments. Aurora felt sorry for the girl, coming to the closest understanding she could of what it must be like to be in her position. The Goddess of Fate shuddered-- never would she want to be her. Luckily, however, fate was going to change for the blond-haired girl.

"You killed my mother!" the boy screamed, throwing a rock in Sarah's direction. His aim, Aurora smirked, sucked primarily due to his broiling emotions and the rock plunked itself down into the softly rolling waves. Sarah, however, seemed utterly and truly unfazed. Before the girl could reply, however, the goddess appeared right beside the boy, grabbing his arms by the wrists and smiling towards him gently. He was truly and utterly shocked, dropping everything he held in his hands and trying to break free. The Goddess shushed him in his ear, holding him still.

"Now, now, Aiden, there is no need to be rude to another person. Why, might I ask, do you accuse this girl of being a murderer?" Aurora asked.

"How do you know my name?" Aiden shot back, not bothering to answer her question. He looked up at her, fear tinging his anger but trying his best not to show it.

"Aw, you don't recognize a goddess when you see one, little boy? You really ought to go to the temples, it'll completely change your outlook on life. Let me introduce myself, though. It is I, the Goddess of Fate, but I much prefer to be called Aurora. Now, I ask you again-- why in the world are accusing Sarah of being a murderer?"

Aiden glared at Sarah, who was standing there with an expression, if you could call it that, of confusion. Aurora could only describe it as merely a lack of understanding. Sarah's indifference to everything bothered her-- it frankly creeped her out. Who in the world would have done this to such a girl? she wondered, staring at those green eyes. Aiden looked at the ground, debating on whether or not he should answer. Aurora clicked her tongue, growing rather impatient with the boy.

"You do know that I have the power to control your destiny? If you defy me, your little hourglass might break and then you'll be seeing no goddess or god besides Hades," she said flatly. The boy snapped at attention, his eyes going wide. He wrenched away from Aurora's grip, pointing at Sarah, tears streaming down his face.

"She is cursed! You know who she is? She's not even human! She just showed up at this village and ever since she showed up bad things kept happening. Now my mom is dead and its all her fault! All of it is hers!"

Aurora frowned at the boy. Slowly, she meandered his way. The wind picked up and along with it the fabric of her dress which spread out in waves. Placing a hand on Aiden's shoulder, she knelt down to his eye level.

"I assure you this girl is not cursed. Now run along, you'll get past this point to have a bright and wonderful future. Your hour glass has plenty of sand left," the Goddess told him. The boy nodded reluctantly. His brown eyes looked back towards Sarah, who was looking at the water instead of a the scene before hand. Sticking his tongue out at her for a few seconds, the boy ran in the opposite direction where his father undoubtedly waiting for his arrival at home. Aurora hugged herself, looking towards Sarah. The teenager was still looking at the water, the sun lighting up her face. It might have been a wonderful scene if the girl would only smile-- but that was not something, Aurora realized, that this girl did. As if realizing that someone was looking at her, Sarah turned to look at her with those same distant eyes as before.

"Do you want something?" she asked.

"Come over here, please, I have something I want to discuss with you," Aurora beckoned, as a solitary log previously a few feet away appeared behind the goddess. Leaning back, the Goddess of Fate sat down, beaming up at the girl who sat down beside her. Aurora looked at her. At the emerald green eyes, the blond hair in braids, the ground-length skirt and the long sleeved turtleneck. It was only then that the goddess realized that it was winter and thus extremely cold. The girl's small fingers were turning pink and she was starting to withdraw them into her sleeves for heat.

"Let me make this quick, then?" Aurora beamed, patting Sarah by the head. "I assume you overheard me speaking to that boy-- I am the Goddess of Fate, the one and only Aurora. I am the one that makes sure that what is supposed to happen actually happens. And I know that your name is Sarah and that you are in a very interesting condition."

The goddess stopped, doing a standard waiting for the very familiar 'ah!' moment that usually accompanied humans who were entreated to her infinite wisdom. It never came upon Sarah's face. Not even a tiny alteration in the young woman's expression. Slowly, the goddess added, "That I know how to fix."

It was like magic, instantly the reaction changed in the girls face. Even if it was a subtle change, it was more than the girl knew ever how to give. Her head turned sharply, her braids flying with it. Indeed, Sarah was now staring at the goddess with what could only be called desire. Not of the sexual kind-- but of the most pivotal. Slowly, Sarah stood up, looking down at the still sitting Goddess.

"Do you mean to tell me-- that you know how I can get a soul?" Sarah asked.