—Correct, male of the Earth Realm. I am a protector tasked to defend the serenity of Avalon.—
I glance at Theo, who is wide-eyed and open-mouthed. “Did you bring me here?” she asks. “Was it your voice that led me into the portal of light?”
—Yes, Daughter of Avalon. For you have the gift of my Lumina—
“Your Lumina? Wha...what is that?” she stutters. “I don’t understand?”
Neither do I.
—Lumina is my essence, child. The light. I sent it out to your Realm when the breach began—
"Time out," Max shouts. "What breach?"
—Obex... broken...—
An image slams into my mind, violent and sudden. A colossal stone gatekeeper, Obex, crumbling into dust. Black, oily smokepours from the cracks in his armor, leaking into a world that looks suspiciously like ours.
—The balance tips. The darkness bleeds into the Earth. There is much you must know, but so little time—
“Is it bad to have Avalon essence in our realm?” Theo asks with a tremor in her voice. “The way you are talking, it sounds like it’s really bad.”
—Poison— Amirene’s voice echoes, sad and hollow.
—Men drink the poison and call it power—
Another image floods my vision. Validus Vale. Students walking through black mist, unaware as wisps of smoke attach to them like parasites. I see it seeping out from below the building site fencing. The vision morphs into a laboratory. Men in white coats gathered around glass tubes where dark essence churns and seethes.
“What will this do to people?” Theo whispers.
—Man twists the corrupt energy to their own ends.—
The shimmer that has been surrounding Theo intensifies while the figure on the throne fades slightly.
—You must reverse the flow. Send it to the void, or your realm will be destroyed.—
Theo’s fingers convulse around mine.
—Theodora, Daughter of Avalon, you carry the Lumina. It is possible to succeed, but only when you have your knights at your side... though one is lost—
“Knights? Lost? You mean Wes?”
—And be wary of the men who twist its energies for their own ends—
“Sure, OK. But what about Wes?” Theo asks again, flapping her hand at Amirene in frustration. “Please, this is so important.”
—I understand, Daughter of Avalon. You will find him again, for he’s already back in the Earth Realm—though he traveled there through the storm—
As Theo and Donovan let out sighs of relief, I make a mental note of her words.He traveled through the storm.Does she mean the storm Drakeward struggled with? If so, that could be a problem.
—But for now, child, you must let your powers guide your actions. Trust your innate nature. Even though I’ve given you my Lumina, it will be hard to wield, but you must learn. And trust your protectors. Love and loyalty will provide you with everything that’s needed.—
“Wait, wait,” Theo stutters. “Let me see if I understand this correctly. You’re saying this dark essence is seeping into the Earth realm, and somehow I am supposed to use the Lumina to plug the leak, and also send all the dark crap into a mysterious void? And the guys are to help me?”
Theo looks completely shattered. I’m not surprised.
“Is, like, the fate of the world actually on my shoulders?” she asks. “Please, please tell me I’ve got that wrong.”
—Go now, child. The minotaur must lead you back—
