"It feels so real,” she whined. “And with everything that's happening… Damien's intrusion, Chad's growing powers… I can't help but feel like we're hurtling towards that future."
Dr. Emerson took her hand in his, attempting a comforting gesture. "My dear, our choices shape our destiny. Every decision we make, and every action we take, can alter the course of events. That's why it's crucial that we remain vigilant and make wise choices."
"But what if we make the wrong choices?" Brianna asked. Then she shook her head. “Sorry. I know you can’t answer that either. Too many possibilities, right?”
“You have the crux of it. If we do the best we can with the information we have at the time, we really can’t ask for more than that.”
“Got it. But I thought you had precognition.”
“Even that’s tricky. Most of the time, I see hints, no actionable information or outcomes.”
“That must get frustrating.”
He smiled and rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it.”
That evening,Chad paced across the room with his hands clasped behind his back. He had called a meeting of all the witches plus Dr. Emerson. As soon as the good professor arrived, he relaxed a little and stood behind the open seat at the head of the table—the one usually reserved for Bas.
“Is Bas coming?” Dr. Emerson asked.
“She’ll be here in a few minutes. She wanted me to start without her.”
Dr. Emerson nodded. “All right. What’s on your mind, dear boy?”
The term ‘boy’ rankled a bit, but Chad didn’t correct him. He would just have to show everyone that he’d finally become the man they all thought he could be. “I’m tired of going after eachanomaly one at a time. There must be some way we can seal up our side of the rupture, all over.”
“All over?” Brianna’s expression was more puzzled than most. “Do you mean all over the world?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“Well, now I know why Bas isn’t here yet,” Joell said. “She didn’t want to tell you that you’re out of your mind and left us to do it.”
Chad frowned. “Have you ever dealt with anything like this before?”
“No, we haven’t,” Magda said, “And I, for one, would like to hear him out.”
Some of the other witches nodded their encouragement.
Chad took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "I know it sounds ambitious, maybe even impossible. But we've seen how these anomalies are spreading, popping up in more and more places. We can't keep playing whack-a-mole forever."
Dr. Emerson stroked his beard thoughtfully. "You're not wrong, Chad. A more comprehensive solution would be ideal. But the scale of what you're proposing is daunting, to say the least."
"I understand that," Chad said, firmly and with conviction. "But think about it. My Word Warrior abilities have been growing stronger every day. If we could somehow amplify them, and spread them across the globe..."
Brianna's eyes widened as she began to grasp what Chad was suggesting. "You want to use your words to seal the entire world against interdimensional intrusion?"
Chad nodded. “We’d need to use the ley lines. These alignments are not only tectonic, but they also hold spiritual significance since they connect us across time and space with our ancestors and their collective wisdom.
Dr. Emerson leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Go on, Chad. What do you have in mind?"
"Well, we know the Codex Temporis has immense power over time and space. What if we could use it to create a global ward? A barrier that would seal off our entire reality from the Aether Pirates?"
Murmurs of surprise, hope, and skepticism rippled through the room. Brianna's eyes widened, a mix of awe and concern on her face.
"That's... that's incredibly ambitious, Chad," she said carefully. "The amount of power required would be astronomical. And I’ve barely scratched the surface of the Codex."
“I know. But you could, with Dr. Emerson’s help, double down. Learn all you can from it. We may need to protect ourselves beyond just this timeline.”
“Whoa, whoa…” Joell interjected. “It’s one thing to try to megaphone the entire world, but to continue it through time?”
