Aurora struggles against the black mass tightening around her waist. She begins to chant under her breathe but the old man sends a thin slithering mass of the mist over her lips.

It was not Aurora he was looking for. It was Kera. I quickly unwind the strands of my ring and release the Leukos strands into the air. They were of light perhaps against this darkness they too could be used. The Leukos are automatically drawn towards the black mass.

As their light meets the mist’s darkness, it begins to sizzle and burn at the edges like paper. The old man roars and nearly drops Aurora.

The Leukos strands begin to multiply creating holes through the dark cloud and bodies begin to drop through it to the floor.

Dark tendril begins to wrap around my waist, but at contact with my skin, it begins to burn away too.

The old man becomes furious, his body shaking you could hear his bones rattle. He drops Aurora without care, but she falls slowly like a feather.

The old man begins to collect what is left of his black mist sucking it into himself. His eyes fill up with blackness.

He glares at Aurora at the same time he begins to create a doorway in the middle of the air.

“I will be back Weaver.” He walks immediately through his portal and is gone.

My Leukos return slowly back to be reforming back into my ring.

I move towards Aurora but she waves me off.  “I am fine. The Leukos is a nice touch by the way.” She smiles at me weakly, but she was proud.

“I had to try something.” A hint of a blush creep up my neck, I hide it as I move to Kera and the girl.

Both are fine and had slept through it all. I touch Kera’s forehead gently and slowly I feel her face slipping off mine, I follow it’s energy enter me and through the cord that we weaved last night. Her face fades back to its proper place.

Aurora comes to my side. “He’s after her you know. She is the weaver.”

“Who was he and what is a weaver?” I ask as Kera’s eyes begin to flicker open.

“He lives in-between spaces, said to have been exiled there by the Gods. Somehow, he’s found a way to enter our world-”

“Woah, what happened in here?”Kera sits up and looks around the room. I follow and see multiple bodies lying in puddles of black water. Just as my room door opens and a crowd of people walk in.

Joaquin amongst them goes straight to Aurora who pats his comfortingly on the chest. “I’m fine Joaquin. Alessa saved me.” His face crumples with guilt, “I’m sorry,” he begins but she simply covers his mouth with her hand.

“No apologies boy, she did it for Kera not me. I know you would have done the same for me.” At these words, Kera looks at me confused.

“What happened exactly? I just remember blacking out.” She slides off the bed and stands next to me.

I grab her hand and squeeze it gently. “I’m glad you are back.”

I turn back to the crowd as a little girl groggily rises on up on her short legs.

“Father?” Then I see King Ubel push against the crowd. He rushes towards the little girl and lifts his daughter into his arms. A sight I never thought I would see.

There had been no news of his daughter’s existence.

Aurora smiles at the sight, “His daughter has been missing before you were born. Hopefully with her around change will come to Uvelin.”

Similar scenes occur throughout the room as some families are reunited.

It gets even more crowded as the Evergreen emissaries enter with their Head Priest who looks straight at me and Kera.

“I apologise to all, the enemy had broken through the islands barrier but I see we have new guests coming home. Please follow your emissaries and they will provide anything you need. We shall commence our meeting in due time.”

The crowd dwindles away as the Head priest walks our way.

He bows as he greets me, “Your Highness, we apologise to have your sanctuary be punctured by so much negative energies. I will have it cleansed. Perhaps if you all could follow me?”

He turns and walks away without waiting for our replies. Young acolytes enter with bowed heads as we leave.

He pauses as I catch up to walk at his side while Aurora, Joaquin and Kera follow behind.

“The girl who still sleeps, will she still be needed?” He begins to walk again.

“No, she may return to her family.”

“I’m afraid that would not be possible. She has been touched by the dark, and we will need to examine her.” I turn to him, “she has been infected?”

He nods his head. “Her soul has been replaced with a minion. We will see what we can do. Kera would have been infected too but your little light friends the Leukos seemed extra protective of her.”

“How do you know?”

“I was not there, but I can see it for it has past. As I entered that room, I have seen the past echoes of the energies movements like memories.”

“So you’re like a psychic.” Kera comments.

The head priest laughs, “In a way, yes like the psychics in your world I suppose is as close as it gets.”

Kera’s eyes widen, but before she could say anything, he waves it off. “People from other worlds vibrate at a different level.”

He brings us into a small chamber.

He turns and beckons us to sit on the available chairs.

“I’ve told you that I can see the past, people’s energies echo through time. Most don’t see it but there are some like I who are given this gift. Then there are those who can see the paths that come in the future.

Many lines are moving towards the future, and one remains constant in the battle we will soon enough face and it is Kera.”

All eyes turn to her.

“Kera your story is unfolding.”

 

 

The Faceless Queen will be on hold, future adventures to come but for now, we move towards other characters to widen the world a little bit more.