"We need more information on this. Ethan, you think you can find anything?" Jaxson asked.
"Maybe. I'll need my computer though. I would have to do an integrated search, but would rather cloak my IP for security’s sake. Can't do that with my iPad,” he disclosed.
"If the crystals are on bracelets, how would Xerxes be able to use all of them?" Christian asked.
"I doubt he knows they’re on a bracelet. None of the legends or stories about Mother Destiny and the crystals talk about them being a part of a bracelet. They could be in any shape or form. Maybe the guardian of this crystal decided the bracelet was the best place for it," Michael suggested.
"Makes sense. It's something that catches attention, but the average human wouldn't suspect it to be a powerful item because it's just a bracelet. The house we were in had a lot of vintage items and over the top outfits and jewelry, so it would simply blend in with the individual's style during that era," Jaxson added.
I walked back to the fridge, placing the carton back inside. Then I went over to the sink to wash my hands. I pulled my glasses off, placing them on the counter. Then I took a clean cloth from the top drawer and wet it.
I patted my eyes with the damp cloth, hoping it would help with the sudden burn in them. Must be a side effect of all that energy usage or something.
"So now that we have one of the crystals, now what? Is this supposed to lead us to the Stone of Awakening or do we need all five of them first?” Christian asked.
"Wouldn't they have some type of trigger? Like if one of the crystals was near the Stone of Awakening, it would have a response of some sort," Junho suggested.
"Maybe, but what kind of response?" Jaxson pondered. They were all silent as I finished patting my eyes, giving up on trying to tame the burning sensation. I wasn't using any magic so I didn't get what was going on.
On top of the burning, my chest felt weird, and my heart was beating fast, while my palms began to sweat. Damn nerves. I must have been freaking out because of the conversation going on.
* * *
"Oh dear, this has nothing to do with your nerves."
My eyes went wide and I turned my head, only to notice everything was frozen in place. The guys were completely still, their expressions stalled.
My eyes landed on an older dark-skinned woman, the familiar facial expression and soothing voice reminding me of the young woman from earlier.
Her gold eyes were still as mesmerizing as ever, but her face now displayed her age with wrinkles, and her once black hair was now grey. She wore a long yellow garment that looked almost like a robe, embroidered with weird incantations in silver and red.
What was most distracting was her beautiful wings that were spread out wide. My instincts told me she wasn't among the living anymore.
"You..." I whispered and she quietly laughed.
"I know. I've aged quite a bit, haven't I?" she whispered, walking over to where I stood. I turned my body to face her, my back to Michael and Jaxson. I stared at the woman who was now next to the fridge, only two steps from me.
"Thank you for the warning earlier." I bowed my head slightly to show my gratitude. The woman's smile widened, the same genuine smile she'd given me before she'd vanished the first time we met.
"You are rather polite for one of this generation. I imagined the youngest Elemental would have no respect for their elders,” she pointed out.
"My mother always told me that age is just a number. Regardless, the older you are, the more wisdom you carry, and that deserves respect," I explained.
The woman nodded, looking deep in thought. "Marilyn Sinclair. She raised you well. I'm not in any position to say much more, but she indeed watches over you, Elemental. For me, as an individual who has raised children of her own, I can confidently say she's very proud of you, just as I am at first glance," she revealed.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, moved by her words. "Thank you," I whispered. "Can you at least let her know that I love and miss her?"
The woman slowly nodded. "I'll ensure your message is delivered."
That made me smile. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome, my dear. Now we should not delay any longer. I cannot use much more of my magic now that the crystal has chosen its next owner,” she acknowledged.
"Did you stop time?" I asked, noticing everything was still unmoving.
She nodded. "Yes, I did. Temporarily, of course. This is the only way I'll be able to talk with you and not be interrupted with silly questions." She sighed, shaking her head. She spoke from what I felt like was from experience, making me grin with amusement at how cute her expression was.
"Is there something I need to do?" I asked. Her eyes met mine and they grew serious. She gave a slow nod.
"You must find the other crystals, and soon, Elemental. You will not have much time to waste, for the elements you care so dearly for are losing patience. Mother Starlight is rather angry with this realm, in comparison to the others," she disclosed.
"Mother Starlight? You mean Galaxy, right? Why is she angry?" I asked.
"Correct. Mother Galaxy is known by many names. Some called her Starlight, others with no knowledge of her existence refer to her as Nature. You should be able to feel why she’s angry, just as you felt the element’s pain. Look at the state of your planet. No one respects nature, let alone one another. Oceans are polluted, the air is thick with fog and smoke, and the forests are dying. Now you have shifters playing with fire they have no control over. If this all continues, this realm might experience catastrophes that no one has ever dealt with, and many lives will be lost."
"How...do I play a role in all of this?" I asked.
I understood where she was coming from, but how could one person like me stop the devastation that millions of people contributed to on the daily? Some intentional, like littering and pollution, while others weren't.
"When you collect my sisters' crystals, you'll understand what your purpose will be in this world, Elemental. You are a Visionary who will help save many lives, but you must also realize you can't save them all. Everything that will come to pass will be a part of a grand plan. Darkness is spreading, my dear, and soon the entire galaxy will be tested. When that time arrives, only five individuals can save us from the consequences of our silly actions. You will indeed be one of them,” she declared.
"How do I get stronger? And, five individuals? Who are the others?" I asked.
She chuckled. "Mother Destiny will guide you to the others. You will come in contact with them soon enough and you'll sense something different about them. You may not get along in the beginning, but with trust and understanding, you will all grow in power. That is far in the future and will all depend on whether you're able to conquer the challenges ahead."
"Are you going to challenge me now?" I asked.
"Yes. I personally don't want to, but it can't be delayed any longer. Tell Risuki that I, Monako, previous guardian of the Crystal of Dark Revelations, apologize for putting him in a sticky situation." She spoke the words with power, but her eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief, making me wonder what she was planning.
"But...can't you apologize to him? Doesn't he know that you exist?" I asked. She took two steps forward so she stood right before me. Seeing her 5'4” frame made me realize she'd gotten shorter with age.
"Mother Galaxy is the creator of these crystals. The gods are creations of Mother Galaxy and do not have any control over us. They are just as clueless as everyone else is, as to what our purpose is and the power we possess,” she hummed.
"If we collect all five crystals, what will happen? I know they're connected to the Stone of Awakening...but...well..." I trailed off, unsure how to continue.
She nodded in understanding and lifted her hand, placing it on my chest, right on top of my heart. "Everything happens for a reason, my dear. You may not understand now, but I'll give you one valuable hint." She grinned as she looked up at me, her kind eyes helping me feel less nervous about whate
ver challenge was approaching.
"Your heart is pure, Scarlet Sinclair, Princess of Feminara. The Stone of Awakening being within it gives you one advantage that is a great blessing."
"Which is?" I asked, unsure how having a stone in my heart benefited me, or anyone else for that matter.
"You can't be killed,” she answered.
I frowned. "Yes, I can? Just shoot me and boom, I'm dead."
Monako laughed, the soft chuckle made me give her a small smile. "Yes, a bullet can go through you and you could potentially die, but you will be revived. You can't be killed until the Stone of Awakening has completed its purpose. Once it has, such abilities of resurrection will be nullified and you will once more be vulnerable, just like any other shifter."
"Wow. Okay...but Xerxes. He wants the stone," I pointed out.
"You're correct. He wants the stone, but the only way he can have it, is through you. That is why you must not delay this search for the other crystals, though you may need a day or two of rest after this," she confessed.
"After what?" I asked.
She gave me a sad smile. "We're out of time, Scarlet, but I'll grant you a chance at closure while your men, particularly my replacement, figure out how to fix you."
"Fix me? What are you-"
I gasped as a sudden pulse of pain went through me, starting from my heart, which she still had her hand over.
My body grew rigid and I let out a whimper. I struggled to breathe but couldn't manage even a shuddering gasp. My heart wouldn't beat, as if it had lost all ability to pump blood. My vision began to blur as my consciousness plummeted into a dark abyss.
My ears picked up two things: the sound of my men shouting and a few words of advice.
Trust in yourself, Visionary Elemental, for the darkness is coming and it will leave no survivors.
~AGENT JAXSON WHITE~
One minute I was in deep concentration planning what our next steps would be, and the next, I spotted Scarlet falling backwards.
"Scarlet!" all of us shouted out as we bolted forward, trying to catch her. I knew we wouldn't make it before she hit the ground, but then something happened which made us all freeze in shock.
A portal of some kind appeared, and a man stepped out from it into the room. He was 6’8”, wearing a black outfit that looked like it was made of some type of silk.
He had black shoes and jet black hair with blue streaks through it. His cloak that rested on his shoulders was decorated with white fur, the black material fluttering behind him as he moved with such grace. He managed to reach out and catch Scarlet before she hit the ground.
I noticed the others were all frozen in shock, not because of the random appearance of a male coming through a portal and catching Scarlet in the nick of time, but because of the immense wave of power coming off him that hit us in one blow, leaving us frozen in fear.
All I knew from the way he gritted his teeth, was that something had pissed him off to the point he would rid the world of their existence at a agonizingly slow pace. I prayed they were already dead to avoid such fate.
Michael recovered first, reaching Scarlet's side as the male lowered her to the ground. I exchanged looks with the others, noticing Christian seemed to be the least shaken up by the male’s presence.
"Starlight god." Agni's calm voice entered my mind.
"Figured. Now, shouldn't you go help the Princess, who's clearly not breathing, or should I finally make a dramatic entrance?" my second spirit demanded. It took me a full two seconds before his words registered in my brain.
"Scarlet's not breathing?!" I exclaimed, before the rest of us darted over to crowd around her. Michael was already at work, pressing his hands on her chest.
"Something's wrong," Michael announced.
I huffed. "Michael, we fucking know that."
"No, something is fucking wrong with Scar's heart! There's something attached to her heart, idiot!" he snapped back.
The Starlight god who'd caught Scarlet remained crouched on her right side while Michael's hands began moving up and down, hovering just above Scarlet's body.
"Um. Maybe Nyx and my senses are wrong, but isn't the random stranger next to Scarlet a Starlight god? Can't he do something to help?" Ethan asked, panic resonating in his shaky voice. I took a quick glance over at him, noticing the fear in his eyes. We all knew it wasn’t the man he was scared of, but of Scarlet not breathing.
"What's in Scarlet's heart?" Junho asked, of no one in particular. "And I have to agree with Ethan here. You’re a god, aren't you?" Junho addressed the male.
He merely nodded, not speaking a word. Then his gaze returned to Scarlet, a hint of worry glimmering in his bright turquoise eyes, which looked like they held magic circles and tiny stars within their depths.
"There's a crystal in her heart..." Michael whispered.
"What?!" the rest of us exclaimed, shocked at his words.
"Okay, so Scarlet's not breathing. Shouldn’t we be doing CPR? Why is there a fucking crystal in her heart, and why isn't the Starlight god doing anything!" Ethan exclaimed, officially freaking out.
I wanted to answer, but I couldn't even think straight, panic settling into my very being at the thought of Scarlet dying. What if she vanished just like that? How would our team function? How would I function? There’s no way I can lose her. Not again.
"He is," Christian said calmly.
We turned to see him staring at the stranger, who sighed.
"Instead of freaking out, why don't you all use your brains and figure this out while I work on holding back time for as long as I'm allowed to?" he grumbled.
I looked at the window and noticed the sun had completely disappeared as the sky began to grow dark with grey clouds.
I looked up at the time, and saw the clock had stopped, but didn't understand how the weather could still be changing. The man must have figured out why we were all still confused.
"Risuki, God of War. Time has stopped for a moment, but the weather is out of my control when I'm upset. Now stop delaying," he ordered. We quickly recovered and turned to stare at Michael, who clearly had been tuning us out and focusing on Scarlet.
"Alright, if Risuki...uh, I hope we can call you that. If he's stopping time, Scarlet won't suffer any brain damage from the lack of oxygen, but we don't have long," Junho pointed out.
"The stone in her heart? Michael, do you have a description or an image of it?" Christian asked.
"It’s red. To be honest, it reminds me of that picture Ethan showed us a while back, and it’s inside her heart," Michael replied quickly, placing his hands directly on her chest above her heart.
"That was the Stone of Awakening. The last image anyone has of it, anyways," Ethan commented.
"Shit...Scarlet has the Stone of Awakening in her heart!" Junho exclaimed. I could see how nervous he was, the stress of the situation slowly getting to him as he ruffled his hair.
"How did the stone get into her heart?" Christian pondered.
"Wait...I think Scarlet knew about this," Ethan revealed. We turned to look at him and I noticed Michael took a quick glance at Ethan, before focusing his attention once more on Scarlet, his hands beginning to glow gently.
Risuki looked deep in concentration, his eyes on Scarlet while he clearly tuned us out.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You noticed how Scarlet grew really nervous today during our meeting when we began discussing the stone? I obviously went to check on her, knowing she might have been feeling really nervous or scared, knowing we may have to encounter Xerxes so soon after the explosion and her still recovering from everything. We had a talk and I got the impression she had something really important to tell us. She said she wanted to talk to all of us at once and that it would be nice if she could do so at her place. That's why I suggested we come here," Ethan explained.
"I bet she was going to tell us, but then Kendrick called and after that, this happened," Junho added.
I turned my attention to Mich
ael, noticing the growing energy in the palm of his hands. "Michael, what are you planning?"
"I think this is a test," he considered.
"A test?" Christian asked.
"When hearing about the existence of these crystals, it left me thinking that if Xerxes wanted them, they had to have a strong connection with the Stone of Awakening. Maybe each crystal will have a different response to the stone. I don't know much about the background of each, but my instincts are telling me that this is something I can fix if I use the power of the crystal in the bracelet,” Michael revealed.
"What are you going to do?" Ethan asked hesitantly.
"Shock her with as much energy as I can make from the crystal," Michael confessed.
"Shock her heart, like resuscitation?" Junho confirmed.
Michael nodded, sounding a little out of breath. "I'm going to distribute it just to her heart and maybe the energy boost will restart her heart."
He looked up to Risuki, whose glowing eyes met his gaze. "What?" Risuki asked.
"You need to let go of time the moment I shock her heart. It's a risk but if it doesn't work, can you stop it again?' Michael wondered.
"No,” he replied grimly.
I noticed the others’ worried expressions, but Michael just nodded. "Okay. Ezriel has a backup plan just in case, but I think this is going to work." He spoke through pants, and I noticed sweat begin to roll down the side of his face as the gathered energy around his hands grew, little bolts of energy flaring up.
"Are you going to be okay?" Christian asked with worry.
Of course, Scarlet was our priority at the moment, but we didn't want two casualties if Michael drained himself to the point of going over his limit.
"I'll be fine. I'm not near my limit, but pulling the energy out of this thing is harder than I would have thought,” he admitted. "You guys should move back."
We nodded, moving back to give him space. Michael and Risuki exchanged looks and seemed to share a moment.
I noticed Risuki's hesitation and worry. He clearly didn't want to let go of time, which made me wonder what his role was in Scar’s life and if he was close to her in some way.
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