Board Thread:Short Stories and Fanfictions/@comment-2601:647:4000:5CE0:AC31:BC7E:22A3:ABCB-20191122034325/@comment-2601:647:4000:5CE0:BDE8:F089:8EC2:8418-20191128043343

Chapter 5 ........................................................................................................................................

"Miss Foster."

Sophie screamed, and very loudly, as she jumped up from her position next to Keefe, eyes dashing to the door.

Mr. Forkle was waiting, and he looked very amused.

"I see you are working with your team well?" he asked, pointing at the notebook in her lap, and she showed it to him. Sadly, there were scarce leads, and only half a page of short scribbles about stellarlune.

"Perhaps you should experiment more with the source instead," Mr. Forkle hinted, gently tapping on etherine.

Etherine.

"NUBTI!" Sophie called, dashing outside as fast as possible and stamping her foot in a specific, arranged pattern that meant, ''We need to talk. Bring king's battle crown, ''on the soft earth.

Seconds later, a shaved dwarf queen popped out of the earth. Sophie cringed at her bodyguard's baldness, but Nubti didn't notice as she handed Sophie the etherine crown. "Is this it?" Nubti asked. "Why so urgent?"

"An experiment," Sophie explained.​​​

The dwarf barreled back into the ground.

"And," Mr. Forkle added as he watched her go inside. "Shouldn't you be thinking about the unexcepted, instead of the excepted?"

He left her to think about it, glittering away.

In a few minutes, Sophie had Team Valliant, plus Fitz, Marella, Linh, Tam, and Maruca gathered in the Healing Center. She paced around Keefe's cot, waving her notebook in the air as she talked. "The Neverseen knows that we'll probably suspect the goblins- the species that they haven't attacked yet. And the most logical explanation is that they're going to go for the goblins- and the elves and gnomes- all in one go. But that's what we think they'll do. And we're expecting the expected. We can't do that. So think- what do the Neverseen usually try to show during each attack?"

"Their power over the Council," Maruca chimed out. Sophie scribbled that down.

"That their 'vision' is going to save the elves," Linh added.

"That the Council makes weak decisions and can't act for the best," Marella finished.

"Those are great points. So how are they going to add up to their next big attack?" Sophie paced around. "They've attacked the dwarves, and allied with King Enki- but that didn't work out. They've poisoned the gnomes- but we found the cure. And the ogres- they disgraced the ogres... and had us flood their city. And they've exposed the troll hive. So that leaves the goblins and elves... and the humans."

"But Vespera!" Biana countered, holding an arm to display her scars. "Torturing humans."

"And the fires," Fitz added.

"Exactly. But here's the thing- you're all opposing to the idea. So wouldn't that be exactly what the Neverseen would choose?"

"But what loops the humans together with the elves?" Dex wondered.

"Wait," Stina jumped in. "Haven't you all noticed, that whatever you think the NEverseen is going to do, they're always doing the opposite?"

"What are you trying to say?" Wylie squinted at Stina.

"I think," Stina replied, "That there's a spy."

*  *  *

"We can't do that," Dex finally said after half an hour of arguing. "We can't play the blame game and chew each other out."

"That's their advantage," Sophie realized. "Their spy gets the information. But Dex is right. Even if we figure out that there is a spy, we won't know who and we will tear the Black Swan apart inside trying to find out. And we won't be able to trust each other. So it's a win-win, but only for them."

"Is this how it always is for you guys?" Maruca winced.

"If Keefe were here, he'd probably lighten the mood with a joke," Biana said sadly. Sophie fought back a tear as she gently poured more Youth down the thrashing boy's throat. He looked even more miserable, stuffed in the tiny cot, sweating like mad. "Have his dreams changed?"

Sophie shook her head.

"What dreams?" Wylie asked.

Sophie told him.

Everyone in the room winced.

"I feel kind of bad," Stina admitted sheepishly, kicking the floor. "After..." she trailed off, locking eyes with Sophie, and came to an understanding of no more Sokeefe teasing.

"But we have a lead," Biana said over the sad murmerings. "We know what Stellarlune is.And what it did to Keefe. And what it's made of, too."

"Nubti also gave me a sample of etherine- one of the ingrediants to make Stellarlune. So I'm betting it's an elf-made source." Sophie dug out a box from her pocket- one of the many ones on her silky ice blue tunice, with cropped sleeves. She opened it up, and resting inside was a chip from King Enki's battle crown. "What do you think?"

"Wait," Wylie said, rushing over. "Let me try something." He flashed an orb- a sunny yellow one. Nothing happened. Then he flashed a neon blue one. Then baby pink.

But dark purple did the trick.

The etherine burst into rich purple flames, erupting in the Healing Center. Sophie screamed, the box slipping out of her hands. Tam sent a burst of energy towards it, and it was blasted to the near corner, where it exploded into dark fire. Others shrieked as the flames crept towards them.

And then they disappeared.

"W-what? How come it only works with purple," Sophie asked breathlessly. Wylie stared at his hands.

"I think, if you enhance me, I could try," Wylie replied. Sophie concentrated on the tingling boost rushing to her fingertips, and her enhancing switched on. She grabbed Wylie's wrist, and his face relaxed, a peaceful expression coming upon his features. He flashed the purple orb again. "I understand," he said quietly. "It's triggered. For specific colors."

"For what? Etherine?" Biana asked, stumbling to her feet and helping a few elves up.

"Yes. And if I flash any random orb," Wylie replied, "It'll trigger a reaction with at least five different shards in King Enki's crown."

"So... it's triggered by flashers?" Sophie asked. "Like the facets in the dwarven throneroom that you triggered?"

"Sort of," Wylie replied. "But I was wondering..."

"What it would do with shadows," Sophie finished. "Tam?"

Tam rose with the help of Biana, tugging on his bangs. "Should I call Olyvia?" he suggested. "Maybe she can-"

"NO!" Linh inturrupted, scowling. "You've been acting weird around her. Different. What's wrong with you?"

Tam shrank back, tugging harder on strands of silver hair. "Nothing, Linh. Just-"

"NO. MORE. GLIMMER."

"Why won't you just call her Olyvia?"

"Stop! You're not yourself anymore!" Sophie could see tears forming in Linh's eyes.

"Linh-" he reached towards her.

"Go away!" The teary Hydrokinetic burst out of the Healing Center, crying softly. Sophie was about to follow, when Wylie stood.

"I'll go," he volunteered. "Don't worry. She'll be fine."

"Tam?" Sophie asked again. The Shade looked a little upset, but he came over anyways and pointed his finger at the shard she had just picked up.

Shadows of all shapes swirled from each corner, gathering and pouring into the etherine. The material seemed to sparkle, until the blackness seeped inside and spread, like an inky cloud spreading across the bright blue sky. The shard turned soul black and glittered even more. Then Sophie gasped and stumbled back.

Her eyes turned pure white, and golden veins began to spread from the place the etherine shard was balanced on her palm. Her lungs seemed to clog up, and her skin seemed to glow with light. Then she kneeled over, gasping for breath, and with a thud, fell to the floor.

Closed her eyes.

And sank into her subconcious.

Deeper, deeper, deeper.

Until she was swallowed by the pain and darkness. It almost felt... a little comforting.

So she decided to stay there.

And by the looks of it, she wasn't about to go back.