On an early morning in Zion, about a week later, Vasa and Ephra were poring over some books in the library, searching for a way to bring the psychic children into the dimensions of Zion and Void. Crossing the boundaries of a universe was not an easy thing, and it had not been done in recorded history.
Raziel and Mizar had made good progress with the children in a week. Cassie’s assurance that they could be trusted had done much to alleviate the concerns of the kids. They were almost willing to help with the plan, but before they could, Vasa needed to find a way to bring them to Zion and Void. He had been searching for the entire week with Ephra’s help, but he had no concrete solution just yet.
In the meantime, the Officials had been keeping a close eye on them, when they weren’t preparing for their own expedition into the Reaches to find the Universe Seed.
Which is why Yasen walked in with an unhappy pout on her face.
“Vasa. Ephra.”
“Leave us alone.” Ephra said.
“Now, Vasa, I have to ask,” Yasen said, placing herself on the chair next to Vasa, who thoroughly ignored her, continuing to read the book. “You and Ephra do a lot of reading. So I’ll ask the same thing I keep asking. Are you sure you’re not researching how to go about Raziel’s secret plan?”
“Raziel said we weren’t doing our plan.” Vasa said, still looking at the book, and flipping through the pages, scanning through the important information quickly. “So, no. How can we be?”
“You read too much, then.” Yasen replied.
“Don’t you?” Ephra replied, giving Yasen a cold stare. She glared, then took the time to polish her glasses studiously. “Yes, but I’m an Official. I need to have knowledge on a range of topics. Vasa’s just Raziel’s little accomplice. And a liar.”
“Better than being a personal bitch of the King.” muttered Vasa.
“I heard that.” Yasen said, looking over Vasa’s shoulder. “This is an intriguing book. What are you reading about? Anything… about how to combat the psychic might of our glorious leader Malak?”
Vasa turned to see Yasen’s stony face a few centimetres away from his own. “Uh… do you think, you could, um…”
“Please leave us alone, Yasen. Seriously.” Ephra said. Yasen relented, and muttering incessantly to herself, exited the library. Vasa breathed a sigh of relief, and Ephra walked around the table to sit beside Vasa rather than opposite him.
“Thanks.” he said. She smiled. “It’s nothing, really.”
“Are you staying much longer?” asked Vasa, looking up from his book. She nodded.
“I’m afraid not, Vasa; I can’t let my training suffer.” she replied, shrugging. “But I’ll be back later to help you look through these last few tomes.”
“Thanks.” Vasa said quietly. They stared at the pile of three books that had not yet been read.
“…What are we going to do if the answer isn’t in one of those books?” Ephra asked.
“I don’t know.” Vasa said. “I really don’t know.”
Ephra made her way to the exit of the library. “Well, good luck, Vasa. See you later.”
“Bye, Ephra.” Vasa replied. She vanished out of the door, leaving the lone Zionid to continue his reading.
It was many hours later, nearing midnight, when he stopped reading his current book, stared at the page for several minutes, then tapped out a message on his wrist phone, all with a glassy stare on his face.
“It is not common knowledge, but there is a gate under both the Zionid and Voidian palaces that can be charged with infinite energy. When a psychic creates a spirit link within the universe, by imbuing an object with their psychic power, the gate can be opened from both sides, allowing a psychic from inside the universe to travel, using their spirit link, to either Zion or Void. However, Zionids and Voidians are reverse psychics, meaning that the gate is taking energy from them, instead of the other way round, to remain open. The average Zionid or Voidian can keep the gate on their side open for about 10 minutes.” Va
Ra What does this mean though?
The reason we can’t defeat or even hope to fight the Kings is described quite aptly in Seeds and Shadows. “Every Zionid and every Voidian is born a reverse psychic: whilst psychics tap into the infinite energy of the universe and manifest it, reverse psychics have the universe tap into them and drain them of their power. This is what the Kings do. No mortal King could possibly use enough psychic power to actually prevent a powerful universal surge, or cause it; they take their power from the entire population of Zion and Void – the millions of us that there are, used simply as a way of charging the energy of the Kings so that they can perform their vital function and keep the universe stable.” Va
Yes! I think this is by far the easiest way of bringing the kids there. Va
Good. Tell them we can do this; then, get Mizar and his group to the Voidian gate. Va
It won’t be hard. The castle catacombs are long-abandoned, and there’s an overground entrance somewhere. It’s explained in this book. I’ll be able to find it, don’t you worry. Va
Yes. I’ll meet you at the apartment, and you can go on ahead. I’ll explain the plan to Ephra and and Cassil and we’ll catch you up. Va
Mm; I’ll send him a copy of the map, too. Va
Carrying the book under his arm, Vasa got up and ran for the door. His dash for the apartment was mostly unnoticed; only Yasen, who had been lurking in a nearby alleyway watching the library, saw him. She melted into the shadows and began to tail him.
Cassil squealed as Vasa ran through the door, throwing it open with reckless abandon. He saw Raziel sitting on the sofa and handed him the book. “Take your spear, too, just in case.”
“On it.” Raziel said, grabbing his spear from its position leaning on his bedroom door. “I’ve let the kids know what’s happening – we’re about to start the 10 minute timer.” With the book under his arm, the page with the map to the gate marked with a bookmark, he dashed out the door. Yasen, who had just arrived at the apartment, saw him running away.
“Oh no. Raziel, your days of lawbreaking are done.” hissed Yasen. She kept her eyes trained on him, and began to sprint after him. The apartment’s front door closed as she dashed past it.
“What just happened?” asked Ephra, poking her head out of her bedroom door; she had clearly been asleep, but seeing Vasa made her slap her forehead. “Shit! Sorry, Vasa, I was supposed to come back and help you, wasn’t I?”
“Yes. It’s fine, though.” Vasa replied, typing out a series of messages to Mizar, instructing him to find his own gate.
“It’s not.” she replied, feeling disgusted at herself.
“Anyway, I found a solution!” Vasa exclaimed. “Raziel’s gone on ahead, but I’m going to explain what exactly we’ve figured out. Listen to this excerpt…”
Mizar, following Vasa’s instructions, led his friends to the outside entrance of the catacombs. It was a short walk through Void to the palace, since his apartment was so close to it.
“Sorry, just say that again?” said Fafnir. “We’re going to power a portal gate with our own energy to bring some kids through the barrier between the universe and Void?”
“Exactly that.” Rana said.
“Yeah.” Mizar replied. “I don’t really understand it either, but we may as well try it.”
Saiph pointed out the entrance to the underground. It was a ladder descending into a hole, and it looked dark and unassuming, especially with how little light there currently was in Void.
“…That’s it, alright. Saiph, turn your torch on, will you?”
“Word.” Saiph replied, switching on his torch and lighting up the entrance to the castle’s catacombs. Behind him, the walls of the Voidian King’s palace reared up above him like an avenging monster, framed by the last glittering specks of light of a Voidian daytime.
Mizar descended first, with Rana, Fafnir and then Saiph following. It was gloomy and dark in the catacombs below, but they were not as expansive as the foursome had been expecting, and they located the gate quite easily. It was a large structure, taking up almost the entire room it was in; a large square stone affair, with metal bars and wires surrounding the outside, making the thing look overgrown with metallic plants. The stone was worn, but the machinery was still functional.
“Vasa’s sent more instructions.” Mizar said, reading the latest message on his wrist phone. “Press that button there, Rana, and then we need to stand in the light that the gate gives off when it’s switched on. Apparently that will power it.”
Rana pressed her finger on the button on the right of the gate, and immediately the centre of the square lit up with a bright light, shining directly forward at the four Voidians stood in it.
“OK…” Raziel muttered to himself as he entered the catacombs of the Zionid palace. “Find the gate, find the gate…”
He raced through darkened passages, but located the gate quite easily. “Press button, stand in light. Not hard.”
His heart was racing. He lifted his wrist phone up as the gate crackled with power, framing him in a bright light, and typed in his final few messages to the children.
The portal here is open Ra
Mi same here.
You have 10 minutes Ra
We hope to see you soon Ra
