Levan was the only person awake in the Zionid Officials’ tent. She was still up, fretting about what she’d said to Cassil. Her message of apology had gone unread, but suddenly, a reply came in. Hands shaking, she typed out a reply.

Cassil I’m so so sorry, you know I don’t mean the stuff I say without thinking Le

I came out all this way because I was worried about you, you’re my entire world Le

Ca I know.

Ca But please. You have to understand how I feel right?

I do, I do Le

Levan lay back, staring at the ceiling of the tent and let out a long sigh. What the hell was she supposed to say or do?

Ca Then you know I

Ca I just cant

Ca I cant let her walk away.

Ca Get arrested for a decade and then just go back to living her life.

Ca He would have wanted her dead.

Raziel didn’t hold grudges like this Le

Ca You didnt know him like I did!

Cassil Le

I was wrong before Le

I am a sister before I am an official Le

Ca So youll support me?

Levan steadied her breathing. In her mind, snippets of Cassil’s smile, her laugh and the way she glowed when she was talking about Raziel manifested. She had met Raziel quite a few times and had found him nice, if astonishingly dense to Cassil’s true feelings. It was true that Zion had lost a great person, but a life for a life couldn’t be countenanced. Could it?

Do you remember your birthday last year Le

Ca You said you couldnt make it, Official business.

And then Le

Ca …The Official business in question was renting out Malaks palace for the evening

It was a really fun night Le

Ca It was the closest I got to telling him how I felt. Thats for sure.

So don’t listen to the stuff I say ok Le

You know for a fact that you are my top priority Le

I want to be your hero Le

Ca the last few days just feel like a dream you know?

Ca how am I supposed to go on?

Ca if Im hunting Yasen I have purpose.

Ca If I stop

Ca I would have to come to terms with it

Ca And I cant do that yet.

Ca Levan I just want it all to stop

Ca If you wanna be my hero

Ca Just give me this.

… Le

I can’t let you kill her Le

Not on my honour as an Offical Le

But I will give you clearance to detain and capture her Le

Ca Thank you.

BUT Le

After that you come home Le

And we talk about it all ok Le

Ca I love you.

Love you too Cassil Le

Don’t think for a second that I don’t have your back Le

I just want you to be safe Le

Ca I know. I appreciate it.

Goodnight Le

Ca See you tomorrow, sis.

See you then Le

As she sent the last message, Levan felt a long sigh leave her and realised she’d been holding her breath throughout the conversation. She wasn’t sure if she’d done the right thing, but there was little time to think about that now. The more rules and regulations the group tried to follow, the harder it would be to make the decisions that could save or doom the universe.

Officials were trained to make tough calls and hard decisions. But Levan privately decided, as she lay down to rest, that being a sister was the perfect training to make difficult choices. A short lifetime of difficult choices paraded through her head as her mind began to flit from moment to moment.

In her mind, she felt the mighty presence of the being known to them all as Antumbra.

Typically, Antumbra would begin to speak, and they would remember snippets.

The hole will open. I will enter through it and destroy your universe.

Things like that; Antumbra did not speak without meaning.

And yet… this dream was different, somehow.

Antumbra did not speak for long.

But it was for long enough.

“One month left.”