Earlier that same day
Mrs. Rose stood before the great door leading to the council of the portal lords. She had been summoned. On the other side of the door, the portal lords felt a sense of foreboding, they knew something wasn't right.
Mrs. Rose was about to knock on the door to the portal council when something very unusual happened: the entire portal hall began trembling, then a force pulled her back, as though the hall was rejecting her. She was swept back and burst out into Ophelia's room, cracking the mirror. When she got up disoriented, she heard the sound of muffled voices and footsteps running to meet her.
'Oh no,' Mrs. Rose said in a panic, struggling to get up and leave. She couldn't be seen by Ophelia, not now. She turned to hurry back into the portal when someone else came flying out, destroying the mirror. It was Mrs. Harry, the old librarian and Pearl. They slammed into the wall beside her. Just then, the door opened, and Ophelia walked in with Mrs. Julia.
Ophelia was in shock.
'This must mean their plan already worked!' she cried out in despair. On getting home, she told Mrs Julia all that she had heard in desperation because she was unable to enter the portal hall to tell Pearl, and there was no one else to tell.
'Ophelia, calm down, we can figure this out.' Pearl said to her, trying to handle the situation, her eyes kept darting in her mother's direction. This was the worst-case scenario.
Mrs. Rose turned her face away, trying to hide from Mrs. Julia's searching eyes. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to recognize her.
'You won't even look at me', Mrs. Julia finally spoke. The words were intended not to Rose, but to the old librarian, Mrs. Harry.
'I-I never meant for all this to happen,' old Ann spoke, devastated. She couldn't bear to meet Julia's accusing gaze.
'I'm sure you didn't.' Mrs Julia said, her eyes brimming with tears. 'After everything, you took my sister', she waved a hand in Rose's direction, 'My children', she waved at Pearl, 'and all for what? You still couldn't protect the town. After everything you took from me? All the sacrifices, you still failed!' Julia tried her best not to break down in sobs. Instead, she left the room and slammed the door, unwilling to be involved in their plans.
There was a deafening silence after she left, which was broken by Mrs. Harry letting out a shuddering sigh.
'Mom?' Ophelia finally asked, facing Mrs. Rose in shock. 'Is that you?'
'Ophelia, please' Pearl tried to reason with her, to handle the worsening situation.
Ophelia withdrew from her best friend and cousin. 'You knew? You knew and you didn't say anything?' Ophelia asked Pearl, her voice ringing with feelings of hurt and betrayal. Pearl's eyes said it all. Of course she knew she was the oracle. Ophelia turned around and walked out on all three of them.
Rose stifled her feelings and the urge to run after her daughter and comfort her. Instead, she turned to Pearl and Ann and said, 'We have a war on our hands. What's the plan?'
Later that day
In the darkness of the night, the only source of light was Benjamin. His overflowing power lit the entire room and immersed it in a yellow glow. His focus was impeccable, and he hadn't moved in hours. The process wasn't strenuous; on the contrary, he relished the fact that he could work hours on end without needing so much as a moment's respite. He could feel everything, every fibre of his being swelled with power, and he could feel the very fabric of the portal hall; every inch was his to bend to his will. He could also feel Amber's movements. She was pacing restlessly in a recess of his portal.
Everything was as it should be; those he wanted in his portal hall were in, and the others were expelled. Benjamin concluded the creation of the portal, the one that connected the portal hall to the blue rebellion, but he didn't create a connecting portal into what was previously the lilac master's domain for the army. Benjamin would fight those who had blackmailed his father on his own terms, where he had the most influence, in the portal hall.
'Benjamin! Stop!' Benjamin whisked his head around, even in the darkness, the identity of the speaker was undeniable.
'Dad? Why?' He was confused. Everything he had gone through was for this moment.
'How much time do we have?' Arthur asked, disregarding his question.
Two bluish lights glowed in the direction where the voice had called, and Suzanne, whose eyes were aglow from the use of her ability, Premonition, walked towards Benjamin and responded, 'They'll be here in moments.'
Benjamin felt it as soon as she spoke, an army marching into his portal.
'This wasn't the plan. The attack was to be launched tomorrow,' Benjamin asked, confused.
'There has been a change. Benjamin, can you shut off the portal, permanently?' Arthur asked.
'No, not yet.' Benjamin replied.
'What do you mean no?' Suzanne asked. 'You better find a way, Simon's coming with an army, and he isn't coming as an ally. Everything was a trick, he isn't going to let you or your father live. You're all as good as dead.'
'Let them come, ' Benjamin smiled maniacally. Everything was going according to plan. No, it was better than he had hoped. This way, he didn't have to explain his actions to his father.
Benjamin waited while several soldiers marched into the portal hall. He kept it open, waiting. Until finally, Simon, the leader, stepped into the portal. He waited a moment more to prevent suspicion, then made his move. His plan was to close off the portal and prevent anyone from coming or going. He blocked the portal and prevented those inside from leaving, but when he tried to close it off from the army outside and prevent them from entering, something unexpected happened. Benjamin felt a pressure, a force which dwarfed his keeping the portal open on the other end. A cold sweat formed on his temples. Could it be that they have a portal maker among their ranks? Impossible, no portal maker could stand against a portal master, unless there was a portal master helping them out. But that would be treason. It was impossible! And yet, he could feel the pressure of someone stronger than himself forcing the portal to remain open.
'Benjamin, what's wrong?' Harold noticed the distress on his face.
'Suzanne, check for any book on portal lords around here, now!' Benjamin bellowed, causing the house to shake.
Suzanne sped into action, her hands and eyes flipping through every book she could find until finally she found what she was looking for.
'Found it' She rushed over to where Benjamin stood, 'What do you want to know?'
'Check, is there anything there against collapsing a portal hall?' Benjamin asked, causing Arthur and Suzanne to look at him in momentary shock.
'Well?' he asked again, irritated by her delay.
'No' she said slowly as she checked, 'There's no such law here' Suzanne said as she scanned through the laws.
'Good', Benjamin immediately started trying to destroy the portal.
'Benjamin! Think about what you're doing!' Arthur's voice was stern, but his eyes betrayed his fears.
'Does anyone have any better ideas?' He asked in surrender.
'We can block off the army from here. They'll be unable to reach us.' Harold suggested timidly.
'I have tried that before. I can't seal this house off from the portal hall. It's impossible,' Benjamin replied, 'I would rather not, but there's no other way' He said then resumed.
Benjamin felt the portal hall's essence, its make-up, then reached in to pull out its pillars, to collapse it, but he felt the same pressure again; someone else was holding it up, stopping him from collapsing the hall.
'No', he whispered. Benjamin was at his wits' end. He glanced around, four of them versus an entire army; there was no hope.
'Benjamin', Arthur called out to him. His firm voice stilled the internal storm raging in Benjamin for a moment. 'It's alright. I never expected you to be strong enough to carry all this on your own. You have done excellently well. You did your best, I understand that now. I'm sorry for what I did to your mind, all I put you through. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you weren't enough. You have nothing more to prove to me; our time here is up. Let's go' Arthur walked over to Harold and held his hand.
'No, but I had it all figured out. We won't have to live in hiding anymore. I promise, just let me think this through.' Benjamin struggled to say.
'It's alright, Benjamin. You tried,' Arthur had already given up.
'I can't leave.' Benjamin replied. 'I'm a portal lord now, I can't leave!' Benjamin exclaimed. 'I have to pass my ability on to a willing candidate or else I'll be summoned to the council of portal lords the moment I leave. I don't want to run anymore,' Benjamin pleaded. 'Just let me do this. '
Benjamin was attached to the lilac domain; it was his home now, and he genuinely didn't want to leave.
'She can do it,' Harold suddenly said. All eyes turned to Suzanne, the princess of the blue portal domain was expected to bear the burden and responsibility of becoming a portal lord for their sakes. This family of traitors who were wanted by the domain she ruled. Would she do it? She looked back at the three people she had known solely for a mission that she had chosen to abandon halfway, and wondered how she had arrived at this position, the saviour of this family. She was their hero, a traitor to her people, but their hero.
'Sure, I'll do it, ' Suzanne said, almost whimsically. On the contrary, she envisaged using the ability she would obtain as a ransom to finally get Simon to heal her brother.
Suzanne opened the book she held to the page on the ritual of transference and handed it to Benjamin. He hesitated. Arthur came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Harold did the same.
'Sorry to break up a touching family moment, but time is of the essence, ' Suzanne called.
Benjamin lifted the book and began to read, then he stopped.
'What if there's another way?' He asked in desperation, looking to his father and brother for support.
'This is the best way and you know it, let's get to it,' Suzanne snapped.
'You're playing us. This was your plan all along' Benjamin suddenly accused Suzanne.
'Look, we don't have time for this,' she retorted, unwilling to take the bait and allow the argument to continue. 'Are we doing this or not?' Suzanne asked.
'No,' Benjamin responded, then dropped the book.
'You will regret this,' Suzanne said, then stopped. The sound of footsteps approaching silenced the rest of the argument.
'They're here,' Benjamin whispered, and chaos erupted. Several faeries swarmed the room, some aflight, some grounded.
Together!' Arthur shouted at the top of his voice, using the ability block on all four of them.
'Don't touch my wife! You can kill the rest' Simon's voice bellowed from the distance, laced with rage.
Benjamin created multiple portals, sucking various members of the army into them. Some led into inhabitable lands, others to different dimensions, one thing was sure: all who fell in were lost to this world forever. Suzanne, Harold and Arthur stayed close to fight the enemies, with Arthur disarming them of their abilities and Suzanne finishing them off. Harold took a similar approach to Benjamin, teleporting the disarmed soldiers to uninhabitable places.
Benjamin handled the majority of the attackers; the numbers would have been overpowering were it not for his ability, which had been heightened to its limits.
'Help me!' A soft voice sounded in Benjamin's head. He paused and, in return, received a blow to the head. He shook it off and continued to fight.
'Please, help me, Benjamin!' It was Amber; due to the heat of the battle, he had forgotten all about her. Amber, who he had locked in the portal hall, was no more pacing; no, she was running as fast as her little feet could carry her. She was being chased.
'Amber!' Benjamin exclaimed. That moment of distraction was enough for another blow to land on his head. He grabbed the offending attacker and, using a portal, transported half of his body to a different dimension, still holding on to the other half.
Benjamin knew there was not much time, Amber was already exhausted, and he could feel her pace getting slower. He held on to the portal hall and, with all his might, brought it crashing down. He collapsed the entire thing on the army inside, whisking Amber away at the last moment, through a portal underneath her feet. Amber came out on the other side of the portal beside the stream close to her house.
Amber stumbled to her feet and continued running, unaware that she was safe. She fell into the stream and flapped around in it, spluttering and gasping for air until she caught sight of a tree, the very tree she sat against the day she read the blue-backed journal. The day she dragged herself into this mess. She calmed down as she realised her pursuers did not follow her. She swam herself to land with what little strength she had left from running.
'Benjamin,' The name escaped her lips softly as she realised he had saved her. Tears followed, but were wiped shortly after as she decided on her next course of action.
Amber took off in the direction of her house. She had heard most of the conversation between Benjamin and his allies and was aware of the situation at hand. Pearl and Mrs. Harry would be walking into a battlefield unawares if they set out; the portal hall had collapsed, so there was no means of calling for reinforcements. This information was essential to the battle, but only Amber knew, so she quickened her pace, desperate to relay all she knew.
The door slammed open, and Ophelia, who was crouched, crying into her hands, looked up in shock.
'Amber, you're drenched' Her voice was cracked and scratchy from crying.
'Ophelia, what happened?' Amber panted.
'It's nothing, really.' Ophelia wiped her eyes quickly and got up from her crouching position.
'Alright, I get it' Amber, in her usual manner, decided not to pressure Ophelia. Ophelia would confide in her if need be, otherwise, there was no reason to force the truth out of her.
'Ophelia, can you contact Pearl for me?' Amber asked. There was no one else to turn to. 'It's urgent' Ophelia stared at her blankly for a moment, contemplating whether sending Amber to Pearl was the right thing to do. Pearl definitely wouldn't want that, but then again, Pearl had hidden her mother's identity from her; it was an opportunity to get even.
'What do you want to tell her? I'll pass it along.' Ophelia chose the high road.
'She's in her room, isn't she?' Amber suddenly asked, stunning Ophelia momentarily. 'I don't have time for this' With that, Amber rushed past Ophelia and stormed into the room where Pearl, Mrs. Harry and Mrs. Rose were planning their attack strategy.
'Amber!' Mrs. Harry exclaimed in shock. 'Child, what are you doing here?' She asked, stepping in front of her to block Pearl from her view.
'I have important intel from the battle. Let me through' Amber stood at the door with Mrs. Harry blocking her.
'I'm afraid I can't do that, my dear.' Old Ann replied.
'You need me,' Amber tried to reason with her, 'At least you need the information I have' She tried to plead. 'Please? Pearl.' She called out to her sister, but all she got was a cold shoulder. Pearl did not so much as look at her.
'Thank you very much, Amber, you've done enough. You must be tired from all that running, go and rest now.' Mrs. Harry said to her.
Amber wondered how the old librarian had known about the chase, but pushed the question to the recesses of her mind. She wasn't about to take no for an answer. She tried to squeeze past the elderly lady when she felt a hand touch her. It was the same lady she had seen in the library a while ago, the one who came out of that portal door and went into Mrs. Harry's room. The lights in the room suddenly got dimmer, and the room spun. Amber collapsed to the floor with those thoughts in her head.
'Thank you, ' Pearl said to Mrs. Rose. Mrs. Rose nodded in understanding. They were in similar situations. 'I'll flip through her memories and see what we need to know,' Pearl said with little remorse.
Mrs. Harry sighed at the callousness of both of them and carried the poor girl down to where Ophelia sat, no more crying but reading a journal, her mother's. She dropped Amber on a chair and went back to the room without disturbing Ophelia.
Mrs. Harry got back to meet an ongoing conversation.
'The entire army?' Mrs. Rose asked, pacing.
'No, no. Benjamin took care of most of them. He collapsed the portal hall, which finished off over half of them' Pearl responded.
'What?' Mrs. Harry shouted. 'The portal hall my father built? That portal hall?'
'Yes, it's nothing but rubble now. Benjamin destroyed it,' Pearl replied.
Mrs. Harry sat down on the floor.
'Everything I've worked for…' she mumbled to herself.
'We'll need to change our plans, ' Pearl said to both of them. Mrs. Harry got up, this was no time to be moping.
'Rose, be a dear and get me my scrolls' Rose brought the scrolls to Mrs. Harry; they were heavier than she expected, but she carried them without much difficulty.
'Who are my targets? Pearl, I'll need their names' Mrs. Harry asked.
'Alright. There are a lot of people involved, but the main perpetrators are Suzanne, Benjamin and the army. Then the commander of the army, a guy named Simon.'
'I can't do anything about Benjamin, he is the portal Lord of this dimension, I have no authority over him. You'll have to take care of him yourself.'
'I understand,' Pearl replied. She didn't say anything about Benjamin's father or about Harold, his brother.
'What about the block user?' Mrs. Rose asked. 'You may not have seen him in Amber's memories because of his ability, but surely he has to be there'
'I would rather we don't jump to conclusions. A block user may reside here, but does that necessarily mean he's trouble?' Pearl answered defensively.
'Just in case he's there, include him,' Rose insisted.
'I don't have his name, and Mrs. Harry said we need a name, ' Pearl continued, desperate to defend him.
'I know his name,' Mrs. Harry said. Pearl and Rose turned to look at her. 'Yes, it is him, it can only be him.' She mused. Mrs. Harry turned to them and explained.
'A while back, when I was desperate, I allowed someone, a foreigner, into this land in return for some intel. The condition for letting him through was his name. He had to give me his name in case he broke the tenets of our agreement. In return, I promised not to harm him or his family. I know his name, but there's nothing I can do to him. I had no idea he was a block user then, but after that encounter, he vanished, and I had no way of tracing him. That's when I began to suspect, and when Rose told me there was someone with that ability there, my fears were confirmed.' Mrs. Harry sighed, exhausted, her brash decisions catching up to her.
'Certainly, bringing an army to invade your domain counts as breaking the terms of your agreement.' Rose argued.
'You forget, I am no more the portal Lord. He isn't doing this domain any harm if he is acting in accordance with the will of the new portal lord' Mrs. Harry said and sighed again, looking even older than she was.
'That was your agreement then, that he does no harm to this domain?' Pearl asked.
'Yes,' she managed to say under her breath.
'It's alright, you did what you thought best' Rose finally gave up on trying to capture the block user. 'Do what you can. He may be out of our grasp, but the others aren't' She reassured.
Mrs. Harry nodded at her, then opened a scroll and spoke to it. Pearl didn't hear a thing she said, but on the scroll, in golden letters, words began to appear. Mrs. Harry did this to two other scrolls and then stopped. She handed them to Pearl and said to her,
'Remember, child, this is a decree of the Almighty. It cannot be destroyed until it has been spoken. ' Pearl took the scrolls from the elderly lady, and they seemed to be made of ordinary parchment paper to her. Why the emphasis on their indestructibility?
With the scroll in hand, Pearl and Mrs. Rose flew out the window in the direction of the library. They would have to take the long route as the portal hall lay in shambles.
Amber was in the water again, spluttering, flapping around, trying to get away from her pursuers. One grabbed her leg, she struggled earnestly, but he pulled her under, and she fell onto the floor. She got up with a start, it was just a dream. Ophelia stood behind her.
'I'm sorry I touched you, I didn't mean to' She apologized quickly.
'No, no, it's ok' Amber got up quickly. 'Where are they?' Amber asked, disoriented.
'You just missed them,' Mrs. Harry said as she came down the stairs.
'No, no, no. They should have listened to me. They don't know what they're getting themselves into.' Amber paced and turned to leave.
'Wait, Amber. I know you're hurt and confused, but Pearl knows what she's doing. She looked through your memories. I can't explain completely, but she knew everything you did before coming.'
'Then why are you here?' Amber asked. 'They need you. '
'Me?' Mrs. Harry asked, 'I'm nothing more than a feeble old lady-' Mrs. Harry started.
'Oh, please. Don't give me that. I've read that book' She pointed at the book Ophelia held. 'I know who you are, who you were anyway. There's another one. Another portal Lord is in this battle. I don't mean Benjamin, someone else, and I don't know if they're a friend or foe. Whoever they are, they're stronger than Benjamin. He's in great danger,' Amber said anxiously.
'He needs us,' Amber said, betraying her emotions.
'I can't come Amber, ' Mrs. Harry said. 'I would be powerless in battle. ' She said sadly.
'I'll come,' Ophelia suddenly said.
'Thank you,' Amber said and patted Ophelia's shoulder. 'Let's find something we can use as a weapon'
They scoured the house until finally they settled on an old iron pipe and a rusty rake. They both went out in the direction of the library, Ophelia regretting her decision more with every step.
In the library, books lay torn and the shelves battered. The battle had reached a crescendo, and Susanne had been outnumbered three to one. In the end, she was captured and dragged to the side of her king unharmed. Simon held her chin with his thumb and forefinger while she struggled. He examined her face and, seeing a small cut, slapped the face of the soldier who had inflicted the damage.
'I'm sorry, my dear, I never meant to hurt you. See what happens when you leave my side?' He cleaned the wound gently with his other hand. A fierce glare was her only response. 'We'll talk later, don't be so angry. I promised, didn't I?' He added apologetically.
Benjamin watched as his only bargaining chip was being led off the battlefield. This was the only chance for escape. He turned, and his eyes met his father's. They were thinking the same thing. He opened a portal to where Harold fought. On reaching Harold, He stooped and said to his little brother,
'Take Dad somewhere safe. I'll join you soon.'
'Promise?' His little brother asked in innocent trust.
'I promise,' Benjamin lied with a smile. He had run all his life, and he was done running. Death or glory, it ended here.
Harold walked to Arthur and held him, but was unable to use his ability. Benjamin watched in confusion as Harold tried to use his ability again and again but failed. Arthur's fixed stare explained the situation, He wasn't leaving without his son.
The battle was getting more and more heated as the opposing side had thrown caution to the wind. The princess was no more on the field, and they fought without reservation.
'Harold, leave!' Benjamin shouted. There was no need for all of them to die. There was especially no need for Harold to lose his life in a battle that did not concern him.
'No!' Harold shouted. He was sharp enough to understand the situation and chose loyalty to the end. It stung Benjamin then more than ever before that they weren't really brothers, that the origins of their relationship were so dark. In that moment, he felt a bit of pity for the boy, never knowing his real family, he was choosing to die with his abductors in a final act of filial solidarity. It was so sad, it was almost comical.
The battle reached a crescendo with Benjamin and his family almost being overpowered by the sheer number of assailants when a window broke. All eyes looked up to Mrs. Rose, who hovered over the onslaught, trying to identify the ruler. Simon stood by the side, Susanne behind him. Mrs. Rose locked eyes with him and slowly descended to where he was. He gestured with his left hand, and a small army rushed forward, blocking the path between Simon and Mrs. Rose. She rushed forward. Each person she touched crumbled in pain.
'Avoid her hands!' Simon shouted to his men as he watched them fall one after another before her.
An arrow whooshed past Mrs. Rose's head, nicking her in the ear. They changed their fighting style, and long-range fighters were attacking her. A small army formed around her, barraging her with attacks from a distance. She dodged and blocked the attacks she could, rushing to the attacker in lightning-quick dashes and picking them off one at a time.
A piercing scream tore through the air. Turning around, Simon saw Suzanne collapsed on the floor, her face frozen in absolute terror. Mrs. Rose beamed; she had succeeded in distracting the army, opening this window of opportunity for Pearl. Simon turned back to see Pearl flying above them with an ethereal glow, her body radiating golden light.
'The decree of the Almighty, ' she read from a scroll opened before her.
Simon acted in an instant.
'Fire!' He shouted. Half the long-range fighters who were attacking Mrs. Rose turned to Pearl and attacked her. The attack was nearly instantaneous. Mrs. Rose reacted in time, deflecting some of the fired projectiles, and Arthur used Block on the remainder, but it was to no avail.
Pearl fell to the floor like a comet, the scrolls blazing in her arms. Mrs. Rose tried to rush to her aid, but she remained surrounded. Pearl crashed into a shelf, and the scrolls burned to ash.
Simon laughed loudly.
'I have seen that trick before, little girl, ' he snickered. Thunder clashed above them, and a heavy downpour began. The hole in the glass above let in the rain while Mrs. Rose, Benjamin, Arthur and Harold fought a battle against an army that far outnumbered them.
'Simon, Simon, save me. Save me, please,' Suzanne begged, her eyes glowing as she begged. All her bravado was forsaken in the sight of her greatest fear.
'I'm here, I'm right here,' he hushed her and hugged her. 'Don't worry, I destroyed them, I destroyed the scrolls,' He said softly as he gently stroked her hair. But Suzanne would not calm down; she begged and glanced around like a maniac as though trying to find the last remnants of the scrolls.
'The oracle, the oracle, the scrolls live on in the oracle,' Suzanne repeated severally.
Once a scroll was created, it could not be destroyed. Simon knew this, he had carried out extensive research since that incident. If the content, that is the words of the scroll, were read word for word, it would come into effect as long as it was being read for the first time since its creation. But the scroll had been destroyed, the only person who knew its exact content was the former Lilac portal master who had created it, and she was nowhere to be found.
Sudden realization hit Simon, the oracle, the one who had the gift of knowledge. She could obtain the exact wordings of the scrolls, and it would only take a moment. He would have to exterminate her for good.
'Find me the girl, the one who held the scrolls!' He gave the order.
From their hidden position outside the window, Amber and Ophelia watched the unfolding events. They saw Pearl get struck down and could see the multitude that they fought.
'We can't go down, there are too many of them' Ophelia spoke up in fear.
'That's precisely why we have to go. They don't stand a chance' Amber retorted.
'Neither do we,' Ophelia said in response.
'He's going after my sister. Pearl is down there, unconscious. I have to help,' Amber tried convincing Ophelia all over again.
'It's madness to go in without a plan,' Ophelia said.
'The scrolls, we have to find the scrolls and read them, they will end the fight in a moment,' Amber reassured.
'They're gone, Amber, didn't you see the fire? What are we going to do now?' Ophelia's voice shook with despair.
'Plan or no plan, I'm going down there to help,' Amber said, then descended stealthily into the fray, abandoning her useless weapon on the roof.
'Amber no!' Ophelia whispered, but Amber was already on the battlefield.
Ophelia watched nervously as Amber weaved her way through to where Pearl lay. Her eyes glanced over the wrecked room. Broken walls, floors and windows provided exits and expanded the fighting area. The rubble served as a cover for Amber.
Pearl had fallen through a hole in the floor and was unconscious. Amber flew to her side and carried her to safety before Simon could reach where she was.
Suddenly, Ophelia's field of vision was blocked by an incoming projectile of the kind that shot Pearl down to the ground. She panicked. Had she been spotted? Her mind raced as the fiery ball drew nearer and nearer. In a moment of desperation, she flew as fast as she could, propelling herself with a jump away from the ceiling, but it was to no avail; the fiery ball was too big. Ophelia stared at the impending doom in regret. Is this it? Will it end like this? Before I ever do anything? These thoughts flooded her mind, she wondered why she had come here in the first place. She remembered the comfort of home and regretted her decision. Her eyes closed in surrender, and she waited for her demise. There was no point struggling, she wouldn't make it in time.
'What are you doing here?' a slightly familiar voice asked. Ophelia opened her eyes to find herself back home.
'No, I thought I was-' Ophelia looked around. Was this heaven? It looked a lot like her home.
'Didn't you just leave with Amber? How are you back here?' Ann asked. It took a while for Ophelia to recognize her; she looked different, but Ophelia couldn't pinpoint what exactly had changed.
'I don't know,' Ophelia replied. A shiver went down her spine. 'I thought I was dead. '
'Ophelia, you don't have to go back if you don't want to. I never meant to involve you in all this. I know you're worried about your mother and Pearl, but they have the scrolls, they'll be fine.' Ann spoke in a hurry, her words had the intent of calming not just Ophelia's anxiety but her own as well. In reality, she was worried and had been unable to sit still since they left.
'They don't have the scrolls anymore, they got burnt. Someone attacked Pearl, they are outnumbered, fighting a losing battle.' Ophelia held her head as the tears poured.
'The scrolls were burnt? That's alright, don't cry, Pearl must have figured it out by now, they are indestructible. As long as she can say the words, they will go into action, the decree will hold. That's why I gave Pearl, the oracle, she's a smart girl, she will know what to do,' Ann said confidently.
'Pearl is unconscious.' The words hit Ann and knocked the last bit of confidence out of her.
'I need a new scroll, my scrolls, I must write a new one, another scroll.' Ann looked around in confusion.
'Forget the damned scrolls! Isn't there anything else you can do?' Ophelia suddenly shouted, at her wits' end.
'I'm sorry I can't do more. You don't understand how much I want to help, but without my scrolls, there's just not much I can do. If only I had a little more time' Ann sighed.
'I wish I weren't so powerless, if I had the power you have, I would go back there and do something, anything, I would help somehow' Ophelia huffed, but in an instant, her boast was fulfilled. She found herself in a free fall, outside the library.
Her mind went back to the night Pearl dropped her from a night sky as dark as this. The experience brought a smile to her lips. She realized she was stronger now, she had grown, she knew Pearl's arms weren't waiting below to catch her, but Ophelia didn't need them anymore; she could catch herself now, she could fly.
As Ophelia realized she had grown more than she knew, she steadied herself and looked calmly through the hole in the roof, now wider because of the projectile that she had barely missed. Her mind raced, she tried to find the best way out, the best path to follow to get into a vantage position unnoticed.
Then she saw something peculiar, she saw herself weaving through the onslaught unnoticed and unscathed. She took the chance, trusting her gut. Ophelia followed the exact path she saw and ended up safely behind the battle lines, close to where Suzanne lay.
Due to their proximity, Ophelia could hear Suzanne mumbling again and again, 'the scrolls live in the oracle'. Mrs. Harry claimed the battle could be overturned by those scrolls. Ophelia knew what she had to do, she had to wake Pearl up. Once she did, Pearl could read the scroll from memory. But the next challenge was how to go about this. Amber was completely hidden, and for good reason, Simon was prowling about for Pearl.
Ophelia looked around for the hole in the ground where Pearl had fallen through. She tried to look ahead to see what to do next, but before she could focus, she heard a piercing scream.
'The oracle! The oracle!' It was Suzanne, staring straight at her; she had been spotted. Ophelia ran out of sight before Simon could return.
She dived into the hole that Pearl had fallen through and was instantly stunned by the darkness. She heard footfalls to her right. Who was it? Simon? She was unable to navigate in the darkness.
She tried to get a sense of the next step to take as she had done before, but all she saw was darkness.
'Amber, where are you?' she asked internally, unable to ask aloud for fear that Simon would spot her.
'I'm here, ' Amber called back, 'behind you'. Ophelia turned slowly and moved in the direction she felt the voice was calling.
'How reckless, speaking aloud,' Ophelia thought.
'I'm not,' Amber responded, 'and neither are you.' A thud sounded, Ophelia had bumped into a shelf, and the footsteps stopped. Ophelia stood still and held her breath for a moment, not daring to take another step.
'Found you!' Simon shouted from the other end of the room.
Ophelia ran, her eyes were finally getting accustomed to the darkness, but as she did, she tripped over something and fell. Someone was waiting for her and caught her, a hand over her mouth stopped her screams as her assailant threw their body weight over her to stop her from struggling or getting to her feet. Amidst her mumbled pleas, she heard, 'Shhh… It's me, Amber,' Ophelia slowly calmed down.
Together, Amber and Ophelia sat still until Simon threw a book in frustration, revealing he didn't know where they hid.
'I think I have a plan,' Amber suggested.
'Shh!' Ophelia instinctively said, her hand to her lips.
'It's ok, we're not talking, we're communicating with our minds, it's my gift. I realized that after spending some time down here,' Amber answered.
'Alright. What's your plan?' Ophelia asked.
'We have to get Mrs. Rose to heal Pearl, that's her gift, right? Healing,' Amber asked.
'Yes, it was in Pearl's book, but it's a bit more complicated than that,' Ophelia said.
'I'll contact her,' Amber said and focused on communicating with Mrs. Rose,
'She can't come' Amber turned to Ophelia after a few moments. She's surrounded, there's no way for her to leave.'
Ophelia remembered what had happened only moments ago.
'Just now, I was able to transport myself home and back here. Maybe I can try doing that with Mrs.- I mean my mother,' Ophelia said. Amber stared at her quizzically.
'I think that may be my gift, I can transport back and forth,' Ophelia explained.
'No, I heard you. Have you experienced any other unusual events associated with your gift?' Amber asked.
'Yes, I was able to see the next best move to take just a while ago, it was like seeing an after image, but not quite' Ophelia tried her best to explain her earlier experience.
'I see, I thought as much,' Amber said internally with a hand to her chin. 'I have a theory, but that is irrelevant; let's focus on getting Mrs. Rose here, ' Amber said conclusively.
Ophelia thought intensively of leaving for somewhere else, and she did. She appeared outside the building, next to where Benjamin and his family were fighting. She peered around, trying to find her mother, but before she could, she saw something that caught her attention: Harold's ability. He appeared to be doing exactly what she had done just moments ago, appearing and disappearing. Ophelia concluded that their abilities must be similar because they were related just as Amber's and Pearl's were.
Harold, however, seemed unfocused; he kept glancing back in the same general direction. Ophelia followed his gaze and found Mrs. Rose fighting with her last strength; she was slowly getting overpowered, but why would Harold care about something like that, unless he knew that she was his mother? Ophelia was in shock, he knew, and he never came back, all these years. Could it be that he had chosen his current path? Harold suddenly disappeared and appeared next to Mrs. Rose, then they were both gone. When Harold reappeared, he was alone.
Ophelia collapsed to the floor in frustration, their last hope had been whisked away to a location known only to Harold. There was nothing more they could do.
'Amber, it's all over, Mrs. Rose is gone,' Ophelia relayed.
'What do you mean gone?' Amber asked through their mental link.
'Harold took her away,' She replied.
'It's fine, Ophelia, I have another plan,' Amber said reassuringly. 'Someone else can take her place, I didn't want to tell you before because I thought you weren't ready, I thought there was another way, but since it's come to this, your ability is copy. It's obvious, really, if you think about it. You can overturn this entire battle because you can use the abilities of everyone here. You can heal Pearl.' Amber stopped to let that sink in.
'Me? Copy?' The more she thought about it, the more it made sense to her. Ophelia hesitated for a moment, then immediately returned to the floor below where Pearl and Amber were hidden, intent on doing all she could with her newfound ability. She had no idea how to heal, but she was prepared to try her very best. However, on getting there, the first thing Ophelia heard was a wheezing sound in the distance, and then she saw. Amber had been found out, Simon held her in a choke hold, and her feet dangled in the air. She immediately teleported to the ceiling, where she had come at first. Without thinking, she willed herself to use Pearl's ability. It was a lot of information at first, but she calmly decided to go through the mind of Mrs. Harry. She flipped through to when she had created the scrolls and began to read.
'The decree of the Almighty. ' As she read, the winds became wilder and beat on the house, causing more parts of it to collapse. Everyone looked up in shock, massive projectiles were fired at her, but she had the common sense to instinctively use block as well, on herself, and their attacks were to no avail.
'To Suzanne, princess of the blue portal rebellion, damnation,' Suzanne screamed and pleaded.
'Suzanne! Suzanne!' Simon called from beneath the room, he rushed up and tried to grasp her but it had already appeared, A mighty winged creature, that radiated a light that made it appear to be consumed by an eternal flame, It shone golden and illuminated the entire room, chains descended from its hands and bound Suzanne's hands and feet. They burned.
'Please, save me, Simon, please!' Suzanne cried in fear, clutching onto anything in sight.
'Dario! Help me!' She shouted the name of her brother as the creature began pulling her.
Simon was too late, in an instant, Suzanne was dragged under; she appeared to phase through space, and as quickly as the creature appeared, it was gone, and the house plunged into darkness again. Simon's knees fell to the floor, he had never felt so powerless in his life. All fighting had stopped, and Benjamin shuddered to imagine the fate that befell Suzanne. He turned in fear to see that Ophelia was still reading.
'The decree of the Almighty to the army of the blue portal rebellion'. A universal tremor went through the entire room, and the masses waited in silence for their fate, 'damnation,' she concluded.
The screams that ensued would haunt the minds of all who heard them forever.' Some pleaded, some ran, others fought, but Simon remained with his knees to the ground as he watched his soldiers get dragged into oblivion, incapable of doing anything.
'The Decree of the Almighty to Simon, the commander of the army of the portal rebellion' Simon's mind became alert at the sound of his name, he had overcome this decree before, there was but one way, a substitution, he looked around for who he would use, there was no time to make threats, he had a split second to make this choice and the only ones before him were the family of Benjamin, 'damnation' Ophelia concluded. Immediately, Simon tried to swap his fate with Benjamin, the portal master. He was to kill two birds with one stone; he would become the new portal master and escape damnation, but before he could complete his attack, Arthur, Benjamin's father, stood in his place.
'No!' Benjamin cried and Simon cried in unison as the golden winged being appeared beside Arthur. Benjamin held onto his father's hand in defiance of the decree. Arthur had made the decision to jump in and not to use block because he was not sure he could make it in time with block.
'I have no regrets,' Arthur said as the chains took hold of him and he phased through Benjamin's very hand into the ground.
'No!' Benjamin cried again, kneeling to the ground. Harold sobbed softly beside him.
Simon turned back, trying to escape through the portal hall or what was left of it, when a portal suddenly opened and Mrs. Rose jumped out of it. She laid her hands on Simon and instantly incapacitated him. Ophelia fell out of the air. The scrolls had taken their toll on her, more than she knew. A beautiful lady with violet eyes and jet black hair caught her and laid her to rest on the floor. 'You did well,' She said softly, stroking her hair.
Amber comes out of hiding, carrying Pearl, who was still unconscious. Mrs. Rose quickly attended to both Pearl and Ophelia.
Benjamin knelt on the floor, still grieving his father's demise, when the beautiful lady with black hair walked up to him and said, 'Benjamin, you have been summoned to the council of the Portal Lords for crimes of treason.'