ROTU: Chapter One

Jalena stood staring out the large window of the Vorclán at the dark vastness of space. She and Shamira had been in the ship for about a week since the crew left their planet, but it felt like an eternity given the recent events that had transpired on Elsaria.

Unlike Ralian and his crew, who had rapidly fled the atmospheres of Vejar, the Vorclán was slower in reaching the portal to the Hidden Realms. The lengthened journey was purposeful, to allow the warriors time to prepare for the mission before them.

Jalena had taken to training as much as possible with Shamira in the ship's simulation room because she wanted to be fully prepared for her battle with Drasúl. She also discovered that the busier she kept her mind occupied on the mission to come, the less she thought about the heartbreaking end of their last battle. As the days passed, she rarely left the lower compartments of the ship.

Although Gyan's memory did its best to creep into her thoughts, training was the only thing Jalena could find to keep the pressurized emotional ache at bay. Any additional time beyond training was spent in session with the Earth's Moon Goddess, Lunara, who delivered lessons on the history and evolution of humanity. Elder Master Nyhra also took up much of their time as she guided her and Shamira in practicing energy suppression.

Galinia—Gaia—Earth… Jalena supposed she should get used to calling it Earth if she and Shamira were to fit in with the humans. Lunara claimed that most humans did not use the term Galinia when referring to their planet. She had also informed them that the Avehkal in the inner dimensions of the planet preferred the title Lumaña in order to separate themselves from the banished Avehkal led by Ralian.

New mission…new terms…new life.

The idea of taking a mission on a foreign planet they knew so little about felt surreal to Jalena, especially after all the years she spent studying different languages and habits of species native to the Vejar Star System. Luckily, much of their main language was a descendant of their own.

The further the crew drifted away from their galaxy, the more Jalena thought that it may have been too soon to travel away from the people she loved most. She quickly dismissed her doubt, however, because remaining on Elsaria meant facing the fact that Gyan was no longer there. She found herself missing conversations with him even more now that his intellectual chatter was gone completely.

The slipping success she had become easily accustomed to in controlling her thoughts and emotions made her restless and irritable, causing sleep to evade her. To compensate, Jalena occasionally napped after a hard training session with Shamira, but she couldn't reduce the restless energy that dominated her body and mind since the day they had left Elsaria.

Rather than countering her restlessness with forced sleep, she took to pacing the ship's hallways at night where she often mentally rehearsed the language and teachings of the Mysteis and the Inala for fear she would forget during her time in a different dimension.

On one such path of wandering the corridors, she found herself carrying the Stone of Echoes with her, torn between a lingering desire to contact her favorite star wizard and fear that she would break at hearing his voice. She stared at the stone in her palm as her last conversation with Malik surfaced in her thoughts.

The road you travel ends with everything you desire.

Jalena paused in her walk and stared out the window before her. Despite his new vantage point of seeing beyond current reality, Malik was wrong about his prediction for her life. What she desired was to have the team all together—to have Gyan by her side…

"Are you going to contact him?" Shamira asked as she approached Jalena and handed her a steaming mug of tea. "That's the stone from Sir Malik's staff, right?"

"Thanks," Jalena replied as she took the mug. "Yes, it is, but no I don't want to just yet. I was just thinking of something he said to me as he was transitioning. The meaning behind his words can't be taken literally, and I was just analyzing them closer to see if I could derive any alternative implication from them."

"Just like he would do when he attempted to decipher the words of the Priestesses," Shamira said with a small smile.

Jalena nodded. "I don't think he would give me a straight answer about things yet because of our current circumstance, which is the reason—at least the main one—that I haven't tried to communicate with him."

"Could another reason have to do with you not wanting to know more about Gyan?" Shamira asked. "You know you'll have to talk to me about everything sooner or later?"

Jalena didn't answer. She tightened her hand around the stone and moved her gaze to the window once more.

"We are nearing the location, Master Jalena," Sade radioed from the control room of the Vorclán. "The crew just woke me. I know you and Shamira are awake, so we might as well continue through the portal now."

Jalena pressed the edge of the black band around her wrist. "I will retrieve the key and join you shortly."

She went to her chambers to get the Key of Alendrial as Shamira disappeared to wake Nyhra. The ship slowed as the group gathered in the control room.

"This is the location?" asked Shamira as she peered out the window before them minutes later.

Sade nodded. "Exactly where the coordinates lead."

Lunara appeared in a wisp of white light before the group.

"When we enter through the portal into the Realm of Alendrial, the effects of the lower dimension will begin. You must be patient with your bodies as they adapt to the new realm. As I mentioned before, time, as you perceive it, will be different here in comparison to your planet, meaning that the perception of it moves slower. Approximately two years on Galinia is equivalent to just a few months on Elsaria. As evolution in the vibrational state of the whole occurs, the time-space continuum will alter also."

"So Drasúl has been on Earth now for longer than we have perceived on our timeline," Jalena stated.

"Yes," Lunara replied. "His power has likely acclimated to the new climate and may have even grown. I'm sure he is preparing to meet with the Cinak and is conspiring with Ralian on how to gain even more support. I have not communicated with the Lumaña since I arrived on Elsaria, so I am unsure if Ralian has discovered a way into the Inner Realms yet.

"Before we proceed through the portal," she continued, "I would also stress that you remember our discussion about the suppressive effects this dimension can have on your mind, emotions, and body. The best comparison I can give you is a milder version of the harshness that may occur in the Realm of Illuse on your planet. It is subtle when you first arrive, but the longer you stay, the stronger its effect will become.

"When you have acclimated to the dimension, your power will suppress itself naturally due to lack of use. To keep it active, it is critical that you remain focused on the mission and continue training. If, for some reason, the length of your stay is longer than anticipated, there is an increased risk that you will forget the reason you came," she looked pointedly at Jalena, "even if you carry a Key to the planet's core within your genetic code.

"Remember, the atmospheric conditioning of the planet keeps humans partially subjugated or limited until the earth warriors awaken to help alter the collective mindset. If you become too absorbed in human ideologies or the routines of their daily life, there is an increased risk that internalizing their indoctrination can delay your mission or even lead your mission to fail.

"Those of you remaining on the outskirts of the atmosphere or at the outer stations will not be at risk as much as the masters to the effect of the Illuse. Rely upon each other to remember and keep the connection to your core strong. Remember who you are and what you are here for will sustain your strength but paying attention to the variations in frequencies is also needed to adapt quickly."

She nodded encouragingly. "I know this is a lot, but you possess all you need within you, to be successful on this mission. With this being said, are you all ready?"

Each in the crew nodded.

Jalena placed the rectangular navy casing that housed the key on the panel before her and unlocked it. The gold and silver T-shaped object gleamed as she opened the lid.

Jalena lifted the large key out of its resting place and turned it to face the window. Its surface immediately brightened as the key rose into the air before the crew. She stepped back as the light from the key expanded.

The longest leg of the key split into two pieces. It shifted to connect to the endpoints of the bottom side and stretched to form a triangle. Gold light began to swirl within the surface of the key. Silver light outlined the edges of the triangle and stretched across the room to the window of the ship creating a triangle of light on the window's surface. Rays of gold filled the middle of the key and raced forward, along the path of the silver. When the gold reached the window, light expanded beyond and out into the darkness of space.

Far into the distance, three pulsing spheres of gold light formed outside the ship, each hovering where the points of an enormous triangle would be. The gold and silver light thickened and raced forward to the spheres like a magnet.

The crew shielded their eyes as the light of the key connected to the spheres and spread through the darkness before them. The light dimmed to reveal a triangular-shaped portal, its edges swirling with silver and gold. A milky spiral of sparkling white light filled the middle of the portal.

Sade turned to Jalena with a smile. "Seems like it works."

Lunara addressed Sade. "It is best to slow our journey when we pass through the portal to allow your bodies to adapt to the dimensional change, then we can set the course for the Mil Seikia Star System or what the humans call the Milky Way galaxy.

"Although I, as well as other Intergalactic allies of this realm, have added our protection to ensure our path to Galinia is clear, make sure the cloaking veil is active on the ship at all times to avoid any unwanted interference from other species orbiting Earth. There is much unwelcomed energy that patrols the outer atmosphere."

"Affirmed, Goddess." Sade adjusted the controls before him so that the ship continued toward the portal.

The key spun slowly in the air, remaining lit as they neared the pulsing triangle. As the Vorclán entered the portal, the ship automatically increased in speed until it completely matched the speed of the silver and gold light. A solid sheet of light was all that could be viewed on either side of the ship.

"We are completely within the portal now," said Lunara.

The ship shook violently as its speed increased. Only a short time passed, however, when the ship's structure calmed. Sade slowed the Vorclán's speed as it exited the portal.

The portal closed in a flash behind the ship, and the key returned to its former shape, dropping from the air into Jalena's grasp.

Fatigue suddenly dropped over the crew as if all the water of the Tran Ceiabré had been dumped over them.

Jalena turned her head with effort.

Welcome to the Realm of Alendrial. Lunara's voice entered their minds. You must sleep now to balance the fatigue you are experiencing.

Sade instructed his crew to automate all controls, and the team shuffled slowly to their chambers.

Jalena closed her eyes eagerly as she entered her chambers and fell into bed. Gyan's face lingered in her mind for a short time as it normally did before the heavy air of the new dimension pushed her into a dreamless sleep.