mikrokosmos

21: EMPYREA 101 BY HAZE AND JEREMIAH

"So you met your own grandmother?" Haze asked after Jade told her story.

The 9 teens were all inside the tree house's common room after Justin and Theodore found Jade inside the closet.

From what Emma told the two boys when they arrived, Princess Ira didn't find anything suspicious inside the closet so the princess left the room in disappointment. To avoid suspicion, Emma went back inside the room when Theodore himself arrived. Justin, on the other hand, chose to get inside the room through the terrace once again.

Now, they were inside Jenevieve's treehouse while trying to grasp what Jade just told them.

"Are you sure that's Astra though? The woman who hurt your grandmother?"

Jade nodded eagerly. "She's pretending to be the Queen! I'm positive about it now." She tried racking her brain to remember anything significant from her past travels. Then she raised her finger, "Oh!" she exclaimed, "She's the one I saw from before. The one who was fighting Leila Sinclair in that alleyway. She must be that other woman."

"It seems like you're only traveling to a timeline where Empyrea is involved." Nazaire inferred. 

"What did that woman tell you?" asked Theodore.

"That my parents are dead..." Jade paused. "Then something about my lover being dead too? I saw-" She met Jenevieve's eyes. "I saw Jenevieve and Lilith crying because of someone they couldn't help."

Silence.

Nazaire saw Jenevieve place a hand over Lilith's, consoling her best friend. Then he turned to Theodore, trying to see the Prince's reaction.

"Then you're the key." Theodore finally said, eyes locked on Lyra Jade. "Since Astra was hunting you down and your loved ones, you're mainly involved with the prophecy."

Justin frowned. "But how did that woman know?"

Theodore shrugged. "That, we have to find out."

"Are you sure about this girl being the key?" Jenevieve asked. "What if she's the hidden piece?"

Lyra Jade tried hard not to think of anything other than the information that she gave them. 

"Regardless. We're already sure that she's part of the prophecy. So is Hastings." Nazaire said. "We must know who the others are so we'll know what to do."

"Did you travel through time before this one?" Theodore asked. "Aside from when you met me."

Lyra Jade nodded. "I heard the younger version of my birth mother. She was with her mom, Leira, and her sister, Astra."

"How young are we talking about?" Lilith asked this time. "And what do you mean, you heard? Don't you mean to see or met?"

"I was hiding under a bed. I didn't want to get noticed and change the timeline."

"There's not much information about the other twin since Astra died after the coronation of the King and Queen," Jeremiah said.

"She died? What happened?" Reverie asked. "Then Jade's theory about Astra being in the future is debunked already?"

"Her theory still stands." Theodore assured, "I, too, think that someone like Astra is hiding behind that crown but no one will know for sure until we confirm it." 

Justin raised his hand then looked at Theodore. "I think Astra is the Queen."

All heads turned to the doe-eyed boy. "What?!" Haze and Jeremiah both said.