A Cassarian Story
Varian always knew that he cared for Cassandra. But he didn't realize how much until she was gone.
Six long years after Cassandra leaves Corona, she finally returns. Varian is overjoyed, but she comes bearing terrible news. A stran...
"Looking into the past?" Opal says with a grin. "I know a little bit about that!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Little Gem," Varian says, tickling her until she cackles.
"Yes, some of this may sound kind of familiar to you," Cassandra says. "But trust me when I say that, to us, what Abhu was saying sounded completely unreal..."
"You need to give us more of an explanation than that," Cassandra says to Abhu. He has never told her what exactly was in his father's journal—before this moment, she never cared. But now that this topic has been opened, there is no way she is letting him dodge it any longer.
Abhu inhales and exhales sharply, as if this is the last subject he wants to discuss. "When he was a kid, my dad heard this legend of some magical cavern. It was said that, upon entering this cavern, you would be shown the past, present, and even the future. All of Infinity. Of course, my dad didn't think this was just a legend... He believed with every ounce of his being that it was true. He devoted his life to researching the legend, to finding this 'Infinity.'
"Only when he married my mother did he briefly take a break from the search. He settled down for a while, they had me... But not long after I was born the desire to continue his search was too strong to resist. He left, and Mom never saw him again. I don't know if something happened to him, or if he maybe found what he was looking for. But either way, all I have of him is this journal." He holds the book up for them all to see. "It just showed up on our doorstep one day, long after my dad disappeared. We have no clue how it got there."
Varian holds his hand out expectantly. "I'm sorry Abhu, but I think it's time for you to let me see the journal now."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Abhu stares at Varian's extended hand, indecisively scrunching his nose. But instead of giving the journal to Varian, he hands it to Cassandra.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Cass raises an eyebrow as she takes the book. "Why are you giving it to me?"
"Because I actually know you," Abhu replies. "I just have a weird feeling about this one." He jerks a thumb in Varian's direction.
