Beyond What's Known

Chapter 4

"What?" Trixie asked, appalled. "East- he killed your parents?"

Eli sighed and closed his eyes, hanging his head.

"What do you mean 'Eastern Caverns'?" Kord asked carefully.

Alana winced and looked down at her hands. She hadn't wanted to tell them, let alone like this. The tragedy of the West shouldn't have to be their problem, it was supposed to be her secret to bear. But now, anything she held back could be information helpful to know in the fight against the Dark Slinger.

She could worry later. She could panic and cry and be as upset as she wanted, but right now, the caverns were facing what very well might be their most dangerous threat. The gang stared at her in shock as she straightened her posture and narrowed her eyes, completely transforming from the panicked girl she had been only seconds ago.

"We don't have a lot of time to waste, so just believe everything I say, okay?" Alana asked, her voice still a little wobbly from her attack. "That guy is from the Eastern realm. It's a whole other set of caverns. There isn't just the 99, and it goes further than the East, too. I'm from the Western Caverns, and when I was a kid, the Dark Slinger attacked the West. He killed my parents and their team, and tried to kill me, but my mom sent me here.

"Will knew her. She had my power, too, and she knew how to use it to travel between the realms. She sent me here before she died. The Dark Slinger wanted us for our energy, but I don't know why. If he's here, then we need to know that he's willing to kill and destroy whatever he wants."

When Alana found it in herself to look up at her friends, she was met with looks of equal parts confusion and horror. Trixie had lowered her camera and was covering her mouth with one hand. Kord was staring over at the cavern wall, staring at it like it may part and reveal new realms. Pronto's mouth was agape and his eyes were wide and owlish.

Eli sighed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before nodding.

"Alright. We'll talk about this later," he assured the others, his eyes flashing with an emotion that Alana couldn't quite decipher. "But right now, we need to focus on stopping this Dark Slinger. Alana, do you know what his goal was when he attacked you? What did he actually want to accomplish?"

It took Alana a couple tries to get her voice working again, but she finally found it in herself, shaking her head as she responded.

"I-I don't know. He only ever said it was for our energy," Alana managed. "And I don't know why. He- he said he didn't want to kill us. But I... I don't know."

The Dark Slinger wasn't exactly a trustworthy source. His motives could have been anything, killing the Caelums or not. But it didn't matter- regardless of his goals, the family had been destroyed.

Eli nodded and got to his feet, reaching out a hand. Alana hesitated for only a moment before taking it and letting him pull her up.

"We'll stop him," Eli promised. "We have to. Alana, are you okay to fight?"

Alana blinked in surprise, nodding quickly.

"Of course," she said immediately. "I'm not running."

Not again.

"You shouldn't just go out there though," Trixie choked out, shaking her head and seeming to push aside her concerns like Eli and Alana. "He tried to kill you- or, well, kidnap you. We can't just let him take you to the Eastern Caverns."

Pronto humphed and stalked over to his mecha, silently rummaging through its compartment for something. He quickly found what he was looking for, pulling it out, giving it a shake, and walking back over to Alana. He held up the item he'd rummaged for.