A figure in a gray cloak stepped out of thin air. "My name is Elysian," she said. "And I am the power source you're all here looking for."
Everyone stared in utter disbelief at the sudden turn of events as Elysian threw back her hood. She looked like an elf—like one of them—, her pale blue eyes shining with a millennia of wisdom. The only difference was the colour of her fingertips, which were glowing scarlet, as if bursting with infinite power. Her ears were notably sharp and pointy. Could she be an Ancient?
Taking advantage of the stunned silence around her, Elysian clarified, "I am the guardian of the power source. I am an elf, and I was chosen to guard the power and prevent it from landing in the wrong hands. As you can all see, the power is stored inside me and it is impossible to steal it."
"In return for my service, I am trapped here forever. I used to think it was such an honor to be the chosen one, but now I see it as a burden I have to bear for holding on to such a dark and malevolent power," she sighed. Her gaze turned stern as she added, " I will guard this power with my life, and should any of you try to take it from me, I will not hesitate to kill you. I will not tolerate further violence from any of you. Leave now or I will attack!".
"You can't hide from your legacy forever, Keefe. Let's not forget I still have your goblin bodyguard in my custody, Sophie. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon," Lady Gisela taunted before raising her crystal to the light, and leaping away.
Sophie started to panic at the reminder that Sandor was still in Lady Gisela's clutches. She shoved all her worries into a mental box, promising to herself that she would get Sandor back before she turned to Elysian, desperate. "I know you want to protect the Lost Cities, but I'm sure Gisela will be back. If you give some of your power to us, I promise that we will use it for good and stop her. We can stop her from trying to steal your power ". She knew the chances of reasoning with Elysian were slim, but she had to try.
"No. I have already warned you. Do not try bargaining with me. Now leave," Elysian shouted. Sophie wanted to protest, but her friends dragged her into the light and they leaped back to the lost cities.
———————————————
Once they safely leaped back to Havenfield, Grady and Edaline, who were already waiting for the group outside, hailed Edwin to heal the bruises and scratches that they had gotten from battling Lady Gisela at Elysian. No, Elysian was the name of the power source and she was an elf, she reminded herself. Her stomach turned sour at the reminder that she had went because Vespera had pushed for a meeting there, and her photographic memory recalled every single detail of how Gisela had ruthlessly murdered her without any hesitation. "Are you okay, Sophie?" Edaline asked, snapping her back to the present.
"I'm fine," she answered wearily, and she turned to make sure all of her friends were safe. That was when she remembered that Sandor was still being held hostage by Lady Gisela. "Sandor was taken by Lady Gisela, we have to go get him back!," she exclaimed.
"Calm down, Foster. I'm sure my mom wouldn't do anything to him yet. Let's call Mr Forkle later and get everyone to gather at Havenfield first," Keefe suggested, twining their fingers together and sending a few green breezes into her mind. She took in a few deep breaths, reminding herself that at least everyone else in the group had escaped. The final stage of Stellarlune was also delayed without the power source, saving her temporarily from her worries that Keefe's power would get further out of control. What if he started numbing them again? Or worse, was being used by his mom to trigger the elves' dormant abilities everywhere in the lost cities?
She told herself to stop worrying as everyone said their goodbyes and promised to meet up in the morning. As Sophie crawled into bed, she could not help but feel unease without the familiar presence of Sandor patrolling the area, and when she finally fell asleep, she was haunted by nightmares.
"Ms Foster, may I see your memories of the attack?" Mr Forkle transmitted the next morning once she had composed herself and went downstairs to meet the rest. Her friends and all twelve councillors were all currently gathered at Havenfield to discuss the next move.
"It appears that Vespera is dead and the Neverseen must be scrambling and trying to figure out their next move." he announced afterwards, triggering gasps throughout the room. "We must take advantage of the situation and find a way to communicate with Elysian again before the Neverseen or Lady Gisela does. We need her power, or at least prevent Gisela from recruiting her before we do," Sophie spoke up, trying to sound as authoritative and leader-like as possible.
"Could Elysian be a forbidden secret? We may have opened all the secrets in Kenric's cache, but it could be in Fintan's," Dex piped up. "Good thinking, Dex! Let me know if you manage to access the secrets in Fintan's cache, or if you need me to enhance you," Sophie replied.
"There is also an urgent matter we must address, strictly with the members of Team Valiant," Councillor Emery called out. As everyone else left the room, he announced, "It appears that most of the trolls have been working with Lady Gisela. She is now in control of all the trolls, including the new-borns that were experimented on. Empress Permille has managed to escape with a few of her guards, and are currently residing in the Lost Cities, under our protection. She has expressed her regret on working with Gisela. We are currently unsure how to sentence her for her treachery, but we would like all of you to talk with her and better find out what we are up against,".
Sophie and her friends gave curt nods before the councillors glittered away, except for one. Her biological mother stepped towards her. "I have been able to access the Hushwood library. You and your friends will be given access should you wish to do any research on Elysian," she explained, raising her crystal to the light before Sophie could snap back with a retort.
Sophie sighed. She would worry about her personal issues later. "Which brings us to the matter of Sandor," Mr Forkle said once the councillors left. "I'll have to assign you a new bodyguard until we get him back". Sophie couldn't imagine the thought of having anyone but Sandor watching her back, but she vowed that she would get him back and nodded to the new arrangement. It was what Sandor would have wanted her to do, anyway.
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Elysian (A Kotlc Fanfic)
FanfictionThis story takes place after the cliffhanger in Stellarlune. All characters belong to Shannon Messenger.