Cyber Chronicles 2: Prime Voyage

Chapter 22: Crystal

With a sense of anticipation, she delicately plucked the stone from the strange chest, holding it gingerly between her fingertips. Her gaze was immediately drawn to its enigmatic surface, and she couldn't help but question its significance. 

Her mind filled with memories of when she found the chest containing two boxes and a mysterious gemstone at the center. The stone had the label 'Garnet,' the same name Lincoln gave to his lifelong companion stone, ModCytron. However, unlike Lincoln's stone from almost a hundred years ago, this one seemed completely useless.

"Well? What do you think?" Amadh asked, his curious voice breaking the silence behind her, prompting her to turn around, though her attention remained fixated on the stone. The rest of the team stood there, awaiting her verdict. 

"I can't sense anything major from it," she revealed, her voice betraying a mixture of uncertainty and intrigue.

Curiosity got the better of Lucien, and he stepped forward to examine the stone up close. "Could the stone be concealing its charge?" he speculated, unable to shake off the intrigue. "And... well... Is it size, too?" he added, voicing his wonder.

"Nothing is hidden from the eyes of an energy manipulator," Ray asserted, drawing Crystal's attention away from the stone momentarily. However, she couldn't help but wonder about the possibility. "But this is a moderator we're talking about, isn't it possible?" Lucien turned to Ray, seeking further insights.

"No, that's not possible," Ray confirmed firmly, dispelling any lingering doubts. "That's just how important an energy manipulator is and why the universe can only hold one at once."

Crystal turned to Hayden. His encouraging smile brought a momentary sense of ease, causing her guarded demeanour to soften momentarily. However, her mind couldn't help but be flooded with questions, reflecting on her past actions, as she quickly put her guard back up. Why was he still so kind to her, even after the harm she had caused? Despite nearly driving him to the brink of death, he still watches her silently. Just why did he care so much? 

Amadh's voice interrupted her line of thought, drawing her attention back to the present. "Yet, there was a time when there were two energy manipulators, huh..." he mused, alluding to an intriguing piece of history.

"Kyelerian," Ray interjected, nodding thoughtfully. "We're still not sure how it happened, perhaps Lincoln's memories will shed some light on it," he suggested, turning to Hayden, who possessed the most knowledge about the past, thanks to his ancestral lineage. 

Hayden leaned against the wall, lost in contemplation. "It happens almost two decades after Lincoln's timeline, though. I doubt we'll find out anything," he clarified, a hint of scepticism in his voice.

"Let's just focus on what's important right now." he urged, redirecting the team's attention to the immediate task at hand, "Is this what we're looking for or not?" With a subtle gesture towards the stone, Hayden emphasized the need to determine its significance.

Crystal focused intently on it, determination etched on her face, as she channelled her energy into the stone as a last resort to elicit any response. Dark pink energy flowed from her fingers and, to her surprise, into the stone. She watched in awe as it absorbed the energy. The team, witnessing her bold attempt, fell into a hushed silence, their eyes fixed on the unfolding spectacle.

As the stone ceased its absorption, an eerie stillness settled over the room, and anticipation hung heavy in the air. They all waited with bated breath for some kind of reaction, but moments dragged on, and nothing seemed to happen.

Frustration and impatience began to creep in, "Well now wha-" Amadh was going to say but got seemingly cut off as a haunting darkness began to seep into the room. The transition was swift and alarming, catching Crystal off guard and causing her to drop the stone onto the dark floor.

The moment it made contact, an ethereal glow emerged from the stone, illuminating the spot where it fell, and then, inexplicably, that illuminated area began to expand. Crystal's heart raced with fear and confusion as she tried to scream, only to find her voice muted by the enveloping darkness.

The illuminated spot continued to grow larger and larger, and Crystal realized that she was being inexorably drawn into the expanding void. Panic surged through her as she felt herself being pulled toward the abyss created by the stone's mysterious power, and in the blink of an eye, she was swallowed whole by the dark void.

However, it wasn't long before Crystal regained her senses. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself in a strangely familiar setting. Confusion quickly enveloped her as she tried to grasp where exactly she was. Peeking from behind a wall, she observed the living room on the other side. Baffled by her presence here, all she could do was quietly watch and wonder.

To her astonishment, she realized that she was observing from a much lower perspective and noticed she was significantly shorter. This raised another flood of perplexing questions in her mind. Was she in a child's body? Or is this a memory from her own childhood? 

Her attention was drawn to the man and woman seated on the couch in the living room. Although she strained to hear their soft conversation, she could barely make out what they were saying. Despite the uncertainty, she continued to observe, trying to make sense of the puzzling situation.

Abruptly, the man stood up, his figure blurred in her vision, yet she could sense his anger. "It's all because of this goddamn stone!" he yelled, his frustration evident. In that moment, a sudden and brilliant flash of red light erupted from his direction, accompanied by an ominous feeling. A projectile of some sort seemed to be hurtling towards her, causing her heart to race with fear.

With a gasp, Crystal's eyes snapped open, and her heart pounded in her chest as if trying to escape. "She's awake!" A voice she recognized as Ann's rang out, filled with relief. Sitting up, she found herself in a room surrounded by her friends, their concerned faces etched with worry. Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion and other emotions as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

Staring at her trembling hands, Crystal's eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment. How had she ended up in that scene, and why did it feel so hauntingly familiar? Questions flooded her mind, and she struggled to find the answers.

"Crystal, are you okay? What happened?" Hayden asked, leaning in close, his eyes searching hers for any clues.

"Yeah, are you hurt?" Ray chimed in, his usual calm demeanour replaced by genuine concern.

Crystal looked up at her teammates, their faces a mix of anxiety and curiosity. The man said 'stone', and that could mean only one thing. Suddenly, she gasped as she realized what she had just seen. 

As the team crowded around her, each voicing their worry and questions, Crystal's eyes darted back to her hands. Something caught her attention. The stone was in her palm. Recognition washed over her, and her heart skipped a beat, "We have a piece of ModCytron."