Respite Beneath the Iron Dome (Book One of the Single Universe)

Chapter 4: Reckon Part 4

Back in the solitude of the garden, Ellen's eyes followed the rhythmic descent of the sun. Its dying embers ignited the horizon with a silent promise of rebirth. The budding roses spoke of life's endless cycle of ebbing and flowing. The twilight's brush painted the sky with shades of somber indigo.

Ellen's thoughts drifted to Roi and the place he beckoned her to seek. A steady resolve crystallized within her as the U.N.I.'s imperceptible whisper merged with the rustle of leaves and the distant murmur of the sea. It was time to step beyond the familiarity of these hallowed grounds. To embrace the destiny beckoning over the horizon.

Her journey through grief's shadowed valley was reaching its close—not with fanfare but with a quiet acknowledgment of life's inexorable cadence. There, in the tranquility of the garden, amid the soft fragrance of the earth, Ellen found acceptance—acceptance of loss, of change, and of the role she was destined to play in shaping the future.

The sorrow once coiling around her heart had unfurled, leaving her spirit open and unguarded. No longer would she resist the currents seeking to steer her into unknown waters. She would raise her sails and catch the wind.

Watching the horizon, Ellen sensed her father's presence, an interwoven thread in the U.N.I.'s grand tapestry — a guide star in the perpetual night sky. The truths, the meeting with her mother, and Agatha's imminent downfall coalesced into a deep understanding of her purpose. Ellen clasped her Star Piercer, feeling its weight and warmth mesh with the elements coursing through her veins. Tonight, the piercing cold of dread dissolved into a quiet strength as the stars blinked back, affirming her resolve.

There is no fight left in me, Mother. Ellen thought to herself not as a sign of surrender but as the dawning of acceptance.

Only the will to follow where the U.N.I. leads me.

With her heart anchored in serenity, she was ready. Tomorrow, she would find Roi's workshop and whatever revelations awaited her. Ellen drifted into an uneasy sleep, the day's events weighing on her mind.

As she slipped into dreaming, hushed voices echoed around her. She recognized her father's distinctive tones, conversing with someone who sounded like Roi weaving through an opaque mist. Fleeting words—' the assignment,' 'temporary veil,' 'force his hand'—spoke of hidden strokes in a larger plan. With Ellen's name whispered at the core. Then, Jadin's silhouette faced her, his voice deep and clear:

"An oyster with a pearl nestled inside its hard shell."

The dream fragmented, her father's image dissolving.

Ellen jolted up, her father's cryptic words echoing in her mind:

"An oyster with a pearl nestled inside its hard shell?"

A faint glow caught her eye, and she turned to see an inscription scrawled in light on the wall opposite her bed:

"They know you're coming."

Beneath the warning, a countdown ticked away precious seconds. Ellen's heart raced as the implications sank in. "They," whoever they were, had anticipated her moves.

The luminous script vanished, leaving only the ghost of its message seared into Ellen's consciousness. Fear coiled in her gut, but a fierce determination rose to meet it. If they knew she was coming, she'd give them a reckoning they'd never forget.

Ellen sprang from her mattress, shedding the last vestiges of vulnerability as she dressed with swift, purposeful movements. The U.N.I.'s charge echoed in her mind. A rallying cry against the hidden threats that lurked in the shadows.

She checked her Star Piercer, the weapon's weight a reassuring presence at her side. Ellen's eyes, alight with a tempest of emotions, fixed on the horizon beyond her window. A storm was brewing, and she was ready to face it head-on.

Ellen's resolve crystallized into a hardened core as she stepped out into the predawn hush. The countdown continued, each vanishing second a reminder of the urgency that now drove her. She had no choice but to act, to trust in the truths she'd uncovered and the path the U.N.I. had laid before her.

Ellen strode forward, her footsteps a steady rhythm against the challenges to come. The game was on, and the players were poised to strike. But they would soon learn the folly of underestimating Ellen Maryam Brown. She was no mere pawn in this dance of secrets and shadows. She was a Single, a vicegerent of the universe, and a beacon of hope in the gathering darkness.