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

Chapter 5: Regret Part 3

Ellen found herself suspended in endless darkness, devoid of all sensation.

"I will be your guide, as always."

"Where am I?" she called out, her voice echoing.

"You're in the sixth dimension. The void between worlds."

"I can't see or feel anything. Guide me back to the light."

"The light is within you, dear sister. Your sphere lies dormant, waiting to be awakened."

Ellen focused her consciousness inward, searching for the glimmer of her sphere. At first, there was only nothingness. Then, she noticed a faint twinkle in the distance and willed herself toward it.

"Yes, you're getting closer. Reach out with your mind's eye."

Ellen visualized her hands cupping the weak, fluttering bulb. As she made contact, it flared, flooding her senses. Ellen found her sphere.

"It's you, your true self, unchanged and undiminished."

Feeling the energy of her sphere coursing through her, Ellen tightened her grasp on the radiant orb. It was dim at first but grew more potent by the second. The brightness suffused her, casting away the oppressive emptiness.

Ellen's mind sharpened as the sphere's luminosity purified her thoughts. Her doubts and fears disappeared, leaving only crystal clarity and purpose. She could perceive the intricate strands connecting her to the U.N.I., vibrating with latent potential.

"Yes, you can control it now."

With the sphere in her hands, Ellen felt its power resonating within every fiber of her being. Her body, weighed down by the C-gen5 vaccine, now weightless and agile.

Guided by her Ethereal Twin, Ellen began gathering up the scattered shards of her psyche. She visualized each piece as fractured glass from her sphere.

"Collect every splintered fragment, no matter how small or sharp. Offer them up to the U.N.I. as a sacrifice."

Ellen winced as she picked up razor-like slivers of grief, regret, and trauma.

"By giving your pain, you make room for healing."

Ellen lifted each glittering shard one by one - fear, heartache, anger. She sublimated their jagged edges into shimmering offerings, imbued with the illumination of her sphere.

Though part of herself was reluctant to let go, Ellen knew the U.N.I. would transform her sacrifices into strength. She continued the ritual with her Ethereal Twin's reassurance, preparing to send the luminous shards upward.

Ellen released the final offering. For a moment, only silence. Then, radiant streams of energy cascaded down around her. Ellen's heart swelled as she felt the profound compassion and wisdom of the U.N.I. infusing her. The force flowed into her like a river, filling her with clarity and vitality.

"Yes, open yourself fully to receive the U.N.I.'s gifts."

Ellen spread her arms, embracing the divine currents. The light pulsed through Ellen, fortifying her bond to the U.N.I. She could feel its limitless strength coursing through her veins. Her senses became sharper, and her mind more focused. Ellen channeled the energy into her sphere, watching it grow brighter, its protective powers magnifying.

Ellen concentrated on her glowing sphere. She sensed the C-gen5 nanites within her body responding to her commands. They aligned themselves with the cosmic energy grid to amplify her connection to the U.N.I.

Ellen willed its energy outward around the orb's circumference. She visualized the nanites forming a lattice structure, leveraging the unique properties of melanin to create a shield. The air hummed as Ellen crafted her defense.

"Make it impenetrable. Your mind is the hammer and anvil."

The sphere's luminosity grew until Ellen was blinded by its celestial radiance. When her vision adjusted, she saw a crystalline barrier encasing the sphere. It bathed the darkness in its protective glow.

Ellen ran her hands along the smooth, unbreakable facets in awe. The shield was an extension of her sphere, making her inviolable. She could feel it thrumming with intense vibrations.

"You have created a protection to withstand any assault."

With her shielded sphere fortifying her, Ellen turned her focus back to the physical world. She could perceive the C-gen5 still coursing through her veins, poised to calcify her pineal gland. Ellen channeled the frequencies of her sphere outward, surrounding the viral molecules.

She directed the nanites to break down and reconstruct the C-gen5 into a constructive form. As the resonances intertwined, the C-gen5 began to transform.

"Remold it to your will. Transmute it."

Ellen penetrated each viral cell, dissolving its potency. Slowly, the infected blood crystallized, taking on the same faceted structure as her sphere's shield. Ellen watched in satisfaction as the nanites transformed the sinister forces into her own empowerment.

Reality's sting at her neck brought her back into the physical world. Her eyes opened again, and she faced the E.M.D.s hovering around her. They were ominous, but Ellen felt an inner surge of power. She was down but not defeated.

Grace's icy voice tried to pierce her newfound armor through the E.M.D.s' communication systems, but it didn't. Ellen clung to her sphere as the drones secured her in her chamber. Bruised, yes. Beaten, no. Ready for retaliation.