SOVEREIGNTY

Chapter 9

Alan was dreaming a strange dream. He and Hopix were walking down the isle of the palace up to Queen Glimmer. Hopix was beautiful. Over and over, he heard her telling him that she loved him. They had just reached Glimmer when the lizard guy jumped out of the crowd cutting Hopix's throat. Alan was screaming as the lizard laughed and ran out the door with no one touching him. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alan started to go after him but he had to heal Hopix before it was too... "I love you" Hopix choked out, "I will always love you." Then she stopped moving and breathing. Alan poured all the magic into her he had, but she was gone. NO! NO! NO!

Hopix's mother was having an extremely hard time with Alan. Not only was he resisting but she felt him start to slip away on his own. Then she saw the dream oh dear! Hopix was dead in his arms while the Queen and all her subjects were celebrating; no wonder he was slipping away.

Calling out to him, he turned, "Who the hell are you? Another come to torture me? To make me watch again and again how I failed her? To make me watch her die OVER AND OVER!?? Come, you want my life. Here it is cause without her there is no life, you understand? Kill me slow, fast, I don't care."

"No, Alan. None of this is real. You were hurt and are healing. Hopix is here with me. She is extremely worried about you."

"I know you, but I can't place you. Who are you? How do you know these things?" Alan asked.

"I am Hopix's mother. I am here to help you, but you have to let me. You have to stop fighting me. Hopix is alive. Come with me and see." She said, taking his hand.

Snatching his hand away, he said, "Look lady, I don't really know you. You could be anyone."

"You are right; then, how about this? You reach out, outside of this place and see if I am right. If Hopix isn't worried about you, I will sit here and do nothing." She said as she sat and waited. At least now he was no longer slipping away, but he was still weak.

Reaching out, Alan had a hard time piercing outside of the Queen's palace. Another push and he was out above a blanket that was on the ground, a little higher he saw a Fairixie woman bending over him. Strange, but she had no face. Huh? Next to her, Hopix was sitting her small hand trying to hold his huge one.

Her face was covered with tears she seemed weak pale, "I have to tell you the secret of my people, what you see is an illusion. We are really..." At that moment, he was ripped away back into his body.

Alan appeared next to the woman claiming to be Hopix's mother. "Did you learn anything?" the woman asked.

"Hopix ... Hopix started to tell me something. She said her people had a secret, that what I was seeing was an illusion." Sighing, Alan looked at the woman. "Then I was ripped away. I'm not sure what this illusion is or what you really look like, but it seemed very important to her. I will try to come back. I have so little strength left."

"I will help you, when you see me again grab hold of anything I give you as tightly as you can. It is the only way I can see that you can survive." Alan nodded as she left.

Outside of his mind, Hopix's mother looked at her. She was looking better, but she wasn't saved yet. Neither was Alan. She prayed that she had the power to help him. Starting slowly, she began to infuse energy into Alan. Inside, Alan was grabbing all the energy that she sent. Almost an hour later, she had to stop. Alan wasn't as weak, but was still very weak. Hopix's mother shook her head as she'd tried for an hour. Alan needed so much energy. She could feel he was almost out of danger, but there was still a risk.

She needed to rest, but all of Hopix's people on both planets owed Alan so much. If only ... She hadn't heard of it being done since before she was born, well over 10,000 years ago. She had to try. She felt it was the only thing that could save him.