The Return Of Time

Chapter Five: The Resiples And The Dracovern

The light from the pathfinder disappears, and Gaia finds herself with Biana and the man that she came with. Immediately recognizing her surroundings as the same alleyway that Emrys found her crying in, Gaia looks around for any signs of the turquoised-eyed elf to no avail. 

"What are they doing up and about?" she overhears the man asking Biana. "How did they know where to find us..?!"

"I don't know!" Biana whisper-shouts back to him. Suddenly, she facepalms herself. "Of course- they can track people by the path they leave when light-leaping..." We should've finished them off when we could've, but... Before Gaia can hear anymore, she pulls herself away Biana's thoughts, something she's having to do many times as of now.

"Obviously, they were waiting to ambush us," the man tells the brunette. "But I don't think that they had expected us to come... I think they were trying to ambush her and him..." Suddenly, the man's face pales as the possibility of them not coming there in time crosses his mind.

Finally having enough of being left out on whatever's actually going on, Gaia blurts out, "What's going on?!"

Biana and the man look at her, sympathy in their gaze. The man and the teal-eyed woman then exchange glances before the man suggests, "I don't think it's safe here. How about we light-leap somewhere less... populated?"

"My home," Biana quickly says, her eyes widening in realization. "That's a good place to go!"

And before Gaia can say anything else, Biana has already grabbed her hand and light-leaped the two away. 

...

Once the tingling sensation fades away with the blindingly luminous light, Gaia finds herself standing in front of a large, polygonal building. "What is this place?" Gaia asks, squinting her eyes from the sunlight bouncing off of the white and light grey-coloured crystals and into her eyes. "It's really... bright, Biana."

Biana and the periwinkle-eyed man besides her laugh. "It's called a resiple," Biana explains, holding a black crystal to the hole on the actual door. The thirteen-year-old can hear the door creaking open before the teal-eyed woman takes her hand, bringing her inside the building.

"It's kind of like... an apartment, in human words," the man adds, smiling.

Gaia's face suddenly falls, her face remembering the faces of the family that she left forever. I miss them already, she thinks to herself, her throat closing up. I-

She's suddenly brought back to reality when she feels someone shaking her shoulder ever so slightly. "Gaia, are you alright?" Biana asks, her expression stricken with worry and concern. "You kind of spaced out for a bit- I was getting worried." The brunette exchanges glances with the man before looking at her again.

"I- I'm fine," Gaia says, willing herself to not cry or show any tears. A wave of hurt flashes across Biana's face, but she quickly hides it with a smile. "What were you saying again?" Gaia asks.

Nodding, Biana holds out a a pathfinder with a grey crystal that's so faded that it looks white, yet it isn't. "I live on the two hundredth floor," she admits. Giggling when she sees Gaia's dropped jaw, Biana continues. "Elves that live here get a pathfinder that goes directly to their room. This one is mine."

Before anyone leaves, the man says, "I'll need to tell the Council about this, and I'll try to make sure that you two have more security."

For some reason, Gaia gets the feeling that she shouldn't ask any questions, so she doesn't.

"I'm also going to be late to a meeting if I don't go," the man adds jokingly. "So I'll catch up with you two later."

Biana smiles while Gaia nods silently. "Bye, Dex!" she exclaims, watching him leave with a pathfinder. After that light disappears, Biana turns to Gaia and lifts the pathfinder to her room up. "Shall we?" she asks, smiling. Holding it to the stream of light coming from the window, Gaia can feel Biana tighten her grip on her hand ever so slightly as they drift off into the light.