Ultraviolet

Chapter 16: The Ultraportal

(Author's Note: In some places, you will see three dashes in a row. Those are meant to resemble an em dash. I just put them there because there's not an actual character on the keyboard for the em dash, so I would have had to go copy one to paste every time I wanted to write. It was easier for me to replace them with three dashes.)

"Incredible! I cannot believe that they're actually gone now! Thank you, young warriors, it is such a relief to be rid of the burden of the Guvon Rogues. You have done very well," Pimana praised.

"We owe it all to Nopira," I told her. "He was the one who used his powers to push the rogues down the waterfall."

"I could never repay my debt to you, Nopira. I applaud your courageous actions. In fact, I am so very grateful for all of you. You may now enter the Ultraportal. I will bring you to its location in just a moment. Before you go, Dianne, I need to give you the Prophecy Ring. Foremost, it will help you stop the destruction of the universe. How exactly, I am unsure, but the Council should inform you when you arrive in the Passenger Dimension. When you fulfill the prophecy and leave the Passenger Dimension, which I know you will, you can use it to send and receive messages from inyangas and ilangas whilst you are in the Second Reality. You can use this feature to communicate with your friends when you return home. I have been told there are many more functions the ring is capable of performing. The Prophecy Ring possesses unimaginable power, to the extents of which I do not even fully understand. Treasure it, my dear. You deserve this."

Pimana stepped up from her throne at walked over to me, the Prophecy Ring cupped in her palms. She carefully pinched the ring between her thumb and forefinger and dropped it into my hands. The ring was made of a breathtaking indigo-colored gem, of which I could not recognize. A minuscule hole had been drilled into the top of the ring for some unknown purpose. The band of the ring itself was made of diamond. I knew that the ring must be worth a fortune, but I would never dream of trying to sell it. I slid the ring onto my finger, feeling like royalty.

"That is tanzanite, darling. Tanzanite is said to have magical properties in any form, but I do not know how trustworthy that statement is. If I know one thing for sure, however, it is that the ring certainly has magical properties. Again, I hate to pester you, but please take care of the ring. You will need it to complete your quest," Pimana insisted.

"I will keep it close to me at all times, ma'am. Thank you for your generosity, it means so much to me."

"I'd do the same for a paragon of bravery such as yourself any day, Dianne. Follow me, I will lead you and your friends to the Ultraportal now. I'm sure all of you are tired of hearing me blab about the ring at this point," she bantered.

Without a word, we followed Pimana up a towering spiral staircase. I looked out of barred windows on the way up, and as I watched the fluffy white clouds pass by, I thought about our journey so far. I had gone through a lot of trouble, but here I was, still alive and breathing. In the beginning, I had seen Elizabeth in the Locked Realm. Before I had a chance to really talk to her, she was taken from me. After my flashback, I was sure that I was never going to see her again. My memories of the experience were just to tease me, dangling Elizabeth right in front of my face then snatching her away. After ending up in the Locked Realm, I had met Nopira and Rukni in the First Reality, where we had traveled through the Misty Forest and escaped the Great Labyrinth. We entered the Miraculous Gateway and fell off of the Third Staircase, where we met Turo and Juxame after being healed. It was there that I found out that Nopira had lied to me, but he had more than made up for it, so I forgave him. Together, we had solved the Bocerd Puzzle and slain Phersine for the next millennium. When we escaped her lair, Juxame sacrificed herself to save me. We arrived at Pimana's Palace, where we had unintentionally become mercenaries and killed the Guvon Rogues in order to gain access to the Ultraportal. When we returned to the palace victorious, I was gifted the Prophecy Ring, and there I was currently, up to speed. So much had happened in just the span of two days!

It was hard to maintain a clear mind and focus in on my two goals: save the universe and learn the identity of Clarence's murderer. I was so close to achieving both of these goals, I could taste success. It was just within my reach. I would celebrate the continued existence of the universe. Elizabeth and Clarence would want me to rejoice after my triumph, and for them, I certainly would. I would force the killer to pay for what they had done to my little brother. I never wanted to have to be the one to take vengeance on them, but if the cops couldn't do it, I had to serve up justice on a silver platter.

"Here it is," Pimana stated, as we emerged from the staircase into a long corridor.

At the end of the hall lay the Ultraportal. A pool of soft red light emanated from the portal, cast onto the black and white marble tiles of the floor. The corridor was a major change in the interior compared to the rest of the castle. The lack of windows shadowed the room and caused a chill to run down my spine. Everything about the hallway made me feel uneasy, from the grimy white wallpaper peeling off the walls to the cobwebs strung about in the corners of the room.

"I know that the sight of this corridor may be a bit alarming, but you have nothing to fear. The Passenger Dimension is bizarre, and the Council member can be slightly overwhelming, but everything will be alright. The Council will make sure you are not harmed as long as you are under their watch. And, for the record, you do not need to worry about your judgment. From the moment you stepped foot in my palace, I could clearly see that you were a benevolent girl," Pimana said, comforting me.

"Oh, that's good to know. I suppose it's time we got going now," I mumbled, gulping.

I was still nervous, despite Pimana's attempt to calm me. I wasn't worried about my judgment. If I had to face the force of universal destruction and darkness, some danger would surely fall upon me. That was just how things worked. The higher the risk, the higher the reward. The saving of the entire universe was definitely a monumental reward, so it had to come at an extremely high price, possibly my life.

"Who wants to go first? The portal is very thin, so we can't go at the same time," Nopira mentioned.

"It only makes sense that I should go first. I am the only one who's actually required to go to the Passenger Dimension. All of you just came along to support me," I explained.

"It takes a lot of responsibility to be able to make such a choice, Dianne. I am so proud of you. I know that you can do this," Pimana assured me.

She, being three times the size I was, kneeled down to give me a hug. Even when Pimana was crouched, she was still as tall as me when I was standing. After a few seconds, she let go and stepped the side of the room with a pained expression.

"Thank you, I really needed that. Goodbye, Pimana. Let's go, team," I ordered.

Before any of my friends could protest my decision to enter the Ultraportal first, I went ahead and ran into the portal.