From Shattered Darkness

Chapter 5

The Universe brought them back to the cloud in a haze of light grey smoke. Well done Thana, you've completed my task. His words made Thana sick.

I wish you didn't exist. I wish you would leave me alone! Thana yelled, still in shock from the explosion and the horrifying realization that she killed the last of the human species.

I don't need anything more of you, therefore, I won't bother you again. The Universe's voice faded and the five representatives were left on the cloud.

"Thana, I am so sorry. I know you hate me and will never forgive me. I have no reason to deny what we did was wrong," Hali said.

Thana was lost in her thoughts. She was alone with no one there for her, nothing for her to go back to now. Earth was dead. Her grandma was wrong, Thana thought. Her mind went back to the note she had memorized, the one she read every day that kept her grandmother alive in her heart.

Realization hit Thana in the head like a brick. "The letter," she said under her breath. Of course! She had forgotten about her grandma's letter. When Earth's light goes out, darkness recreates what was lost. It all fell into place. Earth was dead, its light had been extinguished and darkness would recreate what was lost. Thana pieced the whole thing together. She was darkness.

"Well, are you going to tell us what 'the letter' is?" Blaise said angrily.

Thana realized she'd been standing in silence for a while and snapped back into reality. "My grandma left me a letter. I found it the night you brought those unnatural disasters to Earth," she explained. "She was a representative like the rest of us, of the Third Galaxy. She could see the future in her dreams and saw me waking up here. Long story short, the letter said that once the Earth was dead, darkness, me, would recreate what was lost."

"You're saying there's a way to reverse the destruction of Earth?" Beval asked, leaning against the table.

"Yes, but I don't know how I'm supposed to create anything." Thana tried thinking back to everything she'd learned in the past month. She had been taught how to use her power and how to get to the cloud without the Universe's help. Neither ideas were any help but she was missing something.

"Your grandmother said you would recreate what was lost. What about the book?" Hali had been in deep thought and even splashed water on her face which Thana didn't quite understand.

They all looked at Hali and their eyes widened. "Hali, you're a genius!" Terran exclaimed and hugged her.

The book that had the power of creation was exactly what they needed, Thana thought. She could write in the next chapter of Earth, turn it into the breathtaking planet her grandma told her it would be someday.

"There's just one problem. No one has ever used, or seen the book! Only the Universe has access to it." Blaise had to crush their moment of hope. Although she was right. They needed to find the book before Thana could even think about bringing life back to Earth.

"Blaise is right, we need to find the book first," Hali said. Everyone's shoulders slumped and their bright faces had become dull with disappointment.

There had to be more to this. Thana paced back and forth. The last part of her grandma's strange words popped into her mind. When five circle together. But that could mean anything, Thana shook her head.

"What is it?" Hali asked when she saw Thana shake her head.

"There was one last part to the 'riddle' my grandma gave me. When Earth's light goes out, darkness recreates what was lost when five circle together. I don't know what five circling together means, but perhaps since the dream was about me, then we may be the five?" Thana wasn't going to let herself get caught up in false hope but this seemed to be their only option.

"When five circle together. What's circular?" Terran asked. He looked more lost than stray dog miles from home.

"The only circular thing I see is the table," Beval said and pat the dark asteroid table.

Thana walked over and ran her fingers across the smooth surface until her had hit a small groove in the stone. She traced the groove with her index finger in the shape of a hand and upon further inspection, found nine others around the table. "Guys, you may want to see this," she called them over. "There are grooves in the rock in the shape of handprints," she said.

The others traced their fingers along the indents and one by one, knew exactly what they had to do.

"We have to circle the table to summon the book," Terran breathed out.

"We have to stand together," Hali said. "Blaise, that means you and Thana have to put aside your differences!"

Blaise crossed her arms and huffed. "Not going to happen." Her eyes shot daggers at Thana.

Thana couldn't take it anymore. "Blaise, why do you hate me? From day one, you've teased and taunted me. You alienated me and never said a single kind word to me." She was half expecting Blaise to throw fire at her but the quick tempered girl remained silent.

"My brother died because of humans. He was on Mars during the mining incident and was killed in the explosion. When you argued from humans, I was angry. I hated you for something that wasn't your fault. I'm sorry," Blaise said, looking down where no one could see the single tear that ran down her cheek.

"And I'm sorry for what happened. You didn't deserve to lose your brother and I can't blame you for being angry," Thana replied remembering how she cried for days when she lost her family.

"Sorry to interrupt this tear jerking moment, but we need to get that book," Hali piped in. She gestured to the table where Beval and Terran were waiting for them.

Thana moved to a set of handprints and stared at them. "So we just put our hands here and the book will appear?" It seemed too simple.

"I guess so, but it's like we have to use our power to summon it. You can't just stand in a circle and expect an ancient book to pop out of nowhere," Blaise said and set her hands on the table.

Beval was next, followed by Terran and Hali. Thana looked at them and for the first time, felt like she belonged. With a smile on her face, she placed her hands on the prints and focused her power. A shimmer of light caught her eye and a book and quill rippled into view.

"Take the book Thana," Hali said. "Only you can do this."

Thana reached out and wrapped her hands around the worn leather cover detailed with gold. The quill was a pure white feather lighter than snow. She opened the book on the table and found the timeline of Earth. The most recent event read, The Extinction of Humans. Thana flipped the page and writing covered the entire paper.

"That is where you will write in the new beginning of Earth." Terran flipped to a blank page and Blaise handed Thana the quill.

Thana couldn't believe she was writing the next chapter of her planet. She looked to the other representatives but something was different. They were no longer her fellow representatives, but her friends. They all gave her reassuring nods and smiles. Her shaking hand took the quill from Blaise and rested on the page. She took a nervous breath and began to write.

With the death of Earth, five representatives of the Milky Way summoned the book to start a new beginning.

Fires extinguished and water receded back into the oceans. Crumbled debris from old civilization melted back into the ground where magnificent forest and grassland biomes thundered to life. Snow fell on the new arctic tundras and desert winds blew sand shaping dry landscapes. Wildlife flourished in the clear oceans and great creatures roamed the plains.

A species of humans came to life with a profound respect for nature and settled into civilization intertwined with the natural environment, living in treetop cities and hillside villages.

From shattered darkness came a new beginning.