I soared through the skies on the thin metal of the stolen teleboard, speeding towards the golden tower at the edge of the Rift. I had to find a way to stop more Nox from coming in the Rift. Once I stopped that, everything else could be figured out. Minerva and everyone else could come up with a plan once the Nox invasion was stopped.
Only one problem: I had no idea how to do that. Everyone had told me how protectors were the ones that kept portals safe, but no one had actually told me how they did it. How on earth was I supposed to protect everyone if no one told me how? I suppose I could just make my personal barrier bigger, but I had never tried it before.
As I flew towards the Sanctuary, Louis crept into my thoughts. Did he know that Allister was here? Was he safe? I hoped so, I didn't have time to check the apartment and see if he was there. As I thought about it, I realized I didn't have to worry. Louis was far stronger than Allister, if they ever crossed paths, Louis would win. I didn't need to be afraid for him.
I couldn't find any traces of any unnatural activity in the Rift as I reached the steps of the Sanctuary, which to be honest was more scary than if the whole portal was burning to the ground. No flames, no screaming, all of that meant that Allister could've been planning this for weeks and we wouldn't have known until it was too late.
I quickly jumped off of the board and broke into a full sprint towards the doors when I reached the entrance to the Sanctuary. When I burst through the heavy doors, I was surprised to find people walking around doing their normal work. Luxiens were going about their normal lives like they were outside, carrying around books or having discussions with others. But that couldn't be right, Allister was here...he wouldn't leave this place functioning normally. Or would he?
Deciding to find out for myself if anything weird was going on, I walked up to a man carrying several books in his arms. He was unfazed as I blocked his way, my head still trying to wrap around the idea of everything going around me.
"Excuse me," I started, but froze when I saw his eyes. They were a washed out grey color, and the man's face was void of any expression when I stopped him. He only curiously tilted his head to the side and looked to me, my heart sinking when I recognized the look on his face. It was one that chilled me to the bone, one I had faced when the man had looked into the cabin's closet for Louis and me.
Allister had possessed him and who knows how many other people in the Sanctuary. He really was here.
"You are Mira Lane." The man spoke in a monotone voice as I slowly backed away from him. His hand darted out to tightly grip my arm, making me grimace in pain before I tried to get him off of me.
"Let me go!" I harshly said before pulling my sword from my arm and pointing it at the man. Allister's henchman didn't react the slightest bit, only kept his grip tight.
"Allister is expecting you." He said as he reached to his ear. I gasped when I saw a hidden microphone in his ear, hearing him speak just a moment later to whoever was on the receiving end. "I have apprehended Mira Lane, Master."
The person on the other end of the microphone spoke before the man holding me did.
"Understood." He only said before yanking me down a hall of the Sanctuary. I cried out and pulled my arm back, my heels digging into the floor so I could slow him down. I was about to use my telekinesis to get him off when I saw a familiar face at the end of the hall standing in front of a winding stairwell.
Imani.
I froze, allowing the man to take me to her. My eyes spotted a silver metal collar on her neck, but other than that she seemed normal. She couldn't have been possessed, please Fate tell me she wasn't.
Imani's expression was blank as the man took me to her, my eyes darting to the floor as I felt her grip take over the man's. I was too afraid to look and see if her eyes were grey as well, too afraid to see if Allister had gotten to the closest person to a best friend I had ever had.
"I will take her to Master." I heard her say in a similar monotone voice to the man, making me want to break down and cry right there. Allister must have gotten to Imani as well.
The man finally turned and left, Imani still tightly gripping onto my arm with her fingers. I kept my gaze straight forward until I felt a poke in my side.
I grimaced and jerked sideways, my eyes looking to see the African girl next to me giggling with a bright smile on her face. Imani was as playful as ever, no matter what kind of bad things were going on around her.
"Imani...you're alright?" I barely mumbled as I stared with wide eyes at her, Imani nodding and holding her arms out for a hug. I nearly toppled the girl over as I hugged her tight, my heart pounding furiously from happiness.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's good to see you, Mira." She smiled before taking my hand and leading me up the stairwell quickly. Our quick feet took the steps in a flurry of motion, both of us racing towards the top.
"Is everyone else okay?" I rushed out as I ran up the stairs, Imani stopping to properly answer. We were both struggling to catch our breath as we stood on some steps next to each other.
"Yeah, everyone else is good. Allister busted in when we were about to start our training, put these collars on us, and made us do his bidding. He took Harry and K with him to the very top, I guess to warn him if you were coming." Imani explained, my head nodding as I processed everything. Allister hadn't possessed them...why hadn't he just possessed them all and then had them be his servants? That wasn't making sense. Still, I had another thing on my mind I had to ask.
"And Lou?" I asked, but was met with wide eyes.
"He's up there too. Allister knocked him out and chained him up pretty good." Imani said, my teeth catching hold of my bottom lip harshly. Louis didn't deserve this, any of this. I would save him, save everyone from Allister.
"You need to protect the Rift so Nox can't send more followers." Imani changed the topic, her hand reaching up to tightly grasp my shoulder. "If you can do that, we may have a chance."
I shook my head and sighed. "Imani, I don't know how to do that. No one showed me how." This didn't seem to faze her in the slightest.
"You know how to make a sword don't you?" She asked, making my brows scrunch as I nodded. What did the sword have to do with anything? As if for proof, I pulled the golden blade from my arm, Imani getting giddy as she saw it. She smiled brightly and was practically jumping in her spot.
"Uh...is that important?" I was confused, Imani nodding happily.
"That's how you protect everyone!" She exclaimed, making me do a double take and blink a few times as I stared at the glittering sword I held. "There's a stone in the center of the room at the top of these stairs with a small slit in the middle. It's a scabbard, and you put your sword in it to protect everyone."
I was in awe for a bit until Imani insisted we needed to keep moving up the stairs. I returned my sword to my runes, taking the steps two at a time as we raced up the last few flights of stairs. With a whispered plan of attack, I vanished in mid air as Imani plastered her blank expression back onto her face. Imani opened the door just wide enough to let both herself and me into the room, shutting it behind her and giving me a look towards the middle of the room.
When I turned to look at the room, I was taken aback to see an all too familiar sight. The room was almost exactly like the one in my memory with my mother, golden with fancy inscriptions and a view of the entire portal in front of me. I stood there for a moment before I snapped out of my trance and focused my gaze onto a single pedestal that stuck out among the rest of the fancy room.
While everything else was created in colors of white and gold, the pedestal was completely made of a grey stone. Symbols were etched into the sides and top, some jagged and rough and others smooth and sleek. I quietly yet quickly made my way towards the stone, my eyes catching the slit in the top just as Imani had said there would be.
"Master, it appears that Mira Lane isn't here. Your servant was incorrect." Imani strolled over to the other side of the room, where a large chair had been placed. She stopped a good ten feet away, not too close to actually see Allister but not too far to where he couldn't hear her. It was turned so the person sitting in it could see the Rift completely through the huge window, and I had no doubt that that person was Allister.
Allister didn't say anything to Imani as I continued on my way towards the pedestal. When I reached it, I dropped my invisible shield and drew my sword. Just as I dropped my cover, I heard the softest of whispers from a little ways in front of me. I looked up to see some of my friends and Minerva chained up against the wall. Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Minerva were stunned to see me before silently urging me on with nods and looks.
My blue eyes looked over to the side of my friends who were still conscious, my heart lurching when I saw a battered Louis chained up against the wall. He didn't move at all save for the delicate movements of his chest as he breathed in, but I would take my small victories. Louis was still alive, and now I could save him.
I stepped up to the pedestal, my shaking fingers lightly drawing over one of the symbols before I took in a breath and held my sword up. I heard a thud and a shout from over where Allister was, but I ignored it.
With one breath, I placed my glittering golden sword in the scabbard with a swift and easy motion. Once the sword had been sheathed, my eyes widened to see the pedestal lighting up in my golden color. All of the carved symbols glowed gold, the golden aura spreading and expanding out from where I stood. The aura ran through the floor and in the air, swirling and spiraling around me before soaring outside. I gasped when I saw a golden bubble barrier forming around the Rift, encasing it in safety to keep good things inside and bad things out.
I smiled triumphantly as I released the handle of my sword, a smaller protective bubble immediately forming around it so no one could take it out of the scabbard. I did it, I protected the Rift.
I looked up to Imani, finding she had a puzzled look on her face as she stared at the chair before her. I watched as she walked up to the chair cautiously before turning it around so we all could see.
There was no one sitting in the chair, it was completely empty.
"What? Where did he go?" Imani wondered out loud as she looked to me. That was strange, no wonder getting here and protecting the Rift was so easy. Where was Allister?
"It doesn't matter, if he's not here, we need to leave." I told her, Imani nodding before rushing over to our friends to help me free them. As Imani undid our friends' chains and I rushed over to the still unconscious Louis, I couldn't help but feel confused as well.
If Allister wasn't in the Sanctuary, where else could he be?
A/N: Idk how I feel about this chapter but at least I updated so I think it's okay. I haven't been able to update since I've been super duper busy and unable to get a good chunk of time for writing.
Dedication goes to Music_Wasteland for their lovely comment on the last chapter.
Don't worry, the next chapter should be up very soon! Vote and comment your thoughts! -M