Heyy my lovely readers,
For this chapter, my thanks goes out to all who reviewed (thank you so much for the compliments which keep me writing) and most of all to ShadowNx for helping me with it. She helped me proof-read which helped me to rethink and write it better in the end.
Lotsa Love,
Moiranne Rose
Xaphania, thankfully, began explanation.
"Before the Knife, before the openings, or windows like you love to call them, there was and still is a way through the worlds everyone knew, but no one could place. It is the power of dreams. Dreams bring you everywhere, no? To everywhere, anywhere. And sometimes, even to the past or the future. This travel is truer than that of the Knife, and it is known and accessible to anyone, if they knew where to look. This go-between place is called the Transit World. Similar to King's Cross or Oxford Locomotive in either one of your worlds, except this place accepts anyone's entrance or departure and the only toll is that of sleep."
Lyra regained her powers of speech faster than Will, Kirjava or even Pan (which is saying a lot).
"Would that mean that anyone can travel through the worlds? Who created this place? And after this place, who would create the Knife?"
Xaphania's smile at their confusion was as indecipherable as a slab of granite.
"I cannot say if this place was ever built or created. I think it was born out of a human's thoughts. Maybe when humans first had a conscious mind to dream, this was when it came to be. It could be what you call a "Figment of Imagination" yet it is because it is the imagination of millions, billions of people, this is a reality. Yet no human is aware of its existence. So the Guild created the Knife from here-" she gestured to a hole of about a metre in diameter near their feet, opening into a dark nothingness. "Dust has been leaking out ever since it was taken, not just because it was used."
Will and Lyra shared a glance of shock.
"Then, then-" Will stuttered, much to Kirjava and Pan's amusement, "Then what is the link to the Ladro? Are they part of this?"
Xaphania's eyes burned in pinpoints of hatred.
"Ladro. That's what Metatron calls them. They are the foes of this place, a close relative should I say, to the Specters, except they are even worse. They tear the daemons away. Daemons aren't just yours you know, they are the children of this place, they join you to this world, they allow for this travel. Which is why Kirjava and Pantalaimon could converse in the ancient language of daemons while you two cannot. This ability for daemons to speak with their minds and projecting feelings is closely linked to this Transit World, where they are born and where they are returned when they die. The replenishing of life is vital and in turn helps to patch up the hole made by every incision. All have been covered except for the source of it all."
Will and Lyra were suitably shocked, as was their expression for the day. Their thirty-three year old minds were whirring faster than their thirteen year old ones could, but yet, they knew their younger selves had been more accepting than they had ever come to be now. Whatever they had gone through together, had shaped whatever they were today. Maybe it was their destiny to forever be traveling around the worlds, saving the planet. Maybe some people were just born like that, like it was Fate that held the dice to their future. Lyra almost laughed, since she was supposed to have destroyed destiny so long ago.
"Then, what do the Ladro do?" Pantalaimon shook slightly with fear, as did Kirjava.
Xaphania frowned slightly.
"The Ladro steal the daemons from their owners. They prevent the daemons from returning, pulling them into a void. Some say the void is the Abyss, some say it is Hell, but I do not know for certain. All I know is that they can never be back with their owners, and they will never become one with the earth, stars and waters again. In doing this, they make it impossible for the daemons released into the world to return and replenish the stream of life in this world that gives everyone their soul."
She gestured to a giant fountain, close to twenty metres in height, from which a beautiful stream of so many colours and shapes were bursting forth. As each beautiful crystal drop fell, a daemon came into existence, full form and to the finest detail. Lyra and Will stared in awe, as did their own daemons, who were also waving at their compatriots, leaving for different worlds to accompany another person through life. Some flew to the sides of babies, appearing as the baby opened its eyes for the first time. Some were absorbed into the chest of other babies, as an inner soul. The creation was perfection, even Xaphania smiled in wonderment.
Then Lyra remembered the task at hand.
"But then, would that mean that there is another adventure we will go on. To save this world? But what's the use in that? Aren't the daemons fine?"
Xaphania laughed at their foolishness.
"The fountain is waning. What it gives must be returned, or it will run out of life to create." They turned to her gesturing hand, to see a slight white line about five metres above the level of the life water. "The water used to be up to there." She sighed. "Why is that important? Look around you. The people walking around, are they not human? Look at the dogs that run past chasing cats, are they an illusion? They are real. As real as the flesh on your arm, as real as the first dew on morning leaves, as real as evil is evil and good is good and human is human. Look at the people, can you count them? There are billions of people, who need this world. Without daemons, who will have consciousness? This is a way to control us, and this may be the best plan since the world began. We need you to fight it. Not for yourselves, not for the people, but so you can hold your head up high and know that you didn't shirk duty when it was thrust onto you, even if it means your life or your love is gone. That is the use, and that is what the world needs."
They were deeply moved at her speech, but more of the conviction within her voice, her belief in them. Will and Lyra's hearts burned with a kind of pride that had never been felt by either before. It was a nice feeling no doubt, but it carried with it the burden of duty and the weight of the worlds' fates. They smiled at each other, relishing eyes that burned with passion and a love that had matured past the time they had been away from each other. In that instance, in that look, they told themselves and made a pledge to the billions of unknowing beings.
"We're ready, we're ready to make a difference."
But just as they were thinking this, Xaphania broke them out of their reverie with a statement that made their spirits sink again.
"Metatron is back."
Heyy,
Ohh! CLIFFHANGER! (:
Thanks for reading this, it's been a blast writing this so far and I'm loving it. Thanks for the reviews and please tell me how to improve!
Moiranne Rose