Chapter 53 - Home

The woman held Ari's hand as they slowly walked down the mountainside. They began to see oak trees along with birch growing in the valley. Huge buildings in the distance peeked over from a hidden valley, brightly colored to match the sky at sunset. Lance turned slightly to see the world continue behind them, a black door where they had come through. He gulped.

Aunt Elise hadn't let go of Ari's hand since they'd stepped through the door, and Ari hadn't said a word since they'd arrived. She surveyed the world with tight, closed lips. Lance wondered what was going on in her head. Not that she'd let on. Hardly any emotion had passed on her face since she'd discovered her previously nonexistent aunt right next to the contained rift they'd come through.

Lance hurried to walk beside her. "What is this place?"

"This is Earth. Or, it is a replica. It is our Earth, I suppose. Did you know Earth simply means dirt? I don' know who would have the audacity to name such a magnificent planet something so boring. It would be similar to naming a Balmera 'rock.' Can you imagine? Did you know that Balmera means 'life-giver'? If only our ancestors had been so creative. Don't worry." She hooked her niece's arm. "We'll make up for it."

Ari yanked her arm away and kept walking. "Where are you taking me?" She asked in an apathetic tone.

Aunt Elise blinked and looked down. "I am taking you to our family's village. My brother will be overjoyed to see you." She touched her arm, but again, Ari moved back. "Your...father."

"Sure." Ari looked forward. "Let's get this over with."

N

"How LONG have they been in there?" Will asked, pacing the rock. He crossed his arms over his chest, whining under his breath. "I'm just saying it seems like it's been, like, an hour, and I don't think it's wise to let them just stay in there. We all know Lance would probably die heroically and Ari would probably let him, throw him a stick of dynamite while he's at it, and then SHE'D die because she's just the same." He threw his hands in the air. "Are you guys even listening?"

Jesse glanced at Caden, then at Will. "Sorry. I'm a bit preoccupied trying to do the one thing Lance asked us to do while he's gone.

Caden smirked. "Yeah, and your question seems SOOOOO important right now. Time is just a construct of the imagination for finite beings to understand something as infinite as the construct of time. Honestly, if you had any respect for how the universe is formed, you would just leave Lance and Ari alone, giving them enough time to figure out whatever is in there that the universe apparently wants Ari to find out." He examined a silver shard. "Or whatever this metal is."

"I wonder how Haggar got a hold of it," Jesse wondered absentmindedly.

"Why don't you find that out?" Caden snapped.

"Woah." Will sat between them. "What's up with you two?"

"Stay out of it," the twins agreed. The glared.

Caden tossed a shard into space, watching it float higher and higher, slowly bouncing back to the plateau. "There's some kind of gravitational force in it, but not enough for a whole planet. I wouldn't be surprised if every planet has bits of this floating around in a mercury core. Y'know, those with gravity."

"Or maybe we shouldn't use every new discovery to explain a concept that has already been explained over and over again by scientists who are a lot smarter than you."

Caden scowled, crossing his legs. "Just trying to be helpful."

"And you're doing such a great job."

"Guys," Will begged, wishing even harder for his black and red backup. "How long have they been in there?"

Jesse glanced at an instrument. "Seems like...a week."

"A WEEK?"

"Like I said, idiot. Time is a construct of the imagination."

"Don't call him that," Jesse said through gritted teeth.

"It's baby stuff."

"For astrophysicists."

"Whatever." Caden rolled his eyes. "When you're around this much quintessence, time just blurs. It's like our bodies are asleep, only we're conscious. It's even worse for Lance and Ari. A minute for them is an hour for us, a week for the rest of the universe."

"UMMMM-"

"Don't soil your armor. I've been in contact with the rest of the Coalition. If anything happens, we'll know and can make sure they're taken care of. Haggar hasn't been heard from since the gala, and we have allies everywhere. Honestly, this discovery occurred right on schedule."

"Didn't know we had a schedule for scientific breakthroughs," Jesse said wonderingly as he stared at a shard.

"There is a schedule, if you're bright enough to see it," Caden snapped.

Jesse rolled his eyes. "That's not what I mean. Look at this." The boys all leaned in to see. "I think I figured out what the Galra used to use this stuff for. It's the same metal that Shiro has in his arm."

"The first black paladin?"

"Second," Caden corrected.

"Anyway. The point is that if we can track where Shiro was during that year in space, we might be able to find where Haggar stored the rest of it. If she's accessed it since then, we might be able to get a clue."

"And if we can't?"

"Then this trip is useless, and Lance and Ari better hurry up in that rift."

"What happens if you're in a rift too long?"

"Well, if you're in there for a year of regular universe time, even though time is a useless construct and past and present merge together seamlessly, your own quintessence begins to merge with that of the environment, and not only do you want to stay longer to soak up all the power, but you begin to corrupt. That's what happened with Zarkon."

"And Haggar," Will said quietly.

"You're just saying all that time stuff to make yourself sound smart even though you're completely wrong," Caden argued.

"Guys. Shiro?"

"Right." Caden pulled up his computer and typed obsessively. "I'll just busy myself doing something actually useful: contacting V2 and seeing if they can access some of Shiro's repressed memories. Y'all just gonna stand there and look pretty?"

Jesse stood, a frown on his face. "C'mon, Will. We wanna be ready to go right when Lance gets out. Help me get some samples?"

"Sure."

N

Ari stepped through the door alone, where inside sat a table full of redheads, some more aged than others. They sat at a round table covered in a forest green tablecloth, the edges lined with golden tassels that draped off the edge. Huge tapestries weaving battle scenes alongside scientific discoveries and artistic achievements decorated the walls, some of them she recognized at the table. The walls, dark spruce, rose two stories high, with a chandelier hosting lit candles hanging at the top. Her eyes followed the black chain back to the ground, holding it in place.

She wished Lance were at her side, but her Aunt Elise had insisted she needed to do this on her own. Ari wondered if this were all real, or just a construct of her imagination. Perhaps the real Lance was somewhere outside her mind, floating nearby, trying desperately to wake her up. He'd probably already gotten out of his own delusions, but here she was, stuck in a reality she hoped and dreaded at the same time. I should go-

A glass shattered on the floor, and the echo carried to the top of the hall. Heads swivelled to the noise, coming from a man standing at the head of the table. His eyes moistened, and he pushed a fluff of bright red hair out of his eyes. His gaze fixated on her, and everyone else followed. They gaped along with him.

"Ariana?"

She gulped, refusing to look him in the eye. She nodded.

"Do you know who I am?"

"I guess you're my dad," she said bitterly.

He held a hand to the woman next to him, with equally red hair. She stood, her eyes equally red and wet. They walked towards her, arms outstretched. Just before they enveloped her in a hug, Ari dashed back, reaching for her bayard. "This isn't real."

"Ariana," the woman choked.

"It's Ari," she snapped, "and you're all just in my head. This isn't real."

"Why can't it be real?"

"Because. My parents are gone. They left me."

"Ari." Her mother took her hand. "We didn't leave you. We were killed."

She blinked. "If you're so dead, how are you here?"

"We can explain everything, but please. Let's make some tea and sit down. Council!" The men and women at the table stood on guard. "Leave us." They gathered their things and departed.

Her father, unable to stop himself, reached forward and touched her hair. "You're really here. You found us."

"I don't understand," she snapped. But she didn't retract.

"This is our home. It's made in the image of our home, Earth."

"Lance told me."

"Lance?" She tilted her head. "Who is this?"

"He's my leader. And if you're going to explain everything, he's gonna be here." They hesitated. "I would die, kill, and live for him. Simultaneously." She met their gaze. "He's coming in."

Her mother nodded at a guard at the door. "Do let our guest in. We have much to discuss."