Prologue
In the year 2100, technology had become much more advanced. Now people are spending much of their free hours going to a virtual world known as Teknisk Wereld (translates to Technical World in English). This place is only able to be accessed when turning thirteen. Why? It's a dangerous area-while safeguards usually prevent deaths, serious injuries are still possible.
Anyway, when turning thirteen, you are given three things: an Envoyant Machine, a Duel Disk, and a Soul Card. The Envoyant Machine is basically a helmet-like device that "transports" your mind to Teknisk Wereld. The Duel Disk generates holograms of the cards that are used in the real world and Teknisk Wereld. Oh, forgot to mention that, didn't I? People carry around decks in both worlds. They are from a game called Duel Monsters. Played for fun and for serious reasons, hardly anyone lacks a deck these days.
Then you have the Soul Card. From this card comes your Soul Monster. This monster, based off one in the Duel Monsters game, is to remain bonded with you for life. Also, this monster is to be your Deck Master in duels. Deck Masters give the game a unique twist; each one comes with a special ability that can turn the duel to your favor.
In Teknisk Wereld v.1, Hope Gales was finally able to go to Teknisk Wereld. There she met some of her best friends; Rue, Max, Will, Claire, and Brandi. She also met their Soul Monsters; Ruecian, Olympion, Neo, Perseus, Mana, and her own, Gaston. When the Generals of Hell began to kill innocents to fulfill the conditions of the Ritual of One Thousand Souls, the six teens went out to stop them. Through many sacrifices, Hope was finally able to confront the one they revived; Satan himself. How she managed to survive is still unknown, but apparently there is more to her than meets the eye…
In Teknisk Wereld v.2, they were up against a new group: the Commanders of Heaven. But instead of wanting to revive God, they wanted to overthrow him. Although the Commanders were much cleverer than the Generals, the group had new friends as well. Miles, a thief and Commander, turned traitor and joined Hope and her companions. Draken, a former General, was brought back to life and wanted to help those that helped him see the truth. Fell and Larka, brother and sister, were helped out by Hope when escaping a laboratory where they had been specimen, and they remained with the group. Zack, a cyborg hired by the Commanders to kill the group, joined as well after Hope managed to convince him to switch sides. Matt, a companion of Max and Brandi, and Amy, Hope's half-sister, also assisted at various points. After many duels, they finally managed to reach the lead Commander, Kouten. But before they could face him, they had to go through an ordeal that involved each of them seeing a vision, all important in their own way. They also got a few words of advice from God's messenger, Gabriel. Kouten actually had one of the three god cards, Immense Divine Soldier of Obelisk. Max managed to defeat Kouten though, even though he had Obelisk. Max volunteered to hang on to Obelisk for the time being, being a guardian of sorts to it, which took care of one god card.
In Teknisk Wereld v.3, the group's new foe was a being known as Thanatos. Although it is not sure who he was or how he emerged, he appeared to them in the form of Max. When Ender tore Olympion's Soul Card, Thanatos took over Max's body shortly afterwards. Through much pain, both physically and mentally, from losses of duels that Thanatos used to toy with the group, Brandi finally got a chance to take down Thanatos. However, he managed to just barely stay alive. It was only when Hope confessed that she loved Max that Thanatos was finally destroyed. But it turned out that Thanatos was working with another villain. Vlademir, the leader of Macina Corp, was actually trying to take over the world. With two of the group's old foes, Malady and Viken, it surely looked like his plan would succeed. However, the companions were able to confront the trio. Hope killed Malady, Viken was slain by Larka, and Zack defeated Vlademir. It was a close match, since Vlademir managed to summon Saint Dragon-God of Osiris. Zack was able to win though, ending the plot. However, to save Will from the virus Vlademir had been behind spreading, Vlademir's life was spared. On the plus side, they were able to claim Osiris. Rue was the only one able to handle the god card, so he became its guardian.
In Teknisk Wereld v.4, it was discovered just who Sarius really was. Known as the Emissary of Balance, he travels to different worlds, trying to find the two Limiters in each world. Larka was the light one. Juno, the Emissary of Darkness, was also after her, along with Lario, a stand in for the Emissary of Light. Sarius and Juno brought some companions of theirs, who they fought against. Despite the conflicts around them, Hope and Max finally confessed their love for each other, as did Zack and Larka. Draken and Kisara was hinted towards. In the end, it turned out that Sarius had Sun of God Dragon-Ra all along. Larka won a very close duel and earned the final god card. Will was Ra's guardian, so it came to be his possession. The dark Limiter, a young boy named Julian, managed to run away shortly after Sarius beat Juno for the final time. Juno and his Mavericks left, as did Lario. Sarius remained to try and find Julian. With all three god cards collected, the group is more worried about what will happen when they bring them all together…
Chapter 1: Finding the Path
A shrill barking caused Hope to nearly fall off the top bunk. She looked down and saw Malon leap down from Larka's bed, still barking.
"Malon! Enough!" Larka scolded, getting out of bed. She grabbed him so that he wouldn't bolt around the room. Then she looked up and saw Hope watching. "I'm sorry about that."
"It isn't a problem." Hope climbed down the ladder leaning on the bunk bed. She looked over at the clock. "Good, it's eight. We have just enough time to eat and then go to Teknisk Wereld to meet the others."
"Then we had best get going," Gaston said. He did not mention the nightmare from before, which relieved Hope.
They went downstairs and found Fell already in the kitchen. Mrs. Gales was also there, making pancakes, along with bacon and sausages.
"Good morning you four," she greeted, placing plates in front of their places. They sat down as Malon ran to the front door, yelping excitedly. He loved to collect the newspaper every morning.
"Where is Sarius?" Hope asked.
"Right here," Sarius answered, coming into the kitchen. "I've eaten, so I'll wait in the living room for you three."
As he started towards the exit of the kitchen, he nearly tripped over Malon, who came bolting in while dragging the newspaper in his mouth.
Mrs. Gales picked it up. "Thank you, Malon." She opened it and stared in amazement at the front page.
"Mom? What's wrong?" Hope asked, noticing that Mrs. Gales had gone strangely still.
She walked over to the table and put the newspaper on the table. "Just see for yourself."
They stared at the main headline. Hope began laughing while Larka covered her mouth to prevent herself from doing the same. Fell took one look at the picture on the front before diving underneath the table.
Sarius went to where Fell had been sitting and glanced at it. He smirked as he saw what it was. "It seems you have become a celebrity, Fell."
The front page had the picture of Fell, Larka, and Hope. Underneath in it was a caption which said, From left to right: Fell, the one who violently expressed his opinion on Hooters Girls; Larka, his devoted sister; and Hope Gales, a friend who protests against Hooters Airlines due to them interrupting her reading.
The title itself read Whooo Likes Hooters? Nobody Now! The article began by saying:
It seems that the once popular restaurant has been quite a hoot since they began Hooters Airline.
Many people have protested to their main attraction on flights, known as 'Hooter Girls'. Jill Thompson is one of them.
"As a mother, I am strongly against those girls dressing and acting in such a manner," Jill stated, shuddering. When we asked her nine year old daughter, Megan, what she thought of these Hooter Girls, she said, "They act really stupid. You couldn't get me to dress up like that for anything, and I played the oak tree in my school's Chicken Little play!"
Not many protestors spoke up until yesterday, however. A young man, who goes by the name Fell, had accidentally won a game that he had not meant to participate in. The Hooter Girls gave him a t-shirt many called 'inappropriate' and told him to put it on promptly. Outraged by the order, Fell proceeded to attack the two Hooter Girls, nearly landing them in the hospital.
What did the people on the plane have to say about this? Only three men were against this harsh reaction. "That boy is a monster!" Bobby Lovors protested. "He nearly killed them! This is beyond tolerable!"
However, everyone else on the plane applauded the teen's actions. Yours truly even encouraged him. "It serves those bimbos right," Rex Dillen declared. "They're a disgrace to all other women, who actually care for their modesty. If those whores had made me try that, I would have done exactly the same thing!"
The hero of the hour left swiftly with his sister, Larka, and his friend, Hope Gales. Before doing so, they allowed a couple of pictures to be taken. "I actually told Fell that he was my new hero," Hope admitted with a laugh. "I was trying to read my book the entire flight, but wasn't able to due to those morons talking over their microphone in the loudest and most obnoxious voices."
"Fell is usually good about controlling himself, but this was just too much for him," Larka added.
Charges on the injuries could be possible, but many do not think it will be allowed due to how the Hooters Girls acted… (Continued on 5A)
"This is awesome!" Hope commented as she flipped to the next section, where the lengthy article continued. It had the picture of Fell alone, looking away from the camera uncomfortably, and the one of Larka holding onto his arm. There were also a few others, such as Bessie and Jessie in their highly painful condition.
"I regret that I missed all that," Gaston said sadly.
"I'll want to save the whole thing," Mrs. Gales stated. "So don't throw that out."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Hope grinned, handing it over to her.
"It's all right now. You can come out," Larka said, her head underneath the table.
"…No…" Fell muttered, looking beyond embarrassed.
"You have to eat," Larka pointed out as Mrs. Gales set the food on the table.
After some more coaxing, he finally came out and ate his serving. Soon they were done, and they went to Teknisk Wereld.
…
Everyone looked up as they saw Hope, Fell, Larka, and Sarius appear.
"You guys finally showed up!" Rue indicated to the newspaper he had laid out in front of them. "Fell, you're famous!"
Fell instantly backed away, sitting on the ground with his back to them, hunched over.
"We saw it this morning," Hope said as she sat down too. "The reporter actually did a pretty good job of telling how it happened."
"Congratulations Fell!" Miles called over to him. Fell's only response was to try and curl up so he'd be even more hidden.
"So how was your trip home?" Larka asked Rue as she went to sit by Zack.
"Completely uneventful. I called the bus home the boring bus," Rue sighed. "The happy bus was so darn cool."
"Yeah, sure it was," Max said sarcastically. "Do you have Osiris or not?"
"Of course I do." Rue brought out the card from the top of the deck, showing them it. Hope felt a shiver of anticipation as she saw it.
"I still have Ra," Will stated, bringing him out too. "All we need is Obelisk. Max, do you have it?"
"Not yet," Max answered. "Matt and Brandi will be here soon. Brandi will tell me where to find it."
"Is she feeling well enough to do that?" Larka asked anxiously.
"She's doing a bit better. But whatever you do, don't mention Mana," Max told them. He looked over at Rue. "You have Black Magician Girl in your deck, right? Would you take her out so she isn't accidentally played in a duel?"
"This is life or death," Rue argued. "I can't just take her out when she could be the perfect card for bailing me out of a jam." After a moment, he said, "But I won't play her unless I have no other choice. Ok?"
"…Fine," Max said, seeming unsatisfied but not arguing.
At that moment, they heard someone shout, "Hey guys!" They turned to see Amy and Sakura coming towards them.
"Amy! You found us!" Hope exclaimed.
"Yep. I thought it was worth a look. How did things go yesterday?" Amy inquired.
Before Hope could begin explaining, Brandi and Matt suddenly appeared. Brandi still seemed under the weather, but had recovered a bit. Matt stood beside her, already looking serious.
"Brandi! How do you feel?" Larka asked, going over to her.
"…All right, thanks," Brandi muttered.
"So we're going to settle everything with the god cards today?" Matt assumed.
"That's the plan," Draken confirmed.
"The only one we need now is Obelisk," Max said. "Brandi, where is it?"
Brandi stiffened. Then she slowly turned away.
"Brandi? What is wrong?" Larka asked worriedly.
Brandi covered her eyes with the back of her hand. "…Larka… you know where we were before…?"
Larka realized what she meant instantly. "I see… don't worry, I'll get it then. Is it safe to carry?"
"It's in a box," Brandi said.
"Ok." Larka smiled at the group reassuringly. "I'll be back shortly." She then went to Malon and held out her palm in front of him. "You need to stay here though."
Malon whined in protest.
"Sorry, but it's important that you do, ok?" Larka said as she got up. Then she began to run towards the forest.
While she was gone, Hope filled in Amy, Matt, and Brandi on everything that had happened. They listened attentively, only making a few comments. Amy had already seen the newspaper, but Matt got a laugh out of it. Even Brandi smiled slightly.
After that, they waited for Larka to return, only making a few comments.
…
Larka emerged onto the island at long last. She had wanted to come back here for a while, and she was very happy to, even if it was just for a short time.
She was tempted to go into the spring to see that woman again, but knew that they were expecting her to return quickly. So she began to search around the rocks, and soon found the wooden box that Brandi had spoken of.
Larka quickly opened the box to confirm it contained what they needed. Sure enough, it had Obelisk inside. She closed it again and went back to the tunnel to return to her friends.
…
"There she is!" Hope said as they saw Larka running back towards them.
When she stopped in front of them, Malon jumped at her, barking loudly. Larka picked him up, which caused him to stop, and then gave the box to Max. "I found it."
"Thanks," Max replied, taking the box and opening it. He picked up Obelisk, and was pleased to see that it looked perfectly fine.
"…Larka… thanks for getting it for me…" Brandi whispered as Larka went by her again.
"Glad I could help," Larka answered.
Before anyone could do anything else, Sarius got up. Raid, who he had brought out when they had arrived at Teknisk Wereld, hissed softly.
Aya came up to them, Sahaqiel following her. "Good, I made it in time."
"It looks like you decided to show up after all," Sarius said.
"That's right." Aya smiled at him, and then explained to the others, "Adene, Mach, and Shadow are already gone. I decided to wait for Lord Tirran. I have nothing better to do, so I came to see what was happening."
"Welcome aboard," Draken said.
Then they all turned to Rue, Max, and Will, who held the god cards. Fell went over to them at last so that he could watch too.
"So… what do we do with them?" Rue asked, stupefied.
"Try stacking them on top of each other," Amy suggested.
Will set Ra on the ground, Rue set Osiris on top of it, and Max put Obelisk on top. A blinding flash of light seared through them, and then it was still again.
"Well, that didn't help," Miles said flatly.
But Hope was already moving. She went over to the stack and reached out her hand to them.
"Wait! What are you doing? You'll get burned if you try that!" Draken protested.
Yet Hope easily lifted them. She fanned out the cards, showing all three. Then she pointed them at the lake.
Light and darkness suddenly formed beneath the water, mixing and intertwining. The only thing separating them was a thin layer of water that remained stable, acting like a seeing glass to the chaos within the lake.
"Holy cow!" Rue exclaimed, looking into the water with the others.
"What just happened?" Neo asked, confused.
"I think that is a portal that we need to go into," Will stated. "The question is how to access it."
"All we need to do is go into the lake, right?" Miles said.
"I don't think that will work," Larka disagreed. "See how the water looks? It's almost like a barrier."
Hope put a foot onto the water. Then she put her other on it. The water held her weight as though it was solid ground.
"What the hell?" Max muttered, running his fingers over the water's surface.
Hope looked at the god cards she held. They felt so right in her hands, as though she was meant to have them…
"Any ideas on what to do, Hope?" Draken asked. "Since you seem to know what you're doing and all."
"…Oh, right, sorry," Hope said, snapping out of her daze. "No, I have no idea."
"Then we're stuck!" Rue said in exasperation. He grabbed his spare cards and began to pull them out quickly. "I'll see if I have anything to break through this… damn it!" he exclaimed as he dropped a Skull Blood Pirate Ship.
It hit the water, and a hissing sound emerged. Then the water around it turned blue, and the card began to sink into it.
"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Rue grabbed the card frantically, and pulled it out of the water before it could be swallowed up.
"What was that?" Gen wondered.
Kisara cautiously went up to the water, bringing out a card from her deck, Dol Dora. She slipped it into the lake while keeping a tight grip on its lower portion.
The water around it turned a pale green. When she removed it again, the water was white and black once more.
"That's it! We need elements!" Will realized.
"Elements?" Gaston asked.
"The water reacts by turning the color of the Main-Type of the monster," Will explained. "If we put all six into the water at the same time, we should be able to enter the lake."
"I think you're right," Hope agreed. "But the people who use the cards will have to remain behind."
"What? That's not fair!" Miles protested.
"Life isn't fair. Get used to it," Amy said. She searched her deck and pulled out a Big Bangirl. "I'll supply the fire Main-Type."
"Amy? Are you sure you want to stay behind?" Hope asked.
"I've been a helper, so I'll end as one," Amy smiled. "I wish you the best of luck, Hope."
"…Thanks," Hope replied, smiling back.
"I can do wind, since it has already been proven to work," Kisara volunteered.
"So you're remaining here?" Draken inferred.
"Yes," Kisara said. "I was not with the group from the start. I think my role would be better out here."
"All right then." After a moment of hesitation, Draken placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon."
Kisara blushed. "I'm sure you will. Stay safe, Draken."
"Well, I don't have any choice now that you requested that," Draken grinned.
"And he denies that he's in love?" Rue whispered to Miles.
"Sad, isn't it?" Miles muttered back, rolling his eyes.
"I have enough support cards to be able to use something," Matt said, shuffling around his pile. "Ah, here we go." He showed them the card, one called The Sea God's Handmaiden. "I can use this as the water card."
"Don't want to come?" Max asked.
"Nah. This one is up to you guys," Matt told him. "I'll be giving my support from the sidelines though."
"Then let me use Warrior of Zera for earth," Claire requested.
"You too?" Rue said.
Claire nodded. "I haven't been much use during this whole thing. Let me at least do this. But come back unharmed, ok?"
Rue gave her a thumbs up. "Got it."
"Then that should make it fairly obvious that I will provide the dark while Aya does the light card," Sarius stated, bringing out Chaos Sorcerer. Aya found a Mokemoke and pulled it out of her deck.
"I thought you wanted to see what was going to happen," Daine pointed out.
"I can't have everything I want, now can I?" Sarius replied with a small smile. "This is the best job for me and for Aya. If it means we have to miss the main event, then tough luck for us."
"Everyone… thank you…" Hope said, looking at the six of them.
"We will be expecting you to return triumphantly," Amy told her.
"So don't mess this up, ok?" Matt said.
"We'll keep waiting until you come back. For our sakes, don't take too long," Claire joked.
"Good luck," Kisara whispered.
"I'm not sure just how significant this event will turn out to be, but from what I saw of Ra, I know it is probably very important," Aya stated. "I'll hope for the best."
"If anyone can do it, you'll be the ones," Sarius told them. "So be sure to succeed."
"Definitely," Rue agreed. "You guys ready?"
"Any time!" Draken said enthusiastically.
"I'm good to go," Miles grinned.
"The sooner the better," Will stated.
"Let's get it over with," Max said.
"…Yes," Fell answered.
"I'm all set!" Larka assured.
"The time is now," Zack stated.
"…I will come too."
They all turned to see Brandi staring at them.
"Brandi… are you sure?" Larka asked hesitatingly.
"It might not be a good idea in your condition…" Hope said doubtfully.
"I want to be able to help," Brandi replied. "Please, let me accompany you."
Max hesitated, and then said, "…If you must."
"Be careful," Matt said worriedly.
Brandi nodded slowly, looking nervous but saying nothing else.
"Then we should go to the center of the lake," Hope said, stepping onto the water again.
"How are we supposed to spread out? Just six points around the lake that seems evenly apart?" Claire asked. "And why go so far out on the lake?"
"I think so," Hope replied. "As for going out into the water, I don't know why, but I feel as though we need to be in the center of the lake too."
"Malon and I will be able to tell you when we reach the necessary point," Daine stated. "When you hear us howl, slide the cards into the water."
"All right then. We'll see you guys later," Amy said.
Without further discussion, the rest of the group stepped onto the water. It remained firm as they walked towards the center.
"This is so weird…" Miles commented as he looked down.
"I don't like it much myself," Neo agreed with a shudder. "Not just because it's water, mind you."
Ruecian scooped up a handful of water as they went on. It slowly seeped through his hand, the clear drops falling back into the lake.
"Hope, are you feeling all right?" Gaston said, watching her with concern. "You've been acting oddly ever since you picked up the god cards."
"…What?" Hope asked distractedly, looking up from the three cards.
"See? Like that," Gaston confirmed.
"Maybe you had better let us hold onto them again," Max suggested, coming next to her.
Much to his surprise, he saw Hope's eyes flash angrily. For a moment, he thought she was about to refuse, perhaps even violently.
Then it was gone, and Hope was handing him Obelisk. "That might be a good idea." She turned and gave Osiris to Rue and Ra to Will.
Max gave her a worried glance but did not say anything.
At last, they arrived in the center of the lake. "Any last minute things to take care of?" Gen asked.
"I think we are set," Darche answered.
"Then allow Malon and I to request our departure," Daine said. He and Malon sat down, and howled a long and mournful note.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then they saw the clear barrier of water had begun to change colors. Red, blue, green, brown, yellow, and black began to flow towards them, matching the Main-Type colors. The six colors clashed beneath them, swirling together. A gray hole formed, and before they could react, they were falling.
Once they were gone, the hole closed again, giving no sign that it had ever been there.
…
"Well, that's that," Amy said when the six that had stayed behind met up again.
"Now we have to wait for them to return… again." Claire glared at the lake. "I hate always being unable to do anything but worry about them! If only we could see what was happening!"
As she said that, the black and white colors in the lake suddenly vanished, leaving the water completely clear. Then an image formed.
"I didn't expect this," Matt commented as they stared at the scene.
"Is that really them?" Kisara said softly.
"They aren't actually underneath the water, but I assume we are seeing what is occurring to them in the location they were brought to," Sarius stated. He smiled slightly as he added, "It seems this will still be entertaining for me."
There wasn't much else to be said about it. They all sat down, watching the events unfold.
…
"Is everyone ok?" Larka asked as they all got up.
"Looks like it," Draken replied.
"Where are we?" Miles wondered as he looked around the area.
It was a large hallway made out of gray stone. Behind them was impenetrable darkness. They could see forward, even though there was no visible light source.
"We're in a one way lane," Rue said. "Should we go on?"
"There's no point in going back," Max pointed out, stepping forward. Nobody said anything else as they went down the hallway.
They halted in front of a stone wall. It had three rectangles, spread out in a triangle formation. The one to their right had a sketch of a beast in it. The center, top one had a dragon with a long neck. The one to the left was a gryphon.
"The god cards?" Zack assumed.
"Yes," Hope confirmed.
Max went up to the beast. "I think this is Obelisk." He brought out the card and set it on the rectangle. It fit in perfectly.
Suddenly, they heard a deep voice echo through their minds. I am the body. My strength is physical. All shall fall before my power.
They looked around in alarm, but the speaker did not say anything else. "Was that Obelisk?" Draken asked.
"I think so," Gen confirmed.
Hope shook her head. "Obelisk sounded so familiar to me…"
"Hope?" Max asked.
"…I don't know," Hope said, shaking her head.
"I guess I'm next," Rue stated, going up to the stone and setting Osiris on the rectangle with the dragon.
This time, a lighter voice responded. I am the soul. My strength is character. All shall fall before my emotions.
"…Will, you're up," was all Max said.
Will took out Ra and placed it on the gryphon. The response was given in a tone that was not as deep as Obelisk, but not quite as light as Osiris. I am the mind. My strength is mental. All shall fall before my wisdom.
The three god cards began to glow, and then they sunk into the stone, vanishing. The wall was pulled away, entering the left side of the hall.
"They're gone!" Rue exclaimed.
"If we still need them, they will come back to us in time," Will said calmly. "Let's keep going."
Rue bit back any arguments he had and followed Will down the hallway along with the others. The floor abruptly cut off though, leaving them with a dark hole that stretched to the limits of their sight.
"How far do you think that goes down?" Miles asked.
"Only one way to find out," Darche stated. "We need to go down there."
"Are you seriously suggesting that we all jump in at once?" Rue said in disbelief.
"I doubt this would be a trap," Draken stated.
"It does seem unlikely," Larka agreed. "So let's all go together."
"All right, it's only a matter of life and death," Rue shrugged. Then they all leapt at the same time.
The fall seemed to last for a long time, yet they all landed gently on their feet. At first, they could not see anything, but then another mysterious light source abruptly snapped on.
Everyone stared in wonder at the room. It was circular, the floor and ceiling the same stone as from the hallway. Strangely, even though they had fallen into the room, there was no sign of the pit they had gone into.
This fact was lost upon them as they stared at the wall. Surrounding them on all sides were mirrors. There were ten, all identical in appearance and in the wall itself. The oddest thing about these mirrors was that none of them showed a reflection.
"What is this?" Hope said, her voice echoing through the room.
"No idea," Neo answered. "It's obvious that they're mirrors, but they're pretty odd ones at that."
"That leaves us with no idea on what to do," Zack stated.
Then they heard the three god cards, this time speaking together. Upon seeing a reflection in a mirror, that person is to enter for their Trial of Heart.
They waited, but nothing else was said. Rue sighed. "A reflection? That's great, but none of these weird mirrors are reflecting anything…"
Brandi suddenly gasped. They turned, and saw her staring at a mirror, her face pale.
In the mirror was a black figure that had the exact outline of Brandi. Its red eyes gazed back at her coldly.
"Brandi is first? But…" Larka trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"Damn," Max growled, knowing there was no way around what it meant.
Brandi slowly stepped forward. "I-I'll be fine… don't worry…"
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Miles asked, even though he was sure that they could not back out of it now.
"I have no choice…" Brandi stated as she stopped in front of the mirror. She lifted her hand, placing it on the mirror, shivering as she saw her dark version mimic her movement. It sank through the mirror like water, and soon the rest of her did as well.
…
"This is where it truly begins," Sarius said as he watched Brandi enter the mirror.
Matt watched with his hands clenched into tight fists. "Brandi…"
To be continued…