You came from the place the Dark One is from, didn’t you?
For the first time, Alex saw something like emotion in the alien’s eyes. Its eyes conveyed a deep sense of loss, perhaps more than Alex believed anyone was capable of feeling. I came from a place the Dark One intimately touched. I do not know where he came from, only where he has been.
The white room contorted, its edges blurring and stretching as the light disappeared and was replaced by the darkness of space, stars birthing themselves as the universe stretched out around them. This was my home, Vardis said.
The view zoomed in on one planet that did not look much different than Earth. They continued to get closer, passing through the atmosphere and the clouds until they were on the land, watching other members of Vardis’s race going about their lives in a city that nearly reached the stars.
The Dark One came to our planet in silence. Much like what has happened here, he infected our people through means we did not understand. Now we know it to be some kind of mind-controlling technology, but we did not then. Agents of the Dark One walked amongst us, and we were ignorant of it. Slowly, a war brewed.
The cities crumbled to dust and were carried away by the wind. Members of Vardis’ race fought each other. Bodies littered the ground, the dead stacked in piles. A pale white child wearing a buck’s head mask walked amongst the corpses.
Vardis spoke again. We were unprepared for the war. It did not take long before our planet was ravaged, our people destroyed or scattered. There were resistances, but how were we to fight against ourselves? Our world was soon destroyed. Those he was not able to enslave were killed.
Now there were images of mines, of an alien race burrowing into the ground. There was something deep and strange down there. Alex didn’t know how she knew, but she was certain that whatever was there should not be disturbed.
When Vardis spoke, the mines disappeared, replaced by what looked like an oversized child, something swollen with loose skin, crying and screaming. The Dark One began to dig deep into our planet. No one knew why. The Resistance couldn’t figure it out. He seemed unconcerned with minerals or ore, but he continued to dig.
The two were standing above the planet, which was graying. Alex could see the vegetation dying and fading. The seas were drying up. I do not know how, but the Dark One began to devour our world. He sucked it dry of all life. After a while, it started to affect more than our home.
Vardis and others like him were walking in long lines in an endless desert. Their bodies were gaunt, their bones prominent. Many had fallen to the wayside on the endless march, their skin turning to ash and floating off into the bloodred sky. We were dying, and the planet was drained.
The planet grew red amongst the stars. Fires erupted across it as the seas boiled and evaporated. The core sizzled and bloomed as the earth cracked and flames erupted from its bowels. Then the planet exploded, sending its remains into space.
The room was white again, and only Alex and Vardis remained. What are you doing here?
As I said before, I discovered a weapon to destroy the Dark One. I wish to give it to you in the hope that this war can finally be brought to an end.
Great! Where is it? If you have something to stop the Dark One, let’s do it.
Vardis shook his head slowly, his eyes filled with sadness. It is not here. I had to hide it from the Dark One. It is on a moon in the realm you are from—Earth’s moon. And you are the only one who can get it.
Alex scowled and folded her arms. Are you serious? Why can’t Myrddin? I’m just a kid. A soldier. There are—
Because I trust you. That is why.
Chapter Nine
Alex snapped awake, jerking backward, scrambling and trying to get away from whatever was around her. Hands grabbed her and she reached for her scythe, uncertain of where the enemy was until she heard a familiar voice squeak, “Alex, it’s okay!”
The adrenaline began to drain from Alex’s body when she recognized Jollies’ voice. Her vision started to return.
Team Boundless and Roy surrounded Alex. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. It was somewhere near the Nest, but they weren’t inside. “Where are we?” she asked.
Roy and Jim helped her to her feet. They were in the outer section of the Nest in an alcove that overlooked the valley. The rest of the captains and the mech and dragonriders were spread out around the alcove. The riders’ dragons floated above.
Alex walked over to the edge and looked over. “What are we doing up here?”
Roy stood beside Alex and lit his cigar. “Someone was smart enough to give their squad the call to retreat,” he said. “It was a good one. Looked like we were winning the damn thing. Turned out, that’s not exactly what was happening.”
Roy pointed into the distance. The techno-organic slugs were still making their way toward the Nest, a black swarm of orcs above them.
Alex sighed and leaned her head back in frustration. “Are you kidding me? I thought we killed most of those damn things.”
“Language, Alex.”
“I can fight for Middang3ard, but I can’t use a PG curse word? So, who’s going to fill me in on what the hell is happening?”
Roy knocked his cigar’s ashes over the edge of the alcove. “Like I said, we retreated. Myrddin thought it was a good idea. Said he was going to come out here and meet us. Doesn’t seem like Myrddin’s style to sit back and wait for his favorite facility to be overrun.”
Alex
