“How do we undo it?” Phoenix asked. Like father, like daughter, I thought to myself.
Mom and Dad flanked me on both sides. It felt nice to have my family back despite our situation. Rose and Caleb. Ben and River. My many nephews and nieces, cousins and friends. We were in this together, and that gave me the kind of strength I’d thought lost not too long ago.
“I think the better question to ask is where did Hrista and the clones go?” the Time Master said, his service ghoul huddled by his right leg.
Haldor sighed. “Isn’t that obvious? To your island. They took over.”
“That’s insane!” Dad exclaimed. “It’ll never fly. It’s not just The Shade anymore. It’s the entire GASP federation they’ll have to deal with. Hrista will never get away with this.”
“You don’t know what she’s capable of,” Myst interjected politely. “I say this respectfully, sir. You’re of the living. You have limits that would never even cross our minds. Meanwhile, my sister has proved that she, as an entity of Purgatory, has mastered not only both light and darkness, but we now know she has also excelled at death magic.”
“Death magic?” the Soul Crusher replied, genuinely alarmed. “How?”
“The Spirit Bender,” I said. “Remember the mention he made about peeking behind the curtain? About ‘her,’ from that realm? I think he was talking about Hrista.”
As the new reality settled, we understood the complexity of our problem. We did not yet have a solution, since the shimmering portals had vanished long before we’d opened our eyes again. The enemy had spilled into the real Shade, and while Dad expressed valid doubts regarding Hrista’s odds of success, I had also seen how insanely resourceful and determined she was.
“Logic dictates that she will move to replace as many of GASP’s originals as possible,” Brandon concluded after a lengthy discussion on the topic of Hrista. “It will be a lengthy and careful process. She has learned from this place. From this experience.”
“Then we need to find a way out of here and back home,” Dad replied. “We have to stop her.”
The entire Shade was in agreement there. There was no way around it. Hrista had done something insane and incredible, and we were stuck in this fake Shade while she traipsed around in the real one, further pushing her agenda. We hadn’t figured out the ultimate endgame yet, but she’d already beaten us to the next spot on the game map. It was our duty, our solemn duty, to catch up.
“Technically speaking, I’m your way out of here,” Astra said. That was true. We were only stuck in this fake Shade until she could harness her ability to open shimmering portals, and the half-Daughter explained this to everybody. “It’s why Hrista wanted me dead.”
“You’ll figure it out,” I told her. “I’ve got faith in you.”
Phoenix smiled, hugging his daughter again. “We all have faith in you, honey.”
Myst gave me a long look while the others talked and shared their thoughts on the matter. Calmly and casually, I stepped away from my mom and dad, wishing to get closer to the Valkyrie again. It felt like a good moment, since Regine was busy butting heads with Haldor, Phoenix, and the Soul Crusher over ways of getting out of here.
“How are you holding up?” Myst asked, keeping her voice low.
I noticed my mom briefly watching us before shifting her attention back to Regine and the others’ discussion. “I’m just glad we’re all here, believe it or not. While I’d prefer to be back in The Shade, we’re stronger together. It doesn’t really matter where you put us.”
“I can see that,” Myst replied. “You look happier.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry it turned out this way for you and Regine. I can’t imagine.”
“It’s fine. I’ll move on. I’m an agent of Purgatory,” she said, visibly struggling to keep a straight face as she spoke. This whole incident had impacted her on a deep level, and Myst had trouble acknowledging that. Hrista had hurt her beyond repair, and I didn’t like how it felt to see her suffering.
Sure, she was a Valkyrie, a beacon of light and glory… but it turned out she had vulnerabilities, too. I took her hand in mine and squeezed gently. I didn’t say a word, letting her look at me in silence as she tried to understand the significance of my gesture. It took her mind off Hrista for a moment. It was the best I could do, and it was better than nothing.
Hrista’s machinations had thrown us into the same simmering pot. It didn’t mean we couldn’t make the most of it and emerge victorious. I had no intention of letting Hrista win this fight. Neither did Myst. She responded to my hand squeeze with a soft smile. “You’re right,” she muttered. “We are stronger together.”
It felt like an important truth in the face of this insanity. We were on the same page. It mattered.
Astra
There was so much to think about, so much to understand about what had happened and about what we could do to make it better. Hrista had really pulled one over on us, and she’d gotten away with it. Meanwhile, we were stuck here, unable to go anywhere, our entire world in peril because of a rogue Valkyrie and an army of deadly clones.
I had found comfort in seeing my dad and the rest of the Shadians again. Draven and Serena had been given a semblance of peace too. The world made some sense once more.
I stepped away from the Great Dome and gave myself a few minutes of peace and quiet. The enemy was gone, but the troubles had only just begun. For the first time, I had the clarity and the state of mind to truly observe my surroundings. Yes, this was a slightly altered copy of our island, but it was
