The scientists briefed them again about handling the specially designed spacesuits.
“We don’t apprehend any aliens attacking you guys, but still, we have kept some powerful grenades in the shuttle,” Gronene said.
“How will the grenades work? There’s no oxygen in space to fire them up,” James said.
“They don’t need fire.” Gronene smiled. “They are made with magic.”
Daniel said, “As I can see, it requires a lot of equipment and technical support to go to space. How could have Osay managed it? Only through magic? I seriously doubt that Osay has the Second Page.”
“We will anyway find that out,” James said. “Let’s board the shuttle.”
The children nodded bravely and, along with the Scavenger, crammed into the space shuttle.
They all remembered Matt and his great sacrifice. It gave them strength and confidence.
The door to the shuttle closed.
Then it happened.
The shuttle rose from the ground. The children felt their hearts were dropping. They held on to their seats tightly.
A second later, there was a huge blast and everyone blacked out.
A few minutes later, James regained consciousness. He could see his friends all awake and steady.
James looked out of the window and gasped. They had reached the Earth’s orbit. The shuttle was steadily moving towards its destination – the Great Daylight Fireball.
After a few hours of gliding, the moment came. They were cruising through the path of the Great Daylight Fireball. The 360-degree cameras on the shuttle were searching for the shining box that was supposed to carry the Second Page of Destiny. But, there was no trace of any such thing.
“I am disappointed. I feel like crying. All this for nothing. The Second Page is not here,” Daniel said.
“Osay has already got the Second Page. No, James, you were wrong. The line in the riddle about the necessity of having the First Page before we can get the Second Page was only for distraction,” Archer remarked.
James wasn’t listening to them. His eyes were focused on a shining dot straight ahead. As they moved closer, it was growing in size.
After few minutes, they all saw that it was a shining box. James’s mind was pondering about the absurdity of magic. Without magic, how could such a thing sustain itself in this remote corner of space?
Daniel and Archer were shocked. James just looked at them and smiled. His silent smile was a powerful reply to their doubts.
The Scavenger readied himself to get out of the shuttle. The Scavenger pressed a button, and metal ladders came down the shuttle.
The Scavenger took a deep breath and took his first step into space.
The Scavenger was walking through a small path, leading to a small circular area over which the shining box was hovering.
The children waited in the shuttle, praying for the safe return of the Scavenger with the box.
The Scavenger moved his hand towards the box.
Out of nowhere, a steel blade approached him. An ordinary warrior would have easily succumbed to the strike without retaliation.
But, the experienced Scavenger was quick to dodge the blade by an inch.
Suddenly, something hit him in the arm and he toppled over.
The children gasped as the Scavenger fell from the pathway. He would get lost in space, never to be found again. But, just in time, the Scavenger stretched out his hand and gripped the side of the pathway. He hovered over oblivion.
James looked at Daniel and Archer and knew that they were thinking the same thing. They would have to get out of the shuttle.
As the Scavenger swung himself back onto the pathway, he heard the swishing sound of a flying sword. He blocked the attack.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw four dark shadows with swords hovering in space.
By now, the children had swiftly exited the shuttle and they were on the pathway with grenades in their hands. Daniel threw a grenade on a dark silhouette. With a blast, the dark shadow disappeared. Immediately, he targeted another shadow who disappeared with a blast.
The Scavenger took advantage of the situation and lunged towards the shining box. Without wasting a moment, he opened it and saw the Second Page of Destiny inside. Before the two remaining space warriors could reach him, he muttered something and sent the box to the Magic Compartment.
Two more sounds of blasts followed in quick succession. James and Archer had picked their targets with precision.
It was challenging to fight in space as everything was moving at a dead slow pace, but the training the children had had in using grenades while wearing spacesuits came in handy.
The Scavenger gave a thumbs up to the children. They all wanted to jump in excitement, but couldn’t. The pathway was small, and they couldn’t risk falling. They walked back slowly into the shuttle.
The Scavenger reached the shuttle first. He turned and saw the children standing still, mesmerized by the darkness surrounding them.
“Don’t waste time. Come over. We never know about the dangers here,” the Scavenger shouted at the children.
Still, it took five minutes before they reached the shuttle. The door closed, and the metal path retracted.
Everyone fell to the floor, sighing in relief.
“Why did you stop? You gave me a scare,” the Scavenger admonished the children.
Archer had tears in his eyes. “It’s difficult to describe the feeling we had out there. It was an experience of a lifetime,” he said, his voice breaking. “Seeing the vast space, I felt so small and insignificant.”
The Scavenger cleared his throat.
“It’s not the time to get mesmerized and forget our mission. Our work is not over yet. Just come out of this trance,” The Scavenger said.
“You are right,” James said, clicking his fingers.
“Now for the wormhole!” James looked at the Scavenger. “Your show.”
The Scavenger closed his eyes and chanted spells. He gathered all his energy in his mind and visualized a wormhole, linking to the first wormhole in the Sun. With a sigh, he released the energy, projecting it outwards.
A wormhole materialized outside the space shuttle. It shone
