Though it was night and the stars were visible, the sky was painted with purple nebulae. It was a sight to behold and a young woman was beholding it, as she sat quietly on a stone bench, in a large courtyard, away from the lights of the monumental building behind her. She liked it there, in the quiet twilight."Zeeva?" someone called out to her in a soft female voice.The young woman turned to find an exotic-looking lady standing a few feet away. Oddly, she had blue feathers where you'd normally expect to see hair. And she was wearing a delicate green dress that looked like it was made of tree leaves and silvery morning dew."Lady Anyah," the young woman greeted her, in a clean British accent, "I came a little too early, sorry." She stood up and came into the light, revealing her copper-red hair. It was short, a simple bob haircut that complemented the shape of her cute, pixie-like face perfectly. Her skin was a light bronze, a healthy tan. Her posture held an effortless, yet powerful elegance. Her eyes, bright hazel gemstones, overflowed with sharp intelligence, but also... there was a subtle kind of sadness there, as if it were simply a part of her. Her atire wasn't half as luxurious as the feather-haired lady's. She wore a simple blue robe, with skin tight pants and boots."No need to apologize, my dear," Anyah told her kindly, "Come. Let us take a look at you. How have you been feeling lately? Any discomfort?""None," Zeeva reported, following Anyah into the building and down a long fancy corridor, "I feel great. As you know, whatever it is you did, it never bothered me at all.""That is good to hear," the woman smiled pleased, "So, it will be a routine checkup today. Oh, there is one other thing however, Volund asked me to inform you, he would very much like to see you, if possible, after the examination.""Oh, okay," she accepted, "In his study?""No," Anyah replied calmly, "You will find him in the library. I believe he wants to show you something. In his last voyage, he discovered a relic of some kind. He talks of nothing else.""A relic?" Zeeva wondered, "What kind of relic? And why does he want ME to see it? It doesn't have anything to do with my foresight, does it?""I am afraid, I am not entirely sure," she answered in an odd tone, "He told me it is sealed by some kind of ancient spell, something that stumped him.""Something that STUMPED him???" Zeeva took notice, "Wow... I don't think I've ever heard his name and the word stumped in the same sentence before... I have no idea what he expects me to do for him, but sure, I'll drop by there later."They walked a bit further, until they stood at a tall door. Inside, was a large white room full of smooth rounded instruments and a kind of medical chair. Clearly, Zeeva had been there before, she knew exactly what to do, walking over casually, sitting on the chair, and laying her head back on the headrest. Anyah fiddled with the magical-looking equipment and started measuring something. Then, a light appeared at Zeeva's forehead. A moment later, from the light, came a small circular stone charm, somewhat like a coin, about and inch in diameter.It hovered over her forehead, as Anyah examined it, "Everything seems to be in perfect working order," she noted calmly, "No unexpected alterations... Yes... This is very good indeed. Excellent.""No unexpected alterations?" Zeeva pointed out, "Are you looking for any EXPECTED alterations?""Yes, of course," she replied, "The more in tune the charm is with your soul, the longer it will serve its purpose. And it is coming along very nicely, I must say."Zeeva had her eyes almost crossed looking at the charm, "Hard to believe that tiny little thing is keeping my inner eye from opening. So, if it's going so well... does that mean I get some kind of extension?""Well, yes, in a way," she answered, with a deep sigh, "However, it is hard to say how much of an extension you will get. I cannot give you an exact expiration date... but you need not worry over it now, my dear. You have only just ascended, you have quite literally millennia ahead of you. And when the time does come, when your inner eye inevitably opens, we will be here to support and guide you through it all. That, I promise you.""Thanks," she said grimly, "I appreciate everything you've done for me, Anyah. I'll never be able to repay you.""Nonsense," she quickly brushed it off, "It is and always will be my pleasure entirely, Zeeva. Watching you learn and grow is all the compensation I require. Your bravery fills Volund and I both with more pride than we know what to do with.""You're too kind," she insisted, "I only wish I could do more.""And you will!" Anyah reassured her, "Zeeva, you are still so very young. Your story has barely begun, there is so much you have yet to see and do. You will find your way, as do we all. Believe me, and keep your chin up.""Thank you, Anyah," she nodded gratefully, "Your words mean a lot to me. I'll certainly do my best... It's just that... sometimes I feel like my only real purpose in life is to struggle... maybe all us humans are like that... But... I'll try to do as you advise and keep my head clear, focus on the good things.""Good!" Anyah praised her, "Now off with you, Volund awaits.""Right," she remembered, jumping off the medical chair and heading for the door."Zeeva," Anyah called her, just as she was leaving, "About the relic..." she hesitated, thought about it, then eventually added, "Mind your training."Zeeva frowned at her suspiciously for a moment, then nodded in understanding. She found it odd that Lady Anyah would warn her like that. Lord Volund was a good man, as far as she knew, and Anyah was his life long wife and partner. She imagined they trusted each other entirely. But she didn't dare ignore such advice, maybe she sensed a danger in the relic that Volund was somehow overlooking. She found her way through the fancy corridors and to the library. It was a grand place, corridor after corridor, filled with bookshelves. There was a sense of history there, tradition. And the painted glass windows along the walls gave the library a kind of mystical lighting. At the entrance were two guards, with sheathed swords on their left side and holstered pistols on their right."Lady Anyah told me to meet Lord Volund here," Zeeva told them.One of them smiled and said, "Yes, we have been expecting you. Right this way."She followed them down the main hall, around the last corner, to a special corridor, with glowing marking all around the entrance, like a magical seal."Ah, Zeeva, my dear," she heard Volund's deep and powerful voice, "Come, come!"He sounded moderately excited, which was quite unusual. He was usually very calm and collected. Volund was a tall imposing figure, with horns growing from his forehead, curved back over his head, like those of a dragon perhaps. The whites of his eyes were black and his irises were light blue with lizard slits for pupils. He had silvery blue hair and pale scaly skin. Unlike a dragon, he wore a majestic blue robe, with white detailing, like a wizard.He spoke in a very polished and slow way, "You must see this! I have made quite a discovery. Now, keep your distance, it could very well be rather dangerous."He was looking at a thick book on a podium. There were more glowing runes, inscribed all along the border of the podium, around the book, some kind of a magic barrier. The book had a black cover, with silver bindings. It had no title, or words of any kind anywhere. Instead, there was just a symbol in the middle of the cover, lines forming a spiral."What is that?" she inquired."An ancient relic," he replied, "Do you know what I mean by ancient?""Uh, yeah, I think so," she said curiously, "Something from before the Ages of Mortals, right? Something that belonged to a caretaker?""Exactly!" he confirmed, almost as if enthralled by the book, "Something that belonged to either a God, or a deuno, a demigod. How exciting is that?""Very exciting, clearly," she joked, keeping her distance."Mock me all you want, young lady," he was quick to grasp her sarcasm, "but it is a once-in-a-life-time experience just to lay your eyes on such a thing. As you can imagine, this has consumed my attention these past few days. I have been researching, looking for indications of what this might actually be and have yet to make a significant breakthrough. All I know, after having run it through my instruments, is that it reacts to darkness...""What???" she quickly pulled away from him, "Is that why you wanted to see me? To see if that thing will react to my darkness? And here I thought it was because of my foresight.""You were not entirely wrong," he informed her cautiously, "I asked you here both because of your darkness and your inner eye. You, Zeeva, are the perfect instrument for such an experiment. With your foresight, you can easily avoid any danger, should it present itself. I will be here to protect you as well, of course.""Wow," she pointed out, amazed, "You're not even pretending not to want to use me as a Guinea pig.""I am sorry, a what?" he wondered slightly unsure."A Guinea pig," she explained, "a lab rat, a disposable critter you use in experiments.""Oh," he realized, "No-no, my dear, you are far from disposable, I assure you.""Volund, you literally just told me it might be dangerous," she reminded him, "My life is complicated enough as it is. I'm not going anywhere near that thing.""I will not force you to do anything you are not ready to do, of course," he reassured her patiently, "but know that I have consulted with our seers. There is some kind of connection between this relic and your kin.""You mean humans," she made it clear."Indeed," he went on, "Zeeva, I feel something big is about to begin, something... NEW... something important. I have been studying ancient relics for over fifteen millennia now. I never dreamt I would one day find one... Surely you know, every time a relic has been found by us mortals, it brought about great things. And do you know where I found it? You will never guess it. I found it in Humanor, Zeeva, your realm. It was as if it was just sitting there waiting for one of you to find it. It was a good thing I found it first. There is no knowing what would have happened...""You found that thing in Humanor?" she echoed surprised, "But how's that even possible? Isn't my realm too young to have anything that old?""It is, but that is not what surprises me," he said thoughtfully, "You see, your realm was an offshoot of the Humessian Realm, which in turn was the offshoot of others before it. All realms are branches of older realms.""So," she followed along, "what you're saying is, it's possible the relic slipped from one reality to another through the ages? Can objects simply shift from one dimension to another like that?""Not usually, no," he explained, "but we are not talking about a common object, are we? This is an ancient relic. In any case, what really captivates my attention is the timing of it all. Your kin has only just begun to ascend to the middle plane, and only now has this relic presented itself to me? Add that to the fact that it reacts to darkness... Do you not see it? There is a chance this relic is meant for you.""What do you mean PRESENTED ITSELF?"she wondered, "Didn't you dig it up or something?""I did," he clarified, "but I was made aware of its existence and general location by our seers. Of course, it took me a while to find its exact place, but without their vision, I would not even have known to go looking.""Where exactly did you find it, anyway?" she inquired."A world your people call Solstice Five," he informed her, "As I understand it, it is called as such because it is the fifth world orbiting a star named Solstice, which is an odd name for a star to begin with, but I digress.""Solstice Five? I never heard of that planet," she said, frowning, "I never even herd of that star system.""Yes, that might be due to the fact that it is quite unremarkable," he reported, "The world itself is empty and inhospitable. There is nothing there but rocks, which reinforces the idea that it was not the relic's original resting place. So, you see, it is almost as if the relic presented itself to me of its own accord, just as humans are joining the middle plane."She sighed and stared at him. The two guards behind her exchanged a funny look, as if taking her side in the matter.He smiled at her, "I hope you know, my dear, I would never risk your well-being if I did not believe it of the utmost importance... not only to me, but to your kin as well. Every instinct in me tells me this is what is meant to happen... the book being here, you being a human and a seer.""Jesus," she exhaled fearfully, "Volund, I... I don't know. You want me to simply trust you to keep whatever is going to happen from hurting me, but you don't even know what that thing is, what it'll do... You can't just dump all that info on me and expect me to just risk everything on a whim. I... I need time to think about this.""Of course," he accepted, "There is no shortage of time. Take as long as you wish, my dear... But I will say this, I fear, if not you, someone else of your kin will eventually come in contact with this relic, and that person might not be as well equipped as you," he glanced down at the book and added, "This relic is here for a reason, of that much I am certain."She frowned at the book, "If I were to do this, what exactly would you have me do?""I would have you simply approach it, very slowly," he explained, "to see how it would react to your presence, and to see what your inner eye reveals to you. I would be right behind you.""That's it?" she inquired, "And that would be enough to make it... do whatever it is it has to do?""Hopefully, yes," he answered her excitedly.She thought about it and then decided, "Okay, I'll do it... but you're going to owe me one big time! And if I feel so much as a bad vibe, I'm out.""You mean I will owe you a big favor?" he asked her curiously."A HUGE favor," she confirmed."Agreed," he nodded at her, "And what Exactly constitutes a BAD VIBE?""You'll know it when you see it," she told him meaningfully."Very well," he accepted, "Now, stand here, in front of me. And very slowly, very carefully, walk towards it. Get as close as you feel comfortable doing, but whatever you do, DO NOT TOUCH IT. Understood?""I'm already as close as I feel comfortable doing," she pointed out sarcastically.She inched closer to the podium, feeling Volund's presence close behind her. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then, with each step she felt something growing... like a calling that was becoming clearer...She began to see things, it was the imediate future in her mind. She stopped and reported, "Volund, I can see something... shadows, I think... black misty figures..." she took another step and the vision grew clearer, "Oh my God! There so many of them... It's like... a sea of suffering..."The closer she got, the more she saw, the more she felt. Then, suddenly, the shadows saw her, as if she had been out of their sight up until that point. She felt a rush of energy burn through her, as the shadows screeched and darted towards her. The book swung open and something flew from inside it, released into the library. Zeeva felt something pulling at her, not physically, but seeking her soul. It wasn't something that was already happening, but it was mere moments away, in the future. If terrified her and she pulled away. Volund took her into his arms and cast numerous spells, containing the book again. When she realized it, she was in his embrace."What the hell was that?" she demanded, "What happened?"Volund held her away from the book, looking around for something. "It escaped!" he cried to the guards, "Quickly, alert the others and secure the building."The guards rushed away and Volund looked down at Zeeva, with a kind smile."Are you well?" he inquired.She looked down at herself, "I... think so.""It appears something escaped the book," he finally revealed, looking around again, "and whatever it was, I could not capture it. Incredible! It must have been some creature of tremendous power... either that, or it was unbelievably nimble." Looking down at her again, he asked, "What was it that you saw, tell me everything.""I just saw darkness," she told him, "There were these... CREATURES there...""Voiders?" he asked her."I don't know," she answered, focusing on her vision, "it sure did look like every description I've ever heard of the void. But why would I see it inside that book? Isn't the void supposed to be far away, out between the realms, or whatever?""I suspect that relic is a pathway," he said, glancing over his shoulder at the book, "a connection between the darkness and the light. What you saw, is what lays on the other side. If my suspicions are correct, and I believe they have just been confirmed, this book was made to bring voiders into the light.""But don't voiders die in the light?" she asked, confused."Not if they are housed within a living vessel," he replied."What're you saying?" she asked fearfully, "They can survive inside people?""That is exactly what I am saying," he revealed grimly, "You are still young and there is much you do not yet know about this universe. There are many horrors out there, Zeeva, one of which is void possession. Since the dawn of existence, the creatures of the void have been seeking ways to invade the light. They would conquer it if they could, bringing darkness to every last corner of the empyreum. Whoever owned this relic, who ever created it... it seems they wanted the darkness to come here. And your kin seems to be the perfect vessel for darkness.""But you said the book belonged to a Caretaker," she remembered, "Why would the Caretakers want that? I thought they were the ones who created the universe. Why would they want to destroy it?""What I said was that the relic belonged either to a God, or a deuno," he corrected her, "And I am afraid, those who dwell in the high plane do not all see eye-to-eye. There are any number of entities that could have created this book, for any number of reasons, even if just to spite the Gods.""Oh... I also felt something reaching for me," she recalled, "for my soul. Could it have been a voider trying to possess me?""Possibly, yes," he answered her candidly, "but the process of possession takes time, you would have to be exposed to the book for hours, perhaps even days. You are quite safe, I promise you." He grinned widely. "So, my dear Zeeva, how would you have me repay the HUGE favor I now owe you?"She stared at him bewildered, as he led her out of the library.