POV: Hardy
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Hardy felt a pressure on his mind, a question, almost. Was the Astral Heartstone trying to communicate with him? He opened his mind to the artifact. Suddenly he found himself enveloped in the glow of the Heartstone and warmth flooded his body.
He knew then that the Heartstone was actually asking him a question. It was asking if Hardy thought himself worthy.
He thought silently, "Am I worthy? I don't know. What does it mean to be worthy?"
The question quickly changed to something else. The Heartstone now wanted to know if sought power.
Hardy considered the question for a few seconds before thinking about his reply. "I've never wanted power for the sake of being powerful, though I do desire strength in order to help those I care about and those who can't help themselves."
Hardy felt the Heartstone turn introspective and it hit him that the Heartstone must be somehow alive. A few moments later he felt a sense of satisfaction emanate from the Heartstone. Then, without warning, the artifact lifted from his hands, floating in the air before him.
"What's happening?" Darren asked warily.
Hardy didn't respond. He reached out with his hand and touched the Astral Heartstone with a finger. Deep red light exploded outward, carrying with it waves of power. The Heartstone began to spin wildly and shrink in size. A moment later it was only a fifth of the size it had been.
The spinning began to slow and the waves of power and light subsided. Hardy felt the pressure on his mind increase for a moment and along with the pressure was another question.
The Heartstone was asking if Hardy would accept it. He glanced quickly at Kaycee, then at Darren. Their faces were bathed in the red glow of the Astral Heartstone and bewilderment showed in both of the expressions.
Without further hesitation, Hardy thought, "Yes."
The Astral Heartstone shot forward into Hardy's chest, causing an eruption of pain where it hit. Hardy cried out and fell to his knees under the strain of the pain. He looked down to find blood pouring from a massive hole in his chest. This was the worst thing he had ever felt, and as his vision began to dim, he knew this was the end of his life.
Then, as suddenly as it came, the pain evaporated. Complete awareness returned to Hardy's mind and the wound in his chest sealed without a sign that anything had happened. Darren and Kaycee were on either side of him, then, and they helped him to his feet.
Hardy stretched wide, a yawn escaping his mouth. He looked at his companions, alarm evident in their eyes.
"Don't worry guys," he said to them, "I think I'm good."
"You think you're good?" Darren asked, his brow furrowed. He held his hands out toward Hardy as if he thought Hardy would fall again.
Hardy nodded in response and gave the other man a grin.
"Well, do you care to explain what the crap just happened, then?" Darren asked.
Hardy laughed aloud, feeling even better than he had before going to Twilight. "Well, turns out the Astral Heartstone is alive," he said nonchalantly.
"Alive?" Kaycee asked disbelievingly.
"Yep," he responded, still grinning. "It's alive. It was asking me questions and then asked if I would accept it. I said yes, then it shot into my Core."
Darren stood straighter, apparently satisfied that Hardy was not going to fall over again. He and Kaycee looked at each other, then back at Hardy.
"It wouldn't be the strangest thing to have happened lately…" Darren muttered. "You seem to be taking this all in stride."
"Yeah, it feels natural to me," Hardy replied. "I've got a lot of intuitive knowledge I didn't have before. Like, I just got way stronger. The Astral Heartstone expanded my Core to several times the size it would normally be at this stage, and it actually catapulted my Core to the Refined Core Stage. It just allowed me to skip all the sub-stages of the Initiation Core Stage."
A smile broke out on Darren's face. "I don't really know what you're saying, but it looks like you're happy about it, which is good enough for me."
Kaycee didn't look as relieved as Darren, though. "Uh, if that Heartstone is in your Core now, how are we going to get home?"
"Don't worry, I should be able to open up the breach again. I don't need the Gate House either," Hardy explained.
"Wait, I thought all these breaches needed to be opened from sources of immense power like Ley Springs," Darren said.
"Normally, that would be the case. The Heartstone is telling me that Gate Houses across innumerable worlds were built for the purpose of connecting, or invading, other worlds. But," Hardy's smile grew wider, "the Astral Heartstone is capable of many things. Not only is it a source of ridiculous amounts of power, but it also can absorb any kind of energy that exists and convert it to a usable form. So, basically, the Heartstone has access to nearly unlimited energy."
"Well that sounds overpowered," Darren chuckled. "So you can open a way home from right here?"
"Wow, my head is full of so much information," Hardy replied, eyes unfocused. A moment later he looked at Darren again and said, "Sorry, to answer your question, yes. I can open a breach right here. But I'm confused… According to the Law of Anchoring, we should have been violently ripped back to Earth, and most likely killed, when the bridge in the Gate House closed, because we did not anchor ourselves on this world when we got here."
"Wait, what?" Kaycee asked.
"I believe I have an explanation for you," EDS said aloud. "What you describe is one of the possible outcomes, Officer Hardy, but there are other possibilities as well. I've never explained Anchoring up to this point, though, because it doesn't apply. I am not subject to the Law of Anchoring. This is an ability granted to me by the Great King to aid in our defense of Earth. My influence in this area extends to the Knights because wherever a Knight is, I am there as well. This extends to you, Officer Hardy, because of your use of the Knight's Beacon."
"Okay…what?" Darren asked, echoing Kaycee's earlier sentiment.
"Allow me to provide a more thorough explanation of Anchoring," EDS said. "Anchoring is a critical metaphysical process that travelers must undergo when passing through dimensional breaches. In essence, an anchor is an intangible tether that binds a traveler to their original point of departure, allowing them to navigate the complexities of spacetime without losing their way—or their life.
"All breaches, regardless of the desired destination of the one opening the breach, are connected to the Rift—a chaotic and volatile realm that acts as the central hub of dimensional travel. Darren, you and Kaycee have been inside the Rift, when you entered that first breach."
Asher's companions nodded, seemingly remembering something he had no knowledge of.
EDS continued, "When someone opens a breach, they are either leaving their current world and entering the Rift or exiting the Rift to enter another world. However, the Rift is not just a portal between worlds; it is a dynamic and ever-shifting force that can easily trap or obliterate travelers who do not anchor themselves properly.
"Anchoring is the process by which a traveler metaphysically ties themselves to the Rift or another specific location. This anchor serves as their safe point in spacetime. Without an anchor, travelers would be at the mercy of the Rift's turbulent currents, which could violently pull them back to their point of departure—or even tear them apart as they try to exit through the wrong breach.
"There are two types of anchoring; anchoring from one's point of departure, and anchoring to the Rift. By default, anyone leaving their world through a breach is anchored to the exact location they left behind. If they attempt to enter the Rift and re-enter their world through a different breach, they will be yanked back through spacetime to their original anchor point, often with fatal consequences. This violent return is caused by the universe attempting to correct the violation of dimensional rules, ripping the traveler apart in the process.
"However, experienced travelers can consciously anchor themselves to the Rift itself. This is a more flexible but dangerous technique. Once anchored to the Rift, the traveler is free to enter and exit any world through different breaches without being tied to their original point of departure. However, anchoring to the Rift requires focus and a deep understanding of its ever-changing nature. Those who fail to establish a proper tether could find themselves stranded, lost, or torn apart by the Rift's chaotic energies.
"If someone tries to exit the Rift through a breach without the proper anchor in place, the consequences are catastrophic. The metaphysical forces of spacetime will attempt to snap them back to the breach they first used to enter the Rift. The traveler's body and mind, unable to withstand the violent pull, are usually torn apart, or they are thrown back through spacetime to their original point of departure, often mortally wounded. This process is not only excruciating but nearly impossible to survive.
"Most beings can, at most, travel from their world, into the Rift, and into another world, without re-anchoring, as long as those breaches stay open. If a breach closes while one is still anchored to the world on the other side of it, or if one attempts to go through yet another breach after already going through two, the most likely outcome is an extremely painful death.
"Anchoring is thus not only essential for safe dimensional travel but also an advanced skill that requires great discipline and mastery of metaphysical energies. Only the most experienced travelers fully understand and control the process, ensuring their safe passage through the tumultuous Rift and the worlds beyond."
Everyone remained silent for a few moments, absorbing EDS's explanation. Finally, Darren spoke, "Well, I'm glad we don't have to worry about that, I guess. I don't like the idea of an 'extremely painful death'."
"What about bridges, though?" Kaycee asked. "We didn't enter the Rift at all this time, did we?"
"Bridges are a bit different," EDS said. "Bridges are much more stable than normal breaches. Since they basically form a connection between the two sides of the Rift, you don't actually go to the Rift, and therefore there is usually no need to re-anchor, as long as you have that stable bridge open.
"Bridges have been used through spacetime as permanent paths between worlds where deep friendships and alliances have formed. The bridge we came through to get to Twilight could not be permanent, though, because it did not lead to another Gate House on Earth.
"If someone crosses through a Bridge to another world without re-anchoring, and the Bridge closes, the consequences can be severe and often perilous, as the individual is left without a stable connection to their original dimension.
"If I was not here and you found yourself here on Twilight, still anchored to Earth with the bridge you entered through closed, you might experience any number of things.
"Without the stability of an anchor, you may begin to experience dimensional drift, a phenomenon where you would slowly phase out of alignment with this world's reality. This can manifest as a sense of disorientation, memory loss, or even physical fading, where parts of your body may flicker or lose cohesion with the environment.
"You could face time and space displacement, which really isn't fun. This is when you would begin to lose synchronization with the time and space of this world. You may randomly shift positions, appear in different locations within this world, or become "stuck" between moments, experiencing gaps in time or reappearing in unusual places without realizing you've moved.
"Or, you might experience destabilization and dissolution. For some, the absence of an anchor could lead to dimensional dissolution. This is where your physical and energetic structure begins to deteriorate, as you no longer have the stabilizing effect that an anchor provides to harmonize with this world's energies. Prolonged exposure could cause you to lose form altogether, effectively being absorbed into the energy of this world.
"You might even go through a permanent exile and find yourself stuck. Your anchor may be forcefully and irrevocably tied to this world. You would have to adapt to its laws and energies, which might change your physiology or abilities over time.
"Some have also had severe psychological effects. The detachment from a familiar anchor, combined with the alien nature of this world, could lead to psychological fragmentation. Symptoms could include hallucinations, paranoia, and intense feelings of isolation, as your mind tries to reconcile the lack of connection to your origin. Fortunately for you all, you have me," EDS finished.
Asher thought he heard a smile in the entity's voice, if that were even possible. "So, let me get this straight," he said aloud. "Breaches are unstable, always lead to the Rift or from the Rift, and will yank you through spacetime if you don't re-anchor properly during your travels. And bridges are stable, but if they close on you and you haven't re-anchored properly, you can glitch out of existence and lose your mind and everything else that makes you who you are. Is that right?"
"That's a bit reductive, but I believe you hit the high points," EDS said.
"Well, remind me to never travel to any other worlds or dimensions without you, okay EDS?" he said.
"Indeed," EDS replied, clearly not as amused by this as Asher was.
"Alright, what do you guys say we go ahead and get out of here?" he asked his companions.
"Sounds good to me," Darren said, reaching over and grabbing Kaycee's hand. She smiled at him and nodded her agreement.
With that, Asher turned and focused his attention on the Astral Heartstone in his Core, willing it to open a path back to Earth. His Core began to vibrate again and a brilliant flash of light burst into existence in front of him. It quickly faded and resolved into a swirling portal.
Asher didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and into the whirling light.