Chapter 12
The Danger of Arcane Magic
Deep within the ancient ruins, the air was damp and heavy with the scent of moss and earth. Preacher followed Angela, his eyes darting around the cavernous chamber, marveling at the age-old stones that whispered secrets of a forgotten time. Behind them walked Iris, Seraphina, and Elowen.
"I can't believe we've come this far," Angela said, her voice echoing softly against the walls as they approached a door, dressed in intricately carved symbols and ancient writing. "This ancient writing is so old even I can't read it."
Elowen stepped forward, her keen, emerald eyes narrowing as she examined the ancient script. "I have studied ancient script in my home back in the Elf Kingdom. Let me take a look at it."
The elven scholar knelt before the door, her delicate fingers tracing the contours of the letters with reverence. For a few moments, silence enveloped them, broken only by the distant drip of water from the cavern ceiling.
"Near as I can make out it says…" Elowen began, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Lab at… mit… anc de… con… tam… t… nn…"
"Does that make any sense to anyone?" Elowen asked, glancing up at the others, her expression a mixture of confusion and intrigue.
Preacher thought for a moment puzzling over the words Elowen had just spoke. Then suddenly feeling a spark of recognition, he stepped closer. "Say that again, Elowen."
With a hint of hesitation, she read it off again, and this time Preacher said the words in unison with her. "Lab Admittance Decontamination Tunnel… One."
"Lab Admittance Decontamination Tunnel…" Preacher murmured, still caught in a whirlwind of thoughts. "But why here? Why in the depths of these ruins?"
A wave of realization swept over him, and his heart raced. "Does no one else understand? This isn't just an ancient ruin—it's a facility! A laboratory perhaps! It means there's something more—something important—inside!"
All of his wives stared at him, their expressions shifting from curiosity to confusion. "What… What does it mean?" they asked in unison, their voices laced with a mix of excitement.
Ignoring their questions, Preacher frantically began to survey the door and the surrounding area. "There has to be an access panel around here somewhere!"
He instinctively began rummaging through the nearby vines and roots that had claimed the ancient structure. As he peeled back layers of green and tangled foliage, he discovered a haphazard metal panel, its surface dented and dirt-encrusted. He could make out the outline of buttons and wires, though it was clear the panel had seen better days.
His heart sank momentarily but he remembered his knowledge of technology and mechanics that he had read about back on Earth. "Stay close! Let me try something," he said as he gathered magical energy that flowed through the air, memories of wires, circuits, and engineering flooding his thoughts.
With intense focus, he pulled in the atoms and reconstructed the elements from the atmosphere—copper, silicon, iron—and began weaving them together using the magic he had embraced since coming to this world. It felt as if he were conducting an orchestra, with whispers of long-lost machinery guiding his hands.
After several tense moments, he stepped back, looking at the reformed control panel gleaming under the faint glow of their torches. "There, done!"
Pressing his palm against the console, a soft hum resonated through the cavern. At first, nothing happened, and doubt flickered in his chest, but then, as if the ancient machinery had awakened from a long slumber, motors whirred to life. The door creaked open with a breathy "whoosh," revealing darkness beyond that swirled with latent energy.
A chill ran down Preacher's spine, both from fear and excitement. They all stood at the threshold of the door, the air thick with an ancient energy that pulsed like a heartbeat. His heart raced, not just with curiosity but with the thrill of discovery. "What could be hiding inside?" he whispered, stepping forward into the darkness.
Angela, Iris, Seraphina and Elowen exchanged glances—it was no longer just exploration; it was embarking on an adventure that could change their world forever.
Once the door opened, a low hum filled the cavern, sending vibrations through the metal beneath their feet. The chamber beyond was illuminated by a strange phosphorescent glow that danced upon the walls, revealing more intricate designs carved into the stone, remnants of a civilization lost to time.
"What is this place?" Angela whispered, stepping cautiously into the tunnel. As soon as Seraphina, who had been bringing up the rear stepped through, the door immediately closed. "We're trapped!" she exclaimed. Preacher walked back to her and took her by the hand. "If this is what I think it is then we'll be ok just move forward to the next door." he said reassuringly. They all started for the next door. In about the middle of the tunnel the lights in the floor flickered on. A sudden hissing came up from underneath and out of the walls covering them with some sort of mist. Preacher's wives all screamed from fright. "We've been poisoned, it's a trap." But Preacher just stood there waiting for the mist to stop spraying them. "Yep it's what I thought it was. It's a decontamination spray to kill any bacterial or viral agents we might be carrying on us."
"But how would they know that we would be coming here?" Elowen asked. "this place is thousands of years old."
"Not us, per se, but anyone entering the facility would get sprayed with this mist to kill any germs they might be carrying. That's what decontamination means, so the workers don't carry in anything foreign from outside. Now, we are cleared to go through the second door. See the green light above the door there."
All four of Preacher's wives looked down the tunnel at the light above the door where he was pointing and sure enough the light was green. "What does that mean?" Iris asked.
Preacher turned to Iris, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "The green light indicates that the air is purified and the entrance is safe. and we are cleared to enter the next chamber. If the decontamination spray didn't discharge like it did, the light would be red and we wouldn't be able to enter the next room."
With the tension slowly dissipating, the group approached the second door, their hearts pounding in unison with their newfound revelations. The walls of the tunnel glowed faintly with luminescent light, casting an ethereal light upon their faces and revealing a tapestry of ancient machinery embedded in the rock.
"Are we really doing this?" Iris asked, her auburn hair now slightly damp from the mist, shimmering in the glow as she tucked it behind her ear.
Seraphina, the boldest of the group, nodded vigorously. "We've come this far, haven't we? What's another door?"
Elowen, ever the voice of reason, bit her lip, hesitant yet curious. "But what if something dangerous lies behind it?"
Preacher turned to her, a mixture of confidence and excitement in his eyes. "We've faced danger before, and besides, the indications so far show that this place was built with security in mind. If they went through all this trouble to keep things safe, it might mean there's something worth protecting inside."
With the green light still glowing steadily above them as a beacon, Preacher placed a hand on the cool surface of the door. The ancient mechanisms whirred softly at his touch, responding to him like a long-lost friend. As the door slid open, a gust of stale air rushed out, wrapping around them like a shroud.
"What is this place?" Iris breathed, awe cascading over her.
"Knowledge," Preacher answered, stepping into the room with purpose. "And perhaps the key to understanding the ancient civilization and the reason for the war between the Humans and Demi-Humans."
As they stepped into the vast chamber, the dim glow of pods illuminated their surroundings. Rows of medical pods stretched before them, filled with luminous liquids swirling in peculiar patterns. Machines hum with a low, resonant rhythm, almost as if they were alive, pulsing with an energy that both fascinated and unnerved the group.
"Look at this," Angela exclaimed, her fingertips brushing the intricate carvings on a nearby console. The panel was adorned with celestial designs, emanating a soft glow. A keyboard and screen were nestled within, the latter illuminated with the word "Password" flashing insistently.
"English? No way it can't be. There's no way this could be in English," Preacher said, narrowing his eyes at the glowing words.
Angela shook her head, her brow furrowing in concentration. "No, Preacher, it's not English, but your brain seems to have translated the ancient language into your English for you," she explained, her voice steady with determination.
Preacher pondered this for a moment. "No, not my brain, but the room seems to have read my mind somehow and it's translating everything into my native language."
He stepped closer to the terminal, examining the screen closely. "It's a four-digit code, like a PIN code for a cell phone."
The three women tilted their heads in unison, confusion etched across their faces. "What's a cell phone?" they asked, their voices a chorus of curiosity.
Preacher let out a hearty laugh, the sound echoing off the stone walls. "Oh yeah, you guys haven't seen this before." He reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone—the sleek black rectangle shimmering with the promise of the unknown.
The screen lit up with vibrant colors, displaying a security emblem that showcased four blank spaces. "See, when I put in my PIN…" He typed in four numbers, a series of beeps confirming his access, and the phone burst to life, revealing a cascade of small pictures—icons mapping out the endless possibilities of this arcane device.
Taking a moment to revel in their astonishment, he tapped one picture and a playlist of music appeared. With another tap, melodies began to flow into the air like gentle ripples upon a tranquil lake. Preacher smiled, watching as Iris and Angela began to sway back and forth with the rhythm, their laughter mingling with the symphony of sound. Even stoic Seraphina, with her usual gravity, found her serious demeanor slipping away amidst the joy of the moment, tapping her foot softly. Elowen, the free spirit, could no longer contain herself, breaking out into a full dance, her movements as wild and free as the winds of the twilight savannah.
"That was wonderful!" Iris and Angela cried out, their harmonizing voices laced with unrestrained delight. Preacher watched them, his heart swelling with warmth at their enchantment. The music wrapped around them like a spell, binding their laughter to the very air.
As the song came to an end, Preacher smiled and nodded, allowing them one more moment of musical wonder before returning to the computer console. He felt unusually compelled to find that four-digit code, surging with a desire for discovery.
But as the last notes faded into silence, Preacher's expression grew serious again.
"Alright, time to focus. We need to figure out how to unlock this room. Elowen, can you see anything in the environment that might give us a clue about the code?"
Elowen nodded, her eyes darting around the chamber, taking in the bizarre machinery. "It's almost as if everything here is connected," she said. "Look at those pods. There are patterns in the liquids inside them. What if they represent something—like elements or symbols from the ancient language?"
Iris stepped closer to one of the pods, her eyes wide with curiosity. Inside, bright green liquid swirled in spirals. She reached out to touch the smooth surface, and the moment her fingers made contact, the liquid responded, creating ripples that shimmered and caught the light.
"Whoa!" Iris gasped, retracting her hand as the pods hummed softly, responding to her touch. "I think it's alive!"
"Not alive in the way we know it," Preacher corrected, stepping closer. "These machines must have some sort of sentience. They're capable of recognizing us."
Angela crossed her arms, a thoughtful look on her face. "What if the code correlates to something? Something we can observe..."
"There's a series of symbols above the terminal!" Seraphina pointed out, her gaze sharp and focused. The group turned their attention to a series of glyphs carved into the wall above them, glowing faintly. "Those might be important."
"Look!" Elowen pointed at a nearby panel. "The four pods have different colored liquids. If we arrange the colors according to the symbols, perhaps we can find the pin code!"
Preacher glanced at the glyphs, noticing they matched the colors of the liquids swirling in the medical pods: blue, green, red, and yellow. It was a chance, albeit a wild one, but they had little time to dwell on doubts.
With a determined nod, he began counting the colors corresponding to the symbols. "Let's see... Blue is first, then yellow, green, red." He quickly typed "1-4-2-3" into the console and pressed Enter.
All at once, the room trembled, the lights flickering as the machinery around them blinked to life. A low whirring sound filled the air. Preacher felt his heart race—had they succeeded?
The console emitted a soft chime, and the screen blinked: "Access Granted." The computer lit up just as a hologram appeared above them. Everything was there, the source of magic in this realm where the humans came from and the demi-humans, the rise of an advanced civilization and its fall and the origins of the war between the various races.
"Look at that!" Angela exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with wonder as she pointed to the vibrant depiction of the celestial map portrayed in the hologram.
"What is it?" she asked, curiosity entwined with disbelief.
Preacher leaned closer, his brow furrowed with concentration. "It's a star, I think it's your star," he murmured, excitement dancing in his voice.
"Our star?" Seraphina mused, tilting her head as if trying to see reality from a different angle. "But we don't have a star. Stars are what we call those points of lights in the night sky."
With a chuckle, Preacher grinned. "No, you do have a star. It's your sun. All those points of light," he gestured up towards the heavenly expanse, "are suns to other worlds."
Seraphina pondered over his words. "All those stars are suns to other worlds." Her brows knitted in thought, contemplating the implications of the vast universe beyond their own.
"Yeah, well I'm about to give you another headache," Preacher said with a playful glint in his eyes. He pointed to a curious swirling pattern in the hologram, the colors shifting and flowing. "See this one hologram? It looks like it's bridged between these two bubbles."
His wives leaned in closer, peering at the image, their expressions a mix of awe and confusion. The two bubbles, each a radiant color of violet and azure, seemed to dance and entwine, creating a bridge of shimmering light in between.
"That, my lovely brides, is a wormhole in space," Preacher declared, with satisfaction lacing his tone.
The room fell silent, the weight of his declaration sinking in. "Wormhole?" Angela echoed, glancing at the others, their faces reflecting similar puzzled expressions.
"Okay, let's say it's a magic tunnel between our two universes," Preacher explained, simplifying the complex concept as best as he could.
"Does that mean you can use this tunnel to return to your home?" Iris, with her practical demeanor, asked, her hope tinged with worry.
Preacher nodded slowly, his gaze shifting as if lost in distant memories. "Yes, theoretically. But I have no desire to go back. Besides, it looks like it can only be opened under special circumstances." He looked at his wives earnestly. "I have all of you here. This is where my life is now."
"But it doesn't mean I won't explore the implications of this discovery," he continued, a seriousness darkening his tone. "It has other uses, very dangerous uses."
The lantern flickered, casting larger-than-life shadows across the walls of their sanctum. An uneasy silence enveloped them, a reminder of the perilous nature of their newfound knowledge.
"In a world where magic intertwines with the fabric of the cosmos, we must remain cautious," Preacher said. "Such power can tempt even the noblest souls. What if someone sought to control it? What if there are consequences we cannot predict?"
Seraphina frowned, her fists clenching as she imagined the malevolent possibilities. "Then we should keep this a secret. Protect it, and ourselves."
"Agreed," Angela chimed in, her previous excitement dimmed by the gravity of their situation. "But what if this was meant for something good? What if it could bring help or knowledge?"
Iris seriously considered Angela's words. "Or what if it leads to our destruction?"
Preacher sighed, weighing the shifting tides of their conversation. "In my world there is both good and evil. While intending to keep peace among the various nations we have created massive weapons that could wipeout all life on my home world. And unfortunately, some unscrupulous people have gotten ahold of these weapons in a desire to dominate and control others. You see sometimes the well intentioned can get corrupted and evil men with malicious intentions can get into power and can do much harm. There's an old saying in my world, Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Even the most well intentioned can be convinced to use their power for malicious reasons as long as they are convinced it's for the greater good."
Angela's heart raced as she absorbed Preacher's words. The allure of the swirling colors in the hologram beckoned her imagination, whispering of adventure and discovery, but the weight of responsibility hung heavy in the air, suffocating the excitement. She glanced around the dimly lit chamber of their hidden sanctuary, the air thick with anticipation and unease.
"We can't let anyone know," Seraphina declared, her voice cutting through the tension. Her long blond hair glimmered under the soft glow of the holographic display, the legends of their world intertwining with the potential of the wormhole projected before them. Elowen nodded her head in agreement, her emerald eyes sharp and resolute. "Not even our respective leaders. If this knowledge falls into the wrong hands—"
"It won't," Preacher interrupted firmly, his gaze flickering between his wives, who pooled their fears in a shared understanding. He stepped closer to the hologram, the colors swirling around him like the stars of a thousand galaxies. "We'll guard it like a secret treasure."
Angela swallowed hard, her own brows knitted in thought. She turned her attention to Iris, who stood at the edge of their circle, tucking her hair behind her ear—a subtle sign of her anxiety. "Then what do we do?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, laden with the weight of their collective dread. "This wormhole could be a chance to learn things we never imagined, a pathway to wisdom from the stars."
Preacher's expression darkened, shadows dancing across his features. He remembered his own world, where ambition spiraled into chaos, and the pursuit of knowledge had turned monstrous. "Yes, there are many things we could learn," he said slowly, "but what if, in the attempt to learn new things, we open the door to even greater threats and destruction? There are some things we don't need to know."
The chamber grew still, the flickering holograph casting an ethereal light on their somber faces. "I come from a world where mankind, in the process of pursuing peace, has developed weapons that could wipe out every human being in my world. There are fanatics in my world who wouldn't hesitate to use those weapons and die a martyr's death just to kill unbelievers in the name of their god." His voice trembled, laden with memory and sorrow. "Even in my own faith, history is littered with periods where those in power have used religion to subjugate and murder others all in the name of the God whom I serve. Think about it."
Elowen shifted uneasily, her thoughts swirling like the images projected before them. The revelation hung heavy in the air, weighing down their hearts. "But what if we're different? What if our world can handle this knowledge differently?"
"That's a risk we can't afford," Preacher replied, his gaze steady and fierce. He stepped away from the hologram, allowing the colors to fade ever so slightly, as if the gravity of his words had dissolved some of its allure. "Here, in your world, what if someone got ahold of this information—either Demi-Human or Human—and decided to use it to gain an upper hand over the other? I was sent here to end this war, not to tread the path to oppression for the sake of peace."
The silence that followed was suffocating. Angela felt the weight of their history and future pressing down on her, grasping for answers in the ephemeral glow of the hologram. "What if we're missing something?" she ventured at last. "What if we could control the knowledge? We could harness it for good. Knowledge and wisdom, paired with our intentions, could turn this into a tool for unity rather than division."
Seraphina's eyes sparkled with a flicker of hope, but Preacher's frown deepened. "The best intentions have often led to the worst outcomes. We must tread carefully."
"Let's create a plan," Iris suggested, her voice gaining strength. "A way to safeguard this information. We could study it among ourselves, with strict protocols. We can share it only when we're ready, when the world is ready."
Angela felt the pulse of excitement reignite within her. The hologram's colors shifted gently, almost in response to their heated deliberation. "What if we traveled through the wormhole ourselves?" she proposed, her heart racing with newfound daring. "Gather knowledge and wisdom, but only what we deem beneficial. We'd emerge as guides rather than conquerors."
"That too is dangerous thinking," Preacher cautioned, his brow furrowing deeper. "Even in my own world, we thought the same thing. But evil lurks everywhere. We may intend to do good yet end up causing more harm. We're not Gods; we can't foresee every outcome of the decisions we make regarding this magical technology."
"But if we don't act," Elowen interjected, her voice trembling with urgency, "we risk stagnation. The world outside our sanctuary is bleeding. The war rages on, and we hold the key to at least a fraction of peace."
"Perhaps we could take an incremental approach," Seraphina suggested, biting her lip. "We could send a small team through, not to conquer or reveal knowledge, but to observe and understand. Just like explorers charting a new land, we would gather intel, and it would remain a secret until we are absolutely certain of the implications."
Angela, Iris and Elowen met Preacher's eyes, searching for the flicker of consent hidden within his caution. "If knowledge is to be a weapon, let it be wielded by those who can steer it with wisdom. We can be the guardians of what we learn."
After a long moment of contemplation, tension crackled in the air like static electricity, and Preachers four wives could feel the potential of their plan hovering on the cusp of reality.
After a long moment of deliberation, Preacher sighed, the rigidity in his posture softening just enough to signal his acceptance. "If we are to do this, it must be with unwavering commitment to secrecy and protection. We will delve into this venture, but with our eyes wide open. Every step must be taken with caution and deliberation. Damn, why does this sound so familiar?" Frustration and nostalgia mingled in his voice as he recalled something similar within his recent past.
"That's not the only knowledge here," Preacher looked at the holograms floating around their heads. "Look here, there seems to be a record of your world's history."
Preacher held up his hand and the holograms stopped spinning. He then swiped his hand to the left bringing around the section with the information he was talking about to his wives.
"See here, it's a video recording. It's made by a researcher, an ancestor of the humans of this world, but it's dated eons ago, long before their civilization fell into ruin. It looks like it was made about four thousand years ago. How did it manage to survive this long?"
The researcher started with an introduction of himself. "Greetings to those who found this recording. I am Professor Alester Eldrin, I am most likely long dead by now. On my last day I will place myself in one of these stasis pods if you find my body, please give me a decent burial. I'm going to explain to you the history of this world, the rise of Demi-Humans from among the humans, the source of magic of this world and how we as humans got to this world. To start with, our ancestors came to this world from their description in our oral history, by a maelstrom in the sky when the sky opened up and sucked up all the people of their once great city and deposited them here in this world. When they woke up here, they realized they weren't on their home world anymore, which they called Terra, they had been delivered to a new world." At the mention of that name Preacher froze on the spot. He stopped the video recording. "Terra...Terra, Really! Are you f***king kidding me.?" Preacher's wives were shocked, that was the first time any of them ever heard him use an expletive and it would not be the last time after that. Iris placed her hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong husband?" she asked gently. sensing Preacher's troubled demeanor.
Preacher looked at her his face pale yet alight with a mixture of excitement and dread. This seems to answer some questions about my world but also opens a whole new set of questions that there's no answer for, least ways here in this world, But in my world there were ancient cataclysms that wiped out whole periods of our history. We're still discovering ancient civilizations buried deep under tens of meters of dirt but no bodies of the people. Most anthropologists figured that the bodies have turned to dust.
The only things that were left behind were just personal artifacts."
"Ok but your world is called Earth, what's that got to do with this world called Terra." Seraphina asked.
"You don't understand, Terra is the ancient name our ancestors used to call Earth.
That revelation shocked Preacher's wives. "You mean to tell us that your world and ours are linked in some way to our ancient past?" Elowen asked.
"It would seem so," Preacher replied, "as unbelievable as that may be, but it seems like parts of your own history may have been lost to time as well. This ancient civilization was obviously part of your history, yet you knew nothing about it, like its existence had been wiped out of your collective memory after it fell." Iris, Angela, and Seraphina all looked at each other, the Demi-Human fox beast girl the succubus and the human Princess, none of them had had any clue of this civilization's existence, even Elowen the Elven Princess, who had studied ancient script had no idea.
"Our ancestors found this new world a breathtaking place but also full of dangers." Professor Eldrin continued. "Magical beasts roamed everywhere, the flora also could be deadly as well. There were man eating plants and vines that if you got ensnared it would wrap you up and consume you.
Our ancestors knew they had to cooperate to survive in this new world. They built cities to protect themselves from the creatures that roamed this world.
In time the people of this world discovered they had magical abilities, and they could perform the same magic that the animals of this world could. Only a very few at first but in time as the generations continued to grow, more and more people began developing these abilities as well.
After a millennia, almost all humans had at least three magical abilities but then the deformations started. Children born with extra appendages like tails or extra ears on top of their heads."
At that, Preacher's wife Iris looked saddened. "Is that what I am, just a deformation, an abnormality?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh no, no.. no.. baby, your beautiful, you are a wonderful woman and a wonderful wife. I wouldn't give you up for anything baby." Preacher reached over to Iris and pulled her into him and held her tight.
"At first these were seen as abnormalities or birth defects which could be corrected with surgery. but the more demi-humans that were born, the less our ancestors were able to deal with the effects of the people being born with animal characteristics. But more than that a number of demi-humans developed higher aptitudes for magical abilities especially the long ears.
Elowen placed her slender fingers on her own elongated ears, tracing their shape with a contemplative touch. Preacher, sensing her unease, leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her. "Your ears are beautiful, baby," he affirmed, bringing a vivid blush to her cheeks that spread like fire across her porcelain skin.
"As our understanding deepened," he continued, "we began to trace the source of these mutations and magical abilities in our world—leading us to the astounding discovery of the Zeta Particle. This particle radiates from our sun and was the catalyst for our transformations." The gravity of his revelation pressed heavily on the hearts of the assembled. Elowen, Iris, Seraphina, Angela and Preacher could barely catch their breaths amidst the storm of emotions fluttering within them.
Eldrin continued, his brow furrowing with deep concern. "But not everyone saw these changes as a blessing. The 'True Bloods' emerged—a faction claiming that only pure humans should reign supreme and demi-humans were an aberration. Wars began to engulf us; humans raised arms against demi-humans." His voice trembled with the weight of his words. "As we speak, we are entrenched in a world war, and this recording is my last hope, that someone—anyone—will use this knowledge not for destruction but for peace."
Iris, her eyes a striking gold, wiped away tears that left streaks on her dirt-smudged cheeks. The pain of countless lives lost in this senseless conflict echoed in her fragile heart. "What can we possibly do?" she whispered, her voice trembling like the last flickers of a dying flame.
Elowen's gaze hardened, a fire igniting behind her eyes as determination surged within her. "We must seek the truth and end this conflict—find a way to unite our peoples." Her words, fierce and fervent, filled the chamber with a renewed sense of purpose.
Preacher, turned to the terminal. The myriad of data streams seemed to beckon them, alive with potential and whispers of forgotten paths. "This lab holds secrets—thousands of terabits of information about your history and the essence of our magical abilities. It details pathways to other worlds." He gestured for the women to gather closer, inviting them into the realm of ideas and possibilities that vibrated in the air around them.
"Perhaps our stories could intertwine, bridging the chasms wrought by fear and hatred," Elowen mused aloud, her voice a whisper of hope. "Perhaps together, we can rewrite the future of both humans and demi-humans."
Inspired by her words, Iris nodded, a spark igniting within her. "We can gather allies—humans who reject the ideology of the True Blood movement, and ally with demi-humans seeking peace. We must share the knowledge we uncover here."
Driven by newfound strength, the trio began to comb through the complex data streams, sifting through the dense information cascading across the terminal. Each flicker of light unveiled stories of their ancestors, tales of love and unity amid the chaos—echoes of a forgotten era when the multiple races coexisted in harmony.
"With this newfound knowledge we all can now work our magical abilities better. We all share the Ethereal Blue Flame which has unlocked all abilities within us. All of you, Seraphina, Iris, Elowen and Angela now have the same abilities as I do. With these arcane spells we can do much more now.
Elowen, lets try opening a wormhole lets try P3358 cast the spell."
The air crackled with energy as Elowen's hands moved deftly, tracing the intricate patterns of the P3358 spell in the midst of the stone chamber. Her silvery hair swayed like willow branches in the wind, but it was her fierce emerald eyes, ablaze with magical intensity, that held the gaze of her companions. The knowledge gleaned from the ancient terminal swirled around them, a tangible force that shimmered in the dim light.
Seraphina and Angela sat on the sidelines, their eyes wide as they watched Elowen channel the magic. The dim chamber was filled with glowing screens, the light bouncing off the rough stone walls, casting elongated shadows that danced like wraiths.
"Focus—inhale the essence of the Zeta Particle," instructed Preacher, his voice steady in the midst of the tumultuous energy, though a tremor of uncertainty echoed in the room. His presence bolstering their resolve.
Iris, standing next to him, mirrored Elowen's movements despite the hint of doubt flickering in her golden eyes. Preacher stood beside her, offering silent support as she outstretched her hands, trying to absorb the magical currents swirling in the air. It felt both daunting and exhilarating to have their fates intertwined in this moment.
"Together now!" Elowen exclaimed, her voice slicing through the crackling atmosphere, filled with urgency. "On three, we'll channel our energies!" She could feel the pulse of magic thrumming through her, like the heartbeat of the world.
"One… Two… Three!" Elowen's voice trembled with anticipation.
With a unifying chant, the stone chamber erupted into a whirlwind of shimmering lights as they combined their magic. Waves of Ethereal Blue Flame spiraled toward the center, the brilliant hues illuminating the stone chamber in a burst of color. It was a mesmerizing spectacle, and in that moment, they were no longer individuals; they were a conduit of raw, unrefined energy, their essences intertwining into a symphony of power.
The air shivered as a swirling vortex began to take shape before them, an alluring display of azure and violet, pulsating with immense potential. The wormhole pulsated, dark yet inviting—a gateway between worlds stretching beneath the harsh edges of their reality.
But amidst the beauty, there was an undercurrent of tension, like a tightly wound spring ready to explode.
"Ok, shut it down!" Preacher yelled, his voice sharp against the howling wind that the vortex had conjured. "SHUT IT DOWN!!"
Elowen's heart raced. The control they wielded felt tenuous, and instinctively she and Iris crossed their hands, making a sweeping motion backward. The vortex reacted immediately, collapsing inward upon itself, the colors fading to a dim whisper of light before vanishing entirely.
The silence that followed was deafening, filled only with the heavy sound of their breathing. "Son-of-a-bitch, why does this feel so damn familiar?" Preacher swore again, rubbing his temples as if fighting off a headache.
"I don't know if I like this new aspect of you, Preacher," Seraphina chimed in. She gazed at him with a maternal disapproval, as if correcting a child caught in mischief.
"New aspect?" Preacher raised an eyebrow, a grin teasing at the corners of his mouth. "You've seen me at my worst, Seraphina."
"I just don't remember you cursing at the essence of creation, is all," she said, crossing her arms defiantly.
Elowen, still buzzing from the shared power. "We did it, didn't we? We created a wormhole! That was—"
"Fiery and reckless," Preacher interrupted, still shaken. "Do any of you understand the catastrophic possibilities of what we just attempted? This isn't a game!"
"Yes, but think of the potential," Iris chimed in, her golden eyes wide with wonder. "What if we could—"
"What if we don't?" Preacher countered sharply, quieting her enthusiasm. "We are talking about tearing through the fabric of reality itself, not just plunging into some whimsical adventure."
"But isn't that what we are here for?" Elowen interjected, her voice steadier now. "To uncover the secrets of the Ancient Ancestors? To explore the realms beyond? We have the power, Preacher. We can't just sit idle with it!"
Seraphina stepped forward, locking eyes with Elowen. "The spells are great in power, yes, but they come with great repercussions and consequences. Every action reverberates through realms we cannot comprehend. We must proceed with caution."
This isn't like the teleportation spell; this is ripping through the very fabric of space. If I hadn't told you to shut it down, We all could have been swept up in it and taken to God knows where. Preacher said.
"Magic like this is nothing to play with. That researcher spent years of his life studying it and you guys just want to jump right in. This is why I want to go slow because we don't know everything. You saw the image on the screen. Did that look like a stable wormhole to you? Playing with this magic is like a monkey playing with a gun."
Preacher's wives looked at one another, confusion painting their faces. "What exactly is a monkey?" one of them whispered, while another raised a finger, having seen Preacher wield his .44 magnum. They understood, in their own way, the gravity of that peculiar imagery. A creature without restraint and such a weapon was not a good omen.
Angela clenched her fists, her heart a tumultuous storm. All the wonders hidden within the temple beckoned to her, the knowledge of forgotten spells and worlds beyond her imagination so tantalizingly close. But even with her longing, she recognized the weight of Preacher's words. They were all bound by duty, yet the allure of ancient wisdom still tugged at her heartstrings. "I know you're right," she replied, her voice softer but still laced with frustration. "But the secrets of the past hold keys to our future. What if the answers are there?"
Elowen stood between the two, mismatched emotions flaring within her as well. Her keen emerald eyes ablaze with the thought of ancient magic and knowledge. "Focus, Angela. We're not just fighting for ourselves, but for everyone who suffers under the shadow of this war. We'll face it together, but we can't lose sight of our mission."
Before they departed the caverns of the temple, they wove intricate spells around the entrance to the hidden laboratory. With meticulous intent, Elowen summoned a protective incantation that cloaked the door in rock-like illusions, while Preacher reinforced it with an unyielding magical barrier that would keep even the fiercest of intruders at bay. They sealed the knowledge away, as if it were a precious gem locked inside a vault—one that could only be opened when the war had ended.
Elowen and Angela both looked back at the temple and wondered what other knowledge it held there. The history of this world, the arcane magic, worlds unknown yet to be explored. So much possibility waiting for them.