When Sophia stepped into the entrance to ADAM’s Labyrinth, she had no idea what to expect. And at present, she was still unsure if she was experiencing real life or some kind of feverish nightmare reality.
Charlie and Effie were dead.
Charlie had been assassinated by The Twins, who still seemed to be fighting for the Empire.
Effie, like Empress Lucina, had never re-emerged from the Labyrinth trial.
Rolynd, like Sophia, had no memory of taking the trial. The King was certain that he had entered the Labyrinth with Effie. It was possible that ADAM simply removed the memories of his trials, so that none would be able to advise the unworthy about what awaited them. But Roylnd had ruled out the possibility of having succeeded in the trial, as the wish he had planned to make had not taken effect as he had foreseen. At this point, he had no interest in re-entering and risking permanent disappearance.
It was logical then, that Sophia had also failed her trial. No apparent wish of hers had been granted. That would explain why she had no memory of being tested. Although it was a grim conclusion to accept, it was one well within the realms of possibility.
And now, it had barely been six months since Charlie died. Sophia needed to emotionally process the loss of her loved ones, but time would not allow it. Rolynd had already come up with a new plan. With the disappearance of Lucina, what remained of the Incandestine forces had either banded together to establish their own society, given up on their ideologies and begun acculturation into Apolaphian countries and cities, or formed terrorist groups, seeking vengeance for their fallen empress. The terrorist groups, collectively known as the Forsaken, were seemingly led by Doctor Hagley. That was Rolynd’s stipulation, given the presence of The Twins, who were most likely to follow their brainwashing at the Chimera expert’s hand.
Of the Bloodstones, only Rolynd, Sophia, Phee and Aleister were left. Phee had survived her death at Lucina’s hand with her Bloodstone power, her ashes miraculously recombining a few days later at a hidden place known only to the teen.
Phee’s spirit, already shaken by the war and Carmen’s death, simply could not take any more emotional trauma. The loss of Effie had been enough to make her disappear to some unknown place, unable to be contacted. When Charlie died, they hadn’t even been able to let her know.
Sophia knew that Aleister and Rolynd were struggling just as much as Phee was. But they were older and better capable of processing the emotions. In a way, they had been prepared for death. Even their own deaths, in a different way from the impermanent way Phee understood it.
Unwanting to be a burden, Sophia decided that it would be best to simply push forward with the plan. They were all hurting just as much as each other. It was important that she not hinder their progress any more than necessary with her grief.
Although Lucina was gone, that was not the end of their problems. Rolynd said that the Empress’s disappearance would only serve to deepen the hatred that the Incandestine already held towards them. But, he could think of a way to make everything right. He had found an Apolaphian technique to bring someone back from the dead. The only catch was, that it required a willing sacrifice.
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He didn’t dare say it aloud, but it was obvious to Sophia and Aleister that it was Rolynd’s intention to sacrifice himself in exchange for Catherine. With the Incandestine heir restored, and the enemy responsible dead, things might return to ‘normal’.
…Though Sophia did not know what ‘normal’ could possibly mean. Would Aleister and Sophia be returned to Hagley’s care? What of Apolaphia? Would it be destroyed? Would Catherine allow such a thing to occur? Would ADAM allow such a thing to occur?
Nevermind. That doesn’t matter right now.
Sophia was determined to see Rolynd’s plan through to the end, no matter what might happen. With a sympathetic ruler atop the Incandestine throne, their chances of happiness were maximized.
We must do whatever it takes.
And after over a year of struggle, the three of them had managed to secure everything they had needed:
Aleister had managed to acquire a certain supercomputer that had been stored in one of the Lord’s chambers on Tenebria Coronum, which had fallen into anarchy with the disappearance of its three Lords. After hacking the computer, Aleister had found that it had come close to ‘deciphering’ magic. With it, He formed a definite list of reagents to acquire, necessary for the plan.
Sophia had managed to establish contact with the main Incandestine forces and explain Rolynd’s plan to them. It may have been a tense cooperation, or a warning of what was to come; the Bloodstones would not be stopped.
Rolynd himself had disappeared for long periods at a time, meeting secretly with Apolaphian figureheads, working out the wrinkles in his plans, creating contingencies. It hardly seemed that the Incandestine would believe Sophia’s words after all; it was far more likely that the Empire would welcome them into a trap.
And now, Rolynd, Aleister and Sophia were once more aboard the Sparrow. They floated in Portum’s orbit, the perfect green land, blue sea and clear skies of the capital planet beneath them.
The traumatizingly familiar sight of the black hole behind Portum was a grim reminder of Rolynd’s previous plan. ADAM’s Labyrinth… a catastrophic failure. At the very least, Portum’s moon was blissfully out of sight. None of the remaining Bloodstones desired any more traumatic reminders of their past.
Somewhere below, Catherine’s body was kept hidden. That was according to what Sophia had learned from Doctor Hagley three months ago. He seemed all too cooperative after being captured, so much so that Sophia was disgusted to find herself disappointed that she had been unable to torture him as much as she would’ve liked, though Aleister had assured her that he’d given the old man what he deserved.
Rolynd had let the head researcher go once he had confirmed, through magical means, that all the information they had extracted was accurate.
It was barely two weeks after being interrogated that Hagley’s corpse was found strung up by certain iridescent fibers, atop the tallest spires of Electrin Academy. Few people knew who had been responsible for the murder.
Of course, it had been Phee who had murdered Hagley and strung him up. Few other people had such unfettered access to Unbreakable Thread. Hagley’s corpse had to be dismembered to be removed, as it could not be cut down. The symbolic, high-profile nature of his death had spurred on the Forsaken all across Apolaphia, leading to further chaos.
Rolynd, Sophia and Aleister could do nothing but feign ignorance.
Sophia, who thought herself numb to the pain, did not know how to handle the ocean of regret she found herself in. What had Phee become? How could Sophia have failed her so badly? It felt like she had become a stranger
And… what had the Bloodstones done to deserve such a miserable existence?
But these thoughts and feelings too, had to be pushed aside.
The plan was afoot.
They needed to be mentally and physically ready for if, or according to Rolynd, when, the Incandestine tried to kill them. Spells had been programmed into their bodies, and they each carried a veritable arsenal of magical artefacts and weapons.
The Sparrow’s radio burst to life: “S-P10 cleared to land at Home pad 27-C. Proceed at leisure.”