“Now, I don’t know how, but she somehow got me out of that mind control.” Papeht continued the story.

“I don’t remember either, but you guys know the rest of the story.” Aehaby finished, lowering her head.

“That’s interesting,” Ruth said, scratching his chin. “But do you have any idea on how she turned into the jelly fog?”

“That I still don’t know about...” Aehaby’s voice faded after a while before continuing. “Maybe it had something to do with the portals or the misuse of my crown?”

“Wait a minute, oh no, I need to go back!” Ruth exclaimed, pacing the room.

“Why is that, Mr. Bear?”

“I have to warn my people about what’s happening!”

“At a time like this?” Papeht questioned.

“I understand,” Aehaby replied. “Papeht, you go with him.”

“But I—”

“You are a royal guard and protector, are you not? As your Queen, I command you to do so!”

Papeht gulped and bowed down. “As you wish, please be careful and get the device working soon...”

“I will.”

After Papeht and Ruth headed out, Aehaby, Maggie, and Tommy wondered if there was anything more to discuss.

Tommy couldn’t believe that what Amy, or Aehaby, said about being an alien and out of this world was real. Something also bothered him about that story.

“One thing I don’t get or like is Kira’s real motivation.” Tommy piped up, crossing his arms. “She should know better than to—”

“Um, about that, I got, to be honest...” Maggie interrupted.

“No, don’t tell me. Are you sympathizing with that woman?” Tommy questioned.

“No, God forbid.” Maggie waved it off. “But at least, I can understand, even if it’s a little. Losing someone or something dear to you over something beyond control. However, you still have this unbearable amount of anger and resentment towards them...”

“Hey, do you still feel that way towards your dad?”

“Well, sometimes...”

“Aw, man.” Aehaby groaned near the control device. “I don’t think I’ll be able to repair this thing...”

“That sucks,” Maggie muttered.

“What could we do if it worked?” Tommy pondered, shaking his arms around. “What can I do? My friend’s on the opposing side, and Amy’s friends are too!”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Get a hold of yourself, man!” Maggie exclaimed, grabbing his shirt and shaking his body. “If they were your friends, then they wouldn’t want to hurt us in the first place!” She let go and calmed herself down.

Aehaby wondered. “There’s got to be a way to get—” She snapped her fingers. “Of course! If the enemies somehow got the crown and those gems...”

“Besides the fact that Kira stole it from you?” Tommy mentioned. “Why would we need to—?”

“Those gems are like magic and can do almost anything. They’re a part of the crown, my crown. Its power can go on a whim and think up whatever you can with your mind, as long as you don’t have black spots in your heart.”

“So, are you saying that there’s no way we can stop her?”

“Wait, I didn’t say that!”

“But how will we beat her? We barely have any gems and because she’s stealing bodies due to the—”

“Calm down!” Maggie interrupted. “Who says we can’t win? We have to think up a plan. Fighting head-on won’t work...”

“So, before we go out...?” Aehaby started.

“If Antonio gets the gem, then he’d give it to Kira...”

“We can follow him to where they are and steal back the gems as well as the crown.”

“But what if we get caught?” Tommy questioned.

“Hmm, that’s a good point...” Maggie pondered, placing a hand on her chin. “We could distract and prevent Antonio and his cronies from returning them in.”

“Meanwhile, I can sneak by and take the crown.” Amy finished.

“Yeah!”

“So, will we know where they are?” Tommy asked.

“I’d say if I can get the machine to work! Why won’t you work!?” Aehaby roared. She slammed her fists on the control panel. The portal activated, though it appeared to be slightly static. “Hey, it worked!”

“You did it?” Maggie questioned.

“Yeah, now to find the final gem... oh no.” As Aehaby worked in on the coordinates, she could barely see the picture in her view, and her eyes widened upon realizing what it was.

“What’s wrong? Wait, can I call you Amy or—?” Tommy started.

“It doesn’t matter either way, but we might have to rethink our plan.” Aehaby scratched her head anxiously.

“Why is that?”

“Of all the places in the Land of the Unknown, why’d it have to be the Onyx Pinnacle?”

The image came in, as a giant volcano stood in their way.

“Wait, what!?” Tommy and Maggie exclaimed in exasperation.

“Um, I think it’ll be too dangerous for—”

“Nonsense.” Tommy interrupted Aehaby. “We already came so far. I need to go get my friend back and get him down to Earth, literally.”

“Besides, you’re the only one who can withstand Kira Onyx,” Maggie added. “We wouldn’t be eligible to stand any at all chances against her.”

“You’re right,” Aehaby said as she walked toward the portal. She stood in front of it with her back turned from the others. “If you’re willing to go on ahead, then step inside the portal. However, once you enter, there’s no turning back. Are you ready?”

Tommy and Maggie were unsure of how to respond. Maggie glanced at him with a reassuring smile.

“We can do this, so what do you say we handle this together once and for all... Tommy?” She extended her hand toward him.

Tommy’s eyes widened with shock. She hasn’t been this kind to him before, let alone call him by his first name. He wiped his eyes, and with a look of determination, he grabbed a hold of her hand and stood up.

“Yeah, let’s do this, we can catch up to the others later.” The two turned to face the portal.

“Hang on,” Aehaby said, with her hand in the air. “Before you go, take these.” She gave them some vials of light blue liquid inside.

“Is this another Brew of the Elements?” Tommy asked. “Why is it a different color?”

“I used different ingredients so you could be able to handle the heat. Be sure to take it before the vials melt, alright?”

“We got it, thanks.”

The ground shook as more rumbling occurred. Aehaby left for a quick moment to take a peek at where the sound came from when she saw what it was, then hurried back inside in a flash.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Maggie inquired.

“Guys, there’s no time. You need to get going now before it’s too late!” Amy exclaimed as she pushed the two through the portal just before it ended up disappearing.

She sighed in disbelief. Phew, that was too close for comfort. Now I have to find another way to get to the volcano, and fast.