There was nothing but darkness. She yelled, but no one responded. The ground beneath her was black marble, and it reflected her. It was her old self, the skeleton-like little girl with her hair shaved and numerous tubes and wires inserted into her back. Her reflection began to grab her feet and pull her down.

Luna closed her eyes as she struggled and screamed as more hands grabbed on to her and dragged her further down. They clawed and yanked her deeper when she felt a warm presence on her head. Whatever it was, it felt like it was trying to help her, but Luna could not even reach it or open her eyes to see what it was. All she could do was cry. It was pulling her up softly, and Luna begged it not to leave.

=0o0=

It was early evening and they had managed to find a safe spot for them to camp. Baldric, Sylvie, and Tinkerton-G watched Elizabeth as she used her magic to heal Luna. Baldric could only stare in amazement as Elizabeth was covered in a bright, soft light with her hands over her.

They had encountered mages in the past, but Elizabeth’s magic was... safe. He could not describe it, but just being near the child and her magic felt safe.

There was no magic that he had seen or read that could do what Elizabeth was doing right now. Not even the ork’s blood magic can completely heal. It was like seeing a miracle right in front of his eyes. G sat on his shoulder, completely speechless as well.

“A new school of magic.” G whispered in awe. “This will change everything.”

Earlier, when Elizabeth first cured Annie, they were all stunned. Elizabeth cried out in agony as the wounds on Annie's body healed. They were all terrified, but she persisted, even as the child grunted in pain.

Baldric realized why the child cried out after she healed him. Elizabeth was affected by whatever injury or pain he was experiencing. Elizabeth's arm glowed as the child treated his broken arm, and she trembled in pain. As Elizabeth used her powers, she prayed in the old language of the church. Light engulfed her and Luna as she chanted. Baldric had the impression that he was witnessing something almost divine. When the child opened her eyes, they were filled with light. She yelled, as if she was in excruciating anguish.

"Elizabeth!"

"I can feel it." The child said as she struggled. "I can see her... in pain. I can see her mind. It’s too much. It’s too deep. It’s too much!"

"Stop kid! Stop!" Baldric tried to stop her, but Elizabeth continued.

"No! She still needs help!"

Elizabeth grunted in pain as Luna began to convulse and squirm, She was drawing something out of Luna. It was a black ooze coming out of her body, which made Baldric stand up in alert. He realized it was the same ooze that was trying to consume Luna when they found her near the obelisk. "What the-"

"It’s hurting her." Elizabeth said as she struggled to get the ooze out of Luna. "It won’t let her sleep. It’s making her see everything. Everything she is hiding."

"Get it out of her, Elizabeth!" Baldric got up and tried to find a vial or a jar. He returned with a jar in hand.

It came out of Luna’s mouth, a black tar-like ooze. Elizabeth drew it out of her and suspended it in mid-air when Baldric caught it in a jar. Luna exhaled heavily as it was removed, and tears began to stream down her cheeks. The child wiped the tears from Luna's face as the ball of light that was circling Elizabeth approached her.

Baldric was about to throw the jar into the campfire when G stopped him by twisting his ear.

"What?"

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"That is a specimen." G said to him. "You are going to lose a potential specimen. We could study it. Find out what it is."

"I don’t think we need to study it to know that it’s dangerous." Baldric said as he observed the ooze in the jar. "I say we destroy it."

"I’ll take that under advisement, Baldric. But we need to find out first what it is. We have more to gain by studying it first." Sylvie approached them, and Baldric placed the jar in her hands. The centaur then approached Elizabeth and gave her a jar filled with a red jelly substance.

"Luna will kill you for giving her Aerium Sylvie." Baldric said.

"Zhe is a mage, non?" Sylvie said to him confused. "Zhe needs to recover, er mana?"

"Baldric, it’s safe." G said on his shoulder. "I made it myself. It’s untainted Aerium."

Elizabeth looked at Baldric, who gave her a nod of approval. She then removed the lid and saw that it was a thick and sticky substance. She dipped her finger in it and gave it a taste. Elizabeth was surprised when it tasted like sweet oranges and honey.

"I added some honey and orange to make it easy to drink there, sweetheart." G said to her. "I know you kids like sweets."

Elizabeth ate the sticky substance while Sylvie gave her a canteen of water to wash it down. In seconds, Elizabeth felt the exhaustion in her body vanish as the aerium replenished her.

"What do you think, sunny? Does it work? You’re not tired?"

Elizabeth nodded as she continued to eat more of the sweet substance.

"I can give you as much as you want." G said, "Think of it as a form of apology for what happened."

"G if Luna was awake, she would have flattened you on the spot. Your map screwed us over and we almost died down there, not just once." Baldric grabbed G and held him tightly in his hand.

"I swear Asar told me that it works. I even tried it myself. Asar and Sylvie even managed to navigate through the under empire successfully!"

"What?! Asar gave you that map?!" Baldric shook him violently.

"Yes, He came to my laboratory days before you all appeared."

"G! Asar was the one attacking us back there!"

"What no? It can’t be!" G said, trying to get free from Baldric’s grip. "He was the one who told me days ago you all needed help! He even told me where to wait so I could join you all when you passed by!"

"He's lying! He set us up, G! How could he have possibly known where we would come out?"

"I believe I could answer that." Ada said while being carried by Sylvie. Her consciousness in Luna’s backpack.

"I swear to the maker, Ada, if you tell me you are working with Asar, I will scrap you down for parts myself!"

"Listen to me first. When we were rescuing Luna from the obelisk, I released an emergency distress signal. The signal can also be sensed by other GEAs, and I believe that is how Asar has managed to find our location."

"That’s impossible! Your range could not have been that long! We were days away from meeting Asar! That would mean he was following us!"

"Perhaps not him but other GEA’s found us and gave him our location. All GEA’s share a collective consensus, a hive mind if you will."

"So you are saying right now, Asar and any other GEA’s can track us as long as we are with you?!"

"No. They only found us because I sent a distress signal. As long as I actively conceal our location, other GEAs cannot override my command. Only AGEIAs can do that, and they are all still asleep. My speculation is that once Asar found us, he calculated all the possible closest exits and made a precise guess as to where to set up his location." Baldric loosened his grip on Tinkerton when Ada continued talking.

"There is something you all should know as well. I believe Asar was not really trying to kill any of you." Baldric laughed in frustration, but Ada continued. "I have observed all your injuries that were inflicted by the GEAs, and all of them were aimed at non-vital organs, and all injuries were imposed to be non-fatal. The serious injuries were inflicted by the Ithraxi, a rogue element."

"So when he was trying to kill Luna, that was what?! Love taps?!"

"I do not know if he has an ulterior motive, but if Asar truly wanted us all dead, why warn us or give you a head start? If he had us surrounded, he could have just destroyed us all right away. GEAs also have no concept of mercy, so why do all that rather than kill you all outright?"

"Maybe because he is a sadistic psychopath? A homicidal machine that tortures people for fun?"

"Do you really believe that, Baldric?"

"So what?" Baldric approached Ada "You’re saying he doesn’t really want to kill us?!"

"Yes exactly."

"Why?! Why do all of this? "

"I do not know." Ada said. Baldric looked at G and Sylvie, who also did not answer. Machines do not lie, he remembered, which caused him to rub his face in frustration. When he looked up, he saw all of them were looking at him.

Luna, Annie, and Willow were still asleep. He looked at the landraider and saw the exposed engines and the destroyed condition it was in. Baldric had no idea how it was still working after all that time, but he was grateful it was. Baldric looked at Elizabeth, who was still eating some Aerium while playing with the ball of light. He looked at G and Sylvie, who were looking at him for a plan on what to do next, and Baldric had nothing.