State of Mind (4)

Tyra and Ray travel alongside Minghuang on Romeo's ship, head toward the Silent Kingdom of Ozan

4. Green Snow

Year C-91, Quarter 2

Romeo’s cruiser was old and janky. Its walls were rotting and its rusted pipes leaked. Tyra and Ray shared a small room. There was another kid on the ship, a girl called Minghuang who wasn’t very talkative. She had her own small room to herself. Romeo had picked her up earlier, and Tyra could tell she was no city-province girl. Romeo explained that she was rescued on the Kyenen islands. He neglected to mention what she was rescued from. It had been just a few days but Romeo said they were close. Ray watched through the back window, the best view of space on the block of trash they’d been traveling in. Especially since they weren’t allowed in the cockpit. He always loved watching the stars. He used to stare for hours to find a shooting star and when he found one, he just wanted to find another. Tyra would have to drag him to bed.

Tyra was more curious about the place they were going to. She’d seen the inside, through her visions, but not the planet or moon it occupied. She’d also read up on it quite a bit. Her father left behind extensive journals when he went away and Tyra had read and studied all of them. She knew about the culture, the rituals, and politics. She knew about the weather. All her life, she’d wanted to see it with her own eyes. A magical haven away from the division, war, and blood stained universe.

For the first few days, Minghuang and the Swann siblings exchanged only awkward glances, and responses to knocks on the bathroom door. Ray seemed a little frightened of her while Tyra was curious. Tyra tried at first to ask Minghuang about Kyena, but she would get defensive and leave.

To alleviate time, Tyra and her brother played a game they grew up with. Ray would pour the tiles out of the blue bag and turn them upside-down. The two of them would each draw five and look at them. The goal of the game was to place all your tiles, but you had to connect matching symbols. One might have a boat, and if your tile contains a body of water, it’s a match. There are always scuffles and stretches about what defines a match but that was part of the fun of the game. Trying to convince the others that your tile matched the circumstance.

“So,” Tyra had just beaten her younger brother 9-2, a slightly higher than average score for her. “How are you feeling about everything? This… Journey we’re on?”

“Feeling great,” Ray responded unconvincingly

Raymond looked down and held in a tear. Tyra bit her lips and sighed quietly,

“Get some rest, yeah? I bet it’s not much longer.”

***

As the days continued, Tyra’s positive attitude and subsequent modeling for her younger brother collapsed spectacularly. They were both getting sick of Romeo’s space-food and even Minghuang appeared restless on her way to the restroom. Romeo was almost entirely contained to his cabin. Tyra found it quite strange that he seemed so enticing when they met not that long ago, and now so isolated and cold. The one time Romeo emerged from his cabin was to inform the children that they’d be arriving within five hours. A wave of anxiety and excitement flushed over them. As soon as he came out, Romeo went back in and wasn’t seen again until they arrived. As the kids contemplated their existence and what they might come across, everything started to feel real. It had all happened so fast. The escape from Wynsberg, from Edrick. It felt like a long dream. Tyra tried to calm herself by remembering what she had learned about the Kingdom either from her father or from her thorough research.

As they entered the atmosphere, Tyra saw the glass ice up. Minghuang came out of her room and looked too. The landscape was cold and mountainous. The closer they got to the ground the more snow gathered on the window. Minghuang stared in amazement.

“I’ve never seen snow… I didn’t think it would be so… green.” She said excitedly. Ray came up behind them, trying to squeeze in to see the view. Tyra giggled.

“Snow isn’t green. It might appear that way under a green sun, though.” Tyra smiled at the girl whose eyes were glued to the glass. The ship shook and was picked up by a magnetic device. The three of them watched their view move vertically as they were pulled into the kingdom. As the light dimmed, the kids saw the boulder-looking doors close behind them.

“The Silent Kingdom is... a hollowed out mountain?” Minghuang pointed out with uncertainty.

“Two hollowed mountains,” Tyra corrected her. One east, one west.” Romeo opened the door from his room in the cockpit. He led the three kids to the landing bay of the beige ship. The bottom ramp opened slowly allowing them to run out into a massive open warehouse. A woman in a blood red dress with a simple house imprinted on it stepped and greeted them with large men wearing all black on either side. The kids cautiously began exploring the building with their eyes. It was made entirely of metal, but it was supported by bars of an older, more rusted out alloy. The entire space was probably the size of ten of their Wynsberg houses. A young blonde woman with an annoying voice walked towards them excitedly.

“Hey kiddos! I am Councilwoman Henny. There are a few other children already here. If you’ll allow me to show you your living quarters.” As she lazily led the kids to their new home, Romeo tried to sneak out another door. Unfortunately, the warehouse was almost completely open and his footsteps echoed off the walls. Safe turned on her heel and shouted, “Why don’t you join us Romeo? Or does your school bus call?” Romeo spat on the shiny metal floor.

“I need to have a chat with Nylon Gray. Then I’ll get out of your way.” His whisper powerfully echoed across and Safe found herself in hysterical laughter.

“You just missed him! He’s on a diplomatic mission to Madison. Won’t be back for a few weeks.” Romeo turned away, trying to stay calm. Safe began walking towards him.

“He’s… Not here?” Romeo muttered, dismayed. Minghuang and Ray stepped forward for a closer look. Tyra’s eyes were focused on the door to the living chambers. She quietly grabbed Ray by his shirt and pulled him along. Minghuang noticed and followed on her toes. Safe was busy torturing their driver.

“No, but, if there’s a problem, surely a councilwoman could assist you.” Romeo rolled his eyes. As the siblings were about to reach the door, it burst open and a tall, slightly annoyed woman with a hammer on her red robe looked around. Safe was surprised to see the kids had traveled so far in the warehouse without her noticing. Romeo was grateful to see an adult other than Safe Henny.

“Councilwoman Ohma, may we speak for a moment?”

The woman looked stern and wise.

“Romeo Martin. Kids, go down the hall and turn left, the other children will show you to your chambers.” Romeo gave the kids a nod and Tyra led Ray and Minghuang through the hall. They pondered at the prospect of other children. Ray pointed at two kids peeking out the side of a door. Once they got a good look at the new group, they stood in front of them. The tawny, nervous little boy in the red shirt was shaking slightly when he said,

“Welcome to the Silent Kingdom. I’m, um, Jace, and this is...”

“Sal,” the olive-skinned girl with the retro glasses and pulled back red hair continued. “We’re twins of the Rohan Bloodline. We got here a few days ago. Come check out the sleeping area.” The Swanns and Minghuang followed through the hallway into a large old and dusty open space. It had bunk beds and water dispensers. Tyra noticed an old cleaning bot attempting to walk through a wall. The five of them sat facing each other on two bottom bunk beds. “What’s your blood name?” Sal questioned a touch maniacally. Ray and Tyra glanced at each other and Ray confidently spouted,

“Swann. I’m Raymond Edrick Swann and this is my sister, Tyra Brooke.” The Rohan twins gasped in amazement. Jace bolted out of curiosity and a touch of excitement,

“Councilwoman Swann had more kids?” Jace attempted to make sense of all his information.

“No, dumbass,” Sal stepped in front of the Swanns who jumped in fright. “They’re Edrick Swann’s kids. Servia’s grandchildren.” Jace Rohan instinctively stood up. His twin sister rolled her eyes.

“Your f-father is, uh, Edrick Swann?” He shriveled in fear.

Tyra looked at Ray who didn’t seem to fully grasp what was happening. He never really understood their father’s banishment.

“Trust me, we probably hate him more than you.” Tyra attempted to defuse the situation. She noticed her brother Ray looking down to the floor. Tyra smiled at Jace, admiring his brown hair that had hints of the vibrant orange hair that consumed his sister’s head. Ray was physically uncomfortable with that. He was still confused. Sal chimed in,

“Easy, Jace. These kids wouldn’t be here if the Silent Kingdom didn’t exert every possible precaution. Nobody even knows where this place is.” Jace twitched.

“Wouldn’t Edrick Swann know where it is?”

“No,” Minghuang responded. For the most part she’d been listening closely to the conversation. “Nobody knows where the Silent Kingdom is. That’s why we weren’t allowed in the cockpit. Only a few people actually know where this planet is geographically. All we know is that it orbits a star with another star orbiting it. A distinctive landmark, sure, but in a sea of stars and planets, it’s a speck of dust.” She lay back awkwardly with her head hanging out of the bed frame. There was a dull silence as everyone processed it. Tyra popped the bubble. Two older boys and a girl walked together in a triangle into the sleeping quarters. Tyra got a bad vibe from the boy in front, the leader as it appeared to be. Sal sighed.

“Swanns, this is Bentor. And the snakes behind him are Rahna and Bolt.”

Tyra assumed the short blonde spikey haired kid with a tooth necklace was the one called Bolt, making the girl Rahna. Bentor washed the sleazy smile off his face and put his hand out for a shake. When Ray reached out, Bentor grabbed the young boy’s wrist and pulled tight. Bentor produced an unnerving, chaotic cackle as Tyra sprung into action. She fully charged at him and he instinctively backed away with his hands in the air. Tyra was still furious and leaped forward, only to be swatted down by the man who was much stronger than he appeared. Tyra gathered her bearings on the floor and spit out a few drops of blood.

“These are the special ones we’ve been hearing about?” Rahna laughed and knelt down beside Tyra and next to Ray. She patted Ray on the shoulder and stood. As she made her way back up with the help of Minghuang and her brother, she noticed the trio had left as quickly as they’d come. In the following moments of confusion, Sal’s curious mind continued to dominate the focus of conversation.

“Minghuang, what’s your family name again?”

“My blood name is Xhi. My family are not politicians. We study the ancient forms, and try to find inner peace. My parents and my older sisters lived here long ago. I’m the youngest of my siblings. I was living in the islands of Kyena as part of a spiritual Mindsphere journey that was supposed to go on for another six months… but something happened.”

Sal coughed to the side, “Yeesh, nobody asked for your whole life story.”

Ray gazed up in confusion. “What’s a Mindsphere?”

Tyra shook him off and asked questions of her own, “So you weren’t gonna come here if not for… whatever happened?”

“The day Romeo arrived, someone close to me died. Was killed.”

While everyone was as silent as possible, Sal released a snort. All the eyes darted toward her and she continued to giggle.

“Do you ever think this place is willing to do horrible things to lure the stubborn?”

Minghuang started to rage up. She stood up and marched around the room.

“You don’t think I thought about that? I checked multiple camera feeds, collected alibis, even got it confirmed by a private satellite. Romeo Martin was nowhere near the crime scene, and he’s the only outside Ozan agent. No, no, the killer was bigger, broader. Long scruffy black hair. Everything else was masked, but he wore all black and used some sort of rapier. Tyra gasped in shock as a terrifying thought haunted her. The group glared somewhat blankly at the disaffected girl. Ray looked a little frightened at his sister. The twins sat in silence, staring at the ground. Minghuang took a deep breath and sat back down. “Lessons start tomorrow. Save your questions for someone whose job it is to answer them. I’m going to sleep.” Minghuang leaped onto her cot and rolled over onto her stomach. The kids shrugged with the exception of Ray who was pulling on his sister’s shirt.

“I’m scared,”
Tyra wrapped her arm around him. The twins sat awkwardly, wondering if they should say something. Eventually they separated themselves and the room got quiet. Sal turned off the main light in the quarters and everybody went to sleep.

***

In her slumber, Tyra wandered the depths of her mind. She walked through the streets of Wynsberg, and could feel the distinctive brown fog. The factories were massive, even bigger than in real life. She passed by her old school with a proudly waved Wynsberg flag. The sand colored flag had a white space truck, a symbol, famous for its delivery of products constructed in the city-province to all across the galaxy. There was a crowd of people surrounding the wall of the Zip factory. There were exposed pipes that were beginning to leak, causing the crowd to move away in uniform. Tyra approached the crowd and examined the liquid leaking out of the pipe. It was yellow and sludgy. The puddle was getting larger and larger as more pipes burst. The crowd silently stepped backwards and watched. Tyra looked around, confused. A gassy smell filled the air, thickening it. Tyra ran down the street that would usually take her home, but she seemingly appeared at her kitchen table.

She placed her thumb and index finger on her forehead, trying to remember how she got there, but everything was foggy. Her father sat at the end of the table. He narrowed his eyes at her, looking angry and vengeful. Tyra tried to get up and run but her mind wouldn’t let her. She was trapped in the chair. That’s when she became lucid. She closed her eyes and used the power she’d been practicing for years to move her mind somewhere else.

Tyra found herself, panting, gasping for air in a room she didn’t recognize. It had yellow walls that slanted toward each other and a bed with two lights above it. A young woman sat on the floor by the wall crying. Tyra bent down to tell the girl it was going to be okay. The girl didn’t acknowledge her and kept crying. Within a couple of minutes, there was a knock at the door to the room. The girl cried out in anger, “Leave me alone!”

There was a brief moment of silence before an older female voice spoke back.

“Servia, please, you have to understand that our hands were tied.”

“I said leave me alone.” She put her head in her hands. Tyra felt a strong connection to this person, Servia. Suddenly, everything darkened as she woke up to an obnoxious alarm.

***

The other kids were getting out of bed and Ray moved to talk to his sister. She pushed her sheet off and blinked a few times, trying to keep her eyes open.

“They said we have lessons in the Easthall auditorium.” Ray recited. He seemed a little less anxious this morning. Tyra nodded and pushed herself out of bed. She was sleepy and unfocused as they turned after turn through the maze of metal halls. They approached two massive doors with etchings of a sunset across both of them. The two doors opened, automatically, and the five kids were briefly blinded by the bright auditorium lights.

When their eyes adjusted, Sal and Tyra noticed the triarchy of assholes sitting together on the far side of the room, giggling and laughing to each other. The room had the stage in the center, like an old boxing ring. On it, stood a fairly tall woman in a blood red dress. Minghuang pointed out that they’re a member of the Five, like Safe Henny from the day before. The woman on the pedestal had a hammer etched into the upper part of the robe. She looked fierce, but compassionate. Her eyes were soft and green.

“Hello children,” The councilwoman greeted them, giving each child an individual nod. ‘I am Ohma. I sit on the Council of Five, which currently, I suppose is a Council of Four.” She started circling so that she could speak to the eight of them who had spread themselves out throughout the giant auditorium. Ray, however, was attached to his sister and wouldn’t leave her side. “As Children of Ozan, you eight all have a claim to the chamber. If you prove to be truly excellent, one of you could be nominated.”

They all stared blankly, Sal was in hysterics. She called out,

“You nominate a child… just like that? One of us can become a member of the council based on blood we didn’t choose?” Sal continued to laugh in disillusionment. Jace gave his twin a disappointing stare from across the room. Bentor, Bolt and Rahna who were sitting together were rolling their eyes at questions and answers they’d heard dozens of times.

“The Blood Code describes the process in immense detail. We’re getting off topic, and I don’t like this back and forth. Let’s get into lessons.” She took a few calming breaths and began, “We’re going to start with the basics today. The reason you’re all here. Bloodline magic. Each of you have been chosen by the Ozan star, and your powerful bloodlines can be a useful tool. As you practice your craft you’ll learn to communicate with other members of your bloodline in the Mindsphere. Expert users of the power can even converse with their dead. Inside the Mindsphere, your soul is fluid but fragile. If someone were to break you in the Mindsphere, your body would become an empty husk and you’d be pronounced dead on the spot. Your Mindsphere belongs to you and you alone. But those within your bloodline have coves nearby yours.”

“What if someone is distantly in the bloodline? A third cousin or something?” Sal shouted out, suddenly looking excited and curious.

“Can we please not shout out questions? Since it’s now coming up, this is where it starts to get complicated. With a close relative such as a parent, sibling, or child, finding their coves in the Mindsphere won’t be a challenge, you just have to find a way to exit yours. Now this doesn’t mean they’d be able to enter. That would be to your discretion.” She looked directly at the Swann siblings as she continued, “A distant relative might be able to find your cove, but only if they knew the link existed, and even then, the further distance you have in your bloodline, the harder it would be to find each other.”

“How do we enter the Mindsphere?” Jace questioned.

“If you haven’t learned to control your power, you’ve likely entered it accidentally in your sleep or daydream. With deep meditation, your mind can distance itself from your body, but remember, if it gets lost, you are lost forever.”

“Is it possible to block someone out of your bloodline?” Tyra pondered, thinking about her asshole father.

“Not entirely. Blood is blood after all. However, there are ways to mitigate unwanted guests. If you design your Mindsphere in a way that only operates in a code that you and another family member know, you could separate off from the bloodline’s coves and hide in an alternate one-- you’ve gotten me off topic again, stop interrupting, ” but it was too late. She was locked in a conversation with Tyra and the other kids wouldn’t let her out of it.

“Design the Mindsphere? What do you mean, design?” Asked Tyra.

“Experts in bloodline magic maintain full control in the Mindsphere, and because it’s so malleable, they can rearrange it however they’d like. Anyone in the bloodline can technically edit what the Mindsphere looks like, even with their mood.”

“Is all bloodline magic the same? Just as long as we’re with our families, we’re all given the same opportunities?”

“Perhaps that was the case at first when the power was discovered, but no, certain families have taken different roads in the study of bloodline magic. You Swanns, for example, have dedicated years of research into the ability to replay memories. The Grays, though, the Grays have always been more concerned with what lies ahead… Their magic is less concrete and often filled with chaos. Visions of potential futures.” The room got quiet as everyone thought. Ray wasn’t even paying attention at that point. He was just looking around the room. “Goddammit, well, there goes half the lesson. Please, just let me get through this.” She was nervous and close to breaking. She considered cutting class early, but then she looked at the Swann children and remembered her bearings. “So those are two large houses, but they’re far from the only ones. My bloodline, for example, focuses on mindfulness and gaining inner peace, sort of like Minghuang’s family. Every Mindsphere and bloodline is different though.’‘ She pointed to both twins. “The Rohan Bloodline is known for its ability to utilize usually inaccessible parts of our brains. Your ancestors focus on thoughts and suppression.”

Tyra looked up at Sal who was sitting with her legs up on the chair in front of her. “What, like mind control?” She asked in awe. Sal and Jace exchanged glances. Ohma continued,

“In a way, yes. But it’s complex and to be truly superposed requires an incredible amount of training.”

Jace called out, “That’s why our mom denied a seat on your council.”

Ohma looked away, “Uh, yes. That is correct.”

“She denied spending time with her children too.” Sal reacted loudly.

“As I was saying, those who dedicate themselves to the superposition wing of the Mindsphere become disconnected with the physical world. They possess unbelievable power, the ability to teleport anywhere in the universe, or even shift other people or things’ superpositions. The possibilities are endless. However, one would truly have to dedicate their entire life to it. Some can access small amounts of the power, but unless they undergo the intense training, they won’t be superposed.” She stopped for a long moment. After a few seconds elapsed it became awkward. “Sorry, I suppose I expected some…. Questions.” Everyone was sitting patiently, trying not to look at the center stage or each other. Ray was playing with the fabric on his shirt, and Tyra was trying to figure out what Jace was doing with his hands. He was shaking them, but then freezing them in poses like all his fingers bent backwards, spreading out as far as it could push. Sal was trying to pretend she wasn’t related to Jace. Minghuang was sitting completely frozen in time, staring off into the void. Ohma saw everyone, entirely disinterested with her instruction. “All right. Class dismissed. Tyra and Eddy, can you stay a moment.” They looked at each other, Tyra shrugged and Ray scooched closer to his sister. She nodded at her instructor.

Minghuang and Sal giggled as they ran back to the chambers. Jace followed slowly, still practicing random hand movements. Ray was getting physically anxious, and Tyra’s heart was beating fast. Ohma summoned them to join her in the center. They quickly scuffled over and Ohma’s guards brought chairs onto the stage. Ohma smiled at the kids.

“We need to administer a special test, one designed by your great grandfather.”
Ray gave his usual puzzled look, and Tyra tried to dig.

“What kind of test? Why us?”

“It’s just a psychological exam before you’re allowed to see your grandmother.”

Tyra looked down, and took a breath. She sat, slowly on one the chairs, and Ray followed. They were both passed thin screens that prompted them to slide through a test. There were specific prompts with multiple choice answers. One read: Would you kill a stranger if you knew it would save countless lives?

1. Yes, save as many lives as possible

2. No, I don’t trade lives

3. No, I don’t have enough information

Tyra looked down at her brother, who seemed to be getting through the test just fine. She selected A and it moved onto the next one.

Do you believe that intelligent aliens secretly control the governments of the galaxy?

1. Yes, at least to some extent.

2. No, I don’t believe in intelligent aliens.

3. No, I’m open to the possibility of intelligent aliens, but that’s an unfounded conspiracy theory.

She felt like she was supposed to choose C but ended up going with B, because it was more truthful.

Do you believe you have ever made contact with an intelligent alien?

1. Yes, I’ve had a legitimate experience.

2. Yes, once or twice, maybe in a dream.

3. No, I don’t believe in intelligent aliens.

4. No, to my knowledge, I’ve never communicated with an intelligent alien.

Tyra stopped and looked up at Ohma who was standing harmlessly above her.

“This psych test is really zeroing in on aliens? What is this nonsense?” Her brother raised his head up, confused,

“Mine’s about dad…”

“The exam was created for you, individually, as soon as you started it. If the questions are about aliens, it’s because you spend a lot of time thinking about aliens.” Councilwoman Ohma responded dauntingly. Tyra looked down, didn’t make eye contact and continued her test. She tried to peek at Ray’s questions but couldn’t see anything. He did look nervous though and was shaking.

When the exams were complete, Ohma’s guards grabbed the screens from their hands. “Very well,” the councilwoman smiled. Now follow me.” Ohma led them up a twenty floor staircase. Ray was sweating and losing breath halfway through and Tyra too by the end. A guard opened the door and gestured for the kids to walk in. Ray admired the red and gold carpet, and Tyra took a look at the artwork. Abstract sculptures of windy veins lined the walls of the long hall. All the way at the end of the hall was a white door with a golden handle. The guards stood back and Ohma walked up with the kids. “She’s waiting for you, but only one at a time. She’ll see the boy first.” Tyra looked up at the Councilwoman and gave her a scowl.

“What’s with all the precautions? Is she threatened by us?”

“Standard procedure. Eddy, head on inside.”

Ray pressed down on the golden handle and opened the door. He slid in through a small opening and closed it behind him. Tyra stood awkwardly while the guards were on their phones. Ohma tried to create conversation.

“So have you ever been to any other planets besides Kyena?”

Tyra shook her head, “I’ve been to an asteroid field.”

“Oh, which one? In Tertian space?”

“Yeah, right at the border in the Zorac system. I think it was called Denny’s.”

“I’ve heard of Denny’s. Is that the place with the factory theme park…”

“And the three-headed Wularn zero gravity coaster,” Tyra completed her sentence.

“Yes I’ve read about it.”

“Okay.”

The hallway was filled with silence that Ohma viewed as awkward. Tyra loved silence. After a few long minutes, the door opened and Ray walked out. Ohma made eye contact with Tyra and then looked over to the door. Tyra greeted her kid brother who appeared pleased.

“We have a super-grandma!” He yelled excitedly. Tyra turned and started walking toward the office door. The room was smaller than she expected but it was tidy. There was a dark carpet on the ground and metal walls. At the other end of a desk sat an old woman Tyra recognized. She walked closer, inspecting the blood red fabric and the embroidered design of a diamond.

“In my Mindsphere… it was you.”

The old Councilwoman smiled. The left side of her lip sagged in the wrinkles.

“Hello Tyra.” Tyra took a seat in front of the desk. She looked around at the screens that marked the wall. Some of them showed camera footage, some of them seemed to just be lines of code. A small one in the corner of the room was some sort of video game. Servia’s chair was black leather with red padding and armrests. Tyra sat on a rickety wooden chair. “I’ve been dying to meet you… In person.” Her voice was raspy and worn out.

“Hello–” Tyra felt a sharp pain on the left side of her head and she seethed. She saw a quick image of a raging fire in a cave before returning to reality. When she felt good to continue, she put on a smile and looked up “Uh, What should I call you?”

“Servia is fine. We’re family, after all.” The old councilwoman leaned back.

“Servia… I’ve seen visions of you when you were younger,” Tyra cringed a bit, wondering why she brought that up. Her grandmother laughed and Tyra got more relaxed.

“All good things I’m sure.”

“You grew up in a room–”

“Stop.” The mask dropped and the old councilwoman lost her cool. “Someone was listening. A spy, perhaps. I had to expel them. What were you saying? My room had yellow walls. Yes, it also had holes in the wall from times my father tried to force my powers out. It had a blood stained carpet from violent duels with my siblings.” Servia explained with almost no emotion at all. It had put off her granddaughter dramatically who appeared to be speechless. Tyra exhaled quickly on the verge of a small laugh,

“How’d you get Raymond to like you? I thought the scab would be furious because you… banished our father. Great call, by the way, totally get it, real shitty guy. I can’t imagine what he did before he met our mom.”

Servia looked down, “Yes, he was always a difficult child. But we are not our parents. Though lucky for you, we share a bloodline. The Swann bloodline is one of the most powerful in the kingdom. Deep within us is the power to relive past events from anyone in your bloodline.”

“I had a dream where I thought you were a child. I had a bit of trouble remembering it but I heard something about ‘The Eclipse’?”

Servia moved her chair back, revealing that it had wheels, “Yes you’ll probably learn a lot about me in your adventures through the Mindsphere. You’ll also learn about your father. Perhaps, if you master the skill, you could connect with my father, the great Simon Swann. He is incredibly wise.”

Tyra laughed a bit, thinking about the possibilities, “how do I learn?”

“Ohma will teach you the basics. When you’re ready, I will train you in the ways of my father.”

Tyra felt excited. She could see why her brother was so enthralled. Servia was enticing and kind. It was nice to have another person she could trust. Especially another family member. She exited the office, smiling at her brother and Ohma. Maybe she’d finally found somewhere safe. Maybe she could finally make a life for herself.

The sleeping quarters had six bunk beds. Ray and Tyra shared one, as did the Rohan twins. Minghuang chose to sleep on the bottom bunk and use the top as extra storage space. Each of them were given two wooden drawers to store their clothes and belongings. Ray kept his father’s sword neatly at the back of his bottom drawer. Tyra put her clothes in hers, and then searched the rest of her bag. She released a sigh of relief as she pulled out her computer. She smiled as she kept looking, pulled out some other random items and then started to get nervous. She couldn’t find the charger. They didn’t seem to have any Tertian technology from what she could tell, so the market wouldn’t have it. Her computer ran on borrowed time.

Minghuang unpacked her books and journals, along with artwork of her own, folded up. She placed everything in the drawers and put her clothes on the top bunk. Sal argued that she should get three drawers because she objectively had more things than her twin brother.

“Well, that’s not fair! I’m a collector, and I’ll need that space in the future.”

“Then I’m sure you can collect another drawer.”

Jace moaned and submitted. Minghuang made the rounds to see if everyone was ready for the lights to go off. Ray was out as soon as his head had the pillow. Jace and Sal not long after that. Tyra saw Minghuang reading a book with glowing words so she could see without being a nuisance. Eventually, Minghuang put her book away, and went to sleep. Tyra couldn’t sleep at first, she couldn’t even close her eyes. She was so filled with emotions and energy. Hours after the lights went out, Tyra drifted off into the Mindsphere.