Time: 05 // 00 Flare (The Glare) Location: Talia’s Treehouse / Vañujal Sector

The mood in the treehouse was heavy. The tea had gone cold. Outside, somewhere in the canopy, Wren was watching—a silent, efficient sentinel that terrified them almost as much as the Council did.

"So," Talia broke the silence, tapping her green fingernails on the wooden table. "The plan is to walk into the spirit world. Using my tree as a door and Val as a key."

"Val isn't just a key," Emerjn corrected, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Val is the Anchor. The Inbetween is a river. Without an Anchor, we will be swept away into the void. Val must go first to stabilize the current."

"But if we all go in," Gwen said, checking the locks on the windows, "our bodies are defenseless. We saw a scout. There will be more. We can't leave ourselves exposed."

Talia hopped off the table. "I can grow a patrol. My Venuses. They bite."

She waved a hand. From the floorboards, three large, bulbous plants sprouted. They hissed, revealing maw-like openings lined with serrated thorns.

"They're cute," Romar noted, stepping away from the snapping jaws. "But there are only three of them. A High Guard squad would burn them in seconds."

"I can't make more," Talia sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Cultivating sentient flora takes a lot of Life Energy. Three is my limit before I pass out."

Val looked at the plants. They felt the hum of life coming from them—a frantic, hungry energy. Then they looked at Talia.

Cycle it, Aeliana's voice echoed in Val’s memory. Don't hold it. Spin it.

"You don't have to do it alone," Val said, standing up. "Talia, give me your hands."

Talia blinked. "Why?"

"Emerjn talked about Harmony," Val said. "About weaving. I want to try something. I want to... Interflow."

Talia hesitated, then grinned. "What is this some kind of Light thing?" she joked, hesitantly allowing Val to take their hands. "Okay... Let's get weird."

"Close your eyes," Val instructed. "Emerjn, if you don't mind helping... I know the waters flow through me but... I've never called it. You think you could help?"

Emerjn jumped up, nodding with purpose. His dusty frosted eyes glaring with pride.

"Close your eyes," Val explained. "I want you both to simply weave, focus your energies together. Feel both the waters and the forces of life, make them real, focus on bridging the two to one."

The pair stood hand and hand, the blind ide towering over the other. Their hands began to glow, threads of deep translucent blues and vibrant earthy greens began to dance around one another, circling their bodies, flowing around and through them. The threads of water flowing like a gentle river, while the threads of life jetted heavily. The two met, morphing the colors as they did such. The earth now muddy browns mixed with the waters deep vibrant blues. 

Everyone stared in awe at the show. The pair moving as naturally as can be. Emerjn began to dance, fluid as the rain, while Talia began to drum on her thigh and clap. Just as the Venuses sprouted from the ground many figures began to spawn. Larger Venuses with larger sharper fangs, Ide trees with muscular frames and large hand like branches, and grass figures tall in stature.

Water met Life.

It wasn't a spark; it was a bloom.

Talia gasped. Her green hair floated up as if caught in an updraft. The golden freckles on her skin glowed blindingly bright.

"Whoa," Talia laughed, a sound like wind chimes. "That's... that's pure hydration! It feels like rain after a drought!"

"Focus!" Val grunted. "Picture the perimeter. Fill the garden."

Talia squeezed Emerjn's hands. "Grow," she commanded.

The treehouse groaned.

Outside, the forest floor erupted.

Dozens, and dozens of blue and green vines shot out of the earth. Massive Venus traps, the size of boulders, uncurled from the soil. Thorny barricades wove themselves together between the trees, creating an impenetrable living wall around the clearing.

The energy feedback loop was intoxicating. Emerjn felt Talia’s chaotic joy; Talia felt Emerjn's deep, stabilizing calm.

The pair stepped away, ending the harmonic connection.

They both stumbled back. Talia looked out the window, her eyes wide.

"Holy mulch," Talia whispered. "I just grew a battalion. I can feel them all. They’re... they’re sturdy. They’ll last for days."

She looked at Val with new respect. "How did you even know to do that? Interflow... you called it?"

"Yeah, it's an old weave our peoples used to do before the council." Val explained

Val looked at their hands. They were trembling, but not from fear. From potential. "That was Interflow. We make each other stronger."

Val walked to the window and whistled—a sharp, piercing sound.

A moment later, a dark blur dropped from the canopy. Wren landed on the deck. She looked at the army of carnivorous plants surrounding the house.

"Perimeter security has increased by 400%," Wren noted calmly. "My presence outside is no longer required for optimal safety."

"Exactly," Val said. "Come inside, Wren. We're going back to school."

Time: 05 // 47 Flare Location: The Inbetween (Val’s Mindspace)

"I go first," Val said, lying down in the hammock. "Don't touch the Tree until I signal you."

"How will you signal?" Gwen asked.

"You'll feel it," Val promised.

Val closed their eyes. They clutched the Harmonic Stone to their chest. They didn't fight the exhaustion this time; they let the tide take them.

SNAP.

The grey ocean appeared.

Val stood on the surface of the water. The mist was thick, swirling in lazy currents.

"Aeliana?" Val called out.

The water rippled. The Water Elder stepped out of the fog. She looked pleased.

"You are learning to weave," Aeliana noted. "The vines in the waking world... I felt the ripple all the way down here."

"We all need to learn," Val said. "All of us. The plants will keep our bodies safe, but our minds need to be here."

Aeliana nodded. "Or... We can do one better... And bring them here."  She raised her hand, and the mist cleared, revealing the vast, empty expanse of the Inbetween.

"What about me? Will I still be there?" Val asked.

"For now, but the solution to get yourself here will reveal in time."

"Now... call them, Harmonic One."

Val closed their eyes in the dream. They reached out with their mind, searching for the bright, chaotic spark that was Talia. Val focused on the feeling of Talia, the treehouse, the beautiful garden. 

Talia, Val projected. Open the vein.

Location: The Treehouse

Talia’s head snapped up.

"They're in," Talia said. "I heard them."

She walked to the exposed heartwood of the white tree. She beckoned the others over.

"Okay," Talia said, placing her hands on the bark. "Val is pulling. I'm pushing. Everyone touch the tree."

Gwen, Romar, Saje, Ouhan, Emerjn, and finally Wren gathered around. They placed their hands on the warm, pulsing wood.

"Life binds," Talia chanted. "Roots reach. Open forth. Reveal to me."

The bark under their hands didn't break; it dissolved into light. The light sunk into darkness, revealing a misty path.

And one by one, each stepped within.

Location: The Inbetween

A ripple of light tore through the grey sky of the dream world.

One by one, the group landed on the water.

Talia landed gracefully, immediately spinning around. "Oh, wow. It's... it's wet. But dry?" She poked a mist-tree. "I can work with this."

Saje landed on his knees, staring at the colors in the sky. "It's the Hum," he whispered. "I can see the music."

Wren landed silently. She stood perfectly still, her black eyes scanning the horizon. In this world, her "Kira" form was even more pronounced—she looked like a silhouette cut from the night sky.

"Welcome," Val’s voice echoed.

They turned. Val stood with Aeliana. Behind them, faintly visible, was the barrier holding back another figure.

"We are safe here," Val said. "Time moves differently. We can rest. We can learn."

Val looked at Talia. "Thank you for the vines."

Talia grinned. "Thank you for the juice."

Suddenly, the water darkened.

"Allow me to make this as easy as possible," Aeliana announced. "Talia, Saje... you are of Life and Resonance. You will shape the landscape. Ouhan, Gwen, Wren... you are of Shadow and Light. You will learn the boundaries. Emerjn, Irame... You are of the waters. You will fuel the energies. And Harmonic one, you will guide and keep the foundation like glue."

As the group began to explore their new reality, Val sat down on the water's surface, crossing their legs. They closed their eyes, focusing on the connection to their sleeping body in the treehouse.

They were the battery. The Anchor.

And for the first time, they felt strong enough to hold the weight.

"So you're the Elder of Shadows?" Ouhan questioned, looking in awe at the wise ide. 

Aeliana spoke clearly, her voice echoed through the fog. "I was. And soon that title will fall upon the next worthy Ide."

They began to approach a clearing in the mist. In every direction light darkness stilled. 

"We forged this realm from the fragments of our being. Every corner held together by those that came before. It bridges those who are, with those who were. All knowledge, seeps in the crevices of the mist. Allow your instincts to guide you, and remember, one can not do what multiple should be."

Within an instant Aeliana vanished into the shadows. The space around them began to morph into that space Val knew all too well. The Rajas beach. 

"How are you doing this Val?" Gwen asked curiously. 

"I'm... I'm not. It's the Inbetween," Val responded. 

Within the center was a large obsidian structure, the doors carved with calm faces, rather than weeping ones. 

"It's Rajas... Is this before-" Romar began. 

"Before the council. This was the Elders Center. They came here to maintain the worlds harmony. Ide came for wisdom and answers when they were here." Val began to explain. 

"How do you know all this? I mean this is history that must have been destroyed when the council took order." Ouhan asked. 

"We keep these as tales and theories. My people still tell tales of the Elder Square. When they weren't here they were in the lands and oceans ensuring harmony everywhere, guiding, healing, teaching. They kept everything alive." Emerjn explained. 

The floor and sand around them began to rumble. From the ground, figures began to appear wielding different weapons. Each was a faceless golem formed of pure elemental energy.

Aeliana's voice appeared from everywhere, echoing off the obsidian walls. "The goal: defend the Square. Do not let us fall again."

The Golems roared, a sound like a mountain cracking, and charged.

"Hold the line!" Aeliana commanded, her voice sharp. "Earth to the front! Fire to the rear! Create a wall!"

"No," Val’s Shadow-form shouted, their voice cutting through the panic. "No walls. We don't block the river. We redirect it!"

Val pointed to Irame. "Irame, don't be a shield! Be the weapon!"

A massive Magma Golem lunged for them. Irame didn't brace for impact. Instead, he let out a roar. The moisture in the air snapped frozen. Two massive, articulated arms of solid ice erupted from his back, acting like spider-legs.

Irame vaulted over the Magma Golem, his ice-limbs catching the creature's fiery fist and freezing it on contact.

"Mobile defense!" Irame shouted, using the extra limbs to tear the Golem’s head off.

"Impressive," Aeliana murmured. "But the flank is exposed. Light! Burn the shadows!"

A squad of Shadow-Constructs was flanking them, moving fast.

"Don't just burn them!" Val directed Gwen. "If you light them up, they'll just scatter. Consume them"

Gwen holstered her rifle. She grabbed Romar’s shoulder. On impact the two glowed together. "Be the Light! Run."

Romar grinned. He didn't ignite his light; he internalized it. His body began to vibrate, shaking from within.

SNAP.

Romar vanished. A sonic boom cracked the air. He moved so fast he existed in three places at once, a streak of golden lightning tearing through the Shadow-Constructs. He didn't hit them hard; he hit them everywhere.

But the Shadows were reforming. They swung their blades at Romar.

"Now, Gwen!"

Gwen twisted her hand, the other holding the rifle. As she shot, she began to bend the light; shaping it around Romar’s trail.

Suddenly, there were twenty Romars on the battlefield. The Shadow-Constructs swung wildly at the illusions, their blades passing harmlessly through refracted light.

"Deception," Gwen called out, stepping calmly through the chaos, placing a single, precise plasma bolt into the back of a confused Construct, directing the blast exactly. "I always wanted to try that."

"Chaos!" Aeliana critiqued. "There is no rhythm! You will break formation!"

"We are the rhythm!" Saje yelled.

He stood in the center of the Square, eyes closed. He wasn't fighting; he was listening. He heard the chaotic clash of elements—the screech of fire, the crack of ice.

He began to hum.

It wasn't a song; it was a counter-frequency. He directed his voice at a massive Lightning Golem that was descending on Talia.

The Golem shuddered. Its electrical bonds destabilized.

"Talia!" Saje shouted. "It's loose! Take it!"

Talia slammed her hands into the sand. "You're in my garden now!"

She didn't grow a wall. She grew a mouth.

A massive Venus Flytrap erupted from the sand beneath the destabilized Lightning Golem. The plant swallowed the energy whole, its leaves glowing bright white as it digested the lightning.

"Good boy," Talia cooed, patting the plant. She pointed at the next wave. "Attack!"

The plant uprooted itself, using its vines as legs, and charged into the fray, spitting the digested lightning back at the enemy.

But the enemy was adapting. A massive Void Golem—a creature of pure emptiness—rose from the back. It sucked in the light, the sound, and the heat. It was an eraser.

It marched toward the obsidian doors.

"It cannot be stopped," Aeliana warned, her voice grave. "You must seal the gates! Retreat!"

"We don't retreat!" Val shouted. They looked at Wren. "Wren! It's too heavy for us to fight. Change the rules!"

Wren stood in the path of the Void Golem. She looked tiny against the towering darkness. She was trembling, her old fear fighting her new logic.

"Wren," Val’s voice softened in her mind. "Don't destroy it. Just... give us a minute."

Wren nodded. Her black eyes narrowed.

She didn't fire plasma. She pulled the Void in, wrapping it in a shell of darkness. She created a bubble around the Golem's figure.

Incased in the translucent void the Golem slowed. Its roar deepened into a low, groaning bass. It took a step, but the step took ten echoes to complete.

"Time dilation," Wren stated, her voice flat. "Target velocity reduced by 70%."

"Now!" Val screamed. "Everyone! Interflow!"

The team didn't need to hold hands this time. They felt the connection through the air around them, through Val.

Emerjn and Irame flooded the air with water vapor and Ice crystals to conduct the energy. Saje hummed the binding frequency. Romar and Gwen poured light into the mix. Ouhan added the depth of shadow to give it weight.

They poured it all into Talia.

Talia laughed, a wild, manic sound. She clapped her hands together.

From the sand around the frozen Void Golem, the Root of the World burst forth.

It wasn't a vine; it was a tree of solid, diamond-hard wood. It wrapped around the Golem, its roots piercing the Void entity. The tree drank the Void, transmuting the emptiness into dark, purple flowers.

The Golem shattered into dust.

Silence fell over the Rajas beach.

The team stood panting, sweat dripping from their brows. The elemental constructs were gone. The Obsidian Square stood untouched.

Aeliana stepped out of the shadows. She looked at the team—at Irame’s ice arms, Gwen’s lingering illusions, Wren’s time-bubble fading.

She looked at Val.

"That was not... traditional," Aeliana admitted. "The Elders fought as a wall. You fight as a swarm."

"A swarm adapts," Val said, stepping forward. "A wall just cracks."

Aeliana smiled. It was a terrifying, sharp expression. "Then perhaps the wall deserved to fall."

She raised a hand to the sky. "You are ready. Not to win... but to survive. Now, rest. The mind needs silence to set the cement."

The group, exhausted by the frantic energy of the battle, collapsed onto the moss-island Saje had stabilized. The adrenaline faded, leaving only a heavy, satisfied ache in their bones.

Time: Unknown (Deep Cycle in the Inbetween)

Talia lay on her back, staring up at the shifting aurora. Wren sat nearby, her back rigid, staring into the middle distance.

"You did good today," Talia whispered, rolling onto her side to look at Wren. "That time bubble... that was terrifying. In a cool way."

Wren turned her head slowly. Her black eyes were unreadable. "It was efficient. The target was neutralized."

"Yeah, but you didn't kill it," Talia pointed out. "You just... paused it. That's different."

Wren looked at her hands. "Death is permanent. A pause allows for variables to change."

Talia scooted closer. "See? You're not a machine, Wren. A machine deletes. You paused. That's... hope. Or procrastination. Either way, it's ide."

Wren tilted her head. A flicker of something crossed her face—not a smile, but a softening of the tension in her jaw. "Perhaps."

Within moments, even Wren's eyes closed. The group drifted into a deep, restorative sleep.

Only Val remained awake.

Val sat apart, near the edge of the island, floating slightly above the water. The strain was becoming unbearable. The silver cord connecting them to the physical world felt thin, frayed.

"You're shaking," a voice whispered.

Val opened one eye. Saje had crawled over. He didn't look like a warrior now; he looked like the ide from the garden.

"I'm fine," Shadow-Val lied, their voice flickering with static. "Just holding the line."

"You're always holding the line," Saje murmured. He sat down next to Val’s projection. "Do you ever think maybe you know someone so much that it feels you've known them forever? Lifetimes even?"

Val looked at him. "Like a soulmate?"

"Maybe," Saje smiled, taking Val’s shadow-hand. "Or just a really stubborn friend who refuses to let you do the heavy lifting alone."

Val laughed, a sound of pure relief. "Don't let me fall, Saje."

"Never." Saje began to hum a soft, low note. It wrapped around Val’s fraying spirit like a bandage. "Just rest your eyes, Val. I'll watch the bridge."

Val leaned their head on Saje’s shoulder. For a moment, the noise stopped.

But it didn't last.

Above them, the sky of the Inbetween didn't tear; it withered. The vibrant colors drained away, leaving a sickly grey. The water beneath them began to churn.

Aeliana appeared from the mist, looking concerned. "Harmonic One. The Anchor is failing. Your physical body is running out of fuel."

Val looked down at their hands. They were becoming transparent.

"I can't hold it anymore," Val whispered. "We have to go."

"Wake them," Aeliana commanded. "If the bridge collapses while they sleep, their minds will be lost in the drift."

Val shook Saje. "Saje! Wake up! Everyone up!"

The group jolted awake as the moss-island began to dissolve into mist.

"What's happening?" Gwen shouted, grabbing her rifle as the ground vanished beneath her feet.

"My body's exhausted!" Val yelled. "I'm waking up! Jump!"

Val pointed to a whirlpool opening in the water—the exit.

One by one, they dove in.

SNAP.

Time: 08 // 00 Flare (The Ascent) Location: Talia’s Treehouse / Vañujal

Val gasped, their physical body jolting in the hammock. They rolled out, hitting the floor hard.

"Val!" Gwen was instantly there, helping them up.

Val was shaking uncontrollably. They felt hollowed out, like a husk. "I... I held it too long. I drained the reserve."

Emerjn checked Val’s pulse. "Low hydration. Critical exhaustion. You need water, Heir."

Talia ran to the window. "It's morning. The suns are climbing. We were in there for Arks."

Suddenly, the flower-speaker on the wall chimed. But it wasn't the perimeter alert. It was a broadcast.

Global Alert. Priority One.

A hologram flickered to life in the center of the room. It was Zhajul.

"Citizens of Rahmori," Zhajul’s voice was smooth, terrifyingly calm. "The terrorists known as the 'Runaways' have been tracked to the Southern Sector. We have deployed the Fire-Walkers to burn the infection out."

The hologram shifted to a map. A massive red zone appeared over Vañujal.

"They know," Romar whispered. "How do they know?"

"The scout," Wren said from the corner. "He sent the signal before I terminated him. It was a beacon."

"We have to leave," Val said, struggling to stand. "If we stay here, Vaelor will burn the forest down to get to us."

"Where do we go?" Saje asked. "They're watching the South. They're watching the West."

Val walked to the map on the wall. They traced a line to the Southwest. To the jagged, dark mountains that even the Council feared.

Ousujan.

"We go where the satellites can't see us," Val said. "Into the shadow of the mountain."

"Ousujan is a fortress," Ouhan warned. "It's heavily guarded by the kassaj. And with the Kjisugi, they'll think we're kassaj. They'll kill us."

"They won't kill us," Val said, touching the Harmonic Stone in their pocket. "We're just like them!"