When Maria lands on Bludon, she is in front of the Guardians’ Dormitory on Fumarole. She walks in, eager to see familiar faces, and she is surprised by how things have changed inside, like the Guardians had hired an interior decorator to liven up the place. She walks to the gymnasium and smiles at the pairs of Guardians training. She expected to see Issac, maybe Maxx and Zacchaeus, but there are only Guardians here.
“Maria?” she hears and turns as a Guardian flies to land in front of her. “You are the Outsider Wazad, no?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.”
“I am Coxx,” the Guardian introduces himself with a bow that Maria returns. “Welcome. I assume that you have just returned from Outer Spacetime?”
“Yes, I was looking for my friends, or Maxx even.”
Coxx looks down and Maria wonders if something bad has happened in her absence judging by the look on his face.
“Is everything ok?” she asks.
“It is now. You have been gone for quite a while,” Coxx says.
“Did my friends leave Bludon? Did they go back to our universe?”
“They have left Bludon, but they are still in the Fonlands. Issac visits regularly from the Smiting Chamber, but Zacchaeus has not returned since he left with the Superguardian.”
“Tell me what happened, Coxx,” Maria demands, trying not to sound angry, but she is eager to know what has transpired that would cause her friends to leave Bludon.
“So much. The Queen Rowen died, then Death came to Bludon and killed half of our population. Maxx went to the Fonlands with Zacchaeus because he tried to kill Death himself in retaliation for what happened here. Now Maxx is missing in the Fonlands, looking for a weapon strong enough to exact Bludon’s revenge, and Zacchaeus hopes to find him and help him. Issac is in the Fonlands making a plan to defend our universe from an enemy that would kill us all. And that is all I know. But I’m sure that your friend is aware of your return…”
Just as he says this, a portal appears nearby and Issac walks through it. The two hug for a long time.
“I was so worried about you, but Sao-Reyne made me feel stupid for that. I should have known you’d be alright,” Issac says.
“Where is Sao?” Maria asks.
“I haven’t seen him in a while. The last I heard he was going to Outer Spacetime. So how was it?”
“It was amazing,” Maria says and she recounts some of her adventures and they sit with Coxx in the gymnasium. “It was amazing until I touched the roots of the tree of existence. Issac, there is something consuming entire universes. I have seen dead universes and I have seen universes under siege. We have to do something about this.”
“How did you see all of this?” Issac asks. “Yana has used the Smiting Chamber to see this, but the Smiting Chamber has immense power that seems to dwarf even mine if that can be possible. I am not able to gaze into other universes like the Smiting Chamber does, but you can?”
“Apparently I’m Wazad the Transverse. And not only can I see into other universes, I can travel to them.”
Maria told Issac about her time with the Mao Ri, and then the Ice Prince of the Aifyn Line and Issac was legitimately impressed.
“I don’t think we can save every universe under siege, but with my abilities, we can do what we can. I have one in mind, too. There is a man fighting desperately to become powerful enough to stop the coming assault that has regrouped after a defeat. With our help, we should be able to stop disaster.”
“Come, we will go to the Smiting Chamber. I have many people that you need to meet.”
Issac casts a portal and Maria hugs Coxx. “Thanks for greeting me warmly. Hopefully we will be back soon with the Superguardian.”
When they arrive in the Smiting Chamber, Maria recognizes Goldie and Owuo, but Issac introduces her to everyone else. Then Maria tells them about Ali of a living universe who could use a hand.
“I know Ali,” Alia says. She is one of the new faces that Maria has never met, though she seems to recognize Maria. “We talked in the Cave of Tranquility on Eel.”
“You can traverse universes too?” Maria asks curiously.
“Not on purpose, I’m pretty sure that I only did it that time by accident and I don’t think I did it. I’m only here now because of Owuo. But what about Ali? What is happening?”
“The same thing you saw in that dead universe,” Owuo says. “Are you sure we can stop it, Transverse?”
“We have to go as soon as we have a plan of attack. Do we know the nature of the thing that is killing universes?
“We know some things,” Issac says.
Maria listens with concern as she learns about the threat to the multiverse which she can access the seeming infinity of with a thought.
In Outer Spacetime, Sao-Reyne is still a prisoner of Grand Brigette, but the Arada’s definition of prisoner is very different from any other world he has found himself on. Grand Brigette treats him like her honored guest, but he cannot leave Arada. Sao-Reye has watched her closely, and he answers her questions dutifully. It is a surprise when she greets him one morning as he wakes with news that sounds grim to him, but makes her smile.
“I am glad that we have come to know one another, lower Wazad. And I am glad that you will not be on Theron when we launch our attack.”
Sao-Reyne got a sinking feeling in his stomach.
PRL Serials 