"Lady Supreme, it's Shanna," she chimed, "I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time, but I have some important information to tell you."
"Not at all! Actually, are you busy for the next few days? I could use an extra set of eyes to find something. Then you can fill me in why we work on this task," Emory suggested.
"I'm free," Shanna grinned, "I live near a lake on Earth called Lake Baikal."
Emory nodded, "I'll see you soon." She closed her eyes and snapped her fingers after she threw her bag over her shoulder. Instantly, the smell of fresh water wafted in her nose, and she opened her eyes to a limestone estate that blended in well with lush lakefront vegetation. A white door creaked open, and Shanna stepped out in a light blue robe that complemented her long blue hair. She walked gracefully to the teleport pad without a word and slowly grabbed Emory's hand. The next moment, the pair disappeared in a blinding flash of light.
This time when they opened their eyes, they were surrounded by trees that stretched hundreds of feet into the sky and were wide enough to drive a bus through. Strangely, they landed on a small stone tablet with grass growing over the top. Peeking out behind the trees was a one-room building made of a black stone that looked like obsidian.
Shanna breathed, "Where did you take me, Lady Supreme? This place is pristine."
"This is a special place my father used to visit, at least that's what I was told," Emory responded slowly as she too took in the surroundings, "We need to find out if he left anything behind. There have been some developments. While we check out this structure ahead, tell me what you needed to tell me."
"As you know, I was looking through the journals we found at the Aurelias residence. Well, I found some entries concerning the Void sphere. It seems your ancestors came in contact with the Laxtros a few times," Shanna explained.
"Really? So, my mother's family knew there were other beings out there and never said anything?" Emory huffed, "Why am I not surprised? What did they encounter?"
Shanna grimaced, "The Void sphere is equal to the Arcane sphere in practically every way. Most of the entries stress that those of the Aurelias clan only survived because they fled. The Laxtros have on average five times as much magik as the Aurelias travelers had. But that's not the worst of it."
"Let me guess: they have a special form they can unlock as well?" Emory clenched her jaw, "We should have expected as much."
"It's the type of transformation they can achieve. According to one account, it's a full body transformation with untold power, unlike Meta Form that only grants the user a magik cloak. In that form, the magik is more stable, so it allows them to stay in that form for long periods of time," Shanna warned.
Emory exhaled deeply before a smirk appeared on her face, "Well, it's a good thing we're here then. If we can find my father's research, we'll change the world as much as when magik was first taught to our ancestors."
"Please explain," Shanna's eyes grew wide, "What exactly are we looking for?"
"A spell was made to transform human vessels into magik cores. In fact, humans themselves are descendants of my father's people. They're called by many names, but there are legends of these creatures in our history. Humans called them dragons," Emory smiled.
"Dragons?" Shanna murmured, "Are you sure about this, Lady Supreme?"
Emory nodded enthusiastically, "Very sure. That very spell was used on Lord Perceval who now has a magik core, a magik body, and a special gift, just like the Elandrian and me."
"This is remarkable," Shanna gasped, "If you give humanity magik cores, you will eclipse the achievements of all our predecessors combined! It would probably be one of greatest discoveries of the history of humanity!"
"I know. But the spell is incredibly complex and written in the ancient script of his people. I need to find out if he left behind anything to help decode it. There's also another twist: every six hours we spend here is a day back home," Emory emphasized.
Shanna glowed, "Let's get to work then!" The pair moved through the trees and approached the building boldly. It was only about thirty feet wide and thirty feet deep with no visible windows and a singular metal door. However, it was covered in runes all over the outer walls of all sizes and orientations. Emory recognized some of them, but like the transformation spell, the vast majority of them were completely foreign to her. More importantly, the pair stopped dead in their tracks for fear of what kind of protection magik it could be. Cautiously, Emory crept closer to the house. When she was ten feet away, the glyphs flashed bright blue before turning to a metallic gold with blue streaks running throughout.
Over the next few moments, a collection of light particles coalesced together to form a humanoid figure like a ghost or hologram. It was a slightly below average man with curly blonde hair and a red five o'clock shadow. He spoke softly, "You have activated the home defense system. How did you find this place?"
"My aunt Ninian gave me this location," Emory replied, "Who are you?"
"I am the automated intelligence left in charge of this house. You may call me Galahad. How should I address you, milady?" the apparition asked.
"You may call me Emory," she bowed slightly, "If you're just the housekeeper, who is the master of this residence?"
Galahad answered calmly, "Marty Reiss is the master of this house, though he is not available at this time. I have compared your aura to my master and his lady; due to this, you have been given temporary access to the house. Be advised; this privilege can be revoked at any time. Please bring your guest and enter."
Emory's eyes welled up with tears at the mention of her parents, but she shoved down those feelings, motioned to Shanna, and entered the newly opened door. Galahad walked in behind them and shut the door tightly. The pair of women carefully studied the layout of room which was much larger on the inside than it appeared from outside. It only had a few amenities including an old-fashioned metal stove, a queen-sized bed against a side wall, and a small, divided room in the corner that Emory assumed was a bathroom. Yet the wall on the opposite side of the room held a bookcase that reached the ten-foot ceiling, overflowing with tattered books and scrolls.
"Perhaps I can help you find something," Galahad mentioned, "My master acquired a wealth of information prior to his departure as well as a selection of messages, though none of them are labeled to an Emory. Because of your earlier scan, I have selected a message for descendants of my master and his lady for your review when you are ready."
Emory's eyes widened, "Play the message please." Light particles formed a man who looked very similar to Galahad and a taller woman with long, flowing red hair. They had sad smiles as they stared ahead. Tears came gushing out of Emory's eyes as she recognized younger versions of her mother and father in the illusion.
Marty spoke slowly, "Date of recording: July 17th, 2133. My child, if you're watching this, then I'm sorry, but we have both passed on. We didn't intend to bring you into this world and then abandon you, but the circumstances have changed for the worst. We tried to keep our home hidden from this ongoing struggle of powers until humanity was ready, but it wasn't meant to be. This library contains all of my life's work and should benefit you greatly. Feel free to ask Galahad any questions you may have, but he will only be able to answer questions I have knowledge about at the time of this recording. Good luck, my child."
Roselin leaned forward with a tear streaking down her cheek, "I'm sorry that we had to leave you, my strong little mage. There's so much I wanted to share and teach you, but one day, you'll understand why we sacrificed everything to try to shield you from this. I can only imagine what a powerful and good person you've grown up to be. It's in your name, after all. If there's one thing I can ask, it's that you need to trust your friends and family above all else. You will have gifts unlike anyone before you, I can already tell, and some people will try to use that power to further their own goals. But you should blaze your own path, as I did. I hope you find someone to care for you as much as your father cares for me. Never forget how much we love you, little one."