The Ascension

"Nuri, you have to get up and walk around." Nadya came around the bed, and sat on the edge. Nuri lifted her eyes. There was a sadness buried there that they all felt, as they were terribly worried about their Master.

"I can't leave her alone." She said softly. She hugged Aila to her chest. Nadya put her hand on top of Nuri's, and squeezed gently.

"I will watch over her for a while." Nadya smiled gently. "You need to watch over the others, get exercise, and still gather life elements. Master would be quite upset if you didn't do what she told you to do." Nuri let out a slow breath and sighed.

"I know. I just feel helpless when she's asleep like this." Her cheek twitched. "Do you feel something?" She asked with a slight frown sliding onto her face.

"Yeah, a large amount of light elements are gathering!" Nadya said. The rest of their companions ran into the room where they were sitting.

"What's going on? I feel a lot of earth elements moving!" Elena asked. She looked at Aila, and pointed. "Master is glowing!" Alara sat on the bed on the other side.

"There is a lot of light elements, as well as a lot of others gathered within Master." She came in closer and tried to touch Aila, but a bolt of static flashed to her fingers. "OUCH!"

"Careful, she's surging, Alara." Nuri said in alarm. "There are a lot of life elements as well. And, if I'm reading this, a point of life elements that were not there before. How odd."

"What's going on, Nuri?" Nadya asked.

"The life elements I feel are not from Master. They are from someone else. OH!" A brief flare of light, like the sun's rays bouncing off the surface of a pool of water, flashed within the room. When the light cleared, there was a small girl in Aila's arms.

"Who are you?" The girl asked in awe. "Where's my mom?"

* * *

"She brought me." Symi said, but tilted her head. "She glowed. She was there, but not there." Nuri frowned slightly.

"You said your name was Symi?" the girl nodded. "And your mother asked Master to bring you here?"

"Mom called her Master too." Symi said. "She said she would take me to her people." Nadya lifted Symi from the bed, and took her to the window.

"Symi, do you recognize that mountain there?" Nadya pointed. Symi looked up at the large mountain and shook her head.

"There is a mountain where I live, but it looks different." She said. Nadya thought carefully, and wondered if it was possible. Could Aila have been in two places at once?

"Do you know if there were roads to the other side of the mountain?" Nadya asked. Symi shook her head.

"Mom said that there were pioneers going to cross the mountains, but no one lived there yet." Symi said. She shook her head. "That city was full of evil people. My mom was taken, and I had to hide. The city lord hurt people, and threw them in a pit to die." Ivadra hissed.

"Didn't they rise as zombies?" Ivadra asked. Symi shook her head.

"People don't become zombies there. Not enough death. Mom said she had lots of death, but she gave it to her. Said she was hurt, and she healed her." Symi said. She looked quite sad. Elena stood up.

"Nadya, let me take her into the kitchen. Kaala will make her something to eat." Elena said, while Ellie stood up beside her.

"Yeah, if Master said we are to take care of her, we'll take care of her properly." After the two took Symi into the kitchen, the rest stood around the bed, while Nuri looked at them.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Nuri asked. Nadya sat down again.

"No people on the other side. That means it's at a time before people crossed over the mountains and started a few new kingdoms." Nadya said. Shaala nodded.

"From what I can remember, when the elders of the Inaris clan taught the children, all the current kingdoms on this side of the mountain came over when a great calamity befell their civilization." Shaala said.

"I heard that too." Ivadra said. "We were able to read in the library to pass the time. The books talked about corruption, evil rulers, and how Imera lifted the queen of death up out of ground and set her to exact judgment upon them." Alara nodded.

"Maybe they took their knowledge with them, and made them into myths to scare children." Alara said. "A Queen of Death. A Great Calamity that struck them down, after Imera came down to them." Alara's eyes widened.

"You don't think..." She pointed at Aila. Nuri sighed and hugged Aila to her massive chest.

"Master traveled back in time." She looked at Alara. "Haven't you always known who she is?" Alara blushed, and lowered her head.

"I didn't want to assume. If she is, and doesn't want us to know yet, it would be against her will that we talk about it." Alara said softly. "But what if Master doesn't remember?" Ivadra nodded eagerly.

"I agree with Alara. What if Master doesn't remember who she really is?" she asked quietly. Ivadra reached out and gently stroked Aila's cheek. "If we try to get her to remember, it might push things out of order." Nuri sighed a bit.

"Agreed. We have to let it go in the direction she pushes it towards." Nuri looked at each of them. "Although I don't want to get up, Master gave each of us our instructions. Nadya, keep Master warm, while I go make some firewood, and shape some planks." Nadya smiled.

"I know how you feel, dear sister." Nadya said softly. She wrapped an arm about Alara and Ivadra and pulled them straight against her chest. She hugged them firmly.

"We are all sisters. Master is our beloved." She smiled and put her hands on the backs of their heads and pushed them straight into her breasts. "No more calling just Alara your sister. We are all sisters now." She felt two pairs of teeth lightly bite her, and pulled back so they could breathe.

"So mean." Alara said. "I'll bite you later, Nadya. After Nuri comes back from training, I'll bite you really good." Ivadra grinned.

"I'll help. I can't wait to make her surrender."