Chapter three
The conversation
Elizabeth crept toward a huge column and hid behind it, breathing rather fast.
Christopher cut Selena off, “That is exactly what he wanted for all those years. Do whatever I do, don’t you dare screw it up.”
Selena cast an eye upwards when Christopher was not observing her.
She retrieved an object from her silver casket.
It was the most exquisite item Elizabeth had ever encountered; it was slender and elongated, crafted from pure, shimmering crystal. Bright golden and silvery gleams shimmered throughout the crystal handle, which was fashioned into a cross with a violet diamond embedded therein. Its tip was spiral and pointed, radiating golden sparkles.
It was a magipen, the very first magical item Elizabeth had encountered that could be quite frightening enough to scare the daylights out of anyone if you dared to provoke its wielder.
Selena elevated her magipen, feigning composure, even as her elbow trembled slightly. She started writing luminous characters in midair.
Elizabeth could not decipher what her mother had written, though she sensed it was in the language that connected to the otherworld.
Selena twirled her magipen and began to rotate it. With a flick, the golden thread transformed into a beam of light. She directed the beam precisely at the doorknob.
The door flung open, and a gush of light filled the room.
When the light faded, a hooded figure appeared in the middle of the room.
Instead of attacking the stranger, the Jordans smiled, the most broadly.
Selena inhaled deeply and let out a sigh of relief, the weight of worry lifting from her as she deftly returned her weapon—the sleek and formidable object—to the depths of the ornately carved casket, which closed with a soft, echoing thud.
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In an unexpected gesture of warmth, she pulled the stranger into a warm embrace, wrapping her arms so tightly that her knuckles turned white, as though welcoming a long-lost friend back into her life.
Christopher’s laughter danced through the air, bright and infectious, as he gestured toward an empty chair, his eyes sparkling with genuine enthusiasm.
The stranger, cloaked in an air of mystery, settled comfortably into the chair beside them, her presence both calming and intriguing. For the next thirty minutes, they huddled close, the dim light casting soft shadows over their gathering; it was as if they were cocooned in a private world of shared secrets.
With an air of secrecy, the stranger leaned forward, her voice low and melodious as she explained something shrouded in intrigue. Her slender fingers tapped a steady rhythm on the polished wooden desk, each beat punctuating the weight of her words, while Mr. and Mrs. Jordan nodded along, their faces animated with curiosity and insight.
Elizabeth observed from a distance, her brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to piece together this curious tableau. It struck her as utterly peculiar—her parents, usually so reserved and composed, were now enraptured in animated conversation with someone entirely unknown to her.
The sight felt surreal, as if she had stumbled upon a hidden side of them—her mother’s laughter sounded new and vibrant, and her father’s bright-eyed fascination were for this total stranger alone.
Was that figure truly a stranger, or was there something more familiar about them?
Selena squinted through her glasses and whispered, in a voice so quiet that Elizabeth had to hold her breath in order to catch the words.
“To be perfectly frank, I don’t think this gonna work.” Whispered Selena anxiously.
“This is our last chance, you must do it, for the sake—” The stranger hissed with worry.
“But if we leave her here all alone, her powers would be easily stolen.”
“Not until her twenty-second birthday.”
The stranger paused, then went on in a much more urgent voice, “Chris, are you sure Joanna is dead? Because if the legend is real, her daughter will unseal the tenth world. We mustn’t let her find out about that. We can’t risk—”
“Definitely, and try to lock the Astral away; she’s disturbing—”
Selena coughed and continued,
“But she’s your sister, she’s bound to notice something.”
“Then you have to—” the stranger went on, smiling.
But soon her voice was drowned by a roar of fury from Christopher.
Elizabeth was stunned to see her father stand up in rage and slam his fist on the table with a thud.
A piece of paper rose from the figure's inner pocket and flew quietly into Selena's waiting hand.