The plan was nuts. Totally crazy. Elias explained it to us in the council room – it was made from the sanctuary's tree roots all twisted together. You could feel the elder's concentration in the air, their auras like a gloomy mix of purple, brown, and light.
The Nexus of the Sunken City? It's not on any map, Elias started, his voice rough. It's underwater, in the ruins of a place that fell apart because they listened too closely to dream colors. The main bad guy can't just drain it; it's too strong. So, his goons built these drain things around it, like a black cage slowly choking it.
A glowing image popped up, made of light and Aura colors. It showed a beat-up coastline, rough cliffs dropping into a stormy sea. But underwater, there was this soft, blue glow, like a sleeping heart. And around it, these seven black things were stuck into the seabed – the drains.
Our scouts say it's true, Lyra said, sounding worried. The place is guarded. We can't just walk in; they'd see us coming.
So, we gotta be sneaky, Elias said, looking at me. Not break the cage, pick the lock. Kaelen, you're going with a small, fast team. Your job is to cut each drain's what makes it work, you know, like you did in the dell. Quietly and carefully.
My mouth went dry. Seven drains? Right in the middle of the enemy? I remembered fighting that one bad guy before, and how it messed with my head.
As soon as one drain goes down, they'll know, I said, barely whispering.
That's why we need speed and stealth, Elias replied. You'll have a distraction. He pointed to the image, zoomed in on the cliffs. The bad guys have a base up here. While you're doing your thing, Lyra will attack them there. It'll pull their attention and their fighters away from you.
It was a good plan, smart even. But it needed everything to go right, and I couldn't mess up.
The team? Lyra asked.
Small. Kaelen, you know why. Lyra, you're leading the attack. Finn.
Everyone was surprised. Finn, standing by the door, jumped like he'd been hit.
Elias, no offense, an elder said, But him? On a mission this important?
Finn knows how they work, their guard patterns, their weak spots, Elias said firmly. His knowledge is a weapon. And he has reasons to do this. He looked at Finn. We'll ease up on whatever is stopping you from fighting. Just enough to guide you. Do you agree to this?
Finn stood up straight, his hands tight. He looked at Elias, and then at the image of the drains. He saw the elder's doubts, Lyra thinking, and then he looked at me.
I accept, he said, I'll get him to the drains.
The next few hours were a crazy mess of getting ready. I got a suit of dark leather armor to keep me quiet. Lyra kept checking her stuff, looking serious. Finn got a plain sword.
Elias took me back to the Heartforge one last time.
This will be different, he said. The drains will be powered up. It's gonna hit you hard. You can't just cut the what lets it work. You have to make it stop altogether at the source. Got it?
I thought so.
Show me, I said.
Elias nodded and pumped a ton of blue energy into the drain. It glowed black, and the room got louder.
I gritted my teeth. I reached for where the drain gets power. I imagined a dead end.
I focused with everything I got.
There was no sound, but I felt an impact. The energy didn't just stop; it disappeared. The drain stopped glowing.
I stumbled, with a sharp pain in my head. It was way harder than before.
Good, Elias said. That's how to do it. You're strong enough. But you gotta do it seven times.
As night came, we met at the secret exit. The attack team, ready, looked serious. It was just Lyra, Finn, and me.
Elias stood in front of us. Everything depends on you. Don't be heroes, be ghosts. And then, come back.
He opened the way. We disappeared.
We went all night. Finn, walking up front, looked like he knew what he was doing.
Guards, he whispered, pulling us behind a rock. A few bad guys walked past.
We kept going, down towards the sea. The sound of the ocean got louder, and we could smell salt and dead stuff. When the sun started to rise, we got to a sea cave. From there, we could see the drains underwater, circling the blue light.
This is it, Lyra said. She looked at me. Remember what you have practiced. She put a hand on my shoulder, a quick sign of belief. Then, she was gone.
Then, it was just Finn and me, watching the drains choke the sea.
Finn was staring at the drains. I helped figure out where to put stuff like this, he said. Never thought I'd be trying to stop it.
Are you? I asked.
He looked at me. I saw the Elderwood, he said. I felt what you did. That wasn't bad. That was good. He pointed to the blue Nexus. That's a heart. There are no sides anymore, Kaelen. There's just life, or no life.
We didn't wait long. The attack started.
A beam of light hit the bad guy's base. Alarms went off. High positions guys went to fight on the cliffs.
Now, Finn said. While they're looking up.
I took a breath. I found the place of connection, a power that was not mine.
I closed my eyes.
The pain was instant and horrible. But I focused on a space away from nothingness.
The drain stopped.
I gasped.
Kaelen! Can you keep going? Finn said.
I looked at the other six drains. I imagined Lyra and the Elderwood.
I nodded. I can keep going.
I turned to the next drain, with the of the ocean and the war pressing down on me.