Page 43 of Cerulean Truth
"Yes," Stephen replied, "though it's more challenging. You need extra energy to translate, and you have to cover your tracks meticulously. Plus it’s traceable. There's always a record of your translations, like a constant monitoring device. There’s not much privacy outside the sphere."
"So, how come I was born outside the Metasphere?" I asked, that gnawing unease growing again.
Stephen's gaze turned thoughtful. "The main reasons for magi to leave the sphere revolve around education, curiosity, and love. Perhaps one of your ancestors was magi and moved to live outside the sphere, creating offspring with a human. Our energy can skip generations but there’s no way to retrace it. We may never know how you're connected to our world."
Well that was disappointing. Though completely in line with what James had told me, I had hoped Stephen would’ve had a little more information about my heritage by now.
I stared out of the car window, trying to organize the questions bubbling up. The rising sun painted the sky in shades of orange and purple as we left the city behind, heading toward “Cyclos”.
"So," I continued, "this place, Cyclos, where we’re going, is it constructed like a massive castle?"
He looked at me with astonishment. "No, why?"
Then he smirked, adding, "Are you thinking of Hogwarts?"
I shrugged in response. Truth be told, Ihadreread the entire Harry Potter series since I had met Stephen and James. And Twilight, just in case. Not that I was expecting any vampires to show up. Though, by that point, even pale faces and fangs wouldn’t surprise me anymore.
"So, no castles, no hidden passages? No dark lords, looking to purify bloodlines?" I asked once more, feeling a bit discouraged.
He chuckled heartily, saying, "No, and I wouldn't expect a fairy tale if I were you; you'll be disappointed if you do. There are no castles, no magic wands, and no ghosts gliding through walls."
"Now, how would you know that?" I teased. "Guess I'm not the only one enjoying Harry Potter."
He grinned in agreement. "They're fantastic books, but they're quite far from reality. We live in the real world, where translation is simply the next stage of evolution. We're not all that different from humans, especially given how technology has advanced to its current state. "
He paused and took a breather.
"We even live in similar houses, keep the same pets, engage in similar politics, lack dragons, don't possess three-headed dogs, and experience the same human dramas of life," he concluded with a smile.
I laughed in return. I could hardly imagine Stephen being preoccupied by what to post on his Instagram.
Feeling more at ease, I turned my gaze back to the window. Stephen and I settled into a comfortable silence for a few minutes.
"Emma," Stephen said, his deep voice pulling me from my thoughts. "Can you…” but before he could finish his sentence, the car made an abrupt move.
Out of nowhere, a deafening explosion shattered the calm atmosphere. The car lurched, swerving wildly on the road. I gripped the seat, my heart pounding, as Edward lost complete control over the car.
When the car finally screeched to a halt, my stomach had churned at least seven times, and my ears were left ringing. I couldn't deny that my history of car accidents seemed to be escalating by the minute.
"Emma, are you okay?" Stephen clutched my shoulders, shaking me from my dazed state.
"I'm fine," I muttered, still a bit disoriented.
Edward yanked open the side door, and we tumbled out of the car onto the deserted road. I grunted as I slowly rose to my feet, ignoring the soreness spreading through my limbs. While I scanned our desolate environment, a sudden a sense of unease washed over me. We were miles away from any from any civilization and help, yet the unease stemmed from something else entirely. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck bristle.
As I helped Stephen up, a pitch-black darkness started to envelop us, snuffing out the daylight completely.What the…?
In a matter of moments, the cheerful daylight was replaced by complete and utter darkness.
My eyes were still trying to adjust to the lack of light when a group of hooded figures emerged on the road ahead. The sight of them, looking a lot like scary-ass Death Eaters, wiped Stephen's earlier remark about this world being nothing like Harry Potter's from my mind in an instant. My jaw dropped.
They glided forward, silent and ghost-like, instilling a horrid sense of dread and panic. My stomach twisted into knots, and I tightened my grip on Stephen's arm, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.
Stephen’s eyes widened as he whispered, “Gliders…”
“What?! What the heck are Gliders?!” I whimpered.
But they were approaching too fast to engage in conversation and they were clearly coming for us.
