"I don't understand." Astrid shook her head. The light from the sky-light fell gracefully on her pale features, as she joined True and her aunt by the Trabem Pool within Petra Marbh. "You said you know who the real prophecy is about, why won't you just tell us?"

Luchinda's eyes reflected the sparkling ripples of the waters within the pool she leaned upon. Its smooth marble sides looked like they grew from the slate floor, and came up to her waist.

She did not answer Astrid straight away and True could sense his wife's patience dwindling. "Luchinda?" he pressed, in hope that Astrid will not lose it completely.

"It is not the time to tell you," Luchinda eventually said, not looking away from the rippling liquid as she said so. A small smile played on her lips and she peacefully looked up at Astrid. She saw the frustration that threatened to take over Astrid's eyes, then added, "Soon, though, very soon."

Astrid nodded her head but the frustration she felt didn't leave her face. She let out a sigh, which caused True's arm to, instinctively, wrap around her shoulders in a reassuring side hug.

"Alright. Luchinda, what is your plan? You mentioned something about gathering others to fight," True asked, in order to swiftly change the subject.

"Yes!" Luchinda replied enthusiastically. "It is time for us to contact the others."

"What others do you mean? Do you know who we can safely approach?" asked True, the eagerness of finally moving forward caused his words to tumble out of his mouth in an excited rush.

"I have seen who will fight beside us. I've made a list," Luchinda answered without a beat of hesitation.

"May I see it?" True requested and let his arm fall from Astrid's shoulders.

"Indeed. True, I'll need you to come and help me recruit a few of them."

"Of course."

"We shall leave together first thing tomorrow," Luchinda arranged, then turned her focus to Astrid. "My dear, it'll be best if you stay here with Amber and your father."

"I'm guessing a few of these "light defenders" won't join us if I came with you?" Astrid uttered with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, dear."

"Things haven't changed too much over the last eight years have they?" Astrid's shoulders slumped sadly.

"Soon, my Astrid," True grabbed his wife's hand and urged her to look at him. "Soon everyone will know the truth and that will no longer be the case." Once Astrid heard those words, she lifted her gaze to her husband's icy blue eyes, and her lips curled into a tentative smile.

"Not yet though!" Luchinda interrupted suddenly, smashing the moment of hope between the married couple. "Nobody else can know the truth, nobody, not even Jam and Amber! Certainly not those that we gather here. Do you both understand? It is really important!" She spoke with an uncharacteristic desperation that shook them both, all they could do was nod in response.

A strange silence took over the three of them. It felt like time stood still. However, it only really took a few minutes for Luchinda to return to her usual calm self. She clapped her hands together.

"Okay first thing's first, let's call the Slànacus sisters!" Luchinda then turned her attention back to the Trabem Pool.

"What? Now?" Astrid looked at her aunt with wide eyes.

"No time to waste," Luchinda said brightly as she fished for her light orb.

Astrid rolled her eyes again, her aunt's obsession with time was truly starting to grate on her nerves.

She watched Luchinda's small hand place the light orb into the sparkling liquid, then caress the top of the water in a clockwise, circular motion.

"Naomi Slànacus," she whispered, once the ripples calmed down and she could see her reflection staring back at her from the glassy still water.

Bright rays of light reached up from Luchinda's cloned face in the pool and lit up the entire room. It suddenly bounced back and all three of them could see Naomi's face looking up from where Luchinda's reflection should be. They could see her so clearly it looked as though she was standing right there in front of them.

"Luchinda!" Naomi cried out. "I thought you would never call us!"

"I know, it has been a while! But all is well!" Luchinda responded, cheerily.

"So, they're back?" Naomi asked, her eyes pulled wide as she awaited an answer.

"They are." Luchinda smiled.

"All of them?"

A knock on the large wooden door of Petra Marbh interrupted them, causing Luchinda to spin around. She saw James stride in with Amber close behind him. His face was filled with wonder, his mind full of news and his lungs fighting for breath.

"What was that?" Naomi asked, trying to peer around Luchinda.

At the sound of Naomi's voice James' demeanour suddenly changed. He froze where he stood and tears came to his eyes. He knew her voice. He would always know her voice; no matter how much it had changed over the years.

"Naomi?" he called out to the air around him. He searched the room for her face.

"Jameh-Lius? Jameh! You're here!" Naomi screamed with excitement from her unmoving place within the pool. James ran towards her and once he saw his first ever love smiling back at him from the water, tears of joy flooded his eyes.

"Nay! I'm back, my darling, I am finally back!"

"Oh, how I've missed you!" Naomi sobbed through a confusing mix of emotions.

"I l-love y-you..." James cried back, he had dreamt about this moment for so long.

"So," Luchinda interrupted the pair of them. "When can you and your sisters get here, Naomi?"

Naomi hurriedly wiped the tears from her face on her sleeve before answering.

"We'll leave right now!"

Black coils of curling smoke followed Pugnum's menacing footsteps as he strode out of the Fiosolim household. The sky seemed to darken as it laid its huge eyes upon him.

A howling wind rushed through the streets of Central City. It was a warning to those who dared take a step out of their homes, to retreat. If they were caught they would meet their doom within the darkness. The shadows within Pugnum's eye sockets revelled in the sight of the city's emptiness.

"Jeremai, grab hold of my cloak," he ordered the cowering Fiosolim member. Jeremai immediately obeyed and as soon as Pugnum felt the extra weight, he flung out his open hands and an inky dark cloud surrounded them both. It took them away from Jeremai's front step with a violent pull.

They materialised a few feet from the gates of Lux Palace, which were locked and surrounded by a protection spell. Pugnum held out his hand towards the protective shield and, just as he expected, an electrifying spark met the tip of his index finger. This caused a sequence of sparks to perform a display that lit up all the way round the surrounding walls.

Pugnum turned to Jeremai who stood silently at his side.

"Well?" he snapped at the sidekick that he resented.

"F-father told me h-how to get in. It's really quite simple," Jeremai stared up at the towering, golden gates. "If y-you're a trusted employee that is..." he added nervously.

"Go ahead."

With a timorous nod, Jeremai took a step forward and fumbled into his khaki green, hanging pouch for his light orb. He drew it out and shakily blew onto it to make it grow on his palm. It was painful to watch how much Jeremai's nerves affected him. His whole skeleton seemed to rattle under the pressure that he put on himself to please his dark master. He held his light orb against the protection spell's wall of sparks.

"Strelle beanna Lux, Fiosolim," Jeremai recited slowly, sounding out each consonant with purpose. As soon as he lowered his light orb again, the electric wall that crackled all around the palace grounds began to burn out before their eyes. Bit by bit, its connections broke, and the ten foot golden gates swung open, allowing them access.

Lux palace was huge and incredibly grand; its walls were white as snow with golden pillars holding their sturdy structure. It had nine towers in total that pointed towards the dark cloudy sky. Stars made of gold and silver decorated its many stained-glass windows. The whole building seemed to shine with a power of its own.

Pugnum and Jeremai walked along the long path towards the palace's large, decorated main doors. They glistened with the intricate work that had been put into them. They were made from the wood of an Àrdurum tree - the strongest tree found in Natanstrelle. Upon their light brown surface, the architect decorated them with eight-pointed stars placed inside large rings - made out of gold, encrusted with gems of every colour of the rainbow.

If Pugnum were a child, he would have marvelled at the beauty of such an expensive, unreachable home. But he wasn't a child, those days were forever gone. Days of wonder and reaching his dreams were dead, along with his soul. All that was left of his future was the inevitable darkness that he saw himself ruling over.

He clicked the fingers of his good hand and the shadows that surrounded his dark billowing cloak melted away, revealing an appropriate black and white suit. He then grabbed the porcelain mask from his face. The endless abyss in his eyes tamed itself within his irises and with a smirk on his ordinary looking face he looked at Jeremai.

"After you, Apprentice."

Jeremai then fearfully, skipped towards the large doors and opened them, letting his master inside.

Luchinda and True's joint efforts managed to recruit ten willing Natanstrelleans to defend the light. These ten recruits included the three Slànacus sisters - Vicora, Naomi and Celeste. True's mother - Ferrae Biabus-Lus, his younger brother Malek and his aunt Breagha, now named Coagha, for she finally got joined with her beloved after so many years of putting it off. However, her husband couldn't join her within Night Forest, for Noir-Astra got to him first.

Also within the ten was the head of the Sprèintis family - Òrum and his younger sister Airgid, whose sons were the first to be taken by the darkness all those years ago. Lastly, there was Josella Draoicis-Lus - the mother of Pugnum himself and her brother-in-law, Fratair Draoicis-Lus - Central City's light orb manufacturer.

They stood in a perfect circle around the Trabem Pool within Petra Marbh all looking towards True with great anticipation.

"Thank you all for coming here," True said, confidently to them all. "I understand that it wasn't easy for everybody to make it here, but please know that your efforts are appreciated."

"Why exactly are we meeting inside this tomb?" questioned Òrum Sprèintis. The greying hair sitting neatly on his lip twitched as his face twisted into an unimpressed frown.

"Brother, you know why! This is the only safe place we can all gather! We must come together and fight if we're ever going to see a change," Airgid reprimanded him for using such a cynical tone. "And see our sons and our brother again..." she then added sadly, she glanced towards Coagha who matched her look of grief.

"Do you have a plan, True?" asked his mother, whilst brushing her fading, copper hair off her shoulder. "And when do I get to see my granddaughter?"

"I..."

"How can he possibly have a plan? How can anyone have a plan? What difference can we possibly do?" Celeste rudely interrupted. Her oldest sister gave her a stern glare and she automatically sank back.

"Look, everyone, I know that things seem impossible and our numbers seem small now, but this is not everyone we're planning to recruit to fight," True addressed the group. "I'm planning to take a small team to recruit members of the Emerald Army too. We'll get good numbers, you'll see."

"Your foolish confidence doesn't do you credit, Lad," retorted Òrum, crossing his arms firmly across his broad chest.

"See here, Sprèintis! That's my brother. He is not a fool! The only fool around here seems to be you!" Malek yelled across the circle, the fire of his fury stoked by the want to protect his older brother's reputation.

Ferrae's hand flew to his ear after hearing him being so disrespectful.

"Ow! Mum!" Malek looked at his mother, whilst rubbing his stinging ear.

"Now, stop that! I won't have you starting arguments here! We must work together. What use will we be if we are fighting amongst ourselves!" Ferrae scolded him, hoping that the others in the circle were also listening.

"Okay, okay!" James decided to cut in. "Everybody, don't worry, we do have a plan and we have gathered the best people we could to ensure success."

"True, who is that?" Malek asked, pointing towards what he saw as a man wearing very strange clothing.

"He is Jameh-Lius, my oldest brother," Luchinda proudly answered Malek's question. "We have brought him back from the non-magical realm. We have overcome one ancient magic and we'll be able to defeat another, as long as you listen to us. Illuminare-Trabem has shown me what must be done. We must join together and come against the darkness. It is the only way."

The whole group was stunned into silence at the small Fiosolim's words.

"Jameh-Lius?" Josella whispered in awe. "You are really Jameh-Lius Fiosolim?"

"I am, I swear. It's been a while, I bet I look a bit different," James said with a cheeky smile.

"Well, thirty years does that to you I guess," Josella responded, with a gentle smile. "It's incredible that you're back."

Everyone could detect the underlying depression that she fought against as her mind wandered. Her thoughts immediately went to her poor exiled husband, who was still lost to the non-magical realm.

"Alright, getting back to our plans. Òrum, Malek and Fratair, tomorrow we'll head to the Emeralds to recruit more defenders. But for now, everybody, set up camp within Night Forest - Luchinda has the whole of the area protected."

The circle then dispersed and all the gathered recruits made their way to Petra Marbh's heavy front door.

True quickly grabbed his mother's shoulder before she could leave. "Ready to see your granddaughter?"

"Don't tease me!" Ferrae said, whilst giving True a playful slap across his shoulder. "Of course I do! And Astrid!"

"Come with me, they're downstairs."

True then led his mother, younger brother and Aunt Coagha to the catacombs where Astrid and Amber waited for the gathering meeting to end.