“Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey!”  I moaned, and turned over, swatting blindly at the voice.  It wasn’t time for me to get up yet.  No.  If the sun wasn’t up, I wasn’t up.  “I’ll sit on you…”  My eyes darted open, momentarily blinded by the sudden light.  Grinning like a made hippie above me, Sage grinned.  Her red hair glowed with the light of the sun, and her green eyes sparkled.  I blinked.  “Really?”  I groaned, rubbing the sand out of my eyes.  “Hey, be glad I let you sleep in the long.  You are one heavy sleeper, let me tell you.”  Sage straightened up and walked off.  I sat up.  Around me, everyone was breaking camp.  The fire had been put out long ago, and little traces of embers flittered in the breeze.  Hachi was collecting her candles and was replacing them in her bag.  Paix was busy rubbing away the chalk lines with the hem of her dress.  The hem was already white and powdery.  Beside me, Quinton, Jada, and Antigone were stuffing what looked like bacon into their mouths.  Last but not least, there was Holly, sitting to one side, out of everyone’s say, reading a book.  I put my head back down on the ground and muffled a yawn.  I stretched, them slowly saved up my energy for actually standing.  Eventually, I mustered up the courage and strength to push myself off the ground.  Sage handed me a biscuit.  I frowned.  “No bacon?”  Sage chuckled.  “That was only for the early birds.  Sorry, pal.  You were a little late.  Thank Hachi though, for the biscuit I mean.  She can cook with anything.”  With that, she gave me a playful punch in the arm, and walked off.  I bit into my biscuit.  It was still warm and buttery.  Hachi was still a mystery to me, as was paix.  But, when it came to food, I wasn’t complaining!  I quickly stuffed the bread into my mouth and began to help Hachi with her things.  The candles were almost spent, and the wax was still warm and sticky.  “Thanks.”  Hachi managed, and I noticed the heavy circles under her eyes.  Whatever she had done last night had really drained her. But, the girl stood and rolled her shoulders.  “Ready to get a move on?”  She called.  The sun was just starting to peek over the tall, dilapidated building tops and creep down what was left of the brick walls.  “Yep!”  Paix chirped.  Leave it to her to be energetic about her fate.  My friends and I turned to face Hachi, since she was the only one who actually knew what she was doing.  Slowly, she spun to face the brick wall at the end of the dead end.  As the first light of day sneaked down the brick work, Hachi pulled a water bottle from her pack and poured the fresh liquid onto her left hand.  When the light was about half way down the wall, Hachi took her hand and placed it against the bricks.  The water turned silver and instead of racing down the wall, it raced up.  It was like watching quicksilver in anti-gravity.  As the sun light crept down, the silver trickles raced up, until they reached the top of the wall.  Then, they solidified into a single, long, silver bar at the top of the wall.  Now, the light was covering all the bricks.  There, everything stood frozen in time.  There was complete silence.  I held my breath, waiting for at least something to happen.  “Was that supposed to happen?”  Quinton whispered behind me.  Paix shushed him with her finger.  Suddenly, the silver back seemed to role back down the bricks, leaving a silver sheet in its path.  By the time the bar reached the ground, the whole wall was one sheet of silver.  “This is our gateway.”  Hachi declared.  She adjusted her backpack and stepped up to the mirror like thing.  She took a deep breath, and leapt through.  Paix, with a skip in her step, followed immediately.  That left my friends and I waiting uncomfortably.  “Any volunteers?”  Jada tried.  There were no takers.  I carefully thought things through.  Did I trust Hachi?  Certainly.  Did I trust Paix?  Eh, let’s get back to that.  Was I ready to jump into a magic portal just because Hachi did?  To answer that, I sighed and took a running start towards the silver curtain.  As I gained speed, a horrible scenario played itself out in my head.  Me, smashed into a wall, while my friends giggled at me for running into a solid brick wall.  I shoved that thought aside, and reached the mirror.  Without a second thought, I barreled through.  I felt like Alice, stepping through the looking glass.  As soon as my skin made contact with the silver stream, I had the sudden sensation of bubble coursing through my veins.  It was like I was on the verge of a roller coaster, just hanging there, weightless, waiting for the sudden drop.  The drop never came.  Then, I was standing between Paix and Hachi in the middle of some pond.  Water leaked into my shoes.  After last night, my shoes had barely had the chance to dry.  Great…  Now my socks were soaking too.  I pulled my foot out of the water to see mud and slime trailing it.  “Great…”  I shook my foot, tossing the silt everywhere.  Paix slapped me on the back of my head.  “Behave.”  She muttered sternly, though her eyes glinted with humor.  I slumped my shoulders.  What was I supposed to do while I waited for my friends?  Were they even going to show?  Or were they going to be too chicken.  Even as I though this, Sage came hurtling up behind me.  She had appeared out of thin air.  “Woah…”  She took in her surroundings.  Hachi glanced at a pocket watch, which she had drawn from one of her numerous pockets.  “How far behind are the other?”  She questioned, almost impatient.  “Close.”  Sage siddled up alongside me, just as Quinton and Antigone came through.  They were soon followed by Jada and Holly.  Soon, everyone had their feet stuck in muck and slime.  “Now, young ones.”  Hachi turned to face my pals and I.  “This is sacred ground.  Tread lightly, and do everything as I tell you to and nothing more.  You got it?”  There were several murmurs of agreement.  “Alright then, lets go.”  Hachi spun back and began to tramps through the pond water.  There was a little forest which ringed the pond, though I couldn’t see beyond the tree line.  In the center of the pond, there was a little marble alter thing.  On it was a silver throne, vacant.  Getting down on their knees, Hachi and Paix crossed their hands over their chests and closed their eyes.  With nothing better to do, I and my companians did likewise.  Then, Paix and Hachi began to sing.  I can’t even describe it.  The melody was so simple, yet so complex.  Their voices went beyond ranges I though possible.  It was so sweet and happy and so sad and depressing at the same time.  There were no words being sung, though it was clear that a message of some kind was being relayed.  After about 15 minutes, the song ended, and I snapped out of my trance.  Hachi and Paix were out of breath, and I couldn’t blame them.  Then, the throne on the dais rumbled, and brilliant light came forth.  It blinded me for a moment before my eyes adjusted.  When I finally blinked away my tears, I could see a faint outline within the light.  I was dumbstruck.  “Who is able to keep a clear mind in my presence?”  The voice speaking was light and girlish, though ancient at the same time.  It was full of wisdom that this world will never known.  As one voice, spoken together, Paix and Hachi answered.  “We can.”  Then, to my astonishment, I felt my lips move and I answered.  “As can I.”  Beside me, Antigone’s lips twitched and parted.  “I can also.”  I glanced at my other friends.  They were all staring somewhere off in the distance, mouths open in shock and eyes wide and distant.  “An impressive group of human.”  The voice mused.  “I see that my beloved girls are back.  Greetings to you, Paix and Hachi.  However, I know not the other 2.”  I found my mouth moving without me commanding it to.  “I am Shiloh of Safehaven, here to request aid on a dangerous mission.”  Antigone gulped.  “I am Antigone, a fellow friend on the same quest.  We seek to end the perils that Morian has presented.”  Silence.  “You are bold to as such a thing.”  The voice had a hard edge to it.  “However, you show purity in heart, and therefore I am obliged to help such innocent and naïve souls.”  The word “souls” echoed in my head.  The light before me grew brighter and brighter until I had to look away.  It was like a supernova had gone off right in front of me.  When the light dimmed somewhat and my eyes were able to take it, I glanced back.  Seated on the throne was a woman in her late 20’s.  She had fair, black hair that fell in waves around her shoulders.  Her skin was delicate and fresh, and her eyes sparkled with mischief and hinted at sorrow.  Her lips were full and red against her fair skin, and she was clothed in a full length white gown with silver branches and leaves entwining her graceful arms.  “Welcome to Nalaen, my young conquerors.  I am Keturah.”