Night had fallen by the time Krystal and her friends reached the outskirts of their village. The Cerinian sun had begun to descend as she and her company left the forest, lowering in the sky until darkness engulfed nearly everything in sight. The Cerinians followed the trail home in almost complete silence, guided only by memory as they passed through the marketplace and towards the stone wall surrounding the royal palace.

Krystal and Sera remained in the back of the group, following closely behind Fero and Savannah, who were led by Atticus. As Krystal reflected on what she had discovered that day, she could hardly imagine the trouble she would be in when her father heard about what she had done. She had explicitly been told to avoid the southern forest, and she had not only disobeyed him, but also put Sera and the others in danger.

The blue vixen bit her lower lip, anxious about how her father would react. How dare you disobey me! Krystal, what were you thinking? She could already hear the King scolding her, as if he was speaking to her right then and there.

Suddenly Krystal gasped. She wasn't imagining her father's words. He was communicating with her telepathically! Unaware of her surroundings, Krystal realized that they had nearly reached the palace courtyard, where several torches blazed in the overwhelming darkness. The vixen honed her telepathic powers and sensed the thoughts of her father, along with Sera's, accompanied by a patrol of Cerinian warriors.

Atticus approached the awaiting guards, bowing his head before the King of Cerinia in acknowledgment. The rest of the returning party halted behind him, where Sera gave Krystal a sympathetic glance before the King spoke up.

"Well done, Atticus. It appears that you found them," Krystal's father singled her out with narrowed eyes. He paused for a moment, taking his time to scan the thought patterns of the returning group before continuing. He spent a particular amount of time focused on Krystal, who could sense her father probing into her mind and learning about what had transpired. The young vixen almost thought she caught a hint of amusement and interest in her father's eyes before he spoke up again.

"The hour is late," the King murmured as he glanced around at the guards beside him. "We have much to discuss, but here is not the place." Turning towards the path leading to the palace, he signaled for the others to follow him.

Krystal and Sera followed last, flanked by Cerinian guards as they followed the others up the pathway through the courtyard. Neither of them dared to say a word on their way up the stairs leading to the palace. Krystal could sense her father's frustration and disappointment coming from his thought patterns in waves, but he gave nothing away to the others as he and his guards reached the palace entrance.

Sera's father stepped past the others, knocking at the palace door before taking a step back. Slowly, the gateway opened and he led the way inside. Krystal followed the others inside as the darkness was sealed away behind them, replaced with the dim light of many flickering torches lining the palace walls.

The Great Hall leading to the throne room was completely void of any activity, except for the occasional roaming of the guards as Krystal followed the others into the throne room. There, her father dismissed the majority of the soldiers escorting them, along with Atticus, Fero, and Savannah. He and Sera's father wished to speak to their daughters privately about the trouble they had gotten into.

"Sera, Krystal, where have you been? You've had both of us worried sick about you!" Sera's father burst out loud, breaking the silence at the foot of the King's throne.

Krystal opened her mouth to answer, but she was cut off by her father, who knew exactly where they had been. He had been probing into her mind since they came into eyesight, searching for exactly everything he needed to know using his telepathy without even asking.

"These two decided that they would do some investigating of the southern forest," the King murmured, casting a glance at his friend and guard, "alone, and unsupervised."

"Sera, what were you two thinking, going into the southern forest by yourselves?" Her father questioned. "I thought I made it clear during training this morning that you were not to go there under any circumstances. And of all things, you went alone! Do you have any idea how reckless and irresponsible you have been?"

Krystal cast her gaze sideways at her friend, who was trembling beneath her crimson fur.

"What do you mean by irresponsible?" Sera lashed back, eyes glistening on the verge of tears. "We wanted to go see what was out there! If there is anything out there threatening us, we have the right to know about it!"

The captain of the Royal Guard took a step forward, challenging his daughter further. "You have no idea the kind of danger you were in! The guards have been monitoring the situation since it started; this is no place for children!"

"We aren't going to be children forever, you know!"

"I already lost your mother! I can't lose you, too!"

Suddenly the throne room grew quiet. Krystal just stared at the father and daughter in bewilderment, as they realized how far out of line they had gone. Ashamed of himself, Sera's father shook his head back and forth and let his nerves settle. Watching the two argue with each other, Krystal realized how similar Sera was to her father. They possessed the same fiery spirit and passionate soul within them.

"That's enough," the King sighed, glancing at Krystal before turning back to his closest advisor and friend. "For their act of disobeying direct orders, they will be punished. Neither of you are to be permitted access outside the palace grounds tomorrow. Is that understood?"

Krystal wanted to protest, but held her tongue. The last thing she needed was to get in even deeper trouble with her father. Glancing at Sera, she could tell that her friend thought the same. The red vixen hung her head low, letting her long hair hang down over one shoulder.

"I guess we should just be lucky they are alright," Krystal's father continued in a more calm tone. "Go now and rest for the night. Tomorrow is another day."

Sera was the first to turn away, slowly followed by her father and Krystal until her father's words stopped her.

"Krystal, wait," the King commanded. "I must speak with you alone."

I hope I'm not in even more trouble, Krystal thought to herself with worry. It was my idea to find out what was going on in the first place. I was the one to put our lives in danger, not Sera. She turned and faced her father again, who stood just before the steps preceding the thrones themselves. Neither of them spoke another word until Sera and her father's footsteps could be heard echoing down the corridor leading further through the palace.

"Father, I'm sorry for everything," Krystal began to beg. "I didn't want to put the lives of the others at stake, I was just curious. I shouldn't have persuaded Sera into joining me, I shouldn't have gone into the southern forest at all..." As her father listened to her words, again she sensed his thoughts of disappointment and worry mixed in with interest.

"Krystal, what you did was wrong," the King admitted, "but at the same time I feel that something good came of this situation."

The young vixen raised her eyes to gaze into her father's. She didn't understand what he meant. Why was he so intrigued as he telepathically read her thoughts?

"I have seen your mind and I've learned what you've learned, my daughter. Until now, the guards have been watching the oncoming invasion from a distance... but none of them have been able to learn anything about these newcomers. The armies of planet Venom have come to our planet with the desire to control it... is this true?"

Krystal gasped. Her father had read right through her. "Yes, that is what I found out," the vixen nodded. "I read the thoughts of some of the invaders... They were landing in large numbers in a clearing in the forest. They carried strange weapons, and flew in ships that were nothing like what we have here." Krystal shuddered as she remembered her fears and visions surrounding the Venomian invaders. She was curious about where they had come from, and why they were so determined to take control of her home. "Father, what do you know of planet Venom? Why are they here on our planet now?"

The King of Cerinia shook his head. "I don't know... I have never heard of Venom before. I don't even think it is in the same solar system as our planet."

"But there must be something we can do about it!" Krystal protested. "Why here? Why now? I don't understand!"

Her father took a deep sigh and locked eyes with her. "Neither do I... for now, we will continue to monitor the situation. I will send patrols to investigate the area more closely and see what more we can find out about our new enemy. In the meantime, there is something else developing."

Krystal tilted her head sideways. What did her father mean by this?

"Your telepathic powers are growing at an impressive rate," the King acknowledged. "I know how you fought to protect the others in the forest, I've seen the things you can do with your mind. Your power is much stronger than that of someone just coming of age."

"I guess I have felt it too," Krystal murmured. "I can sustain my sixth sense longer than before in training already. And when I fought, I was able to read an enemy's thoughts and strike back almost like a reflex."

"Well done, my daughter," the King returned her smile, impressed with how much she had grown in such short of time. "Now it is getting late, and you must be off to bed. Sleep well Krystal, for tomorrow's training intensifies."

* * *

Krystal paced down the dark and lonely corridors of the royal palace, eyes weary with sleep as she navigated toward her room. While she walked through the empty halls, lit only by the light of torches occasionally lining the walls, she reflected on her father's reaction to what had happened that day.

I wonder what will come in tomorrow's training? The vixen thought to herself. Father said that my training would get tougher, but I don't really know what that means... With the passing of time, Krystal's muscles began to ache and her minor wounds from earlier began to take their toll on her body. I guess I should count myself lucky, someone could have been hurt much worse, she signed, tempted to complain about having to train when she was still sore.

Suddenly, Krystal realized that she had almost completely forgotten about the weapon she had managed to scavenge from the southern forest. Reaching into a pocket in her shorts, she retrieved the short, metallic hilt and ran her fingers up and down its cold exterior. When she located a single button, she tapped it lightly and a glowing, yellow beam of energy extended from the weapon's hilt. The blade resembled something like the traditional sword from Krystal's home planet, but the plasmatic energy emitted from the weapon was like nothing she had ever seen or heard of before.

Krystal studied the blade's glimmering light in the darkness around her, twirling the weapon in her hands as she admired the technology that was beyond that of Cerinia. I need to tell my father about this, the blue-furred vixen remarked, as she had completely forgotten about it earlier. She continued on her way to her room, using the yellow light of the sword to guide her until she thought she heard voices whispering up ahead.

"How many times is she going to have to save you? Sera, you are a member of the Royal Guard, my daughter; that makes protecting and serving Krystal your responsibility."

"I know that, Father... but somehow I'm just not strong enough. It seems like she's always the one protecting me..."

Krystal immediately pressed the button on her newfound weapon, causing the glimmering plasmatic blade to fade away into the darkness surrounding her. Then it dawned on her that she was eavesdropping on Sera and her father by mistake. Slowly, the images of the two became clearer as Krystal approached Sera's room, which was located just before hers at the end of the hallway.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude," Krystal bowed her head respectfully to Sera's father while trying to hide the embarrassment on her face. "I was just heading to my room for the night."

Sera lowered her head, waiting for her father to speak for her. "Don't worry about it," the look on the Captain of the Guard's face seemed to lighten after speaking so harshly to his daughter. "We were just finishing, go on and get some sleep tonight, you both need it."

The Captain signaled with his head for Krystal to pass by and enter her room, but she didn't need to told twice. With a brief sympathetic glance toward Sera, she left the father and daughter to their conversation as she opened the door to her room and shut it behind her.

I don't mean to be so hard on her, I only want her to be able to protect those she cares about, unlike I could for her mother... With a jolt, Krystal realized that she had picked up on the thought patterns of Sera's father. Though it was harsh of him to push Sera the way that he had, Krystal was beginning to understand why he acted the way he did towards her.

"It must be hard for both of them," Krystal sighed as she let her sixth sense rest and headed towards her bed. She could almost see nothing as she felt her way to the end of her room, where she sat on her bed and unstrapped her sandals. Tossing them aside, she took one last look at the metallic hilt of her sword before setting it on the nightstand beside her bed. She unstrapped the leather holster across her back, placing it and the staff it carried next to her other weapon. Krystal barely had the energy left to lift her legs onto her bed and felt her body collapse with tiredness, closing her eyes to let darkness consume what little light was left in the night.

Krystal's sleep that night was plagued with nightmares; they began within the forest south of the royal palace. The vixen found herself among the hordes of soldiers from planet Venom, watching in horror as they landed with massive war machines and spread themselves deeper through the forest. Within what felt like seconds, the woodlands around Krystal transformed into a battlefield. She found herself just outside the palace grounds, among the guards and warriors of Cerinia as they fought to defend themselves from the armies of Venom.

The Cerinian natives fought courageously, but could not hold back the onslaught of lasers and missiles streaming from the tanks and ships from Venom. Krystal wandered throughout the warzone, desperately calling out for her friends, and for her parents, but they were not to be found. Grenades exploded around her, and the ground shook with the rumbling of tire treads from the Venomian war tanks and the endless explosions all around her.

Krystal's head began to spin and she willed for the madness around her to cease, when suddenly the battlegrounds faded, replaced with nothing but darkness. A dense fog swirled around the vixen as two familiar, red eyes awakened. Krystal froze, with nothing to do but stare back as they seemed to penetrate deep into her mind and soul.

It's only a dream, another nightmare, Krystal reassured herself, fighting back the tears that formed in her eyes and the sweat that formed around her forehead and palms. Without warning, a shadowy arm protruded from the darkness below the pair of eyes, forcing Krystal's heart to skip a beat as it shot forward, reaching for her. Just when she thought the shadow's clawed fingers would reach her forehead, Krystal forced herself awake and the vision faded.

"Krystal! Krystal, are you alright?"

With several knocks at her bedroom door, Krystal realized that it was her mother that was calling out her name. Unable to answer, she simply shot her torso upward and stared down into her lap. Eyes wide awake and heart racing, she had to force herself to take each breath without screaming. Her recurring nightmare was becoming more and more real each night, this time seeming to hover on the verge of fantasy and reality.

"Are you awake? Krystal, please answer me..." The voice of her mother again penetrated through the wooden door to her bedroom.

Forcing herself to calm down and take deep breaths, Krystal lifted her blankets off her legs and swung them off the bed, barely able to keep herself steady as the stood up. "Coming, Mother," she called, turning to face her mirror as she prepared to straighten herself up.

Before she could even straighten her shoulder-length hair, Krystal almost leaped out of her fur when she met the gaze of the reflection staring back at her. Her regular blue-green eyes were not their natural color; instead, each iris reflected a deep shade of crimson red. With a jolt, Krystal realized that her eyes matched the eyes haunting her dreams each night.

"What's wrong? Won't you let me in?" The Queen of Cerinia beckoned, still persistent that she be let in.

Blinking rapidly, Krystal shook her head and then shut her eyes, willing that they return to their natural color. When she opened them, they were back to normal, as if nothing had ever changed. Krystal breathed a deep sigh of relief. I must be simply imagining things, the young vixen thought as she put the dream behind her and answered her mother at the door.

As the wooden door slowly opened, the queen faced her daughter with a look of concern. She gazed lovingly into Krystal's blue eyes with her own, tilting her head slightly and smiling. "You really had me worried there for a minute, Krystal," she sighed as she entered the room, her beautiful, silk dress trailing lightly behind her. As the Queen of Cerinia, Krystal's family possessed some of the finest silk and cloth in all the Kingdom, possibly all of Cerinia, itself. Krystal was almost taken aback by her mother's beauty as she seemed to radiate the Cerinian sunlight that filtered in through the lonely window in her room.

Krystal almost stuttered when searching for the right words to explain herself. "I'm sorry for the delay... I guess I've been having quite a few nightmares lately, that's all. I was just..." she hesitated, lost for words to explain what she had just dreamt and woken up to, "... trying to make sense of it all."

"You really have been having trouble sleeping lately, haven't you?" Krystal's mother turned to face her, assuming a more serious gaze. "Your father mentioned it earlier, he said that sometimes he would detect your thoughts in the middle of the night."

"What?!" The word forced itself out of Krystal's mouth before she could stop herself. "I mean... how much does Father know about my nightmares?"

The queen returned her daughter's shock with a smile. "Not much, I'm guessing. It's probably just hard on you, going through so much right now."

Krystal ran her fingers through her hair, nervously. "What do you mean? What am I going through?"

Without a word, her mother gestured for her to take a seat on her bed as she sat down. Krystal obeyed, rather reluctantly. "You are going through a lot right now, Krystal," her mother repeated. "You are just coming of age, and your telepathic powers are really starting to bloom. You have such a gift, something that I can only begin to understand..." The queen paused, "also, with the recent invasion of the southern forest area. Your father has been giving me all the news, including your little adventure yesterday..."

Krystal hung her head, "oh, that... so he told you, then?" Searching into her mother's thoughts, she expected to feel mistrust and disappointment. Instead, the felt a hint of amusement and humor emitting from the queen's thought patterns.

Lifting her eyes, Krystal realized that the same emotions were present on her mother's face. The queen gave her a closed-eyed grin while chuckling lightly to herself.

"I remember your father when he was your age," the matriarch reminisced. "He was always getting himself into trouble as a young adult, especially when he was with Sera's father. Oh, the things they would get into together... it's a surprise to many that he turned out to be as great of a leader as he did."

Krystal gave a look of surprise. "I had no idea my father had that side to him," she laughed. "Who would have known?"

"And," the queen added, "I think you will turn out to be just as great of a leader as he is someday."

"Thanks, mother," Krystal leaned over and wrapped her arms around the queen, who returned her embrace. "I'll do my best for you, for him, and for everyone." For a moment, she was lost in her mother's embrace; the fears and worries from her nightmares and the world around her seemed to fade into nothing, until her mother spoke up again.

"Your father told me to get you for training," she said as she released her daughter from her grasp. "He said you would be meeting him in the courtyard this morning."

Krystal stood up and stretched her arms and legs, glancing around her room and taking inventory of what she would need to take with her to training. She spent a particular amount of time focused on a single item; the metallic rod that lay on the nightstand beside her bed, the plasmatic energy sword that she had stolen from the invaders of Venom.

"Well, I'd better not keep Father waiting, then."

* * *

The sun shone high in the sky as Krystal departed from the palace and began down the walkway toward the courtyard outside. The warmth of the sunlight and cool of the breeze seemed to welcome the vixen as the proceeded downward, preparing herself for what might come in her training with her father. Squinting, she could make out the images of her father and a host of Cerinian warriors flanking him on either side. Krystal strained to perceive their thought patterns, and gathered that they were all here for her training.

What do you have planned today, Father? Krystal thought, hoping to project her thoughts for the King to detect. As she finally reached the bottom of the stairway, they stood face to face with each other.

You'll see, Krystal, the King grinned as he directed his thought patterns toward her. The crown atop his head gleamed in the morning sun, along with the adamantium armor that scaled his frame. He no longer wore his kingly robe, allowing Krystal to see traces of her father's muscles underneath the adamantium plates and leather armor he wore. A leather holster similar to hers was strapped to his back, where he was surely to wield his magical staff, the birthright of the royal family.

"From what I hear, your powers are growing at an alarming rate," the King murmured. He sounded almost surprised as he continued, "Atticus reported to me the things you did in the southern forest yesterday... From what he said, you brought back a weapon of the enemy; may I see it now?"

Krystal nodded, lifting the weapon she held in her right hand. "When we were ambushed, I took this from one of our attackers," the vixen pressed the button on the side of the weapon's hilt and a brilliant beam of yellow energy emitted, extending from the metal rod as a blade. "The armies of Venom use weapons unlike anything I've ever seen," Krystal remarked as she twirled the blade for her father and the guards to analyze. "Have you ever seen something like this before, Father?"

The king paced toward his daughter, eyes widening as he studied the weapon. After several moments, deep in thought, he gave a slow shake of his head. "I've heard of this technology, but never before have I seen it on our planet. May I?"

As her father extended his hand, Krystal carefully handed the weapon to him.

"The blade," the King explained as he backed up and swung the sword lightly in front of him, "is made of pure energy, a form of plasma, not unlike those rifles and blasters they carry." Without hesitation, he slashed the weapon sideways, slicing several blades of grass and flowers from the ground below him. "This form of energy is dangerous; it pierces through even some of the strongest metals. This 'laser sword...' Atticus reported that you could use it to deflect incoming blaster rounds?"

"That's correct," Krystal nodded in acknowledgement as she was handed her weapon back. "When the blade meets Venomian blaster rounds, they seem to... repel each other." She thought back to her incident the day before, when she had barely saved Sera's life from an incoming attack. Her training with her father that day, along with her telepathic powers, had proven to be very useful.

The voice of the King interrupted Krystal's thoughts, bringing her back to the courtyard around her. "Well then, let me see for myself!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Krystal spotted a glowing ball of red light approaching her, nearly the size of her fist. Pivoting on one foot, she feinted backward and allowed the plasma shot to deflect off her energy sword, casting it upwards into the sky where it was lost without a trace.

What? How did that- Krystal's thought was cut short when she realized that the guards surrounding her each had drawn a plasma rifle of their own, surrounding her in a circle so that there was no escape. It was no wonder why her father seemed so eager to begin her training today; he wanted to see how she handled herself in the forest for himself.

Before another plasma round came her way, she closed her eyes and let the world around her slow to a stop, gathering intel from the thought patterns of the armed Cerinian guards encircling her. They have been instructed to give it their all! My father gave the order to shoot relentlessly! The young vixen began to panic; she couldn't possibly take on this many foes at once. It seemed like her father was trying to get her killed!

Focus, Krystal, another voice entered her mind. I believe in you, and what you are capable of... Show me you have what it takes to save this world from the armies of Venom!

As the world spun in motion and Krystal braced herself for combat, her father's thoughts gave her confidence. When the next laser was in range, she slashed her blade downward and sliced through the plasma, splitting the round in half on impact and sending plasma flying past her on either side. Multiple rounds came from different directions, and Krystal rolled out of the way, noticing that her father had leaped from the middle of the courtyard and was watching from a distance.

Alright then, I'll show you what I can do! Racing forward, Krystal darted toward the closest of the Cerinian soldiers at a full sprint. Laser rounds flashed by from all sides, but the daughter of the King read her shooters' minds telepathically and knew who was going to shoot, and when. Deflecting several blasts in rapid succession, she reached her target and slashed her laser sword upward, cutting the guard's blaster in half and then throwing a kick to knock her foe backward.

As two plasma rounds approached on each side, Krystal leaped straight into the air and watched as they soared beneath her. Landing in a crouched position on the ground, she noticed that one of the soldiers was making an advance, closing the gap between them so he could get a more accurate shot. Krystal welcomed the challenge, dashing towards the gunman and sweeping her leg low, knocking the guard off balance and forcing him to the ground.

Before the next shot behind her could even reach, Krystal gripped her weapon's hilt in both hands and lowered the blade behind her back, deflecting the plasma round back into the gun of its handler. The rifle sparked when plasma met its interior, rendering the firearm completely useless.

A seeming endless volley of plasma rounds streamed towards Krystal, forcing her to circle around the courtyard as she deflected and avoided the incoming fire. With a satisfactory grin, she realized that she was beginning to cut down the number of soldiers firing at her. She now faced only three armed guards, spread out across the courtyard. I need a plan of attack, Krystal thought as she reached the fountain in the center, gently dampening her fur as mist sprayed and water droplets splashed outside the pools of water beside her.

Laser rounds continued to flash past Krystal from her cover, occasionally cutting into the stone encompassing the courtyard fountains as plasma sliced into the rock. Deactivating the laser sword by pressing the button on the handle, the vixen crouched low and peered around the stone base of the fountain, realizing that her attackers were fanning out, planning to surround her on all sides. Come on, think of something, Krystal bit her lower lip and glanced sideways in both directions. The guard flanking her right side was almost within striking range; he would be her first target. The other two aren't too far away, she reasoned, I should be able to take them head on if I can parry their blaster rounds effectively.

Taking a deep breath, Krystal rolled sideways and darted out from the cover of the fountains, engaging her laser sword by swiping her thumb past the power button just in time to deflect the first shot. Turning to repel a shot aimed for her from the side, Krystal completed her spin with a slash, slicing the blaster from the hands of the guard before her. Without hesitation, she darted toward the two remaining gunners, skillfully weaving her laser sword back and forth to deflect incoming fire.

As she closed the gap toward her final targets, Krystal felt a surge of rage fill her mind and body. Why are they firing at me with the intent to harm? How can this possibly be part of my training? I'll show my father what happens when he puts his own guards against me! As she read the minds of the guards, a well-timed parry deflected a plasma round back into the shoulder of one of them, burning a hole through his adamantium chest plate and scorching his body.

Shock and alarm filled the other warrior as instead of fighting back, he let his blaster fall to the ground. Before he could even rush to the aid of his ally, Krystal had reached him, positioning her blade along his throat. Eyes narrowed and lips drawn back in a snarl, Krystal barred her teeth as she held the remaining soldier at the mercy of her blade.

"Krystal, that's enough!" The sound of her father's voice brought Krystal back to reality.

Suddenly, aware of what she had done, Krystal gasped and took several paces backward, nearly fumbling into the fountains at the center of the courtyard. The laser sword fell from her grasp and the blade disappeared as the weapon hit the stone walkway beneath her feet.

What have I done? The young vixen breathed as she cast her glance back at the wounded Cerinian warrior. Somehow, her emotions had gone beyond her control. It almost felt as if another presence was working in her mind, causing her to become aggressive and violent.

"Father, I'm sorry," Krystal choked on her words as she turned to see her father's furious gaze. Turning toward the fountains beside her, she almost gasped as she stared into her distorted reflection, rippling back and forth with the spray of the water. Just as before, in her room, her eyes were not as they normally were; instead of blue, Krystal met two blood-red eyes staring back into hers.