The Void Beasts left as fast as they came, leaving much of Lyriumia in ruins. Well, more ruins. Naturally, Zoe and Mel managed to get the shields working exactly one moment after the damned Beasts left. Currently, as everyone was still at their chosen locations around the planet, they once again found themselves at a holomeeting.

The silence was tense, everyone still in varying degrees of shock. The planet was trashed, they'd lost more people than in the quake, and there was no way to stop it from happening again any moment! The fact that they even managed to get a meeting was amazing. There was so much to do.

"So, are we gonna address the elephant in the room, or what?" Nikki asked.

Leo slammed his hands on the long table, turning to Colt. "Since when can you fucking fly?"

Zoe shook her head. "I don't think that's what Niks meant – wait, he can fly?"

Colt sighed. "There are more important matters at hand."

"We can come back to that topic later." Carmin rested her holographic hands on the table. "The Void Beasts went after Amneris. Why?"

"She's the Queen?" Ema offered.

"Maybe they know she's the most powerful," Axel suggested thoughtfully.

Mel tilted their head back. "But how could they know that?"

"Someone must have told them," Dan said.

Carmin nudged her husband with an elbow. "Is Jay possessing you or something? Who could communicate with Void Beasts?"

"We don't know that much about them," he explained. "It is possible for all we know."

Imogene's hair changed to a deep crimson. "I can't believe we lost to them . . ."

Isaiah slumped in his seat. "I cannot believe Amneris has gone missing."

Silence overtook the meeting once again.

"Well, let's look on the bright side." Nikki forced a smile. "We know where she is this time. And," she added, "we didn't lose Colt like last time."

"That's true," Ema said. "Afraid I'm going to have to counter, though. Only way we know to get into the Void is to either have the Void Beasts grab you or to accidently stumble there. Neither are exactly on our side right now."

"Countering your counter." Brayden smirked. "Our man, Horus, is in the Void with Jax, Jinx and Selina. They're fucking powerful. Way out of our league."

"And yet to find a way back," Iridia muttered, whacking the back of his head. "Think before you speak for once."

Sol rubbed the back of their neck with a frown. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Shoot up with caffeine then try again?" Imogene tried with a shrug.

Lvaane stood. "We continue the mission." Everyone turned to the Old King as he spoke. "Colt, Leo, Nikki, you are still to go to Hetsipara. We must find the Gods for help. The others have long since left and I will be informing them of matters here. The rest of you know your tasks."

"With all due respect, Sir, I cannot just sit here while Amneris is in the Void." Colt sat forward. "I have to go after her."

The Old King eyed the Terpolite. "How do you plan to find her?"

Colt blinked. "I – uh . . ."

Leo rubbed between his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "As Iridia said, please, for once, would you think before you speak."

Nikki clasped her hands together and fluttered her eyelashes. "He's in wuv!"

Kayla, sitting beside her, sighed and shook her head. "Why did I get stuck with the drama queen as a partner . . .?"

Mel leaned closer to Zoe. "Is this what all your meetings are like?"

Zoe snorted in answer. "Are you kidding? This is tame." Mel had enough sense to leave the subject alone.

Colt slammed his hands on the table, making everyone jump. His eyes flared with golden light, his mostly dormant power rising to the surface momentarily. "We have to go after her! What would happen if Lyriumia went without Naiu's power for too long? For that matter, has anyone even checked on Naiu? Is she still here?"

Once again, everyone turned to Lvaane. He sighed. "I admit I had not considered this."

Imogene rested her chin in her hand with an amused smile. "Pretty sure you're the only one who can check without Aka-Aka around."

"We all have our missions," Lvaane said pointedly. Imogene merely gave him a two-fingered salute.

* * * * * * * *

Lvaane, true to his word, made his way to the Chamber of the Photon Core underneath the Palace. Though he was no longer the Naiu'Idis, he still held Naiu's power and was able to enter the 'secret' entrance. Reaching the innermost chamber, he saw the light of Naiu's orb still burning bright. Her power was still there, thank the Gods. Literally.

Lvaane lowered himself to a knee. "A moment of your time, Great Naiu."

A flash of light and the Deity herself was sitting on her pedestal in her usual white dress and shawl. As always, she glowed with a power from Beyond. "What have I told you about kneeling?"

"Force of habit," Lvaane said, standing.

"I suppose you're here to inform me of my current Chosen's recklessness again?"

"I am here to check on you," he answered. "Your power is still strong?"

Naiu narrowed her eyes. "Is there any reason why it wouldn't be?"

Lvaane shook his head slowly. "My daughter was taken into the Void."

Silence.

Naiu's power shook the chamber so hard the gold cracked and diamond letters fell from names. "She got taken where?"

* * * * * * * *

"I still fail to see why it's a bad idea."

Carmin looked up from where she sat, Blaze sleeping on her lap. She gave Colt a smile she'd perfected long before the birth of her child. "Perhaps if you came up with a plan instead of jumping into action, the others would consider your words."

Colt paced back and forth across the carpet of her living room. Well, his hologram did. He was still in the Palace at Lapide. Carmin was at her residence in Voliabyi. Thankfully, it was one of the areas where the Void Beasts only did a small amount of damage. Dan and Imogene were still out working on repairs and with Healers across the city. They'd insisted she go home and make sure Blaze was okay. The boy had slept through the entire attack! If only he did that when it was nap time. Just as she was readying to leave and take a short flight to check on more local affairs, Colt had called and, well, here they were.

"Leo did have a point," Carmin continued, stroking her son's hair. "You do need to stop and think sometimes. I fear you have become . . ." She frowned, searching her words. "A little headstrong."

Colt's head whipped around. "I am not headstrong."

"When it comes to Amneris you tend to lose your head, and your composure." She giggled. "I wonder if you were like this back when you first got together."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Colt crossed his arms, looking down. He let out a breath. "Maybe I am a little reckless sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Carmin asked with a knowing smile.

"Okay, a lot of the time." He ran a hand through his hair. "I can't help it."

"Oh, I understand completely." Carmin crossed one leg over the other, leaning back into her lounge and picking up her cup of fire tea. "If anything happened to Dan, I would lose my senses, too."

Colt looked surprise. "You lose your senses?"

"When I'm mad enough." She took a sip with her cup, letting out a smoky breath. "Although, on the crazy scale, Dan wins. He did jump in front of me to save my life."

"So, it's a love thing."

Carmin raised her cup in salute. "It's a love thing." She eyed him closely. "Shouldn't you be getting ready to leave?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm not going."

"You're not what?"

"I'm not going." Colt braced his hands firmly on his hips. "I am going to rescue Amneris."

"Uh-huh." Carmin raised an eyebrow. "And how, exactly, were you planning to do this?" She pointed a finger at him as he made to answer. "Don't say you were going to try random rifts until you find one that just happens to go to the Void."

Colt promptly closed his mouth.

Carmin sighed, putting her cup down and shifting her son so she could stand. She jammed her finger into his holographic chest. "Those rifts let out all over the place. They've started showing up on Lyriumia as well. If you don't watch your step, you might just end up somewhere you can't escape. Do you understand me, young man?"

An awed Colt cleared his throat. "You – You do remember the part where I am older than—"

"Do you. Understand me. Young man." Each pair of words was punctuated with a jab of Carmin's finger.

Colt lowered her hand. "I'm sorry, Carmin, I am, but I cannot leave Amneris alone and in danger. You said yourself you would do the same thing if it was Dan who was in danger. We both know nothing you say will change my mind." He turned to leave the platform.

Carmin raised a hand to her head. Her eyes widened as a vision—the damned things had horrible timing!—flashed through her mind. Her hand shot out. "Colt, wait! You're about to walk straight into a—"

His hologram vanished.

"Rift," she finished, hand dropping. "Shit."

* * * * * * * *

On the other end of the now closed line, Colt looked around in confusion at his new surroundings.

"Ah."

No longer was he standing in the Palace, he was standing in what looked like an old city. The buildings crumbled and the paint had long-since faded under the light of the harsh sun. Correction, suns. Colt raised a hand to protect his eyes as he counted all four of them. Strange, usually systems had no more than three. Perhaps the fourth was a rogue.

He spun around at the sound of someone screaming. It was followed by a high-pitched, loud roar. Colt frowned. "There is no way that's good." The roar sounded again. Someone called out for help straight after. Colt's instincts kicked in. He ran toward the sound.