My eyelids are heavy. I want to open them desperately, but they refuse. They are grating against my eyes like sand caught between two ass cheeks. They feel heavier than my entire body, making it impossible to open them.

Something is tickling my arm. I should swat it, but common sense tells me to look first. I have made that mistake before. Never again. Some insects, upon their death, release venom, gas or other deadly poison. I made a mistake with a Syrea Ant while on Krewgsgir. That was a crazy place.

Shaking my head in frustration, I use all my energy to force my eyes open.

Damn! That's bright as stars. Where am I?

Something soft but firm moves gently under me. I suddenly realize I am laying on someone. Shit. Britt.

"Britt! Are you ok?"

"Uggghhhh."

"Looks like you'll live."

It had been his shirt tickling my arm. I could have swatted it after all. I snort out loud at the thought of hitting Britt like a pesky bug.

When he groans again, bringing his hands to his temples, I stop my musings. Suddenly he sits up, and I fall to the ground with a thud, dust settling on my tongue as a gasp in shock.

Twisted in an ungraceful heap on the floor, I push up off the ground and bring my feet under me. I stand, wiping the dirt and sweat off my face. As I stand, I see Her again.

Fuck. It is real. All real!

I stare, barely breathing. Her peaceful angelic face is frozen in time, yet she somehow speaks to me telepathically.

Her lightly tanned skin, long dark hair and oddly short physique for what was to be the Universe's only chance at surviving the Zu'Lar is oddly stunning, and I can't take my eyes away.

She is comically tiny for the astronomical task that lay ahead of her. It is genuinely mind-boggling. I hear Britt groan again, and he shuffles beside me.

Looking down, I see the male is doing his best to get to his feet. His head must still be reeling from the trip we went on. I feel awful.

He is not built for the kind of energy that flows through me. I see that now. He looks pale. Skin more ashen compared to his usual brilliant alabaster.

He hasn't opened his eyes yet, but I am betting they are bloodshot to hell. Fuck! It had been a mistake. I shouldn't have opened to him.

"Heal him, Zea. Then we must leave."

My head whipped back to Her. Can I do that?

"Yes, Zea. Follow your K'ai. It will lead you."

I blink at her still form. My slightly numb brain is trying to wrap itself around speaking to a person in what looks like a coma.

Is she aware of her surroundings? Has she been trapped like this for long? Is she lonely? So many questions.

"Arrggh!" Britt falls back to his knees as he tries to stand.

Ok, let's try this.

I kneel in front of him and close my eyes. I feel my fear of my K'ai returning. Do I dare let my K'ai lead me through this? Does she realize what she is asking? Of course not. Stars!

"Ummm. I think this is a bad idea. I... I can't control my K'ai. It's too strong."

"Oh, Zea. You don't need to control it. You need to bond with it. Connect completely. Have faith. I will explain later."

"Ok. Right." I am talking to a frozen woman who looks rather human to be talking telepathically while she is in stasis.

With that in my mind, letting my K'ai lead doesn't seem nearly as crazy. Especially with poor Britt groaning and rocking back and forth on his knees beside me, head still braced between his massive hands.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes. Connecting to my K'ai has become substantially easier since the Game. It blossoms up inside me like a warm ray of sunshine enveloping my insides. Stars, it feels good.

A vision flashes behind my eyelids. I see myself placing my hands on either side of Britt's temples and pressing my forehead to his. So that's what I do.

Once our foreheads touch, I close my eyes again and only look through my Eye. My K'ai and I see the same thing this way. I follow its lead.

Britt's aura is dull, like grey mud, spotted with black. He's in trouble. I feel the concern deep within​ my K'ai. It almost surpasses my own.

My energy gingerly feels around Britt's. Gently feeling for the best way to blend with him and not hurt him further. Like walking through a strange door or portal, I suddenly find myself in Britt's mind. Following the bright light that is my K'ai, I am led to the source of the problem.

Parts of Britt's mind has been overloaded with my energy. But it cannot contain the energy safely, mind you process it. The high levels of intense energy still buzz around like wildfire. Hopping from here to there. No wonder he is hurting so much.

The solution is easy and comes naturally to me. It is my energy, after all.

My K'ai, a warm light that could be in a shape of me,  comes to me tentatively then—pressing up against my metaphysical form. It feels good. Like a hug from my mom when I was little. Without thinking, I open​ my arms, inviting it in. We become one as it blends with my form, its light filling me.

I can't explain the pure and incredible feeling of this union. There are no words. Peace, serenity, joy, love; not one word could adequately​ describe it or give it credit. But it is perfect. It is bliss and heaven together. It is the one thing I have been missing my whole life. The whole in my heart that I didn't know even existed feeling healed and for the first time whole.

Together we gently call out to the excess energies wreaking havoc in Britt's mind. They come to us willingly and a lot faster than I expected. They slam into me with such force that had I not been so wholly bonded to my K'ai, I know I would have been thrown from Britt's mind.

Strangely I no longer had trust issues with my K'ai. I feel the intent of the action my K'ai wants to take before it even happens. A small and gentle ray of green energy ripples out from us. My K'ai is using the very energy we have just collected, transforming it into gentle healing waves to soothe the bruised channels of Britt's mind.

I am more than a little stunned.

The tension leaves Britt instantly, his muscles relaxing, and a small sigh escapes his dry, cracked lips. Just for kicks, I send my K'ai a silent question. I am rewarded with a feeling of excitement and delight. It is overjoyed in my faith and trust.

Together we take what little extra energy that's left and send it to Britt's energy reserves. Bringing strength that had been sucked out of his muscles to help fight the pain, back with a bit of extra kick. You could say we just charged his battery a little. Who knew!

Knowing it's time, I lean back and remove my hands from Britts temples. The look in his deep brown eyes, with shimmering green flecks, says it all.

He is in complete awe and a little scared.

I can't blame him. I feel a little awestruck too. However, I don't feel fear.

I won't suppress my K'ai back into the cage I built it so long ago. I don't think I could ever do that again. Instead, we stay connected, bonded. We have both been alone for far too long.

Unfortunately, we don't have time to celebrate or enjoy this new union of self. My coma lady had said we needed to leave and that someone was coming. How long had we been out? I feel the urgency emanating from her still.

But first, I need to make things right.

"I am so sorry, Britt! That was beyond foolish of me. Are you ok to stand now?"

"I am more than OK, Zea. I... I..." he shakes his head, maybe not knowing how to put into words what he is thinking.

"It's OK, Britt. I think we are out of time. We need to go."

"Understood. But you know I have a zillion, and one question's when this is over."

"Fair. Now, how do we move Her?"

"Right."

Britt quickly walks over to Her. Examining the pod that has been her home for who knows how long. I hear a grunt then a clicking sound. Suddenly the pod levitates off its docking station.

"Just as I suspected. Like most of the larger Orikai tech, it has an anti-gravity pallet built-in. We just need to push or pull it." Britt gives me a grin. I love that grin.

Well, as long as we don't have to climb ladders, this should be OK.

"Perfect. Let's move." I smile back, feeling relieved my best friend appears to be more than ok.