I find Xalale still being pestered by Clifford, Tucker, and Otis near one of the pavilions. I don't know what they're talking to him about, but I can tell they're close to talking his ear off. He doesn't seem annoyed, but then again his unreadable mask is on again, so I can't be certain that he's not past his limit.

   "Hey, guys."

   "Hey, Mal." Clifford's the only one that greets me. Tucker and Otis are still talking.

   "I remember I got a black eye once playing the game," Tucker prattles on, "It didn't really show up much until the next day when it was all black and dark blue and swollen. It really hurt, but I didn't cry one tear."

    Otis scoffs at that.

   "Sure looked like you were crying to me. In fact, bawling like a baby when I ran over to you."

   "Pfft, yeah right, you're just jealous I have a high pain resistance like my mom says I do."

   I decide to step in, ignoring this petty squabble.

   "So, Xalale, you ready to go?" I ask. We're pushing our luck hanging around here too long.

   He begins to agree and get up from the bench when Otis pipes up.

   "Why do you call him Xalale, isn't it Axel?"

   "Yeah," I answer. "But you guys would never remember that."

    Tucker crosses his arms, looking me up and down. "Yeah, and you do?"

    I scoff. "Clearly. I mean, it's honestly a fairly easy name."

    Of course they take that as me calling them stupid little kids and get all huffy about it.

    "Well if you're so clever, spell it." Tucker challenges.

    "Spell what?"

    "His name." Otis states.

     Even though I'm giving them a confident, whatever look, I actually have to pause and think on that. Yeah, I know how to say his name, but spell it? I was never the greatest speller- though I'm not too shabby either.

    "Well go on," Tucker prompts. "Spell it for us."

    Somehow I think looking over at Xalale will help me, but unfortunately he's offering me no assistance on this. I think he wants to know if I can actually spell his name. I'm going to look like an idiot if I don't answer soon.

   "How many letters are even in his name? There can't be many, his name only has two syllables."

   "A-x-z-e-l," As I'm hesitantly spelling this, judging from the look on Xalale's face and just the words that are coming from my mouth, I know I'm way off.

   Tucker laughs in triumph. "You don't know it."

   "Then what it is," I cut back.

   Biting his lip then giving a devious grin, he smirks.

   "Fine. E-x-c-a-l-e."

   "Now I know that's not how you spell it," I reply. I then look to Xalale, who seems amused at this all. "How do you spell your name?"

   "Your answer is closer than his-"

   "Of course," I state, rolling my eyes at Tucker.

   "But not by much," He finishes.

   "Oh."

   "Then how do you spell it," Clifford asks again.

   For a moment, he doesn't respond, leaving us waiting then finally looks at me and comments.

   "We should begin our walk back."

   "Wait, how do you spell your name?" Tucker presses.

   "It's fairly simple," He returns his attention back to me. "You said you were ready."

    I'm curious, just like them, to know how his name is spelled and really want to hear the answer.

   "Uh, yeah, but how do you spell your name," I question.

   Again, he doesn't respond right away but when he does he starts to walk away and says,

   "I'll tell you on the way."

   As he walks away, me and the others exchange troubled looks. I don't think they can tell- and I barely catch it- but I can sense he's trying to pull us along (he has those rare, once-in-a-blue-moon playful moods, this must be one of them) by not revealing the answer so easily.

   "Can ya throw us a hint at least?" Tucker cries, desperately.

    Xalale never looks around to answer, leaving us with even more question.

   "Well, he's gonna tell me on the way back, so..."

   "I'll see you guys around," I say, starting to leave as well. "Be on time tomorrow, Cliff."

   "Yeah, but tell us how he spells his name." He whines.

    It's amusing watching the three of them trying to conjure up the correct spelling, bickering between themselves.

    Catching up to Xalale, who waits for me on the other side of the street, I'm pulled in by his lure and ask him once again how he spells it, but he tells me "later".

   We head out of town, on the lonely road back to the trailer, walking in the usual silence. I'm actually thinking about how on earth his name could be spelled and, of course, he's not telling me.

   "Are you actually going to tell me the answer or are you giving me the runaround?"

   He stares at the forest that lines either side of the road.

   "Perhaps."

   It's so hard to determine if he's playing or being serious most of the time. There are times where I can definitely, with certainty, tell he's pulling my leg, but in this instant, I can't. It sounds like he is, but I can't be certain.

   "Can you give me a hint maybe?"

   He glances at me for a second before fixating his attention back on the clustered woods.

   "There's no z and there are three vowels- that's practically telling you the answer."

   "How is there no z!?"

   "Three vowels?"

    We continue in silence, my mind now a frenzy of thoughts and ideas that could possibly be the answer. I'm in deep thought when a hauntingly familiar wave of pain washes over me. It's numb down more than the last time, but the pain is still present and hurts.

    Cringing, I have to stop in my tracks, gasping at the intensity of pain shooting through my temples. While the world around me spins like a twister of distorted color before me, I struggle to stay steady on my feet, eventually staggering into the wild, tall grass off the road near the forest. By this time, Xalale notices my distressed state and approaches me with concern.

   "What's wrong?"

   Bracing myself against the base of a tree, I let out a shaky breath.

   "I think it's happening again...the transition."

   "Are you in pain?"

   I wanna snap back at that stupid question, but I'm fading too fast for my words to be coherent. At this point, I'm helpless the stop the inevitable, letting it take me as painlessly as possible.

The sensation of emerging from the bottom of a pond to the surface above is what my body is greeted to upon slipping into consciousness in a dim room.

   The details begin to work themselves out little by little. First, the gray stone walls and the ground below, next, the single window letting in the natural light, a faint outline of a door is blurred by the edge of my vision screen it seems.

    It always feels like I'm watching this unfold like something on the TV. The picture isn't high definition but it fits the bill. The edge of the view expands until I can see most of the room before me. Finally, I see her pacing, anxiously, near the rickety, wooden framed bed. She doesn't seem to realize my presence, which makes me wonder if it's like the last vision where I was able to observe things in the room, but the occupants in the room couldn't sense me. From what I gather, she seems to be alone, so I decide to try calling out to her, seeing if that breaks the barrier.

   But I don't even have to speak a word. Abruptly, she halts in her pacing, her head snapped up in keen attention like a deer in the forest. She glances around.

   "Mallory?"

   Relieved she can sense me, I breathe.

   "I'm here!"

   She hurries over to where I am but continues searching around as if my voice was the only thing which gave me away.

   "Sephora?"

   Her eyes connect with mine, yet she seems to look right past them, continuing to look around desperately.

   "I can't see you, yet, I only hear your voice. We must make this brief and informative."

   "Alright," I'm eager, yet uneasy to hear news of any kind. "What's going on?"

   She begins to speak, but cuts herself off and steps back a little, letting out a brief sigh if relief.

   "Oh, there you are."

    I guess I've finally materialized. Things do look a bit clearer, including the deep worry lines- that might become permanent- on her face. She gets right down to business.

   "She knows where you are, where the stone is- she wants that stone, she's going to get it," The graveness and fear in her voice speak volumes. "What did you do? How did you disturb it- why did you disturb it? Now she knows-"

   "Wait, wait, wait," We need to slow down. "Back up, I'm confused. I thought Aelita didn't know where the stone was. I heard your conversation with her the last time. You only knew what the stone was located on, not the exact location."

   "We had no idea as to where the stone might be located. Until early this morning."

    I'm still lost, but I let her go on.

   "The queen has- as I stated once before- all the pieces to a project she is currently working on. She was only missing one piece which she had me try to locate. This morning, the other pieces glowed indicating somebody activated the missing piece since the others were reacting to it. The queen summoned me the moment it happened the first time and by the time I arrived, the pieces were glowing again. They faded after a few seconds, but she made me locate the other piece..."

   "And?"

    She appeared pained as she spoke this. I noticed she seems quite haggard and more stressed than normal.

   "She knows you have it in your possession."

   "What!?"

    How did it go from, she has no idea where it might be to the other pieces glowing and she can pinpoint the exact location?

   "Yes, she knows exactly where it is and is determined to retrieve it. It's the last piece in her puzzle."

   "But how does she know?" I ask dumbfounded.

   "Because," She wrings her hands. "When I was attempting to locate the stone, the vision that was revealed would be that of the stone's location at the present time. We heard your voice and you said the king's name. I tried to delay it, Mallory, but the queen, she is cruel and I feared- I shouldn't have-"

   "No, you have to protect yourself first and foremost, Sephora," I assure her, though now my body is in full panic mood.

   "She knows where we are. She knows we have the stone." Aelita strikes me as the type to fight for whatever she wants, so it's not a matter of if she'll take action to retrieve it, it's a matter of when.

    I'm mulling this all over in my mind when Sephora timidly interrupts.

   "I hate to be the bearing of bad news again, Mallory, but I believe I've figured out the queen's plan with those pieces."

    I don't think I even want to know at this point, but I have to in order to know the full extent of this threat.

   "The queen wants to- from what she has expressed- create a new order, a new Edalirwen. She wants to erase the history, the memory, the people even, of this planet."

    I blink.

   "She wants to create a new world the way she wants?"

   She nods worryingly.

   "But I fear the greatest factor in this is the extent she wishes to execute this 'new order'."

   "What do you mean?" I ask, not really wanting to know what she means.

   "She understands worlds like your own exist and I believe it doesn't improve matters with you having the crucial piece to her plot, but she wishes to overcome your world as well. Mesh the universes into one and create one world with a fate she destines for it. That is her desire for those pieces."

    I can't even fathom this; this doesn't only affect Edalirwen- one planet- this affects mine as well! My whole universe! This affects everyone, from Edalirwen to Earth!

   My tongue is heavy due to the new dryness in my mouth. Swallowing, I find my meager voice to ask,

   "How do we stop her?"

   Sephora bores her eyes into mine. For a moment, they lose all signs of fatigue and fear, only reading of seriousness.

   "Don't let her get close to that stone. Protect it, Mallory- I know you can."

   My breath hitches as the reality of this sets in. I'm frightened with the possibility of my whole universe ending, but I know it would probably benefit me if I remain calm and collected.

   "I'll guard it with my life," I swear. "Just don't let her reach us. I'm trying to get Xalale back as quickly as possible, but we're still at a stand still with progress."

   Glancing to the left at the door, the worry in her face deepens as she looks back at me.

   "I will try to devise a way to prevent the queen from reaching you, but I have no suggestions on how to bring the king back, unfortunately."

   Putting my hands on my hips, I stare at the ground and sigh.

   "It's alright. But," I glance up. "I have been trying to use his abilities more- his darkness. I feel like he can do so much with it, but I'm not sure what yet."

   "My only advice to keep persisting with him."

   "I'll try."

   Suddenly, she looks back over at the door and I sense her growing concern.

   "We can talk later," I say. "Make sure you're safe and out of harm's way."

   "I will try. I pray, you too will continue to stay on guard and secure."

   Taking a breath, I nod.

   Already, the edge of my vision is beginning to darken, closing in on me. The nauseating feeling begins to wash over me and the colors blur out.

   Though our connection is rapidly fading, she calls out to me one last time, her voice disappearing as if I submerged under water.

   "Keep the stone...I know you...I will..."

    Then she's gone and I'm taken in a whirlwind of fading colors into darkness.

Just like the last time, my sight returns to me first, revealing I'm still on the side of the road back to my house, this time, lying in the grass. I'm not in a rush to sit up since the throbbing sensation in my head is still faintly there. Also like last time, my hearing is the last thing to be fully restored.

   Finally sitting up, I hadn't noticed Xalale kneeling next to me until I glance to my side, trying to collect my bearings.

   There's apparent concern on his face as he asks if I'm alright, but I'm already getting to my feet, my mind a maelstrom.

   "Where do I even start?"

   Pacing a bit, my senses are now fully restored and in full throttle.

   "Mallory, what's wrong?"

   I can't stop wracking through my mind thinking of the consequences if Aelita were to possess the stone. Suddenly, I wish to return home to the stone as quickly as possible even though I know there's no way she could reach it- yet.

   But Xalale wants answers and stands up, again asking what's troubling me.

   "Okay, Mal, just stop and breathe," I mentally inform myself. "Worrying your head off isn't going to solve anything. Let's just relax and analyze things logically."

   Taking my own advice, I pause from my panicked pacing, taking a moment to close my eyes and take a quick breath, before looking at Xalale to begin expressing the new dilemma at hand.

   "Remember when you used your darkness on that stone and it glowed and stuff? That acted like a beacon and now Aelita knows we have the stone which she wants to use in order to fulfill her plot of merging our two universes and in essence starting over with a new planet."

    Even though I try to appear and act composed and level-headed, my voice always gives away how overwhelmed and stressed I am, as it did when blurting him all that.

    Placing my hands on my hips and shaking my head, I wait for his reaction.

    His voice is- in these situations- always calm and collected; in every way I want mine to be. The only way you could decipher how he feels is by the look in his eyes which, right now, reads of concern.

   "What do we do?"

   "At this point, all we can do is try to get you back as quickly as possible and protect that stone."

   I'm anxious to return home to guard the stone, but he stops me.

   "What if we were to destroy it, that would prove no one could use it."

   "Huh?" I stop to ponder that. "How? It's strong magic from what I've seen."

   "True, but even the strongest magic has its weakness."

    It sounds like a tempting, logical idea, destroying something before it can destroy us, but there's still a bit of reservation on my part about it. Xalale must sense that and tries to reassure me.

   "I'd rather risk any setbacks with that than leave it up to Fate whether or not my mother succeeds in her plans."

    After a moment, I sigh then nod wearily.

   "You're right. We need to do something. We should get going then."

    We start up again towards the house, the weight of reality beginning to set in.

    We need to destroy that stone before Aelita can get her hands on it. I can't express the dread that would overcome me if she ever got that stone. This needs to work. It has to.