The numbness wears off, my body adjusting to the coldness of the cave once again. I slowly open my eyes to see members glaring down at me. I focus my eyes on Gisela. Suddenly, I pick up an emotion. Shock. Her eyes widen. Now disbelief. 

"Well?" 

"I- uh, think I'm an empath and a charger?.." 

"Unbelievable." Mutters one of the nurses. 

"Everyone. Dismissed." She says, dismissing the swarm around me. Her ice blue eyes focus on me. A smug smile draped across her face. 

"Perfect." 

"Excuse me?" 

"You, Shay, you are the key to defeating the Black Swan. If we could trigger another abili-" 

"Sorry, but no." I roll my eyes sarcastically. 

"After my failed attempt with my son, you are the best replacement." Wow. A replacement for her failed 'legacy son'. 

"Thank you, Lady Gisela." 

"My pleasure." Grimly, she leaves the room. I wander back to my area of the cave, still shock from the days happenings. 

I can't believe that she thinks I could be a replacement for Keene Sencen. I'm exhausted from the long day, so I decide to go to sleep. 

I am woken up by the sound of rushing people around. I pick up a swirl of emotions, fear, anger, and even some sadness. I rush out of my room but only to find the Moonlark's  Black Swan swarming around the caves. A storm to the scene, and then I abruptly stop when I see a tall blonde boy with the same icy blue eyes as Gisela with messy blonde hair. He stops when I see him. He opens his mouth but I shock him with a wave of electricity and lightning. 

Sophie Foster runs in with Fitz Vacker and see the boy laying on the ground. She gasps in shock and looks at me, and inflicts pain on me. The pain knocks me out. Ugh, again? I feel anger from Sophie and confusion from Fitz as I fade away. 

—————

"Who are you and what are you doing with the neverseen?" Demands Sophie.

"I don't know, they-" A shorter boy with strawberry blonde hair walks in with a band and straps it on my wrist. I try to charge it off, but it doesn't work. Sophie demands again. I can't feel her this time. 

"Sophie, this should work." The strawberry blonde haired boy says, leaving the room. 

"What is  this?" 

"An ability restrictor." She says, glaring at me. Fitz grabs her hand. They are probably having a telepathic conversation right now. She turns to me after a short period of time and then breathes in and out. 

"What did they do to you and who are you?" 

"I'm Shay Kingston. I lived in Everfield since I was 12; 3 years ago. I was there when Fontana destroyed Eternailia, when...when.." 

"What?"

"When my parents died. The Neverseen, or to be specific, Gethen, captured me. They made me special and Lady Gisela told me I was her 'Lodestar Project'" 

Sophie Elizabeth Foster looked like she could scream higher than a Gulon.

"So that's what it is?!" She yelled. 

"Uh, yeah. I never really understood what it was. I guess it was their attempt at a Moonlark." 

Sophie was absolutely stunned. She didn't utter a word for a while. 

"Look, I don't completely understand, uh..." 

"It's Shay." I replied. 

"Thanks. I think Keene must be conscious by now, so I'll go and check on him." She tugged an eyelash nervously. These people are so strange. No wonder, they kill people. I scowled. 

Later that night, I was interrogated again. This time by Sophie. Only Sophie. 

She stared at me for a while then started to speak. "Why do you look so much like him?" 

"Excuse me? Who?" 

"Nobody. It's just that there's a similar resemblance. It's all so strange." She took a breath. "Your like me from another group of people."  

It took me a while to absorb this info. If I was the Neverseen's moonlark, or Lodestar project, what was I destined to do? Was I really meant for this? "Shay? Shay? Hello?" I snapped back to the real world. 

"I'm sorry. I don't know who to trust anymore." I focused on the floor, avoiding eye contact with the enemy. Or were they the enemy? The Neverseen might as well be. While I was busy having a stare down with the floor, Sophie nearly leaped out of her seat. 

"THATS IT!" she said.

"What? What?" I replied, startled from the sudden bolt of energy from Foster. 

"You could spy for us! If, uh, Mr Forkle will let us." 

"I- wait, woah. Gethen killed him in Lumenaria."

"Well, he sort of has a twin." 

Yep, that shocked me. 

"Anyways," she continued, "you can play a double life. Find out your side of the Lodestar plan, and we'll use that for information to defeat the neverseen." 

"Listen, Sophie, I've been with the neverseen for the past three years. I've never realized what was so wrong. All I wanted to do was kill you, no offense, but I think that this could be the way to actually make the world the way it was before." When my parents were alive , I added mentally.

"Are you in, then?" 

I was unsure, but deep down I knew that this would be what my parents wanted for me. 

"Alright. I'm in."