Magic of Etheria

Chapter 9 | Cast out the Shadows

After carrying Catra over to Bow and healing all three of us together, then shrinking back down to my normal self, I sat on the floor cradling her unconscious body in my arms. I had lightly removed her gloves and circlet, placing them carefully to one side, and now I just looked down at her with tears in my eyes as I stroked her expressionless face.

Bow had called Entrapta back and plugged the tracker pad into the console so that she could help him go through the information, to work out what was going on. They were talking about having to crack through security without tripping any alarms, but I wasn't listening. Not really. All I could do in that moment was hold on to Catra, just like I had after saving her from Horde Prime less than a month ago. Feeling her body limp like this again was tearing a hole in me. I pressed my forehead against hers and whispered, 'Catra... I love you... Please be okay...'

What had caused this? I now knew there was something she wanted to tell me; she had mentioned it moments beforehand. What was it? What was wrong? I knew she had mixed feelings about a lot of things since leaving the Horde, her conscience was heavy with all she had done, and she was working through that, bit by bit - but this seemed like something else. Something about this room caused her to mentally collapse in moments. She hadn't told me about anything specific about what happened on Prime's flagship, could it be to do with that? Was this place somehow connected? Had it triggered more flashes? A lasting effect from the chip, perhaps? My mind raced at the possibilities, trying to work out what could have caused such a response.

Wait. The response. I looked over at the First Ones tech. That energy barrier, that wind, was that from the tech or from...

'Adora.'

Bow's voice snapped me back to reality and I looked up to find him kneeling in front of me.

I felt tears drip from my eyes at the sudden movement. 'Yeah?' There was a lump in my throat, my voice barely made a sound.

'Sorry, but you're going to want to see this.'

I nodded, and Bow stood before walking back over to the console. I gently lifted Catra's head and moved myself from under her, then carefully placed her head back down. Then I took my jacket off and folded it before tenderly lifting Catra's head again and sliding my folded jacket under, before lowering her head back onto it slowly. I stroked her cheek and smiled softly, before kissing her forehead, standing up, and making my way over to the console.

Bow had questions, and concerns, and doubts. I could tell. They were plastered all over his face. But I knew that, for me, he was being considerate and not voicing them. Yet. 'Okay,' I said as I joined him at the console, looking up at the holographic screens that had appeared over it, 'Hit me.'

'From what we've been able to find,' he began, 'The First Ones used this place to heal their wounded and sick. But they did it by using the magic of Etheria.'

I frowned, 'Wait, what? How.'

Bow pressed some buttons on the console and a diagram of the spire came up, 'By using the spire, they collected the magic out of the surrounding area. Harnessing that magic, they were able to develop ways of using it for healing and medicine. For thousands of years, long before Mara, this temple drained the magic from a huge portion of Etheria - and once it ran out of magic from the land, it started draining the life force from the wildlife too. Adora, this place created the Crimson Waste, it's the reason this place is so dead. And for whatever reason, restoring magic to Etheria restarted it, which is why everything has been dying again. The systems that are draining magic and life-force are also the reason for the interference on the maps since they're powered by a combination of tech and magic.' He brought up another screen flashing with warnings and errors, 'And it looks like at some point after the First Ones left, leaving this place running, wherever they were storing the magic filled to the brim and burst, causing a major leak inside the temple. Which explains all the plants and glowing... things.'