Beanni awoke on the cold, stone floor of a damp, barely lit room. The only light came from a doorway on top of a stone staircase. Peering into the darkness, she tried her hardest to make out any shape, but the shadows were too overwhelming. She reached for her light orb, but her pouch was missing from her waist.
"What?" she gasped, and scrambled to her feet, fumbling in the dark.
She stood, holding herself up against a cold, damp wall. The only sound she could hear was her panicking breath as the shadows began to play on her claustrophobia, making her feel suffocated.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?" she screamed into the abyss.
Suddenly a door opened, causing a faint light to spill upon a staircase, then a silhouette filled the doorway, making shadows take over the little light that crept in.
"Hello, you're awake at last," a woman's velvety voice said. She then took out her light orb that threw rays of magic upon her mauve cloak and her tan face; such a sight made her feel for her pouch again.
"What have you done with my light orb?" she demanded.
"Oh, its safe, don't worry."
"Give it back!"
"No, I think I'll keep a hold of it for now. I can't risk you using light magic to escape."
"Why are you doing this?" Beanni's voice trembled. "Who are you?"
"My name is Genelle," she announced, and made her way down the stone steps. Torches that lined the staircase, sensed her orb's magic and lit up their orange flames in a perfect sequence as she moved.
"Genelle? Genelle who?" Beanni instinctively took a couple of steps back, away from the approaching stranger.
"Fiosolim. I believe you know my older sister, Nani?"
"I didn't know she had a sister..."
Beanni found Genelle's responding facial expression hard to read; she couldn't tell if she was sad, irritated or indifferent by this revelation. The mauve clad woman got to the end of the staircase and the remainder of the torches, which lined one wall of the dingy room, lit up with the same orange glow.
Beanni took this opportunity to take in her surroundings, she looked around and saw many shelves full of boxes of varying sizes, some that looked like coffins.
"Where am I?" Beanni asked, not able to take her eyes off the ominous setting.
"You're in Petra Marbh," the strange woman answered simply.
"What?" Beanni squeaked in disbelief. "We're in the old Fiosolim burial place?" she added, barely able to speak above a whisper.
"That we are."
A cold shiver shook uncomfortably at Beanni's spine.
"W-we can't be down here! W-Why did you bring me here?" she stammered, her heart beginning to hammer in her chest as fear of what being in this forbidden place meant clawed at her mind. A hand then gripped her shoulder and made her turn swiftly to gaze into large olive-green eyes that stared intensely into her soul.
"Don't worry, Beanni, everything will be fine," Genelle said in a gentle, yet untrustworthy voice.
"H-how do you know my name?" Beanni stuttered, and watched the woman raise a finger up to her pursed lips.
"Shh..."
Genelle then grabbed Beanni's wrist and led her to a wooden table with three chairs surrounding it - all of which had clearly seen better days.
"Sit down," she ordered the bewildered teen.
Beanni sat down, her scowling eyes not leaving the mauve clad woman as she moved towards a shelf to pick up a large, antique box. She carefully placed the box onto the ancient table and dragged a chair towards her so that she could sit beside Beanni.
"I'm sorry about all of this, but soon you'll know all that you need to know," Genelle said slowly to reassure the scared thirteen year old. "You just need to trust me."
"How can I possibly trust you?" Beanni tensed up her shoulders as she spoke. "You knocked me out, abducted me and took me to a place where nobody is supposed to step foot in by royal decree!"
"I know this looks bad!" Genelle moved awkwardly in her seat. "But please, I have a good reason for bringing you here."
"How can you?" Beanni asked, not able to relax.
"I just do. This was the best place for us to be in complete privacy from those out there," Genelle said, pointing towards the archway on top of the stone staircase, then added. "From those who won't understand."
"I don't understand!" Beanni jumped to her feet in protest. Genelle stood up slowly and pushed on Beanni's shoulders to sit her back down.
"Everything will be okay," she said, then made her way to the box on the table.
"Why won't you tell me who you are?" Beanni asked, still not able to keep her voice from trembling.
"I did."
"No, you just told me your name. Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"I've been watching you for a long time," Genelle said whilst reaching into the box. She drew out a large metallic bowl with a strange transparent lid and set it carefully on the table.
"You've been watching me? How? When?" Suddenly a brief memory came to the forefront of Beanni's mind. "You were at Luna Lake!"
"Indeed, I saw Gealach Trabem rise." Genelle said, then looked at Beanni with a wide smile. "You got blessed by the moon."
"How could you know that? You couldn't have seen me. I was protected by Samhun Tealia," Beanni protested.
"Really? And why were you under a family symbol spell underage? Sneaking out were you? Trying not to get caught by your Draoic father?" An intimidating look seeped into Genelle's intense eyes.
"Who are you?" Beanni demanded. Her jaw tensed as she held back frustrated tears.
"You'll see very soon exactly who I am if you are willing," a strange gravelly tone coiled its way into Genelle's velvet voice.
"If I'm willing? What are you talking about?"
"Do you know what this is?" Genelle asked, pointing at the bowl she placed on the table moments ago.
"No..." Beanni admitted timidly.
With a knowing smirk, Genelle lifted the lid and Beanni jumped out of her seat in a panic.
"Prophetic smoke? You're a gazer?" Beanni squeaked. The woman's smirk turned into a determined stare.
"Yes. And so will you be," she declared.
"No. I'll never gaze! It's forbidden. It's against the law!"
The woman scoffed and let out a humourless laugh. "Young Natanstrelleans these days! Forced to follow like sheep. Indoctrinated to fear the search for knowledge, you're all so willing to bend to tyrannical leadership!" she sneered through gritted teeth. She then grabbed Beanni's arm. "You will gaze for me!"
Beanni pulled her arm from the woman's tight grip and as she did sharp nails scraped down her bare forearm. The threatening look in Genelle's eyes then dissolved away, leaving behind a look of deep regret. Her stare taking in the red marks she left.
"I'm sorry, Beanni. I didn't mean to scare you," she said in a shaky voice.
"I just want to go home." Beanni's lips trembled and her vision began to blur.
"I'll let you go home," the woman said, reaching her hand up to the terrified girl's face to wipe away her tears. "Once you've gazed for me."
Beanni shook her head, then didn't know where to look.
"Please, Beanni, I promise, just one glimpse then you're free to go."
Beanni let out a long shaky breath.
"You promise?" she whispered, it felt pointless to keep fighting; she could see that this determined woman was not going to back down.
"I promise." She nodded, then pulled Beanni's chair closer to the table and got her to sit back down. The white smoke danced and swirled inches from her worried face.
"Breathe it in, and relax," Genelle instructed her, and she obeyed without another word. The white cloud travelled over her eyes, brought out a violet glow, then completely took over her sight.
Beanni blinked and opened her eyes. Surrounded by, what looked like, a wicker basket, she looked straight up towards the darkening sky beyond the tops of towering trees. A woman's face then filled her vision. Her olive-green eyes glistened with fresh tears that sprung to the surface of an already tear-stained face and her long messy, ash-blonde hair fell loosely into the basket.
"I can see - I think - Is that you?" Beanni queried. Her voice sounded strangely distant. Genelle didn't respond with words, but Beanni felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry," the woman, who looked like Genelle, whispered. "My baby girl, I'm so so sorry."
Her face then moved extremely close, making Beanni's vision go dark for a brief second, then backed up again. Her full, pink lips trembled as she reached into her mauve cloak and took out a gold pendant - a pendant that Beanni recognised.
"I promise, I'll be back for you one day." She put down the pendant, got to her feet and disappeared. The sound of a baby's frightened scream took over all other sounds, as the darkening sky and growing shadows became all that Beanni could see.
A bright violet flash then engulfed the dark scene, making Beanni jump.
"What was that?" Beanni called out.
"What do you see?" Genelle's distant voice enquired.
"I don't..." Beanni began, but was distracted as a strange scene formed in front of her eyes. An incredible looking city appeared before her. It had impossibly tall buildings that towered into the sky. They reflected light like they were covered in mirrors and glowed with strangely shaped lamps that shone a great range of colours. Whizzing through the air were odd looking metal ovals that had in-built light orbs that they used to guide their way. They made a loud whirring sound - Beanni had never heard anything like it.
"Where am I? What is this place?" she asked aloud.
Suddenly her vision blurred around her as if she had started to run. It stopped in front of the shiny surface of the closest building, where she saw the reflection of a man looking back at her, he was wearing strange metallic looking clothing. Beanni saw a violet glow coming from his irises and a smile stretch out his freckled face.
"At long last!" he said. "We've connected! Beanni! It's you!"
A gasp left Beanni's throat. The many buildings and the man's face faded away. Trees then sprung up all around her and before her lay a different man, a Natanstrellean. He was sprawled upon a forest floor, with unblinking eyes, the foliage beneath him was stained crimson with his blood. Then suddenly two bright lights stung her eyes and a large metal creature, not unlike the ones she saw in the strange city, hurtled towards her. She let out a scream and squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them up again, two large yellow eyes with black vertical slits for pupils stared deeply into her soul and a loud "Meow!" echoed in her mind.
A bright white light took over the whole of Beanni's vision and a kind sounding, deep voice echoed all around her.
"There is a better way to find out the truth!" it said, then Beanni felt herself being dragged backwards.
She found herself back inside the catacombs looking at the metallic bowl - the white swirling smoke now completely snuffed out. She turned towards Genelle who was sitting beside her, scowling at the now empty metallic bowl. Her intense eyes then glanced towards the stunned teen.
"What happened? What did you see?" she demanded.
"I... I saw you, you... You are..." Beanni stammered and shook her head. "And then I was somewhere else. N-not Natanstrelle. Not any place I know."
"It must've been the non-magical realm!" A smile played on Genelle's mouth as she contemplated the concept. "What else? What else did you see?"
"There was a man..."
"What colour was his eyes?" Genelle demanded, with a desperate look in her own. "What colour were they?"
"Purple. Th-they were glowing purple," Beanni answered, and Genelle jumped to her feet in celebration.
"You've made contact! It worked!"
"W-what are you talking about?" Beanni asked with a tremor in her voice.
"You've made contact with an incredibly important being!"
"Right..." Beanni sighed and nodded her head, not knowing what else to do. "Erm, can I go home now?"
"No."
"But, you promised!"
"Yes, I know," Genelle said dismissively. "And I had every intention to let you go home. But things have changed now. You must come with me."
"Where?"
"Where there is more prophetic smoke," Genelle said, then moved away from the table and looked up towards the exit above the stone stairs. "We'll leave as soon as possible!"