“It was Kevin.” He spoke in a calm, matter of fact kind of voice.

“But I had a dream where Kevin was one of your people.”

“Oh that? We used to be partnered with him. I trusted him. But he backstabbed me and betrayed me.” Zenit cut in.

“Did you not hear and see him, laughing, and hurting that guard? Also I made it past the doors of truth, so how could I be against you? I was-” his voice cracked, “I was your best friend on earth. Before, before you died.” Dave added.

Suddenly it hit me “wait? Didn’t I trade my life for Zoe’s? But then what happened about the fake knife and all that?”

“You gave me your life but when I slipped on the floor, I didn’t die, you just became unconscious and I was back to normal. After you got better you were in a wheelchair and weak when Kevin or Dave killed you.” Zoe explained to me.

“Also, Zenit. What’s up about being my step father and the eb sko dk?”

“I- your father was Zenit, the real guardian. He died for me, his twin brother. We were identical and I didn’t want you to worry so I became your father. After, your mother had Berry here, with me and you guys were cousins but everyone believed that you were siblings. And the eb sko dk? That that you will figure out later.”

“Wait! The crying child! The underground, you guys steal children!?”

“Nooo, that was just to get you here without arousing suspicion. The people we ‘stole’ were our children.” As he talked, the woman that had been crying stepped out of nowhere and smiled.

“Okay but where is everyone coming from!?”

“Oh ha! That is a portal that has been illusioned to not be seen.”

“But you guys have to have very strong illusion power so that I can’t even see it. Like I can tell that Zenit is wearing his pajamas but has a strong illusion over it to seem like he is formal.”

“How did you know?! The portal is covered by every one of us's illusion, which is why even the strongest can’t see through it; but how did you see through my clothes? I used my strongest illusion on it.”

I smiled. “I have my ways.” I said mysteriously.

We were talking when a loud boom shook the ground.

“Get in! Quick!”

The portal was uncovered and people were squeezing in. I went in and the sensation was one of the worst in my life. It was the feeling when you're on a roller coaster and you're going straight down, your intestines feel like they are coming out of you when you slow down and come to a stop. The only problem was that it never stopped. You just kept falling and falling. The portal was dim but I could still see the silhouettes of the other people in there. I was going to talk but I was silenced by a glare. Listening closer, I could hear Zenit and Berry laughing, as if nothing had happened. Then there was a loud crash and a deep voice shouted,

“HALT!”

Zenit and Berry stopped laughing.

“I have reports that there were intruders here?!”

“Of course not,” Zenit let out a forced laugh.

“If there was, they would be killed and sent to the eb immediately. Even I know that okay!?”

The eb? That was the first part of the eb sko dk. Who was the eb? Was the eb the ruler of all or something? But I thought that Berry and Zenit were the rulers? So many thoughts raced through my mind.

The deep voice was about to speak when somebody in the portal started crying and wailing. I freaked out, I willed all of my illusion to cover the portal but it was too late.

“Who made that sound?!” He bellowed.

The portal door was ripped open and a huge man looked me in the eye.

“EVERYBODY GET OUT!”

People started timidity shuffling out of the portal.

“FASTER!” the man shouted. He then waved his hand and I felt my hand instinctively go behind my back like everyone else and zip ties appeared on my wrist. I could feel that they were weak and that I could break them but it didn’t. We walked single file in a line and the man got out a little device that looked like a radio transmitter. I couldn’t tell what it did but I knew it was something bad. He scanned every single person and every time the gadget beeped he would pull them into another line. He got closer and closer to me and Zoe so I focused all my attention on the gadget not to beep in front of me or Zoe. The machine went over Zoe flawlessly but when it got to me it gave a faint beeping sound.

“Hmmm”

The man looked at me and decided that his gadget needed new batteries. He swapped the batteries out and pointed it at me again. I was so tired from all my magic that I couldn’t concentrate. The machine beeped and I was shoved over with the group of others.

The man finished scanning the line and he led us off to another room. I looked at Zoe and looked at me. I could see the desperation in her eyes.

“Where are we going?” I asked the man

He looked at me like I was crazy and then smiled.

“Oooo, we have a newbie here! Why we are going to the incinerator and you will fight to the death. If you win you will incinerate everyone else then maybe we will spare you life.” He gave a cruel laugh and led us through a maze of hallways.

I desperately tried to communicate with the others in my head but it did not work. I tried to communicate with people through the eyes but no one would meet my gaze. The one person that did had a look of sympathy and sorrow.

“And we are here!”

The man led us to a large room that had a huge open fire pit on one side. He took out a small camera and said

“Recording! Now please fight your hardest!”

Before anyone could move, I broke my zip ties and charged the man. I tackled him towards the fire. But his body sent out a wave of electricity almost as powerful as the one Zoe gave me. I took in the shock and sent it back at him,

He went ridged for a second and then smiled.

“Ohhh a strong one yes? But don’t think that you can b-”

Before he had finished talking I raised my hand and concentrated on him being blasted into the fire pit. I felt my hand getting hotter and I funneled the power into one thin beam. I directed it at the man.

“Don’t think that you can defeat the sko!” He roared.

I lost my concentration and the blue beam dissipated. The sko? So the eb is the ruler and the sko is this man? I was brought back to reality when the sko used magic on me and I self consciously zipped tied myself (IS THAT A THING?! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!”) And walked towards him. I tried to resist but I was too tired and weak.

“There was go.” He smiled maliciously.

“Come with me, the eb will be pleased.

We walked down the hallway, leaving the other magic people behind.

The sko led me to a set of double doors and pressed a keypad in a certain order. It was at least 19 digits long. He then scanned his face and said ninety one, pink one b c. I tried to remember it but it slipped out of my mind as soon as I heard it. It had to be magic. The doors opened and we came to a room the size of a closet. It was filled with mud and water and insects. It wasn't hard to tell that this was a prisoners room.

“Wait here.” The sko commanded.

He walked alone into the next room and closed the door behind him. I listened hard and could catch glimpses of their conversation.

“My master,” the sko said

“You have done a half decent job.” Said an unfamiliar voice. It was a little bit higher than a normal voice and I couldn’t figure out what gender it was. I assumed that it was the eb’s voice.

“Everything is going according to plan?”

“Of course.”

“Very good. The book?”

The voices faded then the eb said.

“Retrieve the prisoner.”