For three days, Blye hovered between awareness and stupor while the infection battled her defenses for control. The fever ravaged her body, leaving her weak and disoriented even as Velsa and the Knights fought to save her. For three nights, they sat vigil beside her cot, taking shifts, just as she had done so many times before, each of them silently praying for a miracle. They kept her clean, mopped her brow, and held her hand as she moaned and writhed in her sickbed, each searching for a sign the worst had passed.

Kaihautu Yugha arrived at the clinic that first day, intent on forcing her to interface with Aleph despite her weakened condition, but Prash and the others absolutely balked. The trio stood firm before her cot, refusing to back down despite the snarls and hurled threats. Stepping forward, Amar volunteered to take her place, though it was only after the alien officer saw for himself how ill she was that he finally relented, grudgingly taking the former Valkyrie in her stead. It was a less-than-productive session; without the visor he had no better luck describing what the ancient computer had shown him than Blye ever had, leaving the Aggaaddub commander sullen and frustrated.

But even as life’s drama and farce played out all around her, Blye’s febrile mind conjured up moments past… and moments yet to be.

The fever dreams left powerful images seared in her memory, visions of angels and demons darting amongst the stars. More sights and figures appeared; an irritable older woman lugging a toolkit, a ship’s captain barking orders in the heat of battle, a red-haired young woman with laughing eyes, a pistol slung low at her hip. Blye wept with joy as she watched Terra rise, its blue oceans and white clouds as beautiful as she’d envisioned, only to cry out in horror as she watched it burn, shattered by the dread Yīqún.

Other moments flitted in and out of her mind’s eye as well. Gently kissing an infant’s smooth head before handing her off to her adoptive parents, never to lay eyes on her again. Her hands wrist-deep in gore, fighting to save the life of a patient. Kneeling before a stone-covered cairn, amidst a wind-swept desert. Hours and weeks and years spent studying, learning her craft and honing her skills as a healer. The heavy thwack of a quarterstaff hitting its target, repeated a thousand times over. Flashes of her life, appearing in knife-like hyper-focus and shown out of sequence.

A strange figure materialized, stepping out from the murky depths and beckoning to her, inviting her to follow. Blye felt herself drifting behind the pale blue naiad as strange, exotic music played, captivating the senses. The Precursor smiled, taking her by the hand as they led her through fronds of seagrass wafting in the current, only to emerge at lake’s edge. She gasped as a colossal city rose before her, crystalline towers piercing the sky that hummed with life and color. An ancient warrior stood guard, his mailed fists clasping the hilt of a massive sword as he watched over the land. She turned to her guide, the sylph-like creature so very different, yet so much the same, her mind filled with a thousand questions.

The forebear of Man extended their hand, indicating the alien metropolis. “Threshold,” they whispered, with a voice that sang of heavenly choirs.

She wept with joy as she gazed at its beauty. “... will we find it?” she entreated the entity, praying the vision was genuine.

“If you prove worthy,” the First One declared… before slowly fading from view.

Blye stirred in her cot, a small groan escaping her lips as she struggled to sit up. “Hello?” she called out, “is anyone there?”

“You’re awake. Thank Terra,” she heard Prash say. “Amar, Velsa, she’s regained consciousness!” he called out.

“... thirsty,” she rasped, her mouth dry and parched.

He placed a straw between her lips as she drank greedily, before sighing in contentment as she lay back down. “How do you feel?” he asked her, as she heard approaching footsteps.

“Tired,” she admitted, “a little fuzzy.” She turned to him, facing the direction of his voice. “How long was I out?”

“Three days,” Amar said, his voice anxious and weary. “Your fever spiked just shy of forty degrees.”

She winced at the news. Temps running that high did a number on the patient’s body. “Any other symptoms?” she asked them.

“None worth mentioning,” Velsa said demurely. Well, that was a lie, or at least a half-truth, though she doubted her intent was malicious. Quite the opposite, in fact, Blye was certain the alien nurse had said that to spare her feelings. Cleaning up after patients unable to care for themselves was simply a part of the job, though from the patient’s perspective it could feel invasive, even mortifying. She tried to keep her thoughts purely professional on the subject, but it wasn’t easy. As much as she prided herself on her strength and self-sufficiency, the idea of being utterly helpless didn’t sit comfortably with her.

“Think you’re up for some food?” Prash asked her.

Blye checked in with her stomach, which responded with a familiar rumble. “Some broth, maybe,” she said upon reflection. “Not sure I’m ready for anything solid just yet.”

“We’ll get you something, I promise,” Amar assured her. “Meanwhile, we need to run some tests, make sure you’re past the worst of it.”

“I know,” she said unhappily. She no more enjoyed being poked and prodded than anyone else, especially after what she’d just been through. Still, she knew it was necessary, if unwelcome. “Run your tests, but in the meantime, what exactly have I missed?” That was a far more pressing concern than her health, as far as she was concerned.

“Our good friend, the Kaihautu, stopped by,” Prash said sourly. “Tried dragging you out of your sickbed so you could talk to the computer, never mind the fact you were half out of your mind with delirium and weak as a kitten.”

Well, no surprise there. “What happened?” she asked, nervously anticipating the explanation.

“I went in your place,” Amar said offhandedly, though something in his voice left her with the distinct impression a great deal was being left unsaid. She debated for a moment pursuing it, but honestly, the thought left her exhausted. Let them keep their secrets. Besides, if it was anything serious, she was certain she’d be hearing about it from their lord and master.

“I’ll bet that thrilled him to no end,” she said dryly. “What did you think of Aleph?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to think,” he answered. “So much knowledge and power, but it’s like talking to a child. The Kaihautu wasn’t happy I couldn’t get him the data he wanted.”

“I’m almost positive they kept him limited by design,” she replied. “I think they worried he’d go rogue if they made him too intelligent.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re right,” Prash agreed. “It fits with what little else we know of the Precursors.” He paused for a moment as he shifted gears. “For a while there you were delirious, Blye. Most of your rants made little sense, but there were a few…” His voice trailed off into silence as he struggled to put his thoughts into words. “There were moments,” he finally continued, “where it seemed as if you were talking to them. The Precursors, I mean.” A hush came over the others while he struggled to push forward. “Were you?” he asked her point-blank. “Talking to them, I mean?”

For a brief and shining moment, she could see the vision of Threshold the Ancient had shown her in her dreams once more. “... No,” she said at last, “of course not. I was clearly out of my head.”

It was just a fever dream, nothing more, she told herself. Part of her even believed it, the part that lied so easily to her fellow Knights. Getting their hopes up was a risk she dared not take, not when she knew full well the price they would pay when it all came crashing back down.

But another part of her held a very different opinion on the subject, the part deeply bound up in her faith. It had taken some hard hits as of late, especially when she’d gazed upon the ravaged homeworld of Earth, but it was still there, flickering like a small candle in the vast eternal darkness. Scientifically, there was no rationale for how those ancient ancestors of humanity would or even could speak to her, altered state or not. As a scholar, she knew that… but as a person of faith; she believed with all her heart that somehow, they had reached out to her, giving her despondent soul a glimpse of what was possible. She knew the others desperately wanted that same sense of hope and wonder, and she longed to share with them what she’d seen, but… what if she was wrong? What if it was just an illusion, brought on by neural trauma?

She didn’t have those answers. Until she did, it was best to keep those thoughts to herself.

Amar finally broke the awkward silence. “Well, we’d best get started on those tests and get you some food. Anything else we can do for you?”

Blye managed a brief smile. “No, I’m fine… or at least as fine as can be expected. I’d like to stretch my legs a bit, as soon as I’m able.”

Prash touched her brow. “Soon, I promise. Until then, let’s see where we stand with your temperature.” She felt something touch her forehead. “... 37.4º. Still slightly elevated, but not bad, considering.”

With a sigh, she bowed to the inevitable, letting them run their tests. As a physician, she knew they were necessary, but as a patient, she couldn’t wait for the ordeal to end. Finally, after far too much rough handling, the two Knights admitted defeat.

“You seem in good condition,” Prash said as they finished. “More importantly, there’s no sign of your child being in any sort of distress. He, or she, appears to have weathered the storm with flying colors.”

Blye let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Thank Mother Terra,” she said in relief.

“Amen,” he said with complete sincerity. “Does that mean you’ll take it easy for a while?”

She chuckled at that. “And how long have you known me?”

“I was afraid you were going to say that,” he sighed, “but a man can dream. One of us will still be with you regardless until you’re back to a hundred percent.”

“That could be a while, with this thing grafted to my skull,” Blye said unhappily, tapping the implant.

“Then get used to having company,” he warned her, before pressing a hypospray against her neck. “Until then, you need to rest,” he told her, as he gave her a sedative.

“... traitor,” she accused him, but there was no fire in her words. He helped her settle in and get comfortable before she finally drifted back off to sleep.

This time, the dreams were far less disjointed, lacking the heated barbs and jump cuts brought on by the fever. Blye now walked barefoot through a soft bluish-green veldt, as the sounds of life trilled and hummed and sang all around her. Someone took her hand, and as she turned, she recognized her ancestral guide from the Precursor homeworld; the planet once called Threshold.

“Long have we awaited your arrival,” the dryad sang to her, her huge dark eyes filled with joy. “There is so much for you to see and learn and be… if you dare brave the trials before you.”

“Trials? What trials?” she asked in shock, stunned by the Ancients’ words.

The elfin creature gestured towards the heavens at a light display rivaling any she’d witnessed. Objects would streak across the sky and then detonate in a flash of blinding light, sending a cascade of colors drifting towards the ground below. “Those are the ones who dared enter our realm, and were found unscrupulous, beneath contempt,” they explained. “This world contains riches and power beyond imagining, but they are not for the timid, or the weak, or those that would pervert our gifts. If you and your brethren would take up our mantle… then you must prove yourself.”

Even as she watched, yet another burst of light exploded, followed by another, and then another. The entire galaxy was battling to gain entrance, but only the despised and unwanted Terrans had learned the secret.

But would it be enough?

“And if we should fail?” Blye whispered.

The ancient being gave her a sorrowful look. “Then the wheel must turn once more, until another champion steps forward to stake their claim.” The sun hanging over the land now accelerated, racing for the horizon and disappearing as night took its place… only for that to be interrupted as well, as the sun reappeared and streaked across the sky yet again. Faster and faster, it dashed through the heavens, now a blur as days became months, became centuries, became millennia.

“A billion years we have waited,” the Precursor reminded her. “We will wait a billion more, if we must.”

Blye stumbled back, shaking her head and warding off the ancient creature. “This can’t be happening,” she said in denial. “Aleph said you disappeared through your gateway long ago, and even if some remained behind, how could you possibly be speaking to me, here, now?” Pointing an accusing finger, she blustered, “You’re just a dream.”

The dryad smiled, placing a gentle hand on her brow. “Forget what you know here, and listen here instead,” they urged, moving their palm to cover her heart. “You have an impressive intellect, for one so young… but it is wisdom that will save your people, not mere knowledge.” They waved their hand as the scene before her rippled and changed, as the vault housing Aleph appeared in its place. “The servant that resides here speaks to you without speaking, does it not?” they asked her. “Why then is it so strange that we do, as well?”

Too much was coming at her too fast. “Why are you showing me this?” she pleaded with the ancient being. “I’m just a healer!”

The naiad simply smiled, cupping her cheek.

“... not any longer. Take up your staff, and lead.”

Blye awoke with a start, clutching at her blankets as she felt a rising sense of panic, scrabbling in the dark.

“What’s wrong?” she heard Velsa say, as she appeared at her side. “Do you need something?”

“Just… bad dreams,” she said hoarsely. “That’s all.”

She heard a chair being dragged across the floorboards, followed by the sound of Velsa settling in. “Would you like to talk about them?” she offered.

“You’d think I was mad,” Blye said softly, turning away.

A hand reached out and cupped her chin, gently turning her head back towards the nurse.

“... try me,” Velsa urged her.