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By the time we made it home from Montreal, it was dark out. Everyone on base except the roaming security guards was asleep.
Once we were inside, Trik stopped us for a second.
"Lisa, I think our next move should be to find Life," he advised.
"Yeah, I was thinking that too. That way, we'll have all three Supreme Primordials in case we run into Avarice's group again," I said in agreement. "I was planning to try to search for him through Viraa's connection tonight."
"Then, after we find him, we can safely move on to the Russos," he added.
After that, we split and went to our rooms.
As I lay on my bed, falling asleep, I focused on sensing Life. I concentrated on the concept of being alive and breathing – the spark in each of us that gives our bodies animation – while also feeling for the being most connected to that essence.
Finally, as I drifted off, I received a ping similar to the one I felt from Naomi.
I dreamt of standing in the sky – so high, beneath my feet were clouds so thick I couldn't see past them. The sky itself was beautifully blue as the sun was setting to the west – which was strange.
Even after the sun had completely set, the sky was still blue, as if it was the middle of the day. I realized the source of the light illuminating the sky now was from somewhere higher.
Looking up, I could see a definite source of white light moving behind the clouds that were hundreds of feet above me. As I watched, the light slowly lowered until it broke through the clouds, revealing a figure within it and exposing me directly to its rays.
The figure's light was magnificent. Its warm rays didn't burn or hurt me as I stood exposed to them. On the contrary, they actually rejuvenated me.
I couldn't help but bask in this invigorating light, feeling my skin absorb its warmth as all pain seemed to fade away. It was amazing.
Looking around, I could see the clouds I stood on were thinning as the figure's light began to penetrate through them. Strangely enough, the ground under the clouds was much closer than I expected. I could see buildings and people in precise detail as if they were only twenty feet away.
One of the buildings I saw stood out more than the others. It was a massive church with a symbol of a diamond with two threads that would intertwine on either side of it. The emblem was plastered and engraved on everything. I recognized it as the symbol of life used by a group of Polish worshippers long along.
I noticed the people on the ground were on their knees, praying, and some were reaching up into the sky, trying to grab as much of the light as they could. They were worshipping the light. No, they were worshipping the figure.
Before I could process everything or carefully inspect the area beneath me, I lost my balance as the clouds supporting my footing dissipated.
The next thing I knew, the dream shifted to a view of a split scenery. The top half was of the wonderfully lit sky with its clouds, and the lower half was a murky darkness. A white trail left behind by the figure of light ran from top to bottom of the top half as it burst through the cloud floor and fell toward the darkness.
I watched, unable to move or speak, as the figure's light dimmed while it plunged deeper and deeper until I woke abruptly the following morning.
It was 7:58 AM.
Feeling groggy yet again, I quietly sighed and rubbed my head as I turned to exit my bed.
During breakfast, each of us was present. I didn't say much as I pondered over my recent dream/vision, trying to figure out which parts of it were real and which parts could be meaningless dream fillers.
My mom and dad entered the room looking grim as I did this.
"Good morning, everyone. It seems things will be getting a little more lively soon," my dad announced.
"What do you mean," I asked.
Judging from their looks, whatever that had to say couldn't be good.
"Custov Sadio was assassinated last night, and someone attacked the Russos around the same time," he shared. "We're not sure what's going on or who's behind the attack, but we may be next, so we'll be on high alert moving forward. The other families are gathering their people to bolster their defenses as well. For now, I want you to hold off on going to see the Russos – they're a bit trigger-happy."
"We all know that it's Avarice and Verin behind the attacks," Tymon claimed. "Something like this is below them, so their Sub Deities are most likely the ones who attacked, but they sent the order. Who else would be skilled enough to sneak onto a Watcher branch's base undetected, strike, and then disappear without a trace?"
"The real question is why would they attack and then leave," Viraa stated from my bracelet. "Judging from the lack of extreme casualties and the fact that they sent one of their lower-ranking officers, I would say killing was not their true intent. So, what was?"
"Both individuals targeted last night were the heads," my dad mentioned as he tried to figure it out.
"Maybe they want to cripple the branches by removing the leaders," Trik suggested. "Do that, and our efforts would become unorganized. It would also serve to make it easier for them to wipe us out."
"Or make it easier to subjugate us," I added. "Adding the Watcher branches' talents to his numbers would probably be Avarice's preferred method."
"But not Verin's," Tymon and Za'Fia said in unison.
"Verin has a taste for unbridled chaos and needless strife," Tymon said. "Chopping off the family heads then watching everyone panic, lose heart, or even turn on each other before having their Holders slowly massacre everyone is something Verin would do."
"But if Avarice is as powerful as they say, she wouldn't dare defy him," I said reassuringly.
"Maybe if he ruled them with an iron fist," Tymon retorted. "When it comes to Verin and the High Gods, he seems to value them like family. He welcomes their difference in opinions instead of forcing them under his. So, while Verin may not disobey him blatantly, she could still find crafty ways around Avarice's orders. And being their second-in-command means no one else can stop her."
"Well, just in case she does try to strike us, each branch is summoning everyone to protect our HQs. Their Holders will be in for a rude awakening when they come," my dad said with conviction.
"Lisa, dear? What's wrong," my mom asked me.
She must've noticed my concerned expression as I thought about the assassination.
"I'm worried about Vicki," I admitted. "I know she and her family weren't on good terms, but still, it's her dad. She's probably hurt knowing that he's gone now."
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