The Nibiru Effect

Memory 51

Thank god you're here," I say. "I need to learn how to shift."

"I know," says the cloaked figure.

I'm relieved, but also a little annoyed.

"What took you so long? I waited all night for you."

"Crossing the Plain of Pain is difficult," explains the hooded man. "The trip took longer than anticipated."

I'm once again reminded of how lucky my companions and I are to have Korri as our guide. Perhaps I have taken his friendship for granted. I promise myself never to do it again, but for the time being, I have more pressing matters to attend to.

"Can we begin?" I ask. "I'm kind of in a hurry."

The man nods. At least I think he nods, but it's hard to tell because of his hood. I wonder why he wears it. Perhaps he was horribly burned or suffers from a hideous deformity. There are many possibilities, but none of them matter at the moment.

"Are you ready?" asks my mentor.

I nod.

"Let it happen."

"E-excuse me?"

"That's the secret to shifting. You must touch the person you wish to become, picture yourself becoming them and let it happen."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

I can't believe it. Had known it was that simple, I would have done it long ago. I feel stupid for not figuring it out on my own, but at the same time, I'm relieved. Now that I know how to shift, I can finally help my friends take down Avalon. And, once that happens, I will finally get to go home.

"Thank you," I say. I have no idea who this hooded stranger is, but I'm grateful for all he has done for me. Without him, I would still be terrified at the thought of touching another humanoid. Now, I can't wait to do just that.

"You're welcome. But there's much you have yet to learn about your abilities."

"I can't wait," I say, "but I'll have to."

The sun is about to rise, which means the guards will soon change shifts. I can't afford to be late.

"I understand," says my mentor. "I shall return to help you master your full potential."

"When?" I ask, but the man is already gone. One second he's standing there, less than a metre away, and the next he's gone. I would probably be a little freaked out if not for the fact that I'm in such a hurry.

"I hope I'm not too late," I mutter as I hurry out of the abandoned dwelling.

I sprint all the way back to the campsite, but my friends are already gone. For a brief moment, I fear they abandoned me, but then I notice the brightness of my surroundings and their absence makes sense.

It's morning.

"Dammit!" I mutter as I run off again.

I work my muscles like they're never been worked before. I fly past intersection after intersection until I finally reach the bridge. Arkane guards walk the width of the stone structure, guarding the castle it leads to. I scan my surroundings, but there's no sign of my friends. I'm about to call out to them when a powerful pair of hands grabs me and pulls me behind a nearby building.

"You're late, Won't," growls Jonn as he unhands me. Kara and Korri are also present. Kara looks relieved to see me. Korri is beaming, though I'm not entirely sure why.

"I'm sorry," I mutter, "but we can still pull it off if—"

"The guards already changed shifts," interrupts Jonn.

I remain frozen for a moment before a sinking feeling grabs hold of me.

"I'm too late?" I ask, stunned. We could postpone our infiltration until tomorrow, but how many innocents will die because of it?

"Ye—" begins Jonn, but Kara cuts him off with a deadly stare.

"Why must you always be so mean?" she demands.

"What?" asks Jonn, feigning innocence. "He was late. I was just trying to—"

"You were trying to make him feel bad," interrupts Kara.

They go back and forth like this for a while before I finally intervene.

"Could someone please tell me what's going on?" I ask. From the way Jonn and Kara are arguing, I can tell things aren't as bad as they seem, though, for the life of me, I can't figure out how that could be.

I expect Kara to be the one to explain things, but it's Jonn who answers my question.

"When you failed to show up in time, we decided to proceed without you."

"I don't understand," I admit. "How could you—"

"Korri took your place," explains Kara. "He acted very bravely. In fact, we never would have succeeded without him."

Jonn snorts, which I take to mean he doesn't believe the korrigan was responsible for the success of the operation. Of course, that only proves he was. I now understand why Korri's smiling.

"Are you saying..." I begin, but my voice trails off when Jonn steps aside, and I notice the unconscious arkane guard lying on the ground behind him.

I can't believe it. They did it. They managed to kidnap one of the guards. I'm tempted to inquire as to how exactly they pulled this off, but I know every second spent talking is a second wasted.

"I think it's time you show us how skilled you are at shifting," says Jonn, his voice laced with sarcasm. I can't blame him. My mentor may have claimed shifting is easy, but the truth is I have yet to try it. For all I know, he lied.

"You can do it," says Kara.

I give her a grateful smile before focusing on the unconscious arkane. I approach him and crouch by his side. I place a hand on his arm, close my eyes, and take a few deep breaths. By the third one, I'm calm enough to give shifting a try. I focus on the image of the arkane and picture myself becoming him. I know it works when I hear all three of my companions gasp.

I open my eyes. One look at my friends is enough to convince me I'm no longer the Will I once was. My grimy white t-shirt and matching pants have been replaced by a surprisingly comfortable leather armour. My arms and legs are long and thin. My skin is white as snow, but soon turns a bright shade of yellow when I realize how cool this is. With a little practice I should be able to control it, but if our plan is to succeed, we must get moving before the other guards notice the arkane whose appearance I stole is missing.

Shifting was easy. ReachingAvalon will be much, much more difficult.