Galaxy of Hyperion: Mystic Heir

Chapter Seven: Cleanse

The morning after the group's meeting at Luke's house, Jayler rose early. He scarcely woke up before he had to, but he couldn't keep himself asleep no matter how much he tried. Judging by the way Lex was bouncing around the area, she was just as excited as he was. Luke's father was already gone for work the following morning by the time they woke up, leaving all six of the Clan Leaders to wander around Luke's kitchen to find food. They spent about forty-five minutes in the house after they woke up, and all of them were on the edge of their seats out of anticipation. 

Jayler was practically buzzing with activity by the time they had gotten the chance to leave the house. He couldn't keep himself still as the group started walking to find a secluded area. Even as they set a course for an area far from Luke's residential space, Jayler felt as if his insides were vibrating around wildly. The aim was for them to avoid the residential area where they had spent the night to keep any random civilians from seeing something they shouldn't have. Jayler couldn't wait to learn how to use Portal magic, to say the least, so that finding a place to meet with Tuila wouldn't be a concern. He would have loved to be able to flash over to Hyperion without any issues alongside the rest of the group, and he couldn't stop smiling brightly as soon as the idea settled in his head. Xia looked over at him with her eyebrow quirked upwards, but she didn't inquire about what had him so excited. After all, she understood it far better than she was willing to admit. 

The final destination of the group wound up being a park on the road outside Luke's neighborhood. Jayler let out a small breath of finality once they had stopped walking, seeing the puff of air fly out in front of himself. He knew that Tuila was going to be there soon. She was far too prepared for every situation to not be aware of what was to come. 

Nobody dared to say a word until the wind whispered and dawn's light shone through the trees in the perfect way. Jayler wasn't sure when Tuila had appeared, but he knew that she was there, hearing her footsteps along the dulled grass. Everything about her presence demanded respect, and Jayler grinned up at her. Tuila looked down to the rest of the group, and she nodded firmly as a way of proving her acknowledgement. The Clan Leaders gathered around her, and Tuila closed her eyes. Light flared all around them, but the illumination was covered by the rising of the sun on the horizon. 

When the light died out, Jayler was standing somewhere new. The light overhead was coming from a sun that rested high in the sky, and Jayler looked up at it. The position of the star made it seem as if they were further along in the day than they had been on Earth. Jayler would have held up his hand to cover his eyes, but he didn't see much of a purpose to. When stepping away from the dawn of Earth, Jayler was beyond happy to embrace the beauty of midday sunshine. He closed his eyes and tilted his face skyward, a dreamy sigh escaping his lips. He knew that there were others watching him, but he didn't care in the slightest. He was sure that each of them felt the same way that he did, so why would he make an attempt to mask how happy he was to be back? It was only the second day they were back, after all, so he was still allowed to enjoy how incredible Hyperion was. 

Jayler didn't fully recognize where he was on Skylia until after he had opened his eyes again. He glanced around and realized that he and the rest of the Clan Leaders were standing in front of a large castle, finding a strange home in between the massive, impressive structure and the rest of the town. Jayler couldn't figure out which of the areas he wanted to look at first, but he eventually decided on the town. 

Something around the town felt both closer and further away. There were people moving around, but none of them seemed to fully register that Jayler, Tuila, and the rest of the Clan Leaders had arrived. He watched as they continued about their days, wondering what all of them were up to. Were they simply choosing to ignore the castle? If so, why?