Chapter Seventy Three: The Truth Below

Time seemed to slow to almost a complete hault as they ventured down into the depths of the palace. The air, seemed to thin, and the power imenating from below them seemed to grow stronger and stronger. What was below them, they did not know though, they were almost certain that Ember knew exactly what they would be finding in the depths.

" There will be an orb below, a white one, that will give you the answers that you seek" Ember answered as though she could again, hear their thoughts and concerns.

" What do you know about the orb? " Raven questioned, assuming that Ember had more knowledge concerning it.

" It is a collection of energy, that has been gathered for thousands of lifetimes. Think of it, as a storage container of sorts. It collects all that exist within the realm so that it can be expelled at a later date" Ember explains and they venture further below.

" So this orb, is less of physical answer and instead provides a replay of events? " Raven inquired to which Ember confirmed with a slight grumble.

"Yes. And I hope it was worth it" Ember scolds as they approach the final few steps and are confronted with the glowing white orb, centered in a darkened room.

" There it is" Ember revealed with a hand gesture as both Raven and Penny slowly approached the strange storage device.

" I would recommend that if you choose to peer through it, you will not be able to unsee whatever it is that you witness from within. And I would also like to point out that this, is the first stop on the journey" Ember pointed out as Raven continued to approach the orb though Penny turned to Ember.

" What do you mean the first stop? " She questioned, her suspicion of Ember growing ever so slightly.

" There is more for you to see, and what you choose to do with it, will be up to you. But I can tell you this much, what I have to show you, is not going to aid us in saving this world, it will only doom it" Ember explains, which seemed rather odd to Penny.

" If you are so determined to accomplish the mission we have set out for..then why would you show us something we want to see but at the same time..would delay us? Why not feint ignorance? " Penny questioned which Made Ember step forward to Penny so that they were face to face.

" Because unlike some people, I don't choose to play dumb. And I don't like being accused. You wanted to see these things and I am showing them to you..if you are concerned about any delays then you can choose to not see them..but understand, that would be an admittance that we have wasted our time by coming here.." Ember spoke sternly, though Penny was not going to back down.

" This could help us in ways that we aren't aware of yet..everything can help.." Penny stood her ground and Ember cocked a half smile before backing away..

Raven, almost entranced by the orb, placed her hands upon it and after several minutes, realized that nothing was going to happen.

" Its broken? " Raven questioned Ember who shrugged slightly in response.

" Or perhaps, it won't work for you.." Ember suggested as her eyes darted to Penny who rolled her own and stepped forward to the orb.

After a deep breath, she placed her hands upon the orb only to recieve the same result as her mother.

" I could have told you both that it would not have worked for you however I felt it does that you should see for yourselves. This orb holds a Great-Power, The likes of which the world has not seen for a very long time. An only very few can access it, including myself and the ancients who, as I am sure you can imagine, are dead" Ember explains.

" If the ancients can access it, then how can you access it? You are not an ancient. Both Penny and myself are decended from them, we know that much.." Raven was genuinely confused at this point and Ember seemed to have all the answers. A girl who had spent significantly less time in this world and was foreign to it, somehow knew all the world's secrets within such a short time.

" I am not an ancient, I am something different. As to what I am, I don't know for certain. But I know that I can access this orb, and I know that it would not aid us in achieving what we need too. And for the record, doing anything to stop Aurora, would not aid us either" Ember began walking around the room as she continued her explanation.

" Despite what you both think, I don't bare any ill will. I am just pointing out the things I do know, things that come to me in visions that I cannot explain and yet visions that I believe, are true nonetheless" Ember directed her eyes to Penny.

" Certain people must be born in order for certain events to take place, and disrupting those events, would destroy everything. We have to be careful and we have to be decisive..because if we are not, then we have wasted our time" Ember glances back to the orb.

" The ceremony must take place, and Kara and Gabriel must be born. And as for you.." Ember turns back to Penny " You will have needed to complete our work before the time of your birth" Embers words were laced with truth that Penny knew all too well.

" Understanding where you both came from, will make you feel fulfilled on some level. It will answer burning questions that you both have seeked for a very long time. Though, had it ever occured to either of you that perhaps the reason, that some magic is forbidden, is because it would cause irreparable damage? " Ember questions to which Raven rolled her eyes.

" Oh yes, it would change the world because it cannot be weilded properly. It must be what it is, untamed" Raven mocked which brought a smile to Embers face.

" The forbidden magic is an infestation..an infestation that we have already brought to this world" Ember added.

" By coming here and traversing into the world that is foreign, that is the use of forbidden magic. The forbidden magic isn't truly hidden. It exist within you both. Your magic, itself, is forbidden. And you can thank your ancestors for that" Ember waves her hand in the air as the room begins to illuminate the walls which are filled with thousands of pictures and words in a language that has long since been dead, engraved into the walls.

" Your ancestors, are what I would call, loop breakers.. they break the fabrics of reality and find ways to get around the standard rules of magic. And to ensure that this magic would never be found by anyone, the embued it within their beings, their essence. It's in your blood, and thus why the majority of magic comes naturally, even the stronger and more complicated varieties" Embers words were leaving both Penny and Raven speechless. This was all so much for them to take in, especially to hear it from Ember.

Raven glanced around the room, seeing the markings and recognizing only a few.

" So.. we are forbidden because we break the rules? " Penny questioned.

" No, you are forbidden because when you use your magic, you shatter the fabric of reality a little each and every time. Your power, is not natural. It does not mean that it is bad, it just means that it is dangerous and should be safeguarded. Though, most of the witches that know of the forbidden magic, do not understand how it works. That it is not a power that can be weilded by just anyone, they do not understand that it is exist with the ancients blood" Ember adds.

" So, we are different because of what our ancestors did" Raven muttered to herself. " And furthermore, if you must know, part of the reason the world is as messed up as it is, is because of the work that your ancestors did, even if it was to benefit the world" She explained further.

" So by being here, we are making everything worse? " Penny questioned.

" Yes..you are. However, if anyone were going to be able to fix everything, it would have to be both you and Raven. As you both are the only two with the power to do so. However, considering that the ancient ways have long since been forgotten..the magic you will need to use will have to be decerned between you both. Luckily, we have time. Because the ceremony is soon and we must wait until Kara is born before we act officially " Ember states.

" And by then..we should have a way to fix this...or -

" The cycle repeats and it all starts over again"

" We need to get to work"