Chapter Fifteen: Fate Awakens
By: nike13

   It had been a tiresome argument but ultimately Waren understood two things by the end. First, one couldn't go back in time without changing something. He, himself, had proven this when he brought Teresa and David with him. The second thing was that to go back again would probably cause even more changes to the timeline.

   When the bright sun of his future began to extend its precence across the eastern sky and destroyed city, Waren had made his decision to help Lorid, to an extent, praying that nothing could be worse than what he saw out the window. He agreed to lend Lorid his knowledge and power but swore to never go back for his friends. He had done enough and would now try to pick up the pieces.

   Once Lorid realized there was no real hope of gaining the full help or control of the triumverate, he conceeded to Waren's help alone. Summoning another to his side, Lorid instructed the black cloaked and silent figure to bring Waren to a sleeping chamber so he could rest. It took Waren several moments to realize that the person who had appeared was not a normal human, at least, not the humans he was used to associating with, the man was a mutant. After a few steps, Waren realized he had begun to stare and, to his disappointment, that had not gone unnoticed. Waren's chaperone turned to face him, to Waren's surprise it was a woman that was hidden behind the dark folds.

   She looked at him with harsh, ice blue eyes as if to challenge him to speak. She was about 5'10" tall, approxamately 23 years of age, with hair hidden under the hood of her cloack minus a few insolent white strands that framed her snow white face. She did not look at all like Waren would have expected a mutant to, but then again, it had been centuries since one of the dome inhabitants were Outside and returned.

   When the woman became bored with Waren's astonishment, she moved her arm to signal for them to continue and began to move along the darkened halls once again, in silence.

   ~*He has chosen sisters*~ Lachesis spoke softly from her position at the spindel.

   ~*He will be asleep soon*~ Clotho whispered ~*Atropus, what will you tell him in his dreamscape?*~

   ~*The truth*~ Atropus said cryptically as she rose from her stool and placed her cutting sheers aside.~*Whether he believes or will listen is up to him.*~

   ~*Are we even allowed to be contacting him, Atropus?~* Clotho asked, watching as her sister moved toward the entrance of their cave, their sanctuary.

   ~*If we don't, none of them will understand what they are to do*~ Lachesis hissed.

   ~*They are learning*~ Clotho whispered.

   ~*Their rate of growth is much too slow. They must learn faster or we will have to perform our final duty*~

   ~*That is enough, Lachesis*~ Atropus yelled from the mouth of the cave ~*We all remember last time what had happened, Clotho, and none of us wish to see it happen again. I will be back soon*~

   With those final words, the figure turned to the mouth and removed her pale red shawl from her face to reveal a woman of classic and eternal beauty as well as infinate intellect and secrets gaurded by time. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and wlked the final step to the outside world of dreams, removing the melody of what was to come from the small cave.

   ~*Now we must watch to ensure Nature and Soul can figure out their role*~ Lachesis said quietly, looking at Clotho ~*It is almost time for you to show her the path*~

   ~*I know, sister, I will; when she realizes how to reach me*~

   Teresa concentrated on the empty seat next to her at the Great Hall, the seat that held Waren a few hours ago. It was decided that if she concentrated on Waren (or something related to him) she might begin to see what they needed.

   David stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders, as he watched her mutter incoherently to herself. He wished he could help her more but there was nother he could do, it was all up to Teresa.

   David wrecked his brain trying to figure out how he had seen what he had when he healed Marcus, but all he could remember was the nagging sense of urgency and doubt. He knew what needed to be done, knew he was the only one who had any chance to find the answer they needed but he wasn't entirely sure he could do what was needed.

   After a few more minutes, Teresa sighed and rolled her head to look up at David, only to find him lost in his own thoughts. She smiled to herself, then turned her attention to the fading light of the sun as it moved below the window's edge. It's that late already? she wondered to herself as she looked around the room. On the long table near the main doors, there were a few plates filled with food, probably laid there earlier when they had not come out for dinner.

   Teresa looked back up to David and touched one of his hands to try and drag him from his thoughts. When he didn't move, she simply shrugged and gently removed his hands from her shoulders and walked to the preoffered food, leaving David to stand and stare off into space.

   She picked up a piece of bread from one of the plates and began to spread some butter onto it when David looked down at the chair she had occupied and then back to her. Smiling slightly, she said, "Welcome back."

   "How long have you been watching me?" David asked, walking over and grabbing some food to eat.

   "About five minutes," she said smuggly between bites.

   "Did you see anything?"

   "Just the back of my eyelids," she sighed and plopped into another chair. "You sure you don't know how you and Waren did this?"

   "Waren didn't say how, he was more worried about why. He thought he was going crazy."

   "You saw something when you healed Marcus, Waren saw something when I was unconsious, there has to be some common factor."

   "Waren was sleeping, I was awake, there doesn't seem to be anything the same about what happened."

   "But these things don't just happen, there has to have been something to set it off," Teresa said.

   Just then, there was a quiet tap on the doors. As Teresa and David turned to look, they saw Marcus peek his head into the room.

   "Yes, we're still here," David sighed, "What did you need?"

   "Just checking to see if you had found a way to save Waren. I'm assuming you haven't."

   "Nope," Teresa said, beginning towards the doors to leave.

   "Where are you going?" Marcus asked.

   "To bed," she replied, slipping through the doors.

   "But you can't, Teresa," David shouted, running after her. She stopped and turned slowly to face him.

   "And what do you expect me to do, David?" she asked angrily, "Make Waren appear out of thin air? If you are forgetting, I'm the one who blows stuff up. I can't heal, I can't read minds, I'm just the brawn in this."

   "Teresa," David whispered, "you are an intelligent woman."

   "No, I just seem that way because I know how the pretend to be smart. I can't do this, David, whatever I can imagine trying doesn't work."

   "Then we need to think of something else to try. Follow me," he said and grabbed her hand to take her through the outer walls of the castle.

   Teresa felt a shiver run down her spine as she looked at the place Kevin had taken her, the forest clearing where she met Lorid. She hated this plave, even moreso now that it changed from the dark, dead hole it had been to some sort of haven.

   The sun shown happily through the lush green canopy of the large oak trees. Birds sang amongst the branches ignoring the two young humans below them; the song of springtime floating through the clear air. Small creatures scampered to the edge of the clearing at the sound of the newcomers, then slowly, curiously, peaked their heads through the hedges for a look-see.

   Teresa looked at this place and couldn't help but feel decieved. This place she was at and what she was seeing could not be the same thing. This safe sanctuary could not have been where she had lost control. But along the edge, between the gaps in the trees, she could still see the vines she had used to entrap Lorid, the remains being the only dead things amongst the lush greens and browns.

   She walked further into the clearing as David watched from the hedges with the rest of the onlookers, curious to see what would happen.

   Teresa stopped in the center a few paces from the dead vine circle she had called forth, unwanted memories resurfacing from the depths of her subconsious, the same scene beginning to replay in her mind again, but this time going further, seeming more real this time.

   She could feel the blood draining down her side as her consciousness began to waiver. She could hear Lorid's voice drone on while also hearing a subtle calling in the back of her mind.

   Feeling herself stumble to her right side, she looked to see a small patch of dried blood on the grass. Looking back up, she began to notice a red color drain from the outer wall of vines, where the would-be assassin had begun to cut through. The red liquid matching hers in color, flow, and weight, as if the vines had become apart of her and bleed with her.

   That doesn't make sense she remembered thinking as the dark fog of sleep crept deeper. Lorid's hypnotizing voice emplanted its horrid suggestion, she could feel it overwelm her, but before she could relive the horrible flames she had released, the voice within her erupted in a scream, sending her to the ground with the pain of its intensity.

   David was next to her in mere seconds, wondering what could've pained her when there was nothing in the clearing besides her.

   "What's wrong?" David asked as he helped Teresa rise to her feet. Teresa took several deep breaths before responding in one word.

   "Waren."

   "You saw him?"

   "No," Teresa whispered, "I heard him. Him and Lorid were arguing, I don't know what about though, it was somewhat jumbled."

   "Did you see where they were?"

   "Yes."

   With that, Teresa grabbed onto one of David's hands that were helping support her and looked directly into his eyes, bringing the image of the desolate wasteland and destroyed dome into her mind, picturing every detail Waren had seen from the window he had stood at.

   The image moved from her mind to his as his power began to flow between them. With luck they would make it to the correct time and place; with luck, they will save their friend, and the world.

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