Page 25

The door shut with a resounding thud, followed by a lock clicking into place.

The room I was in vanished in a blink, replaced with a familiar world that had my heart skip.

The smell of pine was all around me, the fresh air filling my lungs and settling deep within my soul.

Tall trees loomed overhead, home to the many creatures that lived amongst their branches.

I took a few steps, the pain in my leg gone as my eyes adjusted to the low light and my shoes crunched the leaves beneath me as I made my way beyond the tree line.

The early evening sun illuminated the plateau before me in a rich orange light. The lush green grass spread far and wide, with the city at its centre. The heart of The Verdant Plateau.

I didn’t know how, but I was home.

Without another thought, I raced towards my city, excitement rippling through me and accelerating each step.

I desperately wanted to see my family, to hug them and speak to them, even just for a moment.

I needed to see the damage the fire had caused and speak to my people—show them that I cared and was there for them.

I reached the edge of the city, my brow furrowing as I noticed the lack of destruction. The buildings and streets that had been destroyed on live television were untouched, with no sign of the fire that had ripped through the area and killed so many.

There was no way they could have repaired everything so quickly, nor would they have wanted to. The people of Verdant Plateau would have wanted to mourn and then rebuild properly, the memories of what was lost embedded in the repair process. That was our way.

Slowing, I glimpsed my reflection in a window, my clothing no longer matching what I wore in the trial. Now I wore dark green slacks and a matching shirt, the symbol of Ceres embroidered on each collar. I hated seeing myself in the patrol uniform and hated even more what it reminded me of.

My failure. My inability to do my job and protect those who depended on me. I’d lost the twins because of this uniform. I hadn’t been there when they needed me.

You were supposed to protect us.

The twins’ voices rang in my mind as I made my way through the city that wasn’t my city.

Yes, it looked similar, but as I ventured through it, I was able to see all the things that weren’t quite right and didn’t add up.

Buildings that weren’t as I remembered, signs that pointed in the wrong directions…

even sculptures and murals that usually brightened the streets were amiss, the subjects and colours not as they should have been.

To add to the strangeness, there was no one else around.

The streets were abandoned despite the hour.

The back of my neck prickled the farther I went, my heart picking up its pace, setting my entire body on edge.

Something wasn’t right, but then again, why would it be? One minute I was in the trial and the next I was here in this wrong version of my city. Almost like a parallel universe. Right, but not mine.

There was only one thing I could do. The Masters wanted something from me and the sooner I figured it out the sooner I could leave this strange place.

The sun set as I followed my gut towards my house, rationalising that it was the best place to start. This was the Trial of Mind and my brain and instincts told me to head there.

You failed us.

The twins’ words once again filled my head, louder this time. Guilt clenched my gut, their truth like a knife through the heart. I had failed them. I would never deny that.

It didn’t take long to reach the cottage I called home—or would have if I’d been in my city.

My mother’s garden surrounded the stone walls of the building, bright with rich, vibrant coloured flowers.

Large windows and an even larger door were all open, welcoming any who wandered by.

My parents believed in being accessible to their people.

Shutting a door was like turning your back on someone.

I understood their point but also liked to have privacy now and then.

As I stepped through the threshold I was faced with déjà vu.

My brother’s voice filled the hallway, the fear in his tone chilling me to my bones.

I followed the sound, finding my parents sitting on the sofa, their hands clasped as tears lined their eyes.

Heart hammering, it took all my effort to not freeze.

It was happening again. The Masters were making me relive this night.

All I needed to do now was keep my cool and figure out why, even if it hurt my heart to bear witness to this moment again.

“What happened?” I asked, despite knowing their reply. It was burned into my memory, a brand on my mind.

“The twins,” my mum, Rosa, began, though her cries inhibited her from finishing her sentence. She shook and leaned into my mother, Gabriella.

“Katie and Rena have been taken,” my older brother Wren explained, running a hand over his head. He paced back and forth, his head tilted down. “Their place was a mess.” He looked up at me, finally halting his steps. “They put up a fight.”

You were supposed to protect us.

Their words were louder, almost deafening in my ears. My hands trembled at my sides, my legs weakening as I dropped to my knees. “No,” I breathed, my chest tightening as the guilt I had felt that very night filled me once more. “No.”

It was my fault. I should have been looking out for them, not on patrol. I’d switched my shift and let them down. A hand gripped my shoulder, bringing me back to the present, or at least the current past I was reliving.

“Has a search party gone out?” I asked, looking up at my brother.

He nodded. “Noah, you know what the outcome will be.”

“We must remain optimistic, Wren,” my mother said as she soothed Mum, holding her close as she rubbed her hand up and down her arm. “We will find them.”

“You’re right.” I nodded, rising to my feet. “But we won't be doing anything. Only I will.”

With that, I turned on my heel and strode from the room against my family’s protests. I moved with purpose, stepping outside into a shifted world. The illusion of the Verdant Plateau morphed into that of a dark room.

A door slammed behind me, the twins’ voices ringing through my mind as I searched the dim space for any sign of them.

I was in a dank and dingy basement, the low yellow light creating eerie shadows behind the stacks of mouldy boxes and rusted shelves.

Water dripped from somewhere in the corner, but I wasn’t there to search for a leak.

You failed us.

The guilt felt like a slick creature writhing inside me; a dark oily beast contaminating my very being.

Footsteps sounded in the room above as I began my search, seeking out the twins in the basement.

Like in the Verdant Plateau, it all felt so real, yet I knew it was part of the trial.

This was all a test that I needed to pass so I could return to Fallon and the others and continue my very real search for the twins.

Unlike home, this wasn’t some version of an old memory.

Was it someone else’s? Was this a clue to where Rena and Katie actually were?

You were supposed to protect us.

Their words kept me company as I searched, frustration coiling beside guilt within me, creating a monster, much like those I’d faced in the first trial.

It was going to eat me alive.

I froze in disbelief.

This was the Trial of the Mind. A test to uncover not only intelligence but mental strength and emotional intelligence. That was it. I had to be stronger than the emotions threatening to control me.

You failed us.

You were supposed to protect us.

The twins’ words came faster as I tried to focus internally. I knew the theories, but letting go of guilt and forgiving oneself was not a simple task, nor one that could happen in a single moment.

I needed to rationalise my actions.

I’d vowed to protect the twins, but was that a fair promise?

I’d also vowed to protect all the citizens of the Verdant Plateau.

There were a lot of people in the city. Realistically, I couldn’t take care of them all.

I couldn’t always have eyes and ears on them or be in multiple places at once.

I should have been able to watch out for the two of them, though. Katie and Rena… they’d relied on me.

You failed us.

You were supposed to protect us.

You failed us.

You were supposed to protect us.

You failed us.

You were supposed to protect us.

Shit. I shook my head. Focus.

I was doing everything I could. I wasn’t the only person who was responsible for the city or the twins.

I had no control over people coming to the city and kidnapping innocents.

It was time to focus more on my anger towards the wrongdoing of those who caused all this mess, rather than dwelling on my own shortcomings.

I wasn’t perfect. I was doing my best.

You failed us.

You were supposed to protect us.

Katie and Rena’s words started to fade as my guilt began to abate. It wouldn’t disappear instantly, but it was a start. Anger at the injustice of what was happening in my city rose instead. Unlike the guilt that weighed me down, anger fuelled me.

Someone was stealing away the people of Terrulia. Someone was hurting others for their own gain. In the Verdant Plateau, in Damascon Hollow, in Tritosa City, in the Crimson Steppes… even in Stormcrest City. The country was breaking, and corruption was running rife.

I wasn’t to blame.

The guilt still simmered beneath my skin, but it was my anger that stoked a fire in my gut.

I was going to make things right. Not just for the twins but for everyone who had been hurt at the hands of the greedy and cruel.

I wouldn’t be facing it alone. I had Fallon, Zane, Ace and Kayden with me.

We were going to tear this Terrulia apart and remake it anew.

The world around me turned to black as the Overseer’s voice filled the air.