Let the lesson begin

Still following behind the young man, Charlene slowed her pace even further as she watched him enter a large domed building with pillars that were taller than the eye could extend, reaching into the clouds above. It was as though the structure had many stories, but none were visible from the outside.

She proceeded toward the entrance of the building, passing the towering white ivory pillars slowly. Looking up, she heard a voice.

"Welcome, Daughter of Seth! 1st day of seminary. Proceed to your first session."

Charlene felt a rush of excitement. For the first time since this all began, she felt special. She wasn't sure what to think of this place.

"What in the Harry Potter?" she muttered, her mouth hanging open in awe.

She walked down the corridor. The interior was mostly glass, with no walls or doors, just floors separating the different levels. The structure seemed to go on forever.

"Where are the stairs or elevators?" she wondered aloud.

When ReNew spoke sternly, "Close your mouth and keep moving. We're going to be late if you keep walking at this pace."

"Are you seeing this?" Charlene asked.

"Yes, yes, I want to see what our classes are going to be like. Let's get moving," ReNew urged.

Charlene thought to herself, Why is she being so impatient? I guess after the other days, her enthusiasm about something is a better change than being sad. I better get to class as quickly as I can.

She looked around. Where do I go from here? she asked out loud. There were no pictures or signs on the walls.

A voice spoke over her head. "Please proceed forward to your first lesson, Daughter of Seth."

At the end of the corridor, a glass wall separated her from the classroom.

"What in the world?" she said aloud. "How do I get in there?"

A yellow glowing arrow pointed to the right, followed by a rectangular glow outlining the frame of the entrance. Please enter your class, which will be starting in a few seconds. The yellow numbers on the glass door began counting down. Charlene rushed in, trying to find a place to sit.

The class wasn't full yet. Thank God, I wasn’t the last one to arrive, she thought.

"No computers, no desk. Nothing to write with," Charlene observed as she looked around. "I don’t understand this."

The door opened, and several more students filled the room. They quickly took seats.

"How does this place work?" Charlene whispered to the glass table she sat at. It worked on the door. Why not the table?

Yellow words appeared on the clear table in front of her.

"Place your hands here," the voice instructed.

Two yellow hands appeared on the table, and the voice spoke again. "Please stand by while biometrics are being taken."

Charlene looked around to see if the other students were doing the same thing. Suddenly, several glass panels opened in the front of the class. A tall, handsome man entered, strolling through the glass wall, holding a computer tablet made entirely of glass. He scrolled up and down on the tablet, looked up, and then back down. With one hand behind his back, he entered the room.

The teacher spoke, looking up. "Is everyone accounted for?"

The voice replied, "Yes, everyone plus one—a late entry."

Having been the new person for so long, Charlene started to stand and introduce herself, but before she could, everyone said in unison:

"Daughter of Seth, we applaud you!" Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

She smiled and sat back down, astonished by what had just happened. This was definitely different from Earth. Word of mouth must spread quickly here, she thought.

ReNew chimed in. "Yes, indeed. I think I’m going to like it here."

"You and me both," Charlene replied.

Meanwhile, Seth hurried down the halls of the school, searching for Charlene’s class. At the very end of the corridor, he waved his arms frantically, catching the teacher's attention.

"Excuse me, class, I think someone wants my attention. I'll be right back."

The teacher stepped out, and Charlene looked up to see her father speaking to him. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but whatever it was, it seemed like a heated conversation.

The teacher returned to the classroom, and Seth waited outside.

"I’m sorry to inform you, but the council has decided that you will be taught by your father since your journey will begin as soon as you receive basic training. I wish you the best of luck, Daughter of Seth."

Charlene stood up and exited the room quickly, her excitement replaced with a sense of dread. She rushed to her father, eager to find out what was happening.

Seth held up a hand to stop her from speaking. "We can’t talk here once we leave the corridors. I’ll explain everything, but not here."

Charlene sighed as she left the school, her sense of longing for education now tinged with uncertainty. Oh well, ReNew said, speaking into her thoughts. It’s not over yet. Don’t be discouraged.

Seth hesitated before explaining what was happening. "I’m so sorry to disturb your classes, Charlene. The council voted today to start your journey. They wanted the First Spirit’s Decree to be carried out as soon as possible."

Charlene frowned. "I don’t understand. Can they do that, Dad?"

"Yes, they can," Seth said with a broad smile. "I guess they’re trying to punish me through you. Idris and I didn’t have a chance. They voted unanimously. You only have a couple of days before you have to go on your first journey."

"Okay, I get all that. But why are you smiling? We’re screwed!" Charlene exclaimed.

Seth shook his head. "No, we’re not. You’ve been training all your life for this moment. You’re ready! Trust me, you’ve prepared for this—books, training, everything. The fighting challenges are not normal schoolwork. I was preparing you for something like this, just in case we were ever brought back to this realm. It was a contingency plan. Never thought it would happen, but here we are..."

"Wait, you mean to tell me all those strange books you read to me were real?" Charlene asked.

"Yes," Seth replied, "those were real. They’re actual logs of journeys I took when I was here. I used them as a teaching tool."

Charlene’s eyes widened. "The couple who went on a journey and... ew... Please don’t tell me that story’s about you and Mom?"

Seth hesitated. "Well..."

"Dad!" Charlene exploded. "Why couldn’t you just be honest with me? All this deception! You could have prepared me for this! You ruined my life! Mom’s not here, we have no idea where she is! Maybe I could have helped if I had known I had powers! You are so selfish!"

Charlene stormed off toward a nearby forest, still ranting and raving. Seth looked around to see if anyone was watching before quickly rushing after her. He grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder, ignoring her protests.

"Put me down!" Charlene screamed.

Seth tapped her on the behind. "Shosh!" he said, before stepping into the woods to ensure they weren’t being followed.

"You can’t make scenes like that here. Do you understand? People are not allowed to speak out like you just did. There’s only one way—the council’s way. If you speak out against the norm, they’ll freak out and you’ll never be heard from again. If you speak in public, choose your words wisely. Don’t be over-emotional, no matter what happens. Do you understand?"

"Dad, what’s going on here?" Charlene asked, looking confused.

"Hold on, I can explain better, but we need some privacy first," Seth replied.

In the woods, Seth continued, "Touch your mark now. I’ll touch mine at the same time and say ‘Mind’s Eye.’ Now, hold my left hand."

Just like that, they were all together—Charlene, Seth, ReNew, and Heth.

"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is—"

Before he could finish, Charlene said, "Heth, right? It’s great to meet you."

Heth looked at Seth, confused. "Did I miss something?"

"No, you didn’t," ReNew spoke abruptly. "I did! I showed her everything you two put me through all these years!" ReNew crossed her arms and stared at them with a disgusted look. Everything she had wanted to say for over 16 years came flooding out, and they took it all. She burst into tears. Charlene reached out, grabbing her hand to give her the confidence to carry on.

ReNew wiped away the tears and sighed. "I had to get that off my chest. Anywho! Now, let’s get to work."

Seth watched Charlene and ReNew holding hands, astonished. Could their bond have grown so strong in just a couple of days? It usually took decades for such a bond to form.

"Tell me what’s been going on with the two of you in the last couple of days. Fill me in," Seth urged.

They went on to tell the story of how they met in the school bathroom, how ReNew telepathically linked with Charlene and helped her break free from the Fates' grasp. They also told him about the bully and how ReNew took over and handled the situation. They shared everything that had happened from A to B and their concerns about Mom.

Seth was astonished by ReNew’s abilities.

"Could you show me how you did that with the bully?" he asked.

"What?" Charlene responded.

"Share your body with your spirit. Letting ReNew take over your body," Seth and Heth said, looking at each other.

They left the Mind’s Eye.

Charlene stood in the forest. "Touch the mark and say, ‘We are one.’"

The mark glowed, and then ReNew was present. She had switched places with Charlene.

Seth stared in amazement. What had they accomplished in such a short time?

"Is there anything else you can do?" Seth asked.

"Well, there is one more thing I noticed," Charlene said. "She can summon the soul sphere without actually touching it. She just says a word, and things happen."

"Does this happen during heightened emotions? Like in the middle of an argument or fight? Even when crying?" Seth asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Charlene answered, puzzled. "Why does that matter?"

Seth nodded slowly. "There might be some more evolutionary changes happening here. Since you were raised human and are in touch with your emotions, you’ve developed your abilities quicker than the other Fates. Your age, your emotions, they could be contributing factors. With your kung fu training and knowledge of Earth, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with. I think we have an advantage."

"Try summoning Charlene back without touching your mark," Seth suggested.

ReNew blinked, and white light poured from her eyes. Charlene was back.

"New plan," Seth said. "This is going to be a game changer."