II

The silence was broken by a whine. "Kaaara." Kara was annoyed by Lyra's voice, which was strained with fatigue.

Hours had passed while they followed a dim trail farther into the jungle. Fatigue caused their limbs to feel heavy, and hunger tormented their stomachs. Despite their best efforts, the Amulet around Kara's neck refused to speak. Lyra had been complaining nonstop for the past hour, and Kara's patience had run out.

"I just want to sleep, Kara! We don't really have a place to be, really. Why don't we just—"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" Kara turned and stopped her sister in the middle of her step.

Lyra's visage hardened as she crossed her arms and their eyes met. She retorted, "Well, forgive me for breathing," in a sarcastic tone. "I forgot this was boot camp." Plunging into the dirt walk, she sighed deeply and gazed at the ground.

Kara sat down too, realizing that there was no need in arguing. She tipped her head back and stretched her legs, examining the clear sky. It was lovely and cool under the trees, even though the sun was high. Her skin was dappled by the light that came through the leaves.

The first sound she heard was a tune, like a lullaby, hummed from a great distance, possibly from underwater, while she was following the flight of a yellow butterfly. Her spine was tinged with paranoia. She looked for any indication of life in the shadows that lined the walkway. As light and lovely as the breeze rustling her hair, the tune went on. It whispered that all was well and urged her to sleep. But she was urged to stay awake by a deeper, more primitive instinct.

"Lyra, do you hear that?" As Kara inhaled, she instinctively lowered herself into a crouch.

Already alert, Lyra had a frown on her face. Her voice was as guarded as her sister's when she murmured, "What is it?"

Kara strained to hear the faint music and shrugged. It appeared to be diminishing, getting farther away with every breath. Lyra sprung to her feet with a start. Kara stood, too, startled. Lyra's pupils dilated as they had when they recalled their shared vision, and her expression was passionate.

"Kara," she murmured in a strained voice. "This song... it's not coming from out there." She gave the surrounding woods a hazy gesture.

Kara got it right away. "It's in our heads."

"We have to trust ourselves, remember?" Lyra closed her eyes and turned her attention inward as she spoke and tapped a finger to her forehead. Kara followed behind hesitantly, fearing that she would lose her senses amid the strange woods. She guessed that Lyra was also thinking about the tune. She suspected that the "powers" the woman in the Amulet was referring to were mental.

The world started to seem far away as Kara concentrated, the song drawing her away from her physical self, the dusty walk, and the world as a whole. It was no longer a faint tune; it was loud, but yet a lullaby, lulling her senses into a dull slumber. She wondered, "Why does this sound so familiar?" as she had a mental picture of a huge field of pink and yellow flowers.

Lyra's voice strayed into her inner monologue. This is a song I've heard before.

In that field of flowers, Kara suddenly saw her sister standing next to her. Around them, pink and yellow petals fluttered in the wind. Lyra appeared stunned. They clasped hands and started walking, not knowing where they were going, the song getting louder as they went. From their other perspective, Kara saw a crystalline object hovering in the clouds high above, gleaming like the spire. She wanted to draw attention to it, but the overwhelming melody overpowered her thoughts and made her limbs feel heavy.

And then it was all over. The melody, the wind, the flowers—gone. They were standing on a desolate, quiet landscape that extended to the horizon. The sun sank toward the ground, causing the sky to bleed into a deep scarlet. In terror, Lyra covered her mouth and withdrew her hand. Kara looked after her.

They were there: men in brown and black, armed with weapons and swords, slaughtering with ruthless efficiency. The screams of the dying pierced the sisters' thoughts as their cries filled the air.

The scene changed. Under a gloomy, blank sky, Kara was floating above a frozen sea, a motionless, glass-like ocean. She searched but was unable to locate Lyra. Her voice was stuck in her throat as she attempted to call out. Like the air before a lightning strike, the silence was heavy and thick.

A soaring cliff came into view, its image broken in the motionless ocean below. Two figures engaged in combat in a frenzied flurry of strikes and flashes of light atop it. The sound of a man's warm, powerful voice broke the stillness and spoke straight into her head. Only the tone was audible to her, not the words. She struggled to understand what it meant, thinking, What...?

Then the words spilled out in a last violent moment.

"Get down!"

The ocean broke up. Just as a figure tackled Kara, her eyes snapped open, and they both fell to the woodland floor. She had returned. Around them, gunfire broke out. Something in an unfamiliar tongue was yelled by a woman. Kara propped herself up on her elbows and glanced up at the rescuer. His eyes were covered by brown hair that was pulled back by a deep purple bandana. She blushed angrily and pointed out that he was quite gorgeous. She pulled him away, startling him out of his daze. A blade of purple-black, shimmering energy appeared in his hand as he jumped to his feet.

His royal blue eyes searched the treetops before settling on her, ferocious with the intensity of a warrior. He got up to assist her. He wore a silver hoop earring with a single red stone hanging from his left ear, and his dusty brown hair was spiked in front with three lighter streaks. He wore a royal blue tunic with a metallic chest plate that was appropriate for a warrior. A well-known symbol—a red globe with emerging white wings—was displayed on the plate. He wore a spiked choker around his neck and a short, deep purple cape tied at the shoulders.

"What's happening? "Who are you?" Kara sobbed, her face contorted with terror and bewilderment.

With a sigh, he made a light-blade gesture. "They're attacking us. I'm attempting to keep you safe with my partner."

The noises of combat intensified. Unsatisfied, Kara crossed her arms. "Attacked by whom?"

He gave an eye roll. "Is it important? Listen, I need to assist my friend. She can't keep them at bay for very long. He jogged toward the fighting and turned. Kara raged for a time, but then her fear overcame her and she ran to catch up.

"Hey! She cried out, "You never answered my first question!" as he slid to a stop next to another fighter.

He smiled arrogantly as he looked over his shoulder. "The name's Kiro Jidaka, Commander of the Sentinels."

Kiro's partner, a woman who was panting and muttering curses, smiled lopsidedly. "My name is Reya. A Sentinel as well, but not quite as conceited as Kiro.

Kiro chuckled as three black-clad guys emerged from the trees, their features obscured by bulky helmets. As they started shooting, Kara screamed, but Reya's phrase in that weird dialect caused a transparent blue sphere to appear around them, repelling the bullets silently.

"Whoa..." Kara inhaled as she saw Kiro cut the soldiers down with unfathomable grace. He gave one last wail and jumped into the forest, his attackers' fading screams trailing behind him.

Reya went over to Kara, safe for the time being. Despite being shorter than Kara, the Sentinel exuded authority. She had a few mismatched earrings on her ears and her light brown hair was half cut back. She was dressed in short black boots with gold clasps, black short-shorts, and a sea-foam green tank top. After giving Kara a curious look, Reya gestured behind her.

Lyra was lying on the ground, unconscious, when Kara turned around.

"Lyra!" Kara dropped to her knees and ran to her sister's side. Glaring up at the Sentinel, she noticed the blood on Lyra's face. "What happened to her?"

As she kept up the energy barrier, Reya's eyes wavered with sorrow. "She broke from her trance first and ran right into their ambush."

Kara's dread was overshadowed by a raging rage. Making the men who had harmed Lyra pay was all she could think about. She fervently hoped to regain the ability to harm them. Everything came together, including the visions, the voice from the Amulet, and the guys Kiro was battling. Her irises changed from a deep green to a terrifying, electric tone as her pupils dilated. Her hands touched as her arms lifted rigidly before her. Reya stepped back as raw power rushed from the new Sentinel, startled at the empty look on her face.

With elegant movements of his light-blade, Kiro redirected the final soldier's rounds farther into the forest. The three surviving Arakian soldiers exchanged looks and ceased their fire. Kiro stiffened, preparing to fight. He was certain that these jerks would never give up. He smiled and spun his blade in a leisurely arc. Something sinister was being cast by their chanting.

With his sword up, he stepped forward two paces. But before he could attack, all three troops were consumed in a dazzling white light. Without a sound, they exploded into white flames and disappeared.

Kiro lurched numbly back toward Reya and the twins, blinking, utterly stunned.

The throb of energy that pulsed like a second heartbeat took the place of Kara, leaving her mind blank. Her own voice thundered in her head, "You will pay." Then she collapsed to the ground as everything turned black.

"Kara!" Reya ran to her side and sobbed.

With wide eyes and a pallid face, Kiro hurried back. Reya gave him a look. "What is it? "Whatever became of the enemy?"

Kiro looked back into the darkness. "They simply blazed. Then they vanished.

They both turned to see the comatose girl on the woodland floor, and there was no denying the mutual bewilderment in their gaze.