Emily Lauren Marshall
Emily followed behind the snake in a bit of a daze. Information washed over her and knocked her brain into the sides of her skull repeatedly. When they were finally brought to a room to stay in Emily felt dizzy.
"Are you serious?" The outburst from someone with an Irish accent caught her attention. "You don't seem to grasp the gravity of this situation." Emily's eyes narrowed on the two men, remembering that the taller and older one had carried the young girl in since she had fainted. She stood a few feet away and so when the pale blonde lowered his voice she lost what he was saying. Gathering up her nerve, she walked closer to the two in time to hear: "Who the hell are you? Sherlock Holmes?" The blonde seemed amused, and replied simply
"That's a nice compliment but-...no." Emily cleared her throat. "Hey, it was nice of you to carry that girl," she managed to say. She wanted to ask what the boy, who she could vaguely remember calling himself Dracen, what he had said earlier. Alas, it was not to be. Their guide, Azi, had returned with a lot more to say.
Avery woke up at some point during the speech, her head throbbing from hitting the ground. The snake was talking again and she felt faint all over again. I'm going to die, she thought to herself as she looked down on her tail. Her hands visibly shook as she slowly crawled out of the pillow pit. When she was able to steady herself she walked directly over to the man who had scooped her up. Judas. She could sort of remember him saying his name at some point while she was half passed out and half present.
Avery glanced between the red head and the two men, knowing that she must look pale as snow. Standing was difficult as her legs shook under her. "Is this real?" Her eyes looked up to Judas for answers as the snake lady finally stopped talking. She had asked for questions, but Avery couldn't bring herself to even look in the snake's general direction. She couldn't look down, either, so she settled for staring at her hands- as if they were the only things holding her to this world.
Emily glanced to the shaken looking girl as Dracen turned his attention to Azi and asked, "Who's Her?" It was a fair question, and Emily wanted to know, too. Emily nodded, glancing from Dracen to their guide.
"A fair question," Azi sighed, looking to the group of confused travelers. "She is many things, represented in many cultures from your planet. Here she is Sona, goddess of the suns. In your realm she is God, Ala, Ra, Zeus, and many other names. She is what keeps the realms in balance. We work for Her."
"Will we ever return home or are we stuck doing this forever?" Azi turned to face the other traveler. "It is your destiny to do this until you are no longer able to. At such time, you will train a new traveler in your place once she has chosen them. Once the new traveler has been trained, you will be sent to Her to be reunited with your families." "Also what happens if we don't protect the planet like we are supposed to or if we do something wrong?" Azi looked to the man with something akin to sympathy. These were questions she had had when she first started, too. "If you are unsuccessful in protecting the realm then it will fall into chaos and be lost forever. The realm will eventually crumple and the inhabitants will become nothing more than a memory or a chapter in a traveler's journal. If enough realms fall the scale will be tipped and the others will follow into darkness until there is nothing but evil and corruption left. She will die and you will never be reunited with your families."
Emily stood shell-shocked as she listened to Azi. "So, you're saying that the fate of not only our world, but all of the realms, rest on our shoulders? And our families- they aren't gone? Where is 'She' at? How do we get back to them? Why are they being kept from us?" Emily's eyes looked like overfilled teacups, threatening to spill over if she tipped too far one way. "Yes. No, they are not gone. No one but passed on travelers know where She is. I have already told you, you can only return to your families once your task is complete. They are removed from the realms for their safety. There are forces of great power that work against us as travelers. Families would only weigh you down and hold you back."
"I want to go home. I don't want to be here, or save the realms, or be a fucking snake." Avery had once again attached herself to the muscular arm of Judas, as if he could protect her from the snake and her destiny. "I'm afraid you do not have a choice, young one. This is how the realms have maintained balance for generations. It is simply how it is done." "So we're on permanent jury duty?" "I'm not familiar with what 'jury duty' is, Emily Marshall. I am not entirely versed in the ways of Third Earth. It is late. The treaty is tomorrow. Please, get some rest. I will come to get you in the morning and I will answer more questions then." With that, the mysterious figure left as quickly as she had come.
Emily put a hand to her head, feeling more confused than she had been before she started asking questions. Left in a room with a group of total strangers, Emily only had one question fluttering around her mind: Third Earth? Did that mean there was a First and Second Earth too?