World Between: Chapter 10 part 1

“I don’t know what you think they’re gonna tell.” Talmo said as Aaron tried, repeatedly, to get answers from a disgruntled group of patients. “Better not to waste what little voice they are getting back.”

“Well, I would leave if they would tell me something.” Aaron turned to face Talmo. “If you would tell me something.”

“Even if I knew something to tell, I wouldn’t give you the answer.” Talmo replied. “Could shout up to the mountains, and it’s still not likely to get in your head.”

“You’re the POLICE.” Aaron said. “You care about all these people. This level of suffering should concern you.”

“You think it doesn’t?” Talmo’s armor clanked as he stood a little taller as he spoke. “You think I’ve gotten a lick of rest wondering if one night you get to all these Gems, and my home crumbles. You think it’s been easy?” There was a pause as Talmo took 2 steps forward. “Letting all these foreigners, old and new, change everything I’ve known?”

Most of the room looked down. Some gripping one of their arms. “Then why let them? Why allow all them to cause all this just to run from their own—”

“Because they lacked a home!” Talmo roared, peaking the interest of the makeshift hospital building. “Because I can’t imagine the pain someone must be in to leave everything behind, and I doubt I have that kind of courage. But I have the power to defend it, and the strength to let things change. I know the values I fight for, and I remain proud of them .”

“You’re proud of letting a bunch of foreigners lose?” Aaron asked. “Willing to fight for a plan you know nothing about. Willing to let them hurt people you care about?”

Two clops on a hoof on wood as Sofia leaned on the doorframe. Tilting her head at Aaron as he and Talmo looked over.

“You did that to yourself.” Aaron replied to a mute Sofia.

“Took her own voice, did she?” Talmo asked. “Drained all her own power?”

“Well, she had a choice.” Aaron said. Sofia pointed to him in response. “Me?” he asked. Sofia nodded. 

“Ya got all the way there. Found who you were looking for.” Talmo said. “Then attacked it.”

“I thought I had an ally… still do” Aaron replied.

“What does that even—?” Talmo stopped for a moment as Sofia rolled her eyes, and motioned not to bother. “I suppose I should thank you.” He continued still looking at Aaron.

“Thank?” Aaron replied, confused as Sofia was.

“It was a concern of ours.” Talmo admitted. “Why so many left? How did they adapt so fast? But it becomes rather obvious after watching both of you. Some worlds are in dark times. Others meet their end soon after. Our world certainly it’s going to hold all this much longer without some reworking.”

Sofia nodded proudly as Talmo stared wide eyed after finishing his thought.

“The old rules weren’t going to work.” Lydria replied walking in. “A far seeker was supposed to guard a gem this year to see if they could somehow help. Personally I think the new data will show they were more than an anchor's worth of hindrance, but that's just a hypothesis.”

“But why were we supposed to break them, then?” Aaron asked. “That was supposed to convince people to come home.”

“It wasn’t going to convince anyone. Had you done it fast enough, it probably would have thrown even people like her back in.” Lydria replied. “Extremely annoying for Talmo, I'm sure, but us far seekers had its location on stand-by long before you came in… Jan...nee..tio?”

“Ugh.. the prep we had to do for that I was about ready to throw one of you into a wall.” Talmo replied. “At least it’ll be a lot less work now.”

“Pff. Were not letting them in.” Lydria said. “Well unless they wanna leave, but that was a split vote.”

“Wait, but if it would’ve worked then, it should work now.” Aaron said. “January can’t have been that long ago.”

“Adjusting to a foreign world is… what the word?... Temporal? Most worlds attempt to drag you back for a time, but it’s not gravity. Nothing prevents you from leaving, and after a while the new world holds you down more than the old one pulls.”

“I know the Gems slow them down a lot, but I don’t see how breaking them would send anyone back.” Talmo said.

“That,” Lydria began. Reaching out as a way off asking for paper. “Would be part of the reason it hasn’t.” She drew a circle with 8 chains around it. “See normally when you leave there a small shockwave. Sometimes, manifesting as the ‘largethic step’”

“Why getting back in takes a minute longer than anything else.” Talmo replied.

“Mhmm.” Lydria nodded. “The Gems, being what cycle magic through our world until now block the energy once you’re IN our world, not between worlds.”

“Block?” Talmo stated. “Not slow?”

“Well, slow isn’t the wrong word. Some energy does leak to the host, as it’s not always made of magic. But, mostly, block.”

“Like if you block a rolling stone.” Aaron said dejectedly.

“Move the block and stone will just keep going with just as much force.” Lydria replied. “For a time. Which since we haven’t grabbed anyone after we confirmed you were going to break the chains is on its way to expiring.”

“So doing it this way…” Talmo replied.
​
“We basically won before we started.” Lydria confirmed. “Some side effects included, of course.”