When the connection was made, she had been reading a novel in bed, and the sorceress glanced at the clock on the wall across the room; if anyone else attempted to reach out that late, they would have been directed to her personal message board, however, the one on the other end was her youngest daughter, and she always took time for her children.

"Gretchen Rose, this had better be important. Chile, don't you know what time of day it is?" Jasmine asked when she connected.
"Mamma, I apologize, I am very aware of the hour in which it currently is, and you know I would never connect with you this late if the problem I was having was not emergent," the queen told her mother.

"Oh, I do know you wouldn't do that, and you just made me start worryin', so out with it. Tell me why you've chosen now to connect," the magix elder replied.
"I think this news should be shared face-to-face, so come to where I am, please," she requested.

"Gretchen, if I knew where you were I'd have been on the way by now, but I don't.Therefore, you're gonna need to tell me where you are," her mother replied.

"I'm visiting with your friend, Oracle," she said.

"Okay, let me put some clothes on, and I will be there," the sorceress said.

After changing from her pajamas into more suitable attire, the magix elder spoke the words of an ancient spell, and disappeared from the room. Hurtling through space and time at a rate of speed unbeknownst to any other living being was not something that she enjoyed, but it had been necessary under the circumstances; each utilization of the craft took off untold amounts of years from her life, and though she had already lived a few centuries, the idea of lessening those days caused tears to fall.

Within the count of two heartbeats, she stood in front of Oracle's house, and her right hand lazily dried the wetness from her cheeks; before she could lift the left one to knock, movement could be heard from inside, and then the door came open. Standing there was her longtime friend, Oracle, the soothsayer, and she was permitted entry. Jasmine waited for her friend to re-lock and re-chain the door, security had been a high priority in the seer's life, and she knew the sorceress would not walk away until she was through. Both elves smiled at and hugged each other as they spoke their native tongue, and they went into the main sitting room across the way.

Gretchen and Lernyr stood to show respect for the females coming their way, the queen hugged her mother, and she wiped the moisture from her cheeks; knowing that she was in the presence of three of the most powerful magix beings, created a sense of security she'd missed for some time, and she was capable of relaxing.

“The reason you have been summoned here is because while attempting to help our royal highness with her issue, I received a vision, and we both insisted you hear what it reads for yourself," Oracle explained.

“Sure, I’d love to take on another challenge,” the sorceress said.

“When I’d fully recovered from the reception process, I wrote down what I was told, and this is what my note reads: ‘Aryllion, Lord of the Underworld, Destroyer of All Things Good, will walk among you by year's end’, and after hearing my interpretation of the message, getting you here was our next best option,” the soothsayer told her friend.

“The Legend of Aryllion is true, just like I thought. I am so glad Nerville and I prepared for this," the sorceress said.

“Mother, you said as though you’re happy for this revelation. Are you ill?” Gretchen asked.

“No, it just feels good to know I was right. Now, what are we gonna do about Lord Aryllion?" Jasmine replied.

“You're taking this news better than I thought you would," the queen replied.

“Well, I’m not sure how it is you think I’m supposed to be handling it, but if you were expecting me to fall apart, it’s not happenin’. I mean, I’ve never been a wallflower or shrinking violet, but if having to fight for our home is what I have to do, then so be it. I mean, if you remember correctly, I was the one who introduced Ecko to Master Fujiri, and I was capable of doing that, because I knew him from my days of studying martial arts. Now stop acting like I’m a sensitive little twit, and help me contact your sisters,” Jasmine said.

***********************************************
Tracking down the queen’s siblings proved to be a task which was easier said than done, but after a couple of hours, her sisters were all contacted; though Maylene had been warned previously about Lord Aryllion, the sorceress felt she needed to know that her message had been confirmed as something to be concerned over, and the Avalorian queen promised she’d visit Oracle by the end of the week.

Each of the queens had lives they were busy living when Jasmine or Gretchen reached out to make a connection with them, and as rulers of the continents they lived on, each of them converged upon the Southern Magix Plateau on the same day as Maylene.

The nine matriarchs arrived by means of their individual Royal Dragon, each was reluctant to relinquish their creature to someone they did not know, but eventually allowed the stable-worker to take the reins; neither of the sisters made it there at the same time as another, however, the meeting was not conducted until they were all there at the same time.

Jasmine began, "The nine of you have been brought here in order to deliver Oracle's message to all of you at the same time, and it will be up to each of you to deal with things the way you see fit. I would advise that what you hear is taken to heart, and that each one of you goes home and prepares for the upcoming event, wisely. Now, since it was Oracle who had the vision, and who interpreted the message within, I'm gonna turn this over to her."

"I want y'all to know that what you're going to hear is actually very serious, and I hope that in the end you will all take her advice. These were the words of the message, 'Aryllion, Lord of the Underworld, Destroyer of All Things Good, will walk among you by year's end'", the soothsayer advised.

"As planetary queen, and the big sister of the rest of you, I advise y'all take this seriously, I know I am," Ecko said.

Each of the queens shared a look with one another, it was an all-knowing look, and it told them how to handle the news; the nine sisters silently vowed to protect their people, and to do it at all costs. Each of them apologized for not staying, and they left with a copy of Oracle's hand-written message; their word would never be challenged by any of their advisors, that was not the reason they wanted the note for themselves, but it served as a reminder to each of them as to how quickly life could change.
*****************************************
Afertin:
Ecko knew there would be no way she could combat Lord Aryllion alone, and she was glad relations with her siblings never went sour; in her mind, she had always known there would come a time when she needed her sisters, and she kept things good between herself and them.

Her lifelong protectors worked to inform their military leaders of the threat of Aryllion, and they kept themselves updated daily on new information on the message that may have been changed. The queen contacted nine of her ten children, they had been training for this event since they were little, and she felt their help would serve well in attempting to rid the planet of evil.

Conversations with the next generation of Interratonian rulers went well, their mother had not been expecting all of her girls to respond to the news by inquiring about how they could assist her, and each of them moved home. Her ninth daughter, Dixi never moved from the castle, and she prepared her family the best way she could.

Agriti:
Karpora consulted Dabney and Eskel about the contents of the message, and they both agreed the best thing that could be done was to prepare for the worst; for the sake of posterity, the news was shared on a need-to-know basis to keep the populace from creating chaos among themselves, and the list of those who needed-to-know was limited.

Akisel:
Emit talked to her personal and the demon's creator, she knew they would be helpful in preparations, the queen kept the news between herself, and few others. Honor took control of the military since he was a commanding officer at one point, and the king reassured his wife of their safety.

Alterin:
Periwinkle and Squyre contacted Osonal and Iona to tell them about the message, and being the queen's mortality protectors, they both moved into the castle. The queen and king decided in order to keep their kingdom from erupting into chaos, they would only tell those who needed to know about Lord Aryllion, and the list was limited.
Amarol:
Helani consulted her eternal protectors; they both felt it would be easier to keep the queen safe if they lived closer, and both moved to the citadel immediately. Life on the fifth continent went on like normal, all her advisors stayed informed about updates to the message through their personal connections to the magix community, and everyone agreed it was senseless to bring panic among the citizens, therefore no one was told unless their names were on a list.

Anivir:
Ryven and Terrin were in contact with the officials and protectors who would know the way to handle the entire situation, and the queen received daily updates about the message. Vyxx and Kassara reinforced their magixical security measures around the castle, and both of them knew life would never be the same from that day. The citizens living on the sixth continent awoke each day without knowledge of the impending threat, and every night they went to bed none the wiser.

Apoel:
Lytyr and Professor Mykkal discussed the best measures to take concerning the safety of those who lived in the kingdom, the king received updates regarding the message, and the elves who were told were on a list. The residents of the seventh continent were kept from knowing about Lord Aryllion, and life was lived as every other day before.

Avalor:
Maylene went directly to the military leaders herself, notifying them of the coming events would be hard enough, and the queen trusted no one else to give them this news; on the way home she sent a connection to the king, and he contacted her personal security team. Evindal and those closest to the matriarch met her at the secret alcove; the tree-guardian welcomed them, offering assistance if any was needed, and Maylene laid a large gift on the ground.

"Guardian of the Trees, Protector of My Alcove, you are worthy of praise beyond these trinkets which I bring you, and you shall be eternally regarded as a hero," the queen said to the air.

"My queen, you owe me nothing," Fersenniana, the guardian replied.

"Please, accept my gift, and get used to the title, because you'll always be My Hero. Now, your gift is where they're always left, and we'll need you to provide us with privacy," the queen said.


Aztirin:
Gretchen and Lernyr returned to Little Titus, gathered the sorcerer’s daughter, and the trio ended their trip in front of the castle; they discussed the best course of action when it came to dealing with Lord Aryllion, and the queen explained everything to the king. Sopher and continental military leaders met her highness in front of her alcove, the utmost privacy would be required, and Gavra promised to provide it.

**********************************************
The next six months were filled with feelings of worry and stress and fear for several of the elves who had been told about Aryllion, and Jasmine assigned psychologists, who were family members, to help the others deal with their respective mental health issues; the doctors were sworn to secracy, and they voluntarily signed a contract to ensure their silence. After signing the document, each mental healthcare provider traveled to the continents they were to perform their services on, and they were not allowed to have contact with their families in order to keep word from getting out about Lord Aryllion.
*************************************
Dec. 1, 2099:
On December 1, of 2099, an unknown aircraft was detected on radar at the "Afertin International Airport", and Ecko flew out to find out what happened; on rare occasions, a space shuttle would appear, and the queen was always there to greet the pilot.
"My name is Ecko Devereux-Renfrew, I am the ruler of this planet, and I would like to welcome you to Interraton," the female elf said.
"My name is Anh, and my ship is having issues with the motor," the stranger said.
"Honestly, the beings living here are on the verge of war, and I cannot guarantee when we can get it fixed. However, I can offer transportation while you're here, and I can have a mechanic take a look to see what the problem is. While we're waiting for the results, you can stay at the citadel in East Zeerk," the queen offered.
"That's all fine and well, however, I am not alone," he replied.
"How many others are with you?" She wanted to know.
"There are three others inside," Anh said.
Slowly, two more males and a female emerged from the craft, and they introduced themselves as the regular mechanic and the doctor and the teacher, and they were a species called, "Wikians".
"We have transportation, and you may stay at the citadel in East Zeerk where myself and my family lives," Ecko said.
Without a means of communicating their desires to the creatures, the visitors were given a pilot, and the group of five followed the queen.
When they arrived a few minutes later, there were several staff members waiting outside, and they assisted with the travelers' belongings. Since he was leader, Anh was briefed on "Lord Aryllion", and the Wikian paused.
"I would completely understand if y'all got your vehicle fixed, and decided to leave. I mean, it's not your war, and you do not have to stay to help us fight it," the royal one said.
"It's not a matter of whether we will assist you all with that issue, but I'm concerned about whether or not it will make a difference," the wizard said.
"Every little bit y'all can do will make some sort of impact," Ecko said.
"I'll take it that you don't know your enemy very well, or you'd already have a plan of action, and that's never a war anyone wants to fight. Do you think having magic will help any?" Anh inquired.
"We really cannot be sure what, if anything will assist in destroying a regular demon, but I've placed a distress call to our allies on planets four through nine to request backup," the queen said.
"There are beings living on the other planets?" The wizard asked.
"Yes, there are Valkyries on four, Barbarians on five, Centaur on six, Pegasus on seven, Griffins on eight, and Sirens on nine. They have all been there for us in the past, and have sworn to return if we need them," she explained.
"Yet, you think you'll still need us?" He inquired.
"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but we could use everyone we can get. That is one thing I do know," Ecko replied.
*************************************
One week later, there was a convergence of epic proportions on East Zeerk, as nine leaders from the other six planets began to arrive, and the Community of Builders escorted them to their temporary homes which began going up after the call for help went out.
The leaders from Juntor, Kelsus, Lemoxin, Mertilin, Nerfel and Otozil were in the citadel the next morning, and Colonel Mavers of the Afertin Army was explaining the severity of the situation, "This is NOT the type of enemy we're used to battling, Lord Aryllion means to destroy our planet, and we would be forever indebted to y'all."
"The Barbarians will help, but we won't accept payment" Huf the leader from Kelsus said.
"The Valkyries will help, but we'll need time to go home for more soldiers," Anduul replied.
One-by-one, each of the other seven leaders agreed to assist in the battle, and they gave their word to return.

****************************************
At the end of the year, a black cloud could be seen moving towards East Zeerk, but it did not look like an insect swarm; after closer inspection, it was determined to be their other worldly assistants, and the armies which followed them back. Waiting at the airport were escorts from each of the eight continents, and they took with them, a leader from each of the six planets in the Andromeda galaxy.
Those who remained were greeted by Flash and his son, Bryen, they built temporary homes for the other planetary help leaders, and it was the duo's responsibility make sure everyone had everything they needed during their stay; the creatures were placed in separate housing areas, the sirens were accepted willingly by Queen Adriatic in Arnchill Bay, and those who were speaking beings were given their own spaces. This was to ensure comfort, and to limit any feuds that existed between themselves.
There were citizens who prepared meals for the enormous crowds, and others who cleaned up after them; by this time, the contents of Oracle's message had been revealed to the public, there was a massive insurge of volunteers who were not involved with the military, and they accepted responsibilities no one else would.
(Note from author: "Stay tuned" for the next installment).
© P. L. Watson-Atwell