As Eary and Mote snuck back into the small suite, he was abruptly startled by a voice from the kitchen.

"Where have you been?" Luke's voice rang out from the kitchen.

Eary stood in silence as he stared at his brother. Luke pressed in once more.

"I knocked on your door an hour ago, no answer. So I went inside. No, Eary. So I called Sakile, Calvin, and the girls over. And you know what? Only Sakile and Calvin show up!" Luke said, angrily taking out his phone and shooting a few texts, continued. "So, where were you three?"

Eary's voice began to creak as no words would escape his mouth. A moment later, Sakile, Calvin, and Denby arrived.

Sakile scolded Eary, "What's your problem? You gotta go sneaking out? You had the three of us worried sick! You know how fucked up your brother was when he found you not in your bed? Denby and I have been reviewing security cameras and are looking for you!"

Eary attempted to defend himself again, but to no avail, as Alice and Mei burst into the apartment.

Reading the minds of those in the room, Alice had no trouble defending Earhart.

"Hey, cool it!" Alice announced as she interrupted Eary interrogation.

Luke, still distraught, hissed back. "You! Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Alice, not intimidated, replied, "Look, man, it was an accident. The magical kind. I accidentally teleported us away."

The room fell silent, and after a moment, Luke spoke.

"Where did you go?"

Before Alice could say, a blue shimmer of light appeared above Eary

"Ta-da! Did ya miss me?" Mote exclaimed as he flew around in a flurry of lights. Luke exclaimed in surprise,

"Mote!"

The little moteling hovered before Luke. His beady eyes and mischievous grin were missing in the Colorado hideaway. As he spoke, he commanded the attention of the room.

"That's King Mote to ya! Now, why don't ya all sit down? We have a lot to go over," he said.

As the group sat, Mote took center stage on the coffee table. He recounted the events of the evening and filled the others in about his very ancient past. The group sat shocked. Calvin was the first to speak,

"So, how old are you, Mote? I mean, that's not rude, is it?" Mote grinned. "As old as time, maybe a little older, I don't know. Before, time was a blur for all of us.

Calvin asked, "All of us?"

Mote shook his small furry head.

"Yep! We are the creators of the universe. Think of your reality as one big start-up we all got into together. But we all work for the Boss, Claris." Mote retorted.

Eary inquired, "Is Claris like God?"

Mote looked back and replied very loudly,

"Yes, they are! Good at it, too! And might I say, looks fetching in whatever they wear that day!" Mote said, glancing around at the air above him, Eager for some acknowledgment.

Eary inquired again. "Are you, like, an angel then?"

His eyes are full of hope and wonder.

Mote scoffed. "Nah, I'm middle management; I handle accounts receivable for all karmic debts. I wish I was an angel. Sheesh! Do you know what those big birds get paid? And the benefit package? Get outta here!"

Mei, leaning forward from her seat, eyes ripe with curiosity, asked,

"Who are these evil Scion guys you mentioned earlier?"

Mote's disposition was somber, as the little moteling seemed to drift off at the thought of the question.

His royal blue coat and 8-inch frame stood on hind legs; as he returned, his eyes lit with intrigue, he replied,

"The three Scions of Eldris. They nasty bunch of fuckers they were. Once held the world captive with the power bestowed upon them by Eldris." Mote replied matter of fact as he paced back and forth on the coffee table.

He continued his lecture, "So he could destroy the Nocopo, your world's only defense against things like 'em." Mote gestured toward the group of disbelieved youths, "All right, I'll take it from the top."

Flying past a corner, Mote pulled a large whiteboard from seemingly nowhere.

Alice exclaimed. "Where did that come from?"

Mote dismissed the young woman. "Never mind where I got it." Mote then zipped up to the whiteboard and drew a detailed map of the Nocopo empire.

"So, some 26,000 years ago, give or take. Claris sent me here with a shard of themself. My landing was not as expected, so when I dropped it."

Eary exclaimed, "You were drunk."

Mote retorted, "Hungover, actually. Anyways, a teenager, no older than you, helped me collect 'em and such. We sealed off Eldris' connection to this place." Mote boasted, rubbing his paw on his chest. "13,000 years after that, I was livin' the life. I had it all; I did." Mote's ears sunk, "but unfortunately, they kicked over my sand castle. The whole Nocopo civilization was destroyed. Only Ilia and I survived, with many humans, of course. All because of the Claris power.

"What happened?" Denby inquired, noticeably gripped by the tale.

Mote placed his hand over his eyes. "The darkness is sealed in the heart of our land. A Scion popped up right in the Aedish kingdom. His name was Elxam. He was a powerful Claris of life. That was until he had a kid."

Eary asked."Why would that change it?"

Mote replied."Ya see. All of the Claris shards do certain things. The one from the Aedish kingdom is the shard of life. Moreover, it's the same one you got, kid."

Eary looked shocked.

"How do you know?" Eary lamented calmly.

Mote made himself comfy as he explained, "Each of the four shards did somethin'. You got the shard of life. I can smell it." Mote said as he whirled around Eary. "You see, Eary, you've never been too bad. When Claris uses their power for bad things, they become scions."

Mei inquired, "So the three scions are just an evil version of Eary?" Mote nodded.

In the gravest of tones, Luke replied, "So where are these Scions, then?"

Mote shrugged. "That, I do not know. I do, however, expect our neighborhood nasty, Johnathan Tiddle, to be one."

Sakile inquired, "Why do you suspect that?"

Mote raised his brow and replied, "That Tiddle creep dissipated me. The only others to earth manage that have been Scions."

Sakile replied."Got it!"

Joining again on Mote's interrogation, Alice asked, "So what about these super gems? What are they, and how can we find 'em?"

She took out the magnificent purple gem, and Mote flew in for a closer inspection. After a moment, he replied, "This is one of the seven gems of the companions."

Mote's statement confused the group as Eary asked, "Who were the seven companions?"

Mote nodded as if to reassure himself of the accuracy of his own claim. He turned and directly spoke to Earhart.

"The seven companions were the ones who bound together and defeated the Scions the first time. They even started the Nocopo race. That gem is what Nocopo bodies turn into when you all die. Unless the powers have been drained from you, that is. We fought back at the lab like those who went into that abomination."

Mote pondered momentarily until he realized, "They're draining the powers from you all. That's the whole evil plan!" Mote's eureka was quickly met with a shrug."But how?"

A few ideas surfaced as the group sat there, scratching their heads. Calvin suggested that someone had the power to drain others. An idea that was quickly shot down due to the sheer number of abductions.

Mei concluded that there must be some supernatural way this was possible. Just then, Eary's memory flashed before him—one of Sasha, Johnathan, and a secret third member.

He then recalled that Sasha was a world-famous inventor.

Realizing he may have figured it out, Eary inquired, "Say Mote. Is there a superpower that lets you build things? Like high-tech stuff."

Exuberant over the question, Mote replied, "Eary, my boy, I think you've done it! There IS a power out there like that. A power called 'Technopathy.'"

Luke inquired. "Is that where those bracelets came from?"

Mote, shaking his head, replied, "More than likely. But now we gotta figure out who."

Eary interrupted and stated, "No, we don't. I already know who he is."

Eary recounted the event of his dream with the three men.

Sakile inquired, "So, it's that famous inventor, Sasha Mikhailov, right?" Eary nodded somberly.

Alice piped in, reminding the group of the task, "So where are the gems?"

Mote shrugged."That, I can not say. But I bet dollars to doughnuts the Scions got a few."

Denby said, " I know they've got a list of locations of possible hideouts in the offices upstairs."

Mote nodded."That would be a good start. And if we go as a group, nothing could take us!"

Luke leaped from his chair with a resounding, "Nope!"

Eary quickly asked."What is it?"

Luke responded. I'm not letting my baby brother go charging into dangerous situations. You're nuts if you think that!"

Mote hovered over to the defensive Luke. With a commanding tone, Mote informed him, "If we don't prepare him, they will find him and kill him."

Luke stared in disbelief at the moteling. His eyes locked, longing for another way. Mote continued, "He's gonna need your help, too!"

While contemplating his position, Luke replied, "We'll grab the list in the morning. We will set up a time for us all to go together. But we need to keep this from the Nato officials."

Alice added, "And Maxwell."

The group agreed with Luke's plan, recognizing the need for unity and secrecy. They knew that dealing with the Scions and recovering the super gems would be perilous and require careful planning.

As they discussed their strategy further, Eary asked Mote, "Do you have any insights into the Scions' strengths or weaknesses that could help us?"

Mote pondered momentarily before responding, "The Scions' power is likely tied to the shards they possess. Only the Aedish shard was through blood. If we can find a way to weaken or separate them from their shards, we might have a chance."

Sakile added, "We should also gather information on each Scion, their abilities, and any vulnerabilities they might have."

Calvin, ever the strategist, suggested, "Perhaps we should seek out allies, individuals with unique powers that could aid us in this mission. We can't face the Scions alone."

Mote nodded in agreement, "That's a good idea. Others with extraordinary abilities might be willing to join our cause."

Still worried about his younger brother's safety, Luke looked at Eary and said, "Eary, we'll train you to harness your Claris power. You need to be ready for whatever comes our way."

Eary, determined, and eager to learn nodded in response. "I'll do whatever it takes to help stop the Scions and protect our world."

Alice, always resourceful, said, "And we should keep an eye on Sasha Mikhailov. If he's involved with the Scions, we need to learn more about his plans and how he's using the Technopathy power."

Mei suggested, "We should also consult with mystical beings or ancient texts that might hold clues about countering the Scions' magic."

The group felt a renewed sense of purpose and unity with their plan taking shape. They knew that they were facing a formidable foe in the Scions, but they were determined to protect their world and prevent the devastation that had occurred in the past.

With his ancient knowledge and mischievous spirit, Mote hovered in the center of the room and declared,

"We have a challenging journey ahead of us, but we can overcome any obstacle together. Let's be the new companions and write our own destiny."

As the group continued to discuss their strategy, they were unaware that their actions had already set into motion a series of events that would determine the fate of their world. The Scions had a head start, but with courage, unity, and some magic, they were ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.