Rigel's heart raced even faster at Kael's words, a mix of incredulity and dread flooding his senses.
"Connected to me?" he echoed, his voice trembling slightly as confusion twisted in his gut. "What are you talking about?"
As if on command, the tapestry swirled and morphed into a dark shadowed veil, shimmering ominously.
"The Veilkeeper," Elara said softly, her tone laced with gravity. "An element of Hades."
"But what does that even mean?" Rigel threw his hands in the air in frustration, exasperation spilling over. "What does that have to do with me? Why am I here?"
The blonde boy scoffed, sitting up straighter, his expression a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. "Do we really have to spell it out to you?"
"Jaxon," Elara sighed, casting him a reproachful glance. Jaxon rolled his eyes dramatically, but the tension in the room was palpable.
Rigel shook his head in disbelief, panic surging within him like a tidal wave. He turned his back on the group, desperate to escape the rising tide of emotions. "This is insane!" he murmured to himself before raising his voice again. "I'm just a regular guy—I don't want anything to do with whatever this is! You've got the wrong person!"
Mira sighed deeply, her voice gentle yet firm. "I understand this is overwhelming," she said, her eyes softening as she looked at him. "But you need to know that we're all in this together. The tapestry only introduces a new element when something truly terrible is about to happen, and it knows we're going to need additional help."
"You've got to understand," Kael interjected earnestly, leaning forward slightly. "It doesn't just involve you; it involves all of us."
Rigel shook his head again, his hands tangling in his hair as he pulled at it in frustration. He hadn't felt this scared—this terrified—since that fateful day all those years ago when he woke up in the hospital to find out that both of his parents had perished in a fire that only he had survived. The memories flooded back, tightening around him like a noose. He was so caught up in his spiraling panic that he didn't notice half of the room shooting him concerned looks nor did he hear the sound of footsteps approaching until someone reached out and gently tugged his hands from their grip on his hair.
"Don't do that," the white-haired male said softly, taking Rigel's hands into his own and pressing a thumb to his pulse point. In an instant, Rigel felt all the panic and fear leave him in one woosh; calmness washed over him like a soothing balm.
The boy gave him a small smile, his dark eyes looking serene yet distant as if he were gazing into another realm entirely. "Are we okay now?"
Rigel nodded slowly, still trying to grasp what had just happened. "Ye-yeah."
"Good," he nodded again with an air of reassurance. "Let's go take a seat."
Rigel was so dazed that he allowed the boy to lead him back to the spot on the couch he had vacated in blind panic and confusion. It wasn't until he had settled down and felt the warmth of the cushions enveloping him that he realized—whatever had just happened between them wasn't normal.
Elara huffed softly from where she was standing. "Thank you, Theo."
The white-haired boy returned to his spot on the couch with a small smile gracing his lips.
Rigel swallowed hard and looked at Elara. "What just—"
"Emotion manipulator," Mira interjected quickly, glancing at Theo with appreciation. "That's Theo's power."
Rigel nodded absently as his gaze was drawn back to the tapestry; the shadowed veil stared back at him.
"This element," he began hesitantly, "it's a power then?"
"A symbolism of the power," Elara clarified, her tone serious.
The room fell into a heavy silence as Rigel processed everything they had told him; it felt like grappling with an enormous weight he hadn't anticipated. He could feel their gazes upon him—each one filled with expectation and concern.
And then something dawned on him like a flash of lightning cutting through dark clouds.
He looked at Elara suddenly, eyes wide with realization. "This—this power—is this the reason why that person kept appearing in my dreams?"
That seemed to get everyone's attention; they leaned forward slightly, their interest piqued.
"What person?" Elara asked carefully.
"I—I don't know." Rigel stammered slightly as anxiety crept back into his chest. "That dream you guys came to rescue me from—it wasn't the first time he's appeared to me; it's just the first time he attacked." He swallowed hard again before continuing. "I've been having the same dream every night for almost a month now. It's always the same: he comes to me and tells me to join him—says he can help me 'become who I'm destined to be.'"
As he spoke, Rigel could almost taste the tension that settled heavily in the atmosphere—the kind that thickened like fog after twilight—and it was clear in that moment: The Dreamcatchers and this power had everything to do with his dreams and that strange figure who haunted him.
"What changed?" Kael asked grimly, concern etched across his features. "What changed that made him attack?"
"I—I told him I'm not going to do it! I told him I won't join him." His gaze locked onto Elara's searching for understanding. "It's connected, isn't it?"
Elara's solemn expression was enough of an answer for Rigel; dread pooled inside him like lead.
Rigel swallowed hard again; anxiety gnawed at him relentlessly now. He didn't want any part of this anymore—he wanted nothing more than to escape from this reality pressing down on him.
"Okay," Rigel said slowly, taking a deep breath. "I want to go home."
Elara regarded him with a long sympathetic look before finally nodding her head in understanding. "This conversation isn't over."
"I know," Rigel scowled defiantly but knew deep inside it was true—it wasn't over yet. "But I want to go home."
Elara nodded again after a moment's pause before turning towards Theo and Mira. "Theo? Mira?"
The two stood up without hesitation; Theo walked over to Rigel and took hold of his hand gently but firmly. "Come on," he said softly as he began walking away from where they sat.
Mira offered Elara a small reassuring smile before following closely behind the boys.
Theo led Rigel to a door, a small door that he hadn't even noticed when he came into the room. Theo opened the door and walked into it pulling Rigel with him, Mira followed them in, not too far behind.