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"Are there any families?!" I asked, anxiously wondering if Finn's family had escaped in time.
Mom gave me a sad look and sighed."No honey. They're still checking, but only a few pixies remained. Did you know someone who was on that dimension before the incident?"
I frowned as I glanced at Orion's hand that held mine tightly.
Orion answered on my behalf. "Our friend, Finn Charm. His family recently fled to that dimension due to the increased Forsaken attacks. He found out his family was killed. We just wondered if maybe they were able to escape."
Mom was quiet for a moment, prompting me to lift my head with a bit of hope, but her sad expression revealed that spark of hope was pointless.
"I can check into it again, but I don't think your friend Finn's family survived. It was a tiny reaction window before everything went downhill and ended in the dimension's demise. I will look into it, or at least assure Finn that their names will be collected and honored on the gravestone being created on their behalf," Mom explained.
"Thanks, Mom," I said quietly.
"Thank you...um...Commander?" Orion replied.
"Please, call me Charlotte. I only go by Commander when I'm on duty." She met my gaze and gave me a sweet smile.
"I've missed you, Celestia. I feel we have a lot to talk about, but I think we should focus on your main questions regarding Alpha Pure," Mom suggested.
Orion and I exchanged looks before we nodded. "That would be a good start," I replied.
Mom nodded and relaxed back into the white leather chair. She took a deep breath before a serious expression formed on her flawless face. "Alpha Pure is now the sanctuary for endangered species across the dimensions, but before that, it was nothing but a group of individuals who noticed the decline of shifters and an increase in Forsaken."
"I and the other individuals involved thought of the idea of a temporary sanctuary when we'd completed our time at Aslan Academy and saved a group of hellhounds. They are one of the rarest types of shifters, and their population is so little, we were worried the group we found was all that remained of their race.Our little temporary safe haven began to grow as we continued our missions, and I decided that we should create a place where shifters could coexist and be protected from the Forsaken's growth across the realms."
Mom lowered her gaze to look at the both of us. "I never expected it to get this big or for Alpha Pure to become an established safe haven, but during every mission, we discovered injured shifters and many whose homes had been destroyed due to the crossfire. It got to the point that we needed a leader to help maintain an organized, peaceful place, and I was voted into the position by the Council."
"The Council knows about this place?" Orion asked.
"Yes. They are well aware," Charlotte replied.
"Then why does Aslan Academy tell us otherwise? In fact, why do people say you guys kidnap shifters or even ruin your reputation when you're actually spreading goodness and saving rare shifters?" I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms.
Mom sighed and reached out to pull the hair tie out of her locks, releasing them to fall in a graceful movement.
"It's complicated. Not everyone agrees with our peace movement, while others think that different shifters can't get along. It's been a debate for years, and those who disagree do their utmost to let people think we're bad. Some of those people think if they tell people to stay away from us, those who are endangered will be safe. We don't want people finding out about this place and spreading it around for real hunters or evil individuals to show up and go on a killing spree. Many of the shifters here are still recovering from what they saw and experienced. A few have barely survived being shifted into a Forsaken, and one trigger could set them off. We do provide therapy to those who still struggle, but we're working on making them strong enough to one day leave this place and go back to their dimensions. Well, that is if they are still standing."
"Then...is Dad one of the people who doesn't approve of this place? I mean...he...well..." I trailed off, unsure what to say about Dad.
"Orlando...he's complicated, Sweetheart. I'll go into detail regarding him later. He somewhat supports Alpha Pure, but many influences don't like how far we've grown. Take the Council, for example."
"Wait. The Council doesn't want you guys anymore?" Orion asked, sounding a little taken aback.
Mom shot us a troubled look as she leaned forward in her chair, rested her elbows on the desk, and dropped her head in her hands.
"The Council is worried we're too powerful. Yes, the majority of the shifters who reside here now are rare breeds, but most of them are extremely powerful. Their numbers may be extremely small compared to other common races like bears or birds, but many of these shifters can destroy an entire race in a few minutes with little exhaustion. They're afraid that we'll be a fighting force and we wouldn't be on their side."
"Why would you guys fight though? Isn't everyone aiming towards destroying the Darkness?" I asked.
"Not everyone wants the Forsaken to leave," Charlotte admitted.
"Huh?" Orion and I said together.
"What do you mean? That makes no sense." I furrowed my brow in confusion.
"Some people think that in this world, there has to be good and evil. Light cannot be in the world for long without Darkness. Same as there will always be good and bad people. Some of these individuals think some species are overpopulated and think the Forsaken are doing them a favor."
I felt Orion tense up next to me and I grimaced at the thought. "That's not right! The Darkness is not just killing shifters. They're swallowing them and changing them into their own. There’s going to come a time when they launch an attack on all dimensions and try to taint the whole galaxy with Darkness. What do those people have to say about that?!" I argued.
