This is book 2 in the story of Rachelle Matthews, who came to be known as the 49th Mystic.
Born with sickle cell anemia in Eden, Utah, Rachelle became blind within months of her birth. She lived in that darkness for sixteen years, struggling with terrifying nightmares of the Shadow Man, who promised to blind her again and again even if she did recover her sight. Her father, David, desperately searched for a cure.
It was when he found one that the Shadow Man walked out of Rachelle’s dreams and into Eden. He called himself Vlad Smith and he carried a Book of History, a mystical volume that allowed certain people to cross over into Other Earth, a dimension that mirrors Earth.
Without Rachelle’s knowing, Vlad took her blood and applied it to the book, and she awoke in Other Earth with no memory of who she was. From that point forward, every time she fell asleep in Other Earth, she woke up on Earth, and every time she fell asleep on Earth, she woke up in Other Earth.
But a man named Justin, who was far more than just a man, came to her in the desert and healed her blindness, and when she awoke in Eden, Utah, she could see. That’s how Rachelle learned that both realities had to be real.
And she learned much more.
She learned she was a Mystic in Other Earth. Unlike the Albinos and the Horde, who numbered in the millions, there were only a few dozen Mystics. Seen as the worst kind of heretic, they were despised by all.
More, she was the 49th Mystic. Her mission: to fulfill an ancient prophecy that foretold of a child to be born in Other Earth who would divide the world to expose the shadow of death. Only then would the lion lie down with the lamb, meaning that fear would yield to love in the hearts of all. But neither Albino nor Horde interpreted the prophecy this way. Each race was convinced that if the 49th succeeded, they would be subjugated by their enemies. Thus, she was the enemy of all.
Rachelle also learned that, as the 49th Mystic, she could only fulfill the prophecy if she overcame her own fear. And the only way she could conquer her own fear was to find the Five Seals of Truth before the Horde or the Albinos found and destroyed the Realm of Mystics.
If she failed to find all five seals before then, all would be forever lost in Other Earth. And Earth would face a terrible threat, yet unknown.
Stunned by the revelation that so much hung in the balance of her quest, Rachelle learned that a powerful Leedhan had been sent from Other Earth to Earth with the sole mission of preventing her from finding all five seals before the Realm of Mystics could be destroyed.
He was Vlad Smith, the Shadow Man who’d haunted her dreams and entered Eden in an attempt to prevent her from finding the seals.
Facing what felt like insurmountable odds, Rachelle began her quest with the help of Talya, a wise sage who’d been tasked with helping her discover the five seals. They weren’t five amulets or medallions but five truths, and when she discovered each, a seal appeared on her shoulder as a three-dimensional tattoo.
She found the First Seal in Eden, and it branded her shoulder with a luminescent white circle. White: Origin is Infinite. Meaning Elyon, who was God, could not be threatened or disturbed by anything finite. Nor could he suffer fear, least of all the fear of loss, on any level. He was the light in which there was no darkness.
She found the Second Seal in Other Earth, and it branded her shoulder as a green band of light. Green: I am the Light of the World. Inchristi is me and also in me. Meaning she was made in the fabric of her Father, one with Justin and so as safe as Elyon.
She found the Third Seal on Earth when she saved Eden by bringing down the synthetic sky, and that seal appeared on her shoulder as a black circle. Black: Seeing the Light in Darkness is my Journey. Meaning her journey during this life was a journey of transformation that allowed her to see who she was as the light of the world, joined as one with Justin.
But not all ended well from her limited perspective, even in the wonder of finding the first three seals. For starters, the seals she had could be rendered powerless until she found all five of them, Talya said. Against the Fifth Seal there was no defense, but unless she found the last two before the Realm of Mystics was destroyed, all would be lost.
Furthermore, Vlad Smith, the Shadow Man, proved to be a deviously manipulative adversary who accomplished his objectives in Eden and returned to Other Earth to prepare for a final assault on the 49th Mystic.
Most disturbingly, although Rachelle saved the town in a demonstration of great power, she was forced to write her father into Other Earth, where he now remains a slave of Vlad—to what end, she does not know.
On Earth, her heroic rescue of Eden was heralded by the world as a wonder that defied the mind.
But in Other Earth, she found herself captive to the Elyonites, imprisoned alone in a dark dungeon far beneath the city.
As she shivers deep in the dark Elyonite dungeon, the light she once felt in such staggering fashion grows dimmer each hour. The armies of the Horde and the Elyonites are gathering for a war that will tear the world apart. In that war, they will surely find and destroy the Realm of Mystics before Rachelle can find the last two seals.
Samuel, the Albino son of Thomas Hunter, might save her. He’s smitten with her. Jacob, the Horde son of Qurong, might save her. She thinks she might be falling in love with him. Thomas Hunter, supreme commander of the Circle, might save her. Talya’s gone to find him. She can only hope and pray.
At least she’s safe and secure on Earth.
These are Rachelle’s thoughts as she tries to be brave in the Elyonite dungeon.
But Rachelle is wrong. Very wrong.