Welcome to Gaia! ::

The air heated up around Allison. An energy crackled, thick and suffocating. Static clung to her.

Lightning came down from the sky, right at her.

She was whisked away at the very last second, plucked from the dangers of Destiny City and deposited in a cool, foreign room. A glowing orb hovered above a pedestal in the center of the room, several feet away from her.

The fine, glittering mist swirled with less consistency than the moon but it was no less lustrous and no less beautiful.

The room she arrived in was a gentle white, though faded pastels hinted that there was once vibrant artwork painted on the walls. It wasn’t particularly large, but it somehow still felt like it went on forever. Or, maybe that was just how timeless it felt. Carved pillars stretched towards a distant ceiling, and every arch and angle seemed like a piece of artwork masquerading as architecture. Behind her, a great arched doorway opened up into a long hallway.

The room had so much personality for a room with no decorations, no furniture, no windows or doors.

She wasn’t alone .

A million tiny specs of light swirled, like a miniature galaxy and all its stars. With no face and no eyes, it still watched her.

And then, it spoke.

“You should be more careful, things are very dangerous right now. You shouldn’t be out in the storms. Are you alright?”

For a few seconds, the Code watched her. It seemed to be debating her words, or maybe its own.

“That lightning almost struck you. You would have been hurt had I not intervened.”

Maybe it hadn’t been quick enough, maybe it had frazzled her mind.

“Take a breath. Relax. You are on the Moon and you are safe here. I’ll send you back to Earth soon. Your starseed–what you might know as a soul–was calling out. I listen for starseeds like that. The ones driven for more. The ones who want to fight to protect their world, and the people of it. I brought you here to offer the power to do so, to make you stronger and faster and better.”

She kept insisting she couldn’t be late so the Code decided to forego what formalities it could.

“But you must know that it may be dangerous. I don’t want you to accept the power if you aren’t willing to use it. I won’t force it on you, you have a choice. I need people willing to fight for the greater good but I won’t force you to be a soldier.”

“So you can protect Earth,” the Code said slowly, “And yes, the Moon. But it’s mutually beneficial, to both you and I. I am the Code, I grant a power to Knights. In exchange for giving you the power to protect your world and the people close to you, you must also protect a small part of the Moon. I will entrust you with a piece of myself, and it will become the source of your power.”

It tried to explain simply, and quickly. Time seemed very important to her.

“For you, I would offer Rabbit Lake,” it explained gently. “It used to be a place of enlightenment. Once, it brought its guests great clarity and peace. I would hope to restore that. If you wish to accept the power, you need only reach out and take it.”

Within the glowing mist, the silhouette of a stuffed rabbit glowed brightly.

As soon as Alli accepted the rabbit, power washed over her and her form shifted. She stood before the Code as Rabbit, Page of the Moon.

The Code let her bask in the warm of this new identity for a moment, but she was so keen on keeping time. It would not keep her here much longer.

A small, glowing orb–a fraction of itself, departed from the mass and floated over.

“Take this,” it said gently. “I will take you to your Wonder. This will be the source of your power. You will find a safe place to put it, within Rabbit Lake. As your Wonder heals, your strength will grow–and vice versa. What you give, you will receive in turn. While we walk, I will tell you what I know. You will not go into this alone.”

“With pleasure,” the Code said, patient because she was new and still had so much to learn. She was doing it a favor–and maybe, all of Earth, too. “This may feel a bit strange. But you have trusted me this far so trust me now too.”

In a flash of warm light, it teleported her to her namesake, and immediately there was a sense of familiarity and peace.

“This is your Wonder. In exchange for tending to it and protecting it, I will grant you strength and power and, when you are ready for it, magic. Your first task is to find somewhere safe. You’ll need to find somewhere to put this piece of the Code–me–so I can channel my power into you and your Wonder. It should be somewhere you can access, but somewhere hidden. The Moon is usually safe, but times are changing and things are dangerous. Just because our enemies cannot access here now does not mean such will always be the case.”

“This is a good place,” the Code agreed, because it could not really afford to be picky when there was so much to do.

“The storm is abnormal. There are Knights, like yourself, on Earth. Destiny City is full of them. They are trying to find a way to resolve it. There is a great danger approaching, but everyone is working together to find a resolution. Keep your eyes open, you’ll find many allies. But be mindful of their energy signatures. If it feels warm and pleasant, they are allies. But there are some, like the Negaverse, that are dangerous. Avoid them if you can for now.” They probably didn’t have much time to cover everything; it could already feel its power waning a bit.

“The Earth is still your home, I have not taken that from you. But this part of the Moon, this teahouse, is under your protection. You will need to clean it up and take care of it, and protect it–just as you will Earth, too. I can send you back when you’re ready, if you need time to think about all of this. You can shift between forms–who you were when you arrived, and Rabbit, Page of the Moon, at will. You just need to concentrate to do so.”