“You did well,” says the woman. Enora Dralis. That’s her name.
“Thank you. I’ll be a good princess,” says Jordan earnestly.
She thinks she ought to know what to do next. Princesses always seem to know. But Enora gestures, and another wall of light appears. On the other side of it, Jordan can see her bedroom.
“For now, return home. Your Shard will let you know when there is danger, and you must act.”
Jordan thinks she can work with this. She steps through.
She sees her normal self still in bed, asleep, still in jammies. She looks at herself again, remembers there’s a mirror on the door, and goes to look at herself. She sees someone that definitely looks Jordan-ish, but is scaled more Summery. She’s still wearing the Acolyte’s robes. The Continuum Sword is still in her hand. Her hair is a lot longer, but she can see something glowing on her forehead. Is that my tiara?
Hey, tiara.
I am Antares Alpha-One. I am the Heart of the Scorpion.
Jordan tries whispering aloud. It’s weird to think at your tiara. “Can I call you Anty or something?”
Designation Anty accepted.
“Okay. Um, Anty. I’m here. But I’m also in my bed. What’s goin’ on?”
The body you inhabit now is a four-dimensional projection extracted from your psychic profile and synthesized for the purposes of playing Host to a Shard. In other words, this form is a psychic proxy.
“I don’t understand any a’ that.”
I lack cultural referents to explain it in another way. Indicate any artifacts you possess that can provide a cultural context.
Uncertain, Jordan points a finger at the television. Very surprisingly, bolts of lightning jump from her outstretched fingertip. The set turns on, and Jordan sees her favorite shows flashing across the screen at super-high speed. She can’t make any sense of it, and it goes on and on, faster and faster!
Cultural referents have been obtained. The Void Shadow Collective sent your dreaming self to the future, where it possessed your older body like a ghost. During that process, you obtained a Shard. You may think of a Shard as a Kwami from 'Miraculous Ladybug'. I empower and advise you. The emotional link from your seven year old and seventeen year old selves allowed you to return here, to your present.
The TV set shuts off. This is still pretty dizzying, but Jordan thinks maybe she gets the idea? “Well uh, am I just gonna keep sleepin’ then?”
You may physically merge with your younger self, at which time your consciousness will return to that body and you will resume your regeneration cycle. During times of crisis, you may transform into your older self and wield your power at full strength.
“So I’m gonna be a princess now. Will you tell me when I can use the power to do princess stuff?”
I will inform you when the Void Shadow Collective has missions for you to accomplish. Until then, you will refrain from using your transformation or other abilities.
Hmmm.
"So… " Jordan thinks about this. “Even without the power, can I do princess stuff like helpin’ people in trouble and makin’ people feel better?”
You have always been able to do that, Agent. You may continue to pursue such activities at your discretion.
Jordan thinks pretty hard about that, even after she touches her younger self’s forehead and disappears, and does her very best to sleep.