Black Knight, White Queen, Golden God (Worm AU: Jacob, Taylor, Scion)

[dhazellouise]

Summary: Jacob Black triggers when he is ten and gets a half-functioning Broadcast shard. Other than his deadly ability, he discovers that he is also able to communicate with another noble shard as well and meets the Queen Administrator's host, a girl named Taylor, in Shardspace, not knowing that they come from different timelines. So as the years pass by and they continue to meet in Shardspace, he soon discovers that Taylor ages a year to every three years he grows older. By the time he is twenty-six years old, the woman he comes to love is still twenty-one, but something terrible happens and his entire world shatters. (Worm AU: Jacob, Taylor, Scion)​

May 3, 1984

Jacob Black is ten when he experiences a trigger event, an unknown phenomenon still during that time. He only remembers the shock and the feeling of betrayal after he realizes that his mentally unstable parents lied to him this entire time about the war. Thereafter, he learns that he is someone special, who has the ability to extend the cutting edge of any weapons. He discovers this when he ends up killing his parents as they tried to put him in the bomb shelter again a week after they got him out.

Scared and left with no other choice, Jacob packs up and leaves before the authorities discover what he has done. Thankfully, his house is isolated and his parents are too paranoid to trust anyone at all that they had no friends in the area, which means it will probably take longer for the authorities to discover the dead bodies which Jacob had purposely in the hidden bomb shelter below ground.

Other than that, Jacob is grateful that his parents had a stash of money and stocks of food, which they had saved in the event of a war or a world ending situation. So he leaves his house relatively well supplied and inwardly optimistic. The only problem he faces is how to get as far away from his hometown before the police start their investigation. He doesn't know how to drive a car yet, but he is determined to learn how to do so when he is old enough. In the end, he has to hitchhike to leave his hometown.

The person who picks him up from the road is a woman who immediately tries to bring him to the police station, despite him telling her that he no longer has parents to go home to. Hence, to Jacob's shame, he resorts in threatening the woman to drive him far away from his town. He even has to lacerate the woman's arm when she simply scoffs at his threat. She probably thinks that a ten-year old boy should not be taken seriously. It's not until he finally shows her his special ability that the woman becomes terrified of him and Jacob hides his guilt well by putting in a detached mask.

"Where do you want me to take you?" The woman asks in obvious fear.

"Take me to Seattle," is Jacob's only answer.

"But that's a nine hours drive... My car doesn't have enough gas for that miles of travel," the woman informs him, more afraid than ever probably at the thought of being subjected by his terrible presence for an entire nine hours.

"We will stop for gas along the way, but nothing else...and if you try to escape from me or call for help, I will kill you or anyone who tries to stop me. Do you understand?" Jacob tells the woman, directing his pale blue eyes at her. Deep down, he feels sick to his stomach for his actions, but he doesn't have any other choice. He has to get away from his town and survive somewhere else, where he can hide for a while until the police stop looking for him.

The woman shakes in obvious terror after hearing his threats before she manages to squeak out an answer, "I understand."

Then, that was the end of their conversation for their entire journey. Jacob decides not to speak to the woman because he is afraid that he might reveal something to her regarding him and his dead parents and mostly because he is trying very hard not to burst out crying after what his parents put him through and is currently forced to do. Thankfully, the woman seems to understand that starting a conversation with him is pointless.

So they travel in tense silence and when they stop by for gas, Jacob makes it perfectly obvious that he is serious with his threats by showing the switchblade he carries in his hand and what he can possibly do with it with his power. The woman is absolutely frightened at the sight of his weapon and so the woman, whose name is Alice, is wise enough not to draw anyone's attention in the gas station as she fills her car with gas. Afterward, Jacob inwardly lets a sigh of relief when nothing happens even as they leave and make their way to Seattle.

Once more, they continue to travel in silence. Jacob barely watches the passing scenery due to the grim thoughts that occupies his mind. Even though he is exhausted, he doesn't dare falls asleep in the woman's presence, not even when they begin to approach the city.

It takes another hour and a half before Jacob finally decides to end his journey with the intent to lose himself in the city.

"You can drop me off here," He orders the woman and he observes when she instinctively flinches at the sound of his voice. Jacob instantly feels a pang of guilt for what he has put the woman through, but he reasons with himself to simply ignore his conscience and just do what he needs to do to survive.

"Alright," is the woman's answer and Jacob notes the hint of relief in the woman's voice, when she realizes that he will be going soon.

The car slows down and stops just outside the park, which Jacob has pick as his first step into his new life. However, before Jacob leaves the woman's presence, he chooses to deliver one final warning to her.

"If you try to inform the authorities about me and what happened to you, I swear that I will look for you and kill you and anyone you love. Am I clear on this?" Jacob says to the woman, his eyes cold as he meets the woman's gaze.

The woman is quaking in fright and her voice shakes when she responds to him, "Yes, I won't tell the police about you or about what you did."

"Good, then I will be taking my leave." He says before he opens the door and steps out of the car.

As soon as Jacob is out on the side of the road, the woman immediately starts the car's engine and drives away while glancing fearfully back at him. Jacob watches her go for a moment right before he turns his attention to his surroundings.

The new environment suddenly makes Jacob feel somewhat intimidated as he looks up at the skyscrapers surrounding him. Chewelah, his hometown, is a small, quiet town with a population of nearly two thousand people and mostly consist of farmlands as far as the eyes can see and the only tall structure he has seen in his hometown is a water tower. Now, Jacob suddenly feels daunted at the thought of surviving in the city.

What choice do I have now but survive? I can't very well go to a homeless shelter here, where I might be interrogated since I look like a runaway. For certain, I will be sent to either the Orphanage or another place where they can check my background...and then they will contain me if they find out what I did, which I don't want them to do...Jacob thinks.

With this grim thoughts, Jacob strides forward further into the park, which he soon learns as Green Lake Park.
.
.
.
In the first few days, Jacob has become adept at lying, especially when adults asks him if he is lost or where his parents are. His answers are always the same.

"No, I'm not lost. You don't need to worry."

"My parents is just nearby. I'm just wandering around for a bit, but I will be going back to my father and mother soon enough."

Those are the answers he usually gives to the worried adults who finds him wandering by himself or sitting alone on a bench. Luckily, Jacob found an abandoned building in a Phinney Ridge neighborhood, where he has settled with all his supplies plus a sleeping bag and a thick blanket he has brought with him.

Considering that he wants his food to last long, Jacob begins to start eating only twice a day and in small bites to satisfy the gnawing hunger in his stomach. Although he drinks plenty of water to keep most of his hunger at bay and he is glad that he is staying near a lake to fill more of his water bottles As for the money, he has a lot of it in his backpack, but he doesn't want to use it until he runs out of food.

So for months, Jacob is able to survive by himself, where he spends most of his time experimenting with his ability and finding out the limit to his power. It's only in his fifth month living in Seattle that Jacob's life turn for the worst. The attack happened at night. He is just making his way back to the place he calls his safehouse and passing a familiar alleyway while he contemplates about how to ration his food to last for another three months when he is suddenly attacked by three teenagers whom Jacob thought are simply there to smoke cigarettes. He doesn't realize that they are waiting for him until it is too late.

Jacob is not able to take his switchblade out of his pockets before they are on him. Someone punches him in the face so hard that Jacob's head snaps to the side and feels his lip split beneath his assailant's fist. He can taste the blood on his tongue at once. His vision darkens right before he falls to the ground unceremoniously.

"Quick! Take his bag!" someone says and Jacob manages to look up just in time to see a boy a few years older than him move forward and tries to take his bag.

"No!" Jacob cries out as the older boy grabs a hold of his backpack and attempts to wrench it from him.

"Just give it here, boy! Give your bag to us or we will beat you bloody!" The older boy threatens as he grabs a hold of Jacob's neck and starts choking him.

Using his one hand, Jacob holds unto his backpack like his life depended on it while he uses his other hand to reach for his switchblade with the intent to use his ability on the thieves. However, the other two teenagers must have noticed his movement because a foot slams into the side of Jacob's head where it proceeded to push him to the ground until Jacob's face hits the pavement with a loud crack. He can't help but cry out in pain while his eyes waters from the cruel treatment. Still the foot does not let up and continues to press on Jacob's head even as he starts to struggle.

The boy who is attempting to take his backpack away is finally able to slip the straps from Jacob's shoulders and steal his most prized possession.

"NO! GIVE IT BACK!" Jacob shouts when he realizes that his backpack is no longer strap to him. "GIVE ME BACK MY BAG!"

"Shut up, little boy!" A voice says and Jacob can only cry as the foot starts stomping him in the head. Almost at once, absolute agony burst forth from Jacob's badly bruised face as he is repeatedly slammed into the ground mercilessly.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP HURTING ME!" He shouts while tears began to stream down freely from his injured face. His hand moves towards his switchblade once more but another foot slams into his wrist and Jacob inadvertently howls in pain.

However, his pain doesn't end there, not when the other two boys joins in and starts kicking him and beating him as well. Jacob starts screaming for help but a painful kick to his mouth silence him and he can now taste the blood gushing from his cut tongue and his gums where he can feel a loose tooth. He doesn't know how long they beat him, but it's only when he blacks out after a terrible kick to the head when he finally finds relief from the pain.

When Jacob regains consciousness a little later, he can hardly move his body without wincing in pain. It's only through sheer will that he manages to lift himself from the ground and makes his way towards his safehouse. Once he is there, he immediately collapses in his sleeping bag and takes stock of the few meager possessions he has.

Thankfully, he has been wise enough to leave some of his supplies here in the safehouse so he still has food left to last him for two months and money to survive through Winter season. However, Jacob soon discovers that his switchblade is no longer in his pocket. The thieves have probably taken it while he has been unconscious. With that discovery, Jacob has nothing to defend himself now and the thought of going out there without a weapon in his hand to use his ability makes him want to wallow in his misery once more.

Even though his backpack and switchblade are stolen, Jacob understands that this is only a minor setback.

I can survive this. I know I will...He thinks determinedly to himself right before he drifts off to sleep.
.
.
.
The moment he opens his eyes, Jacob finds himself in a strange place. It looks like he is an island made of fractal black crystals. He stands there for a moment trying to comprehend where he is. He knows that he has fallen asleep a moment ago but he is not sure if he is in a dream.

Jacob sees it when something shifts in front of him, where a bulge begins to appear on the ground made of black crystals and Jacob takes a step back from the increasing mass.

The fractal of black crystals shifts and roils as it grows taller and taller and Jacob can only observe in both fascination and terror as something begins to tower over him. Jacob is ready to run from out of there when the roiling mass of black crystals sends some kind of ping of dark light towards him.

"Do not be afraid,"

Jacob hears it speaks to him and he instantly freezes on the spot while he looks up at the tall figure looming over him with wide eyes.

"You are not in danger here," the mass of black crystals pings at him.

Despite his fear, Jacob dares himself to ask the strange being before him, "What are you?"

"I am what you call a shard or an agent. The source of your power." the thing explains to him.

After hearing the strange entity's explanation, Jacob thinks it over before he inquires once more. "So you mean to say that I get my power from you?"

"Yes," the black crystal figure replies.

"Oh," comes Jacob's surprise responds. He knows that his power manifests as a black light or energy as he extends the cutting edge of any weapons he holds in his hand. The black crystal mass in front of him has a similar black manifestation roiling off it and Jacob instantly understands that this entity is only telling the truth.

"Am I in some kind of dream then where you are able to talk to me?" is Jacob's next question as he gazes up at his power source.

The black crystal pulses a dark light again when it answers.

"No, you are in Shardspace."

"Shardspace? What's that?" He asks in complete puzzlement.

"Shardspace is another dimension where most of the agents are clustered into an island and each island represent specific shard and its host. In fact, this entire island is my real body and the form I take now is just simply an Avatar."

"I see…" Jacob mutters to himself. "I understand what you mean."

"That's good that you understand my meaning. It's mainly because you have obtained me as your power source. A noble shard - a Broadcast shard to be exact - that you are able to communicate with me and come here in Shardspace without suffering any painful side effects." the Avatar-shard informs him.

"So is this part of my power then? The ability to come here in Shardspace?" Jacob asks.

"Yes, among other things after you have been granted a half-functioning shard." It tells him.

"What else can I do?" comes his excited query.

"Come and I will show you what you are able to do," the black formless mass says to him.

"Alright," is Jacob's reply, eager to learn more about his power.

The Avatar-shard does not walk, but seems to slide across the crystal ground as it directs him somewhere else. Jacob follows after the fifteen feet tall figure as they circulate around the towers of black crystals rising from the ground. As they walk, Jacob finally notes that the island of shards ends in a bottomless darkness. If he falls over the edge, he knows that it will mean an end to his existence. So he sticks close to his Avatar-shard as it moves around the island until Jacob sees a flash of pure white in the distance.

It's another island. This time it is made of pure white crystals. The crystals glow so brilliantly that it is almost blinding as he stares at the island.

"When you awaken me - a Broadcast shard - you are able to connect to another noble shard," The black crystal Avatar says to him as they move closer to the white crystal island where Jacob can see a land bridge composed of ruby crystals connecting this island to the white crystal island.

"That white crystal island is the body of the Queen Administrator shard," the Avatar-shard informs him.

"Queen Administrator?" Jacob asks with interest.

"Yes, another noble shard like me, who can function at half-capacity," is the Avatar's reply.

"Is there someone like me on that island as well? A person who has the Queen Administrator shard?" comes his query, both curious and desperately hoping to know if there's another person like him he can speak with in this dimension.

It will mean a lot to Jacob if he has someone to talk to or someone he can become friends with.

"I am not aware of another host in the island, but you may be able to speak to the Queen if you want to know more about its potential host."

"I will do that then," he says before he runs across the ruby crystal bridge and into the white crystal island. Jacob ignores the abyss on either side of him as he crosses the red bridge.

The second he steps into the island made of white crystals. There is a sudden flash of blinding white light and radiant heat when another Avatar-entity appears before him. The being towers more than fifteen feet tall, much taller than Jacob's Avatar-shard and instantly understands the reason the shard is called noble and a Queen.

The fractals of shimmering crystals coalescence into an amorphous form and he feels it when the white figure pings at him. It sends a pure white light in his direction which he immediately understands.

"Hello, noble host. May I ask your reason for being here on my island?" the Queen Avatar-shard asks him in a warm, soft voice.

"Amm...hi…" Jacob replies in a hesitant tone while he looks up at the bright figure. "I came to your island looking for your host. Is she here right now?"

"I'm afraid she is not. My host has not awaken yet…" the Queen shard tells him.

"Oh," is Jacob's only answer, feeling disappointed. "When will she awaken?"

"I can't be certain of the exact time, but I can sense my potential host is close to awakening her power soon."

"Ok...Then, I will come back later then...but if that is alright with you that is, your Queenship," He says to the Queen Avatar.

"Considering you are the host of the Broadcast shard, which is able to contact me - the Queen Administrator shard - despite the magnificent gap in time, I think you have the right to come and visit my island since you are responsible for bridging the powers of both noble shards," the white figure says to him.

"Thank you," comes Jacob's grateful reply.

"You are very welcome, noble one." the Queen shard says to him. "And I am certain that my potential host will welcome you as well. So please don't hesitate to cross the ruby bridge and speak to her when she appears."

"Alright, I will be sure to do that," is Jacob's happy response, already looking forward to meeting the host of the Queen Administrator shard.
.
.
.
The next time Jacob wakes up. He is feeling hopeful once more even when he feels the bruises and wounds on his body after getting beaten up. He allows himself to recuperate for days in his safehouse. He does not venture outside for fear of meeting others who will hurt him again. So he spends most of his time simply lying beneath his sleeping bag and entering into Shardspace.

Days passes by as he continues to speak to his Broadcast shard and the Queen Administrator. Every time he steps into the white island, his questions are always the same.

"Is she awake yet?"

"Is she here?"

"When will it be when she finally awakens?"

"How many more days left before she appears?"

Thankfully, the Queen Administrator shard is patient in answering his persistent question, although its answers always leaves Jacob disappointed. Still Jacob is a child who clings to hope and simply wants for the chance to meet someone who has an ability like him. He even begins to build the image in his mind of how the potential host will look like. Jacob imagines and expects her to be someone beautiful and benevolent. Someone pure and good and all the things that Jacob aspire to be. Someone worthy to be granted the power of Queen Administrator.

However, as the days turned into weeks and then a month, Jacob begins to grow more despondent and desperate. His mood and his entire situation only worsens when Winter finally arrives and his money and food dwindled at a rapid pace. He only eats once a day and have taken to drinking water from melted snow. He no longer ventures outside since he has no proper clothing to protect himself from the freezing cold. The blanket and the sleeping bag he has is even not enough to keep him warm. So he lays there frozen and shivering and loosening more energy and heat. He is slowly but surely weakening and the only thing that is keeping him alive and from giving up is his constant visit to the Shardspace and his hope to meet another noble host.

Jacob considers going to a homeless shelter to ask for help but he is afraid of being sent to the Orphanage or the police discovering him and his connection to the two corpses in his previous home. So he stays in his safehouse and simply tries to survive on his own. Often times Jacob finds himself crying silently at his pitiful existence. He cries because he is starving, cold and very much alone. He is slowly losing hope, but he is still clinging by a thread.

With his stomach constantly rumbling in hunger and his body quaking with cold, Jacob allows himself to drift into sleep and enter the Shardspace, not knowing that this will be the day that his life changes forever.


(PAST: NOVEMBER 30, 1984 , FUTURE: MARCH 4, 2011)


Jacob appears in Shardspace the moment he closes his eyes.

The Avatar of his Broadcast shard is already waiting for him when he arrives and Jacob instantly notes that the agent seems to anticipate his arrival.

"Good, you are here. I have great news for you, noble host," the Avatar-shard says to him. "The moment that you have been waiting for has finally arrived. The host of the Queen Administrator shard is finally awake. I sense her on the other island now."

After hearing the news, Jacob's heart rate leaps at once with excitement and he immediately runs towards the ruby bridge that connects the black crystal island to the white one. He doesn't stop running even as he crosses the ruby bridge.

Jacob sees the white towering twenty-feet figure of the Queen Avatar ahead of him, who appears to be talking to a person whose back is turned to him. The white Avatar stops pinging white flares of light when it catches sight of him approaching. With his heart racing, Jacob simply watches when the person - a girl with long, curly black hair - slowly turns in his direction.

Immediately, Jacob comes to a complete halt when his pale blue eyes meets a pair of storm grey orbs. When he sees the girl's face, he is somewhat disappointed that she doesn't look like a beautiful woman like he's been expecting.

Jacob inspects the dark-haired girl before him. She appears to be five to six years older than him. With a pale complexion, large grey eyes beneath a pair of glasses, wide expressive mouth, a heart-shaped face and a tall, gawky frame. She looks more of a maid servant in a palace than the Queenly image that he has been building up in his mind. However, Jacob's disappointment is instantly eclipse by seeing another person there in Shardspace with him.

Finally, she's here! Finally, I have someone to talk to! He doesn't realize how lonely he's been for the past months until the moment he sees the girl. After being stuck in a bomb shelter for an undetermined amount of time and surviving on his own on the streets of Seattle, Jacob Black is so immensely happy that he doesn't realize that he's been standing there for a while and openly crying as he continues to stare at the girl. In real life, he can feel his body growing hungry and cold, but he doesn't care at all, not when Jacob finally is able to meet the person he's been waiting for.

"Hey, are you alright?"

He hears the girl asks as she hesitantly steps towards him.

"You are here," is the only thing he can say through his tight throat. "You are really here…"

"Yes, I am here…" the girl states as she comes to a complete halt in front of him. Her large grey eyes look concern as she regards him.

Not able to help himself, he raises his hand with the intent to touch her and make sure she is definitely real. But then he hesitates, his hand stops mid-air, just close to the girl's left hand. The girl glances at his raise hand for a moment right before she smiles kindly at him and takes his hand into hers.

Jacob allows his hand to be engulfed by hers as she shakes it when she introduces herself to him, "My name is Taylor...and who might you be?"

"Jacob...My name is Jacob," is his answer as he gripped her hand tightly, where he can only feel the warmth and gentleness in her palm.

"It's nice to meet you Jacob…" the girl responds, "Now, can you tell me the reason you are crying?"

"I'm crying because I am happy," He admits to her while he can still feel the tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm happy to finally meet you."

"Oh…" comes the girl's answer, looking surprised at his answer. "Were you actually expecting me?"

"Yes…" is his honest reply.

"How long were you waiting?"

"A while," Jacob tells her.

"I see…Well, I am here now." The girl named Taylor says to him as she finally lets go of his hand. "So you don't have to wait anymore…"

"Yes," He replies while he wipes the tears from his eyes and allows himself to finally smile at the girl.

Jacob watches when Taylor answers with a smile of her own that transform her entire face into someone might call pretty.

She may not resemble the Queen like I imagine, but I know she is good and pure. Someone still worthy to hold the Queen Administrator shard. Jacob thinks as he looks up at her.

"Did your agent already explain to you about the Shardspace?" He asks her while he glances at the silent white Avatar looming over the girl's shoulder.

"Yes, she did. She tells me that time flows differently here in Shardspace. Other than that, she also informs me how your shard is able to connect to mine when you awaken your power...My passenger calls us both noble host. Do you know what that means?"

"From what I understand, it means that our shards are far more important than others. They are called noble shards because they have a special role in what my passenger calls the Cycle." Jacob tells her.

"I don't know what the Cycle is...Did your passenger tell you more about it?" Taylor inquires.

"No, my shard is tight-lipped about the Cycle. Every time I ask, it seems to have trouble answering my questions like something is stopping it from telling me the truth."

"I see...Perhaps I can ask my agent about this Cycle you are referring to later…" Jacob observes when the girl glances back at her passenger for a second before she turns her attention back to him. "Anyway, so if our shards are noble. What is your shard called? I know mine calls herself Queen Administrator."

"My shard doesn't have a title as far as I know, but I like to call my shard a Knight, instead of a King or a Duke or some such." Jacob replies.

"Why Knight though?" The girl inquires curiously.

"Apart from how my power manifest, when I was very young - younger than I am now - I was chosen to act as Knight in a school play. I simply hacked and slashed my way through the entire scene of the play. I was at the center of the stage in my school theater with a lot of people as my audience. They watch the drama unfold and I act my part as knight and the people simply adored me. I did a number of monologues as I acted. People listened to me where I tried to affect them with words alone. I used them as my keystones to create the changes in the atmosphere, whether to shock or awe the audience. My words and actions during the play has the expected butterfly effect that I need and since then, I have always dreamed of becoming a Knight with a blade in hand to protect the weak and doing honorable, good deeds like in fairy tales, such as saving beautiful princesses from Villains and defeating fire-breathing dragons or even perhaps serving one benevolent Queen to change the world with one slash of my blade at a time."

At his last statement, Jacob looks at the girl with a smile. "Considering you are the Queen's host, perhaps I can even offer my sword and shield to you as your Knight, if you want…"

Taylor's response is a small, amused smile. "A Knight to serve a Queen huh?"

"Yes...The Black Knight and the White Queen," Jacob states. "If we combine our powers together, I am certain we will be unstoppable."

"Perhaps...but we can only do that if we meet in real life, do we? So do you want to tell me where you are from and we can meet and join forces together in ridding our world of all things evil?"

Her amused question immediately makes Jacob panic. Considering what he has done to his parents, Jacob doesn't want her to find out that he is a murderer if he tells her the truth of his origin. Even now, he feels only shame and guilt for committing the crime. More than that, Jacob doesn't want to frighten the girl away, especially when he has told her about his dream to become a Knight. There is no honor in outright murder and Jacob doesn't want the girl to realize that he doesn't deserve to be called a Knight at all. Hence, telling her anything specific about himself will only make her discover closer to who, and what he truly is. Just another Villain to a dark story instead of a chivalrous Knight.

"I am sorry, but I can't answer your question...Also, while we are here in Shardspace…" Jacob begins to say as his mind work rapidly to stop her from finding more about him in the future. "I am thinking that it's best that we make rules for ourselves..."

"Rules?" A frown appears on the girl's face as she asks. "Why ever do we need rules for?"

"To protect our identities in real life," He tells her.

"Oh, I understand what you mean." Taylor replies. "Sure. If that is sure wish, we can make rules to protect our civilian identities."

"I'm glad you agree with me," Jacob says to her, sounding relieved that she agrees with him so easily.

"So what are the rules going to be?" The girl prompts him.

"Perhaps our first rule is to never reveal each other's real name and other important details to each other. So no telling of birthdays, name of parents or where you live or what school you go to, or anything that will compromise our secret identity."

"Alright. That is simple enough to follow. What is the second rule?"

"Since I know that you will end up appearing here often, the second rule will be to keep our conversation very vague every time we talk. Absolutely no details. No specific date, location, time, event, or the name of the people you know. Nothing to give each other away."

"Well, the second rule will probably be hard to follow, but I think I can manage to keep from spilling out the details if I talk to you. But how do you know that I will be coming here often?" The girl asks him.

"Your shard and mine is connected in this dimension. So long as the ruby bridge exists and is connected to your island nearby, you and I can remain in contact with each other."

"And if the ruby bridge somewhat collapses by itself or my white island disappears from the space next to yours, what will happen then?"

"Then, I won't be able to contact you anymore…So if I want to talk to you again, I have to use my ability to search for you here in this dimension or look for you in real life..."

"I see...Well, if that's the case, the rules are a good start if we are to remain in contact with each other because judging from your words, you don't want me to find out more about you since you sound very...cautious for a boy your age...It makes me think that you might have little to no friends at all in real life if you act and speak like this to everyone you meet." Taylor says to him, looking sad at the possibility of him not having friends.

Her guess is correct. Jacob doesn't have anyone at all, but he doesn't say this to Taylor to make her pity him all the more.

"Now that we have established the first two rules. We will make more along the way." He says to her, completely ignoring her observations.

"That's fine by me," Taylor says to him. "So why don't you show me the island that house your shard?"

"Of course," is his response. "We will have to cross the ruby bridge to get there. Now, come and follow me and I will introduce you to my Knight shard."

"Alright…"

Jacob starts walking while Taylor follows him.

"You seem so familiar with this place, Jacob. How long have you been visiting this dimension?" Taylor inquires a little later as she peers straight into the black abyss that mostly surrounds the crystal islands.

"I've been visiting Shardspace often since I discovered it," He informs her.

"Why do you come here though? There's nothing much to see other than perhaps the crystal island itself and the Avatars of our respective shards."

"I came here often because this dimension is better than my entire situation in real life," He reveals to her and she looks sad after he tells her this and he is grateful when she does not probe him for more information. "Apart from that, I often visit your white island and asks your passenger to see if you have awaken yet."

"Oh...you were really waiting for me then?"

"Yes, I was…"

"I wonder...If I haven't appeared today, would you have waited for me still?" She asks him.

I don't know...If you haven't appeared today, I am certain I would have perish in a couple of days from the cold or hunger, but most of all from my complete lack of hope. However, now that you are here, I won't be easily crushed by my dismal situation, especially when I finally meet someone with special ability. With you, I will no longer feel alone...Jacob thinks to himself.

"Perhaps…" is his only answer to the dark haired girl.

His answer seems to make the girl appear more sorrowful and Jacob soon learns the real cause of it when she says to him, "You don't have to tell me the truth. I already know the reason why you waited for me here...and all I can say is this...You are no longer alone. I am here and I intend to communicate with you so long as you want me to."

After hearing her words, Jacob can't help but feel the overwhelming joy that rush through him of finally having someone to talk to.

"Thank you," He says to her, immensely grateful. "You don't know how much that means to me."

"I know," is the girl's soft response while she lays a hand over his head. Jacob is a tall boy for his age, but the girl is taller than him that he barely grazes his collarbones.

Someday he wishes to grow taller than her and Jacob hopes that she will still be there when it happens.

Of course, he doesn't know that his wishes will be granted to him in the years that follow as he continues to meet her in Shardspace. Because as he rapidly grows into a man, Taylor mostly remains the same where she only ages a year to every three years he grows older, like an Immortal Queen.

Jacob Black is ten and Taylor is fifteen years old when they first meet.

But he is twenty six years old and Taylor is still twenty one when something terrible happens and his entire world shatters.