Sweat beaded on her brow, as Isabelle worked her dagger into a peculiar opening in the cave floor.
"We're close to something Luke. Can't you feel it?"
Luke continued to scan the surroundings, as if at any moment, the growing shadows might pull free from the walls.
"Yeah, sis. It's amazing. Can we wrap this up? We're already an hour overdue to check in with the rest of the expedition."
Even as he uttered the request, Luke knew it would fall on deaf ears. There was no reasoning with Isabelle once she had a taste of success. Proving herself to Council of Geologists was well within her grasp now.
"Can you just imagine the look on Tom's face when I return with an entirely new discovery? We haven't had any advances in the field since Tony of Cannondale unearthed those massive veins of terbidiu..."
Suddenly, her dagger slipped through the gap in the floor, which had now widened enough to engulf her arm. Isabelle plunged forward and hardly had time to shriek before the momentum had driven her head into the surrounding rock.
"Isabelle!"
Luke sprinted towards his sister, now sprawled across the slowly widening hole. He prayed he would reach her in time. As he drew near, his pace slowed. He could feel a power emanating from below the gap. Luke gingerly reached for his sister, afraid to move too quickly for fear of causing the hole to swallow them both.
"Belle. Listen to me. I'm going to toss you my belt. Try your best, but don't struggle to reach it. I'll... I'll get you out of this. I promise."
Isabelle slowly began to regain consciousness. As she opened her eyes, Luke thought he saw a sense of calmness envelope his sister. She remained motionless, but surveyed the situation as if everything was happening, just as it was destined.
"Luke. It's OK Luke. I... I can't quite explain it, but I think I'm meant for this."
Gripped with fear, Luke watched his sister slowly lower herself into the hole, that was now emanating a soft blue light.
"Please Isabelle. Don't do this. You're delirious! You can't possibly know what you're doing!"
Luke stared helplessly as his sister dangled precariously over the hole. Her body was now completely aglow from the blue light that had increased in intensity, as if it were growing anxious. Isabelle smiled weakly.
"Goodbye Luke. Never give up the search. And know that I am Raya's first."
The last thing Luke saw of his sister was a look of complete contentment, as Isabelle plunged into the pulsating blue void.
So was born, the first Child of Raya.
– An excerpt from Raya’s Emergence, transcribed by Atrarius, High Chronicler of the Light’s Ascension