Oliver sat back with a huge exhalation. He tried to collect his thoughts, to accept that there was no lost infant world floating out there in danger. He couldnt quite believe that none of what hed just been through had really happened. It had felt so real. And that pull inside of him to protect the baby universe wasnt something hed ever felt before in his life. How could he have just thought it up out of thin air?

The pearl… the headmaster pressed. Im intrigued to know more about it.

Oliver came back to his senses. It looked a bit like the little balls of light that were floating around when I first came in. Only more spectacular. You told me it was a pearl. An infant world, or dimension. And I had to protect it.

The headmasters expression was unreadable. He seemed to be grappling with his thoughts. Then he stood. Come with me.

Oliver stood and followed him across the room. As they walked, the facade of the study that Professor Amethyst had created around them began to melt away until Oliver was walking across a black marble floor in a vast, dark room. From far in the distance, he saw a small glow. Immediately, he felt a tugging sensation deep in his gut.

Thats her, he exclaimed. The pearl!

His desire to be near her grew even stronger with each footstep.

Very interesting, the headmaster muttered.

They drew up to a plinth upon which, floating in midair, was the pearl from Olivers visualization. Seeing her again caused a wave of emotion to race through him. He reached for her instinctively.

Suddenly, the headmaster batted his hands away. Dont touch! he said sternly. This is the Orb of Kandra. It powers the entire School for Seers. Its our life force. The most precious item in the whole universe.

Oliver stared at it, mesmerized. It was exactly the same as the pearl in his vision. But how? How had he conjured this item in his mind when hed never before seen it in his life?

I dont understand, Oliver told the headmaster. What does it all mean? What am I?

Visualizing this is a very good sign, Oliver, Professor Amethyst told him. It means you are deeply connected to the universe. It means your specialism is indisputably atomic. You are the one weve been waiting for.

Oliver was stunned. Hed all but given up hope that he may be the powerful atomic Seer everyone had been waiting for. The news left him with a mix of emotions. Excitement but also apprehension and a little bit of fear. It was a big piece of news to get his head around. The weight of expectation pressed down heavily on his shoulders.

But tell me more, the headmaster prompted. What happened next in your vision?