| “ | I’ve read about a boy who seems to have extraordinary powers in India... He lives high up in the Himalayas. Some believe him to be the Hindu god Vishnu reincarnated, others believe the boy is an alien imposter with the power to physically alter his form.’ | ” |
-Crayton, The Rise of Nine
| ||
Crayton decides to follow a lead on member of the Garde in India, fearing the impending arrival of Setrákus Ra. Six, Marina and Ella leave Spain, with him, for New Dehli.
Prelude
After the Battle of Santa Teresa, Six had intended to go to West Virginia where she is due to meet up with John and Sam, however she reluctantly agrees to go to India following the news that the almost invincible Mogadorian leader Setrákus Ra would soon arrive on Earth and that the only person who could defeat him is the Garde that is due to inherit the powers of Pittacus Lore.
Having heard stories of an extraordinary boy living in the Himalayas, who some deem as Vishnu reincarnated, Crayton believes he has found the new Pittacus.
Expedition
Upon arrival, the group attempt to leave New Delhi in a taxi, however the driver takes a diversion and they are cornered by dozens of members of the Vishnu Nationalist Eight, led by Commander Sharma. After Marina attacks one of them (because he hurt Ella), Sharma reveals that the guns are just for show, and that they all know that they would lose in a battle against the girls and Crayton. Sharma tells them that 'vishnu' has sent Sharma and his men to escort them to him.
While they are escorted, they are attacked by members of the Lord's Resistance Front, who are after Commander Sharma and his men. Marina and Six initially mistake them for Mogadorians, but are soon corrected when they see they are people. Sharma and his men, along with Six and Marina, fight back bravely. However, one of Sharma's men is revealed to be a traitor, before Six fends off the rest of them.
Sharma continues to escort the four of them up the foothills of the Himalayas. When they make it to a waterfall near a cave, they are seemingly attacked by 'Vishnu', who keeps the form of various avatars (including a ten-armed lion, a turtle, and a giant with an axe). He then reveals himself as Number Eight. Eight then dismisses Commander Sharma, thanking him for his service, leaving him stunned.
The following night, Eight shares his backstory while Marina and him share an attraction. Together they reclaim Eight's Loric Chest, and also share a kiss. Eight takes the group to the Loric Cave that he found in the mountains which shows a number of prophecies, including the deaths of One, Two and Three and a sword in Eight's chest. Soon Mogadorians, who are regularly scouting the area for signs of the Garde, descend and when Eight is wounded and Marina desperately tries to heal him. They are attacked by many Mogadorians, which Six promptly battles. A rocket enters the cave, the wall of prophecies is destroyed and Crayton is killed instantly in the blast. Ella pleads with Marina to heal him but there is nothing she can do.
A strong gust of wind blows Crayton's jacket open to reveal an envelope addressed to Ella, Six forces it into Ella's hands before Eight encourages the group towards the Loralite deposit in order to teleport with him to America.
Aftermath
As Six is not directly holding on to Eight, she is separated from the group during the teleport. While Eight, Marina and Ella end up in the Gulf of Aden, Six finds herself stranded in the desert of New Mexico. She travels through the heat, slowly becoming more and more dehydrated and exhausted and comes across a ghost town where the FBI find her and take her to the Dulce Base.
Eight, Marina and Ella find themselves in the middle of the ocean, unable to reach the Loralite stone at the bottom. Luckily, Eight has an item in his Loric Chest that allows them to reach the bottom and teleport again, this time landing at Stonehenge in England. After almost demolishing Stonehenge in order to find the Loralite, they teleport a final time and arrive in New Mexico where they team up with Four and Nine and battle their way into the Dulce base to rescue Six.