The One They Call Dark One

15) Liam's Day

"A-A heart..." She stuttered, her hands shaking as she placed the small corrupted heart in the palm of her hands. It was so frail, so delicate. She was scared, a single tap could shatter it. The heat was as black as night, but the centre was pure. Pure and full of love. She knew, oh she just knew. It was his heart that was sealed away in that box, but it didn't only sadden her, it also angered her. Was his love for her fake? Was it all a show? No one can love without a heart, but when it comes to magic it's complicated.

Did he use a preservation spell to let the box take the form of something new? Or just placed recently? For all she knew, he could've had it in her room for years, kept hidden. She heard the clicks of the heels on his boots heading towards her door, but at that moment she didn't care. She only sat on her bed, starring.

"Emma love, you haven't happened to see one of my boxes I-oh, you found it." He froze, his grip on the door's handle loosening. He closed the door, walking towards her with small steps as he reached down to take the box away from her. "I was just going to put this-"

"How long has it been in there?"

"E-Excue me?"

"You heard me Jones, how long was your damn heart in that stupid box for?!" She yelled at him, still grasping his heart tightly. He felt her grip settle at her heart, but paid no attention to that. He was more focused on the pain in Emma's. Her eyes were so full of worry, but anger too. "Don't give me that damn silent tone, tell me!" She yelled again. "I want to tell you love, but if I do you'll do anything in your power to fix it. I don't want you to suffer my problems."

"Your problems are my problems! I come back and you're full of emotion! When you come back from a forty minute battle, you come back heartless?! Is that what you're trying to tell me here?" Her voice was raised, and she couldn't take much more, "You know what? Get out. You can come back once you're ready to tell me everything." Killian flinched, and stammered with words, "Emma, listen I can't explain it but-"

"GET OUT!!"

"As you wish..." He whimpered, turning on his heels exiting her room, gently shutting the door and off to his studies. "Daddy, I heard yelling. What's going on?" A little boy asked. He couldn't believe his eyes, it was Liam, but he wasn't twelve anymore. He was back to his normal self of five. "Liam? How'd you get back to your cute little self?" He chuckled, picking up his son letting him sit atop his shoulders. "I asked that wizard man if he had some'thin to turn me back. He did, but it's actually a curse."

"A curse you say? Tell me lad, which one?"

"Uh, it's meant to be a spell to turn back the clock to an age I desire. Since your my daddy, dark magic, in return I lose my magic. Are you mad?" He shook his head, "No my boy, as a matter of fact I'm over joyed! You'll be just like your mother! With our without magic, you'll be strong as her!" He giggled, "Yay! I'm going to be just like mommy!" As the two laughed it off with jokes, and adventures, the mage's daughter appeared.

"Skotádi, a pleasure. Tell your dear father he may stay as long as he must. Helping my son only proved more of him." Killian thanked her. She blushed, "No problem, my father's in the library. No clue how he knew the library was there, but he's reading on the history of, well, the Dark Ones." Killian raised to suspicion, "Which one?"

"Well, he's been trying to read them all in order, and the last one I saw him reading was Volume IV why?" Killian laughed, "Ah, the powerful Zoso. He was a bastard, I know that. Don't remember much of him actually, and I'd rather not. Which one is he reading now?" Skotádi pondered, "No clue, he's a fast reader. He might be reading Volume VI this very moment." That's just when Killian's blood ran cold, his heart beating a mile a minute- if only he felt it. He gulped, "Book six you say? T-That's not of value...I-I'll tell him."