The Hybrid [malexmale]

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

"You could've told me it was fucking cold down here." I seethed.

I'd finally made it down a spiraling staircase that I swore went on for eternity until I finally came to yet another wooden door and stepped through it into the most uninviting tunnel made up entirely of skulls embedded into the walls and full on skeletons with their heads bent back so black candles sat in their jaws, lighting the way down winding, twisting corpse-y hallways.

There was also an icy draft that spread up and down the halls, chilling me to the bone and giving me goosebumps that no amount of friction could get rid of. Even worse, I hadn't been given clothes with Drak. Only jewelry that I peeled off as I went along because it just made me even colder.

Lea, I am really glad I never got the chance to come here with Zetnos.

Granted, his offer was nice and all, but the place gave me the creeps. Every so often, I'd hear a soft moan in the distance or a child screaming faintly. I had been told by Xenon that the place technically shouldn't have any souls in it since they were destroyed during the destruction of Atlantis, but I was beginning to beg to differ.

Wouldn't be the first time Xenon gave me false information.

The prick.

I wasn't even sure where I was going. Arikos told me to trust my instincts, but how was I supposed to do that when I was too focused on not freezing to death? I felt like I had wandered the catacombs for hours, either smacking into dead ends or twisting and turning until I found myself looking at things that looked familiar. Then again, the whole damn place looked the same.

At least until I entered a large open chamber with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling coated in dust and cobwebs. I frowned, staring up at the finely arched ceiling and gothic architecture, then down at the middle of the room where a pedestal stood with a pale purplish orb on it. Curious, I approached it, lowering my arms to lean on the pedestal as I stared at the orb. It looked strangely familiar and I wasn't quite sure how, but the longer I stared at it, the stranger I felt.

Almost like something was trying to pull me in. I should've felt alarmed, but I couldn't really find it in me to do so. Instead, I stood there and watched everything around the orb fade until I found myself plunged back into another vision. I was staring at the same orb, and Zetnos was standing on the other side of it with a smile on his face as he placed his hand over the orb.

"This is for scrying, pasios," He explained in a calm, gentle voice, "You use it to see whatever it is you wish to see. What is it you want to see?" I stepped back and looked down to see the younger version of me jumping up and down excitedly with Lea standing behind him, shaking her head with a smile.

"I want to see bunnies!" Younger me exclaimed. I arched a brow at that, and Lea laughed. Zetnos smiled.

"Then bunnies you shall see," He answered, then came around to pick younger me up in his arms, carrying him close to the orb, "Place your hands on it, child, and close your eyes for a moment. Let your magic flow through your fingers into the orb and imagine bunnies, okay?" Younger me nodded and reached out eagerly, placing his tiny hands on the orb. The orb faded from its hazy purple color until it was completely clear, then it steadily clouded over, revealing the image of a rabbit in the center for a split second before it vanished and younger me made a noise of distress. Zetnos laughed, ruffling my hair and giving me a kiss on the temple.

"It's okay, child. You did excellent for your first time and one day, you'll be able to use it with ease." He promised. Younger me pouted.

"I want to see bunnies now." He complained. Lea and Zetnos laughed.