The Third Power: TTS AU

Chapter Thirty

"Yeah," Varian replied, wishing he could just skip to the part where they all reconcile and be friends again.

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Rapunzel and co waited patiently while Veil, a merfolk with short white hair, green eyes, and a matching green tail, checked over Varian and Cassandra.

"They're doing much better than when they arrived," they concluded, a smile on their face as they adjusted their glasses. "I'm happy for them to go and complete the quest."

"Thank you, Veil," Mari told them.

Veil nodded and started packing away their equipment.

Varian and Cassandra rose from their respective beds and walked over to the group.

"Are we going then?" Rapunzel asked as she stood up from the bed she'd sat on.

"Yes," Mari told her as she came over, finished talking with Veil. "Whenever you're ready, Varian."

Varian took a breath. He tugged at his gloves as he said, "Yeah, let's go."

Rapunzel really couldn't help but smile at his nerves. She could kind of understand why he would feel this way, knowing how wary Varian was of magic beyond a research perspective. Honestly, with everything she knew about the alchemist, he really didn't feel like the kind of person who would use magic - maybe the last person the Princess would think of if they weren't in this situation.

As they walked, she let her thoughts wander back to the incident in the cave. Varian's hair turning blue, his cries of pain as he tried to read the incantation none of them could see, that steaming ball of water he'd summoned from nowhere that had sent her and her friends back to the castle covered in burns...

The Princess shuddered at the memories. So far, no one's experiences with Varian's magic had been pleasant; could she trust that that would change once Varian had the Seastone? Or maybe... maybe it would get worse from there?

No, she told herself. It was only his first time. He can learn to control his power.

But her doubts didn't relent as they continued out into the streets of the city.

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Varian's heart just wouldn't stop pounding.

This was it. This was it. The next step. They were almost to the Seastone - his... his gift.

Walking through the streets of Atlantis barely felt real. His mind was overrun with thoughts and ideas of what was to come, especially since the only things he'd done with magic so far was burn people and prevented himself and Cassandra from drowning.

What could he do with absolute control?

"Hey," said a voice next to him, pulling him from his thoughts. He blinked up at Rapunzel walking by his side. He caught Cassandra's glare past her. "You doing okay? You look a little nervous," the Princess told him in a whisper with a smile like they were sharing a secret.

He tried to laugh, tried to keep his hand from digging so deeply into his wrist as he picked at his glove. "I, er, I'm fine," he told her, not sure his words were convincing either of them.

Rapunzel's smile grew. "You'll be fine, Varian." Her tone was encouraging.

"Yeah," Keira butted into the conversation. Her voice wasn't nearly as friendly. "What's the worse that can happen?" Her pointed glare was more than enough to remind Varian of the incident in the cave, but he tried to keep his thoughts from wandering back to there.

"Here we are." Mari's called with evident excitement.

They were stood outside the building Cassandra had asked about when Mari had shown them around the other day. It looked even taller up close, the teal dome at the top weakly reflecting whatever sunlight could reach it.

Cassandra's eyes widened. "This is the fourth step?" She looked to Varian. "Wasn't there something to do with a cave?"

Varian nodded, recalling the steps. "A cave of treasure and... suffering." He'd never thought too deeply about the steps; that was starting to seem like a mistake. Treasure probably meant the Seastone but suffering? Nothing plausible came to mind, just terrifying scenarios he quickly ruled out as anxiety. But even those seemed better than proceeding with no clue of what was to come in mind.

Mari was answering Cassandra's question. "The Cave of Reflection lies within the building. This building's sole purpose is actually to hide the cave from outsiders." She smiled. "It's always good to be able to hide a secret in plain sight."

"Huh, that's actually really smart," Eugene commented with mild intrigue.

"Well, whenever you're ready, Varian." Mari gestured to the door. It was teal with white markings around the edge. It had no handle. "You must enter alone."

Trying to push aside his nerves, Varian approached it. For what felt like an eternity, he just stood there. How was he supposed to get in if there wasn't a handle? He turned to Mari, hoping she'd know what to do.

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I should have explained that the door only responds to the magic of the Seastone and those connected to it. Just place your hand on it."

Varian tried not to feel annoyed about not having that knowledge sooner and turned back to the door. He looked down at his hand. Would this work if he was wearing his gloves? One way to find out, he guessed. He gently pressed his hand to the centre of the door.

At once, the white markings lit up, becoming almost painful to look at. Then the door slid down into the floor to reveal the inside of the tower.

Wow.

With one last glance back at everyone, and seeing a mix of encouraging and fearful faces, Varian started into the building. No turning back. Let's see what this next step is all about.

"What are you doing?"

"Stop, you idiot!"

Varian's head whipped around just in time to see Rapunzel jump in after him, just before the door slid back up and plunged the room into darkness.